"Stills" are moments in time or memory recollections of the author. The moments described span a period from the pre-teen years to the age of sixty. * From a child growing up in an inter-racial family in the island of Cuba during the decade of the fifties, to the sudden arrival and oppression of Communism. Followed by a migration to the United States in 1962 as an unaccompanied minor, a historical chapter that later would be known as the Pedro Pan Children. Soon after the father bid farewell to the son, the regime of Fidel Castro sentenced him to a 20-year prison term to serve at the Isla de Pinos concentration camp. In 1980, the Mariel boatlift, a controversial event that brought Cubans to American shores, provided the venue for the long awaited reunion in the free world. This achievement provided the turning point for the author to focus on his person and finally confront his inner most secret. However, many hurdles lied ahead of this decision. Then the journey continued... * This book is intended for an adult audience. For privacy protection, names have been changed where required.

STILLS

"Moments in Time"By Lazaro Agustin Alvarez

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Lazaro Agustin Alvarez
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-3267-5

Contents

Dedication...................................................vThanks.......................................................viiEpigraph.....................................................ixIntroduction.................................................xvCubaIn Living Color..............................................1... To Grandma's House We Go!................................5Spirits......................................................9Innocent Bystander...........................................13Three Strikes You Are Out....................................15The Womb.....................................................19Tools Of The Trade...........................................21Pruning The Family Tree......................................25One Lump Or Two?.............................................29Park Place & Boardwalk.......................................33Alma Mater...................................................37The Apple....................................................41Apocalypse...................................................45Leaving The Nest.............................................49Water World..................................................57One Last Look................................................63Miami, Florida USAEverything's Pretty In America...............................67The Day The Music Died.......................................71Shake, Rattle And Roll.......................................75Tulsa, Oklahoma USAThe Beverly Hillbillies......................................79A Bowler's Split.............................................83West New York, New Jersey USAA Good Place To Live And Shop................................89... And God Created Woman....................................93What The Lord Gives .........................................959-2-5........................................................99Politically Correct?.........................................103CubaComing Home (The Arrival)....................................109Coming Home (The City).......................................111Coming Home (The Farm).......................................115Coming Home (Freedom)........................................117Have Boat Will Travel-Part One...............................119Have Boat Will Travel-Part Two...............................123West New York, New Jersey USAGive Me Your Tired, Your Poor ...............................129Earned One Stripe At A Time (Red = Life).....................131Second Stripe (Orange = Healing).............................133Third Stripe (Yellow = Sun)..................................137Fourth Stripe (Green = Nature)-Part One......................141Fourth Stripe (Green = Nature)-Part Two......................145Fifth Stripe (Blue = Art)....................................149Sixth Stripe (Purple = Harmony & Spirit).....................151San Francisco, California USAThe Milky Way................................................155I Will Survive...............................................159White Picket Fences..........................................163Where In The World Is ...?...................................167Caracas, VenezuelaWelcome To ... Venezuela!....................................171Santa Fe De Bogota, ColombiaWelcome To ... Colombia!.....................................177Mexico City, MexicoWelcome To ... Mexico!.......................................183Dallas, Texas USAWelcome To ... Texas!........................................189Miami, Florida USAThis Too Shall Pass..........................................195See You In Heaven............................................199Rude Awakening...............................................203match.com....................................................205Final Chapter................................................207Conclusion...................................................209

Chapter One

In Living Color

* * *

Cuba's population comes from a mixed background of Spanish, African, Chinese, and any other country folk who called this beautiful island their home.

My father Roy was a white man. His adoptive family members on the other hand were all blacks. My mother Ingrid is also a white woman. Her father moved to Cuba from Galicia (Spain), and her mother was of Cuban descent. The reason my father was adopted and why others moved to Cuba when they did has always been a mystery. When the questions were raised during my life in Cuba, the answers were not provided. The older family members that remain in the US do not know this information or are taking the secret to their graves.

Cuba had many eccentric people that were unique in many ways. These individuals were later immortalized in songs that today are still being played in many Cuban homes here in the US or abroad.

There was a bearded man dressed in a beret and a cape that carried an artist's palette. He walked around Havana and the rest of the island from time to time loudly expressing poetic statements. He was named "The gentleman from Paris".

We also had a black skater, who went around the island every year from town to town, singing and skating up a storm. He was always smiling and carrying a tune in his head, pre "iPod" era!

The street vendors were also a barrel of fun, one that was unique to the town was the "mulato" man (A cross between a black and a white person), who was always dressed impeccably with a Cuban "guayabera". This is a specially made cotton shirt that was the dress code of the island, sort of, what a flowered shirt is to the Hawaiian Islands. This person sold delicious tiny cookies that are similar to the American shortbread version but made with pure butter and natural ingredients. He carried them in his own display case, big enough to place on one of his shoulders while singing and tap dancing whenever a potential customer was spotted. If those moments could have been saved on tape to play back now, it would have been precious!

The "Pirulelo" or candy man was an older white man that carried his homemade cone shaped candies on a stick made in various sizes, from two inches to the colossal rainbow colored twelve-inch types. These were attached to a circular cardboard pole that was carried at a height of six feet while the bottom of the pole rested on a specially made contraption attached to his belt.

The "Manicero" man sold long paper cones filled with salted roasted peanuts and another type made with sweet caramel. These were stored in a carrying case that was built ingeniously out of a two-foot tall square covered can that was used in Cuba to sell oil or lard products. He prepared this can by adding a wire grill to its interior three inches from the bottom, and cutting away an opening to the outside. The bottom section would be filled with charcoal, where once lit, would keep the peanuts always hot and with a strong aroma that enticed everyone to buy after leaving the movie houses or bumping into him around town.

There were many other eccentric or unique people, such as the "fritas" vendor. He was an oriental man who sold delicious tiny hamburgers by the harbor's main avenue. Today, I can still remember my father driving on breezy and starry late nights to this vendor's streetcar and buying his goods by the bag-full. What a treat that was! Many people have tried to recreate this flavor here in the US, with no...