The Cuban

by Kim Rodriguez

  “You think I’m what you were supposed to find?”

  “You heard her. She said so. Anyway, when I read your letter, I knew.” I pushed a few locks of hair away from her face and then made a decision on the spot. “I won’t go back. I’ll live and work in Miami again.”

  “Rafa, I’m so happy!” said Amada, hugging me. It delighted me to see her this way because I knew I never wanted to disappoint her again like I had this morning.

  “Good. Do you feel better about everything now?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course, I’m thrilled,” she said, “but I don’t understand what she said about children, Rafa—” Her voice began to tremble as pain clouded her eyes. She’d fall apart again if she tried to talk about it, and that was the last thing I wanted.

  “Sh, Amada,” I said. “I saw your scar, too.” Her C-section incision was small and had faded to almost nothing, but I’d noticed it.

  “The first night,” she sighed.

  “Just because I know it’s there doesn’t mean it’s any of my business. We’ll talk about it when the time is right.” She let me touch the bump of slightly raised skin, which was a good sign. “We have no idea what she meant, so let’s not make assumptions. Just put it out of your mind for now.”

  “What does Delfina think you’re afraid of?” She flipped her hair back and readjusted herself on the pillow, a clear signal she was ready to change the subject.

  “She knows I think my brother was schizophrenic and that I don’t want to have children because of it. I couldn’t bear to see my child suffer like that.” I stroked her hair, and we both were silent for a while. “It’s not just you, Amada. I feel the same way, so there’s nothing more to discuss. When you’re ready to share the details, you can. Or don’t. All that matters is that’s we’re together now.”

  “Rafa,” she sighed. I wasn’t sure what she meant, but she looked exhausted, so I checked the clock.

  “It’s after three. We talked all night. Let’s go to sleep, baby,” I said.

  “What does Delfina want to do at my house?” she asked, heavy-lidded.

  “She just wants to cleanse the house of any bad energy. It’s very simple to do. Are you alright with that? It can’t hurt anything.”

  “Fine. I just wish we could sleep in a little longer.” She rolled over and curled up. She looked tiny, and every protective instinct I had went into overdrive.

  “Me too. I’ll be right back.”

  “Say it in English,” she murmured.

  “Why?”

  “You’re supposed to start speaking to me in English.” I could barely make out her words now. She was half asleep already.

  “I’ll start tomorrow, profesora.”

  When I came back from the bathroom, she was out. I turned off the lights and took my sweet Amada in my arms, her back to my front. It was crazy to think how both of our lives had changed in less than a week, and now I couldn’t imagine another day without this woman. She reminded me of the type of medieval fair-haired beauty men went to war over. Or was it the Greeks? My Amada would know. I might be able to stitch a wound, but she could debate the significance of great literature, speak multiple languages and carry on an intelligent conversation on any conceivable subject. She’d traveled the greatest European capitals and worn the finest clothes money could buy. I couldn’t imagine where in the world my sophisticated lover could go and not charm every man in the room, and here she was with me. I wasn’t good enough for her and I’d told her so, but if she wanted me, I was hers. My delicate queen, alone by her own design. Not anymore.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I was awakened by Rafa’s head between my legs, and though it was only nine in the morning, true to form he was already hard at work trying to make me happy in one way or another.

  “Amada, you taste so good. I want you for breakfast every day.” He flicked his tongue every place but where I wanted it most, creating a sensation that was both maddening and delicious. I knew all about his waiting philosophy, but sometimes a woman just can’t.

  “Higher.” I begged, tilting my pelvis down. I really had become so brazen with him. It was hard to believe he put up with it, but he did. The first thing out of my mouth this morning was a command for him to service me exactly how I wanted. There was no ‘good morning,’ or ‘how did you sleep’ from me, just ‘tongue here.’ I had to laugh at my own behavior, but it was his indulgence that was turning me into a complete brat.

  “Where?” he asked.

  “You know where.”

  “I have no idea. You first.” He wiped his mouth and looked up at me, propping his chin on his hand, hoping for some kind of show.

  “Sorry, ladies don’t do that,” I said.

  “I don’t believe it for a second. Come on,” he said, squinting.

  “Rafa, you know exactly what to do, and if you can’t see, put on your glasses,” I said, giving his head a gentle nudge back down.

  Rafa bowed his head between my legs to conceal his laughter, but then granted all of my very specific requests until I had an outstanding morning orgasm, after which he climbed on top of me and made love with such passion it took my breath away.

  “You make me so hard it hurts, Amada,” he gasped, pounding me into the bed. “Being inside you is all I think about anymore. I swear I dream about it.”

  ***

  By eleven o’clock we were back at my house, unloading the Rover in the driveway when a taxi pulled up. It was a typical hot fall day in Miami, and though the water was a little choppy, it was absolutely gorgeous outside. The inside of the house was another story, specifically the rows of unpacked luggage, empty cupboards and miles of windows to open, but maybe we could just enjoy the outdoors together today.

  “Rafa, is that them?” My sexy man came around from the back of the car and gave me a little pat on the butt as he walked past me toward the cab.

  “No, it’s Octavio with the supplies I ordered.”

  He looked so good walking away that I impulsively yanked him back toward me, put my hand between his legs and gave him a big kiss.

  “You are very feisty this morning, missy,” he said, giving me a playful swat on the rear as he disentangled himself from my grabby hands and made his way down the driveway.

  “Hope you can handle it,” I called out.

  “Baby, you know what happens when you talk like that,” he warned, glancing over his shoulder. On second thought, it was a gross understatement to call Rafa sexy; he was just pure sex.

  It looked like the same cab from yesterday, and when the driver got out, Rafa smiled and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. People really did take to him right away, and he liked them back, which was certainly a good quality in a healer and in a man. While they chatted for a few minutes, I brought a few things inside the house, and by the time I was back outside, the cab was gone and Rafa had a large shopping bag in one arm and a birdcage in the other. As he came closer, I could make out a small white bird sitting peacefully on one of the perches. For a moment I thought Rafa had bought a pet, but then I remembered Doña Delfina’s request for a dove.

  “What exactly is she going to do with it?” Not long ago I’d read an article in the Herald about the increasing incidence of animal sacrifice around Miami. If that’s what was planned, I wouldn’t allow it. Reading my mind, Rafa assured me it was nothing of that nature.

  “She’s just going to say a few prayers and then let it fly away.”

  We set the cage on the loggia and continued to unload the car until Sandro and Doña Delfina pulled in through the open gate. To my surprise, they arrived in a black S-class Mercedes with jet black tinted windows, a highly illegal vehicle modification in Miami. Then again, if she was under the protection of very powerful people, she probably didn’t have to worry about it.

  “Nice car,” I said to Rafa.

  “She’s very rich. Anyway, look who’s talking.”

  Rafa went to greet Sandro and help Delfina out of the shiny, dark sedan. He beamed with aff
ection for her, which made me happy to see. As he helped her up the steps to the front door, I met them halfway and took her other arm. She wore an outfit almost identical to the one from last night, except this time she was in white from head to toe, from her hair wrap all the way down to her tiny white shoes. Although she looked weary, her deep feelings for Rafa were unmistakable.

  “Good Morning, Doña Delfina,” I said. “Thank you for coming today. Welcome.” She turned and took my hand in hers, which was strangely comforting.

  “Preciosa, I know you have your doubts, but you’ll see.”

  At her request, Rafa and I took her through the grounds while Sandro stayed by the car. It occurred to me that he might be her bodyguard as well as her driver, which of course made me wonder why she would need one. I guess if everyone knows you’re wealthy, you need protection, but in my case, very few people even had the faintest clue.

  I walked her through the boathouse first, then the garden, and finally to the tiny little guesthouse behind the pool. It was used for storage now, and it had been so long since I’d been down here, I’d almost forgotten about it. I rarely came out here at all, but our gardener did a great job of keeping everything pristine. Inside, however, the guesthouse was a total mess. Even so, Doña Delfina stuck her head in the door and nodded in the affirmative.

  “It’s clean.” Esta limpiesita. I turned to Rafa, knowing the little house was a total disaster.

  “She means there’s good energy here,” he explained.

  In the main house, Delfina was not as happy. Right at the entrance to the foyer she began to sigh. “Sadness.” Tristeza. She walked around a little bit and asked us for the coconut.

  She held it in her hands and said a prayer over it in a language I couldn’t understand. “I’m ready,” she finally said.

  “Sweetheart, she wants to follow us around the house, but you have to take her through every room. She can’t miss anything, not even a closet. I’ll walk with her, and you lead us.”

  I led them through every room of the house, and unlike anyone else that had ever seen Boxwood for the first time, Delfina said nothing. If she was impressed, she didn’t show it. She recited prayer after prayer while holding the coconut in both hands as we took the long walk through every single part of the house, including Kieran’s wing. I hadn’t seen it for a while, but I was amused to note that as always, it was immaculate. He’d be home from Asia soon, and I hoped that he and Rafa would like each other, but my brother was always so stressed out from work his moods were pretty much unpredictable. Delfina spent the most time in my bedroom, where she and Rafa exchanged a few words I couldn’t make out, but when they were done they seemed satisfied.

  Finally we made it back to where we started, and Rafa opened the front door for Doña Delfina without her having to ask. She set the coconut down carefully in an out of the way spot on the driveway. “Careful with that,” she warned. “Rafa, you know what to do.” He bowed his head respectfully and helped her back inside. “Now the bath. Get the dove.”

  “She wants you to have an herbal bath, Amada.” said Rafa. “Can we use one of the bathrooms down here so that she doesn’t have to go up the stairs again? I’ll clean the tub after we’re done.”

  “Me? She wants to give me a bath?” I started to panic a little, wondering exactly what type of strange ritual this would entail.

  “No, she wants to prepare a bath for you.”

  “Rafa—”

  “Sweetheart, it won’t hurt anything. Do you have any idea how long people have to wait for her help? Years sometimes. Please let her.” I couldn’t believe a trained medical doctor was so adamant about this nonsense, but, as he said, it wouldn’t hurt.

  “Alright,” I said. “There’s a bathroom right here. But the bird is not going in the water with me, is it?”

  “Of course not!”

  Rafa went to get the rest of the bags Octavio had dropped off with the dove, and I took Doña Delfina to the downstairs guest bath, a bright and spacious marbled washroom with a deep claw foot tub. She walked so slowly that by the time we made it, Rafa was back with the supplies, including the dove.

  “Perfect,” said Doña Delfina, presumably referring to the all-white color scheme. I was starting to understand just how significant the color white was to them.

  “You have to take off your clothes,” said Rafa to me.

  “Right now?” Surely he didn’t mean with her in the room, too.

  “Yes, sweetheart. She’s going to pray over you before you get in the water, and then the dove will carry away all the things that are weighing you down. It’s a cleansing.” Es una limpieza.

  “You don’t want to?” asked Doña Delfina, surprised.

  I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but all of this was so strange.

  “She doesn’t understand why.” said Rafa, apologetically. “Maybe we should wait.”

  “She shouldn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. However, my time is quickly coming to an end. You can do it for her later, but if you want my help, you should accept it now.”

  “What is it, Madrina?” he asked, taken aback. “Maybe I can help you.”

  “No, my son. That’s it.” No, mi hijo. Asi es.

  Rafa embraced Doña Delfina and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he held back his tears. My heart broke for him. He wasn’t even thinking about the bath anymore, but I began to remove my clothes, hoping she would still be willing to do it.

  “Good,” said Doña Delfina to me.

  With his mind elsewhere, Rafa began to fill the tub with tap water and coconut water. When I was completely undressed, Delfina went to the cage and picked up the cooing dove. Surprisingly, the bird didn’t struggle and was very relaxed in the elderly woman’s gentle hands. Delfina brought the dove close to me, and starting at the top of my head, traced the outline of my body with the dove while reciting a prayer. The dove never touched me, but she went down one side of my body with it and up the other, then put the bird back in the cage. I looked over at Rafa, who was on his knees beside the tub, head down, devastated.

  “Step in,” she said, pointing at the tub. Rafa helped me sit down while Doña Delfina pulled a bouquet of fresh herbs out of her pocket. “No black nightshade. I know you don’t like it.” Sin la yerba mora. Se que no te gusta. Rafa nodded his approval, and after another prayer, she untied the bouquet and scattered the stems and leaves in the bathwater.

  “The flowers.” He handed her the bouquet of white orchids, and as she threw the petals in the water, she prayed again. Finally, she took a handful of water and sprinkled it over the top of my head. That was it. Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn’t something as simple as this. The water smelled divine from the herbs and flower petals, and I already felt quite relaxed and light.

  “Feel good?” Rafa asked, leaning over the edge of the tub, his eyes red and wet. “It’s good for your sunburn, too.”

  “Very nice, but are you ok?” I didn’t like the way he broke down, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t get out and comfort him.

  “Yes, I’ll be alright. We’re going to go outside and release the dove. You only have to be in here a couple of minutes, but you have to air dry, so wait for me.” He kissed me on the cheek and took the cage out of the bathroom.

  “Enjoy it while you can, my dear.” Disfruta ahora que puedes, cariño. “You’ll feel the effects soon. See you Tuesday,” said Doña Delfina.

  “Thank you.” I wondered what was happening on Tuesday, and as nice as it turned out to be, I hoped it didn’t involve any more baths. Enjoy it while you can. I’d heard that somewhere before.

  As I settled into the water, I could see Delfina and Rafa in the foyer talking about something, and judging from his mannerisms, I knew Rafa was upset. She let him say what he wanted, but then when she spoke, he said nothing. After about a minute, he put his arm around her and walked her in the direction of the front door without further conversation. I was worried until he
came back inside, but whatever Delfina said to him had helped because he seemed much better.

  “What did she say?” I asked.

  “She explained what’s going on with her health.” He didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so I didn’t ask anything else.

  “Did you let that poor bird go?”

  “Yes, but I have to get rid of the coconut later. It can’t break open while it’s in our possession.” His eyes were full of mischief, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

  “Of course we can’t break the coconut. What about the Voodoo doll?” I couldn’t help it. It was just all so absurd.

  “It’s under your bed in a very dirty sex position,” he said, kissing my shoulder.

  “Excellent. So can I get out out of here please?”

  ***

  We ended up out back on the covered patio, and though I’d suggested to Rafa that we go lie out by the pool to dry off, he didn’t want me in the sun, so he pulled two lounge chairs close together and we stretched out in the shade facing the bay. It was a busy morning, and more than a few yachts passed us on their way out to the Atlantic. I dried quickly, but it was so lovely outside that we lounged a little longer. Rafa held my hand as we enjoyed the ocean breeze and the beautiful vista.

  “So what’s the plan for today?” he asked, flicking his thumb across the palm of my hand.

  “Well, I need to unpack all those suitcases, go grocery shopping, and help you get settled.” I smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

  “Settled? Where?”

  “Here, handsome.”

  “Amada, we’ve been over that.”

  “Why not?” I sat up and faced him. “We did the cleansing so that you would feel comfortable, didn’t we?”