[Cincinatus' Wife]

A reminder on the gift of democracy*** Maria had once told me that before leaving Cuba, she had been forced into two years of hard labor by the government when it found out that she wanted to leave the country. She never said much about it, and I didn't question her. Maybe it was the sweetness of the drink that brought her back to the beauty of Cuba that she loved. When Maria talked, though some of her words seemed dark and shocking, she withdrew in silence, and in the background of a solitude of mind I had never witnessed before, she related images and landscapes of hope and promise that saved her from the devastation of the terrible experience.

She told me that the officials would bring workers, including many women, to different labor camps every day. One particular day began with the usual slice of bread (often trodden upon by rats before it was finally served), and guava. The rain had been severe and the ground was thick with mud. Their job was to fertilize seedlings. In the background, Maria heard women crying. Their cries were devastating, and through cruel means of control, the officials told the women that their fate was better than turning to prostitution for a living.

Maria, however, was tearless and went about her work with a peculiar attitude of promise. She told the women that she had faith, and faith told her ''never to look down but up.'' ''If I look down,'' she said, ''I hear cries of hopelessness, but when I look up, I take a mental snapshot of what I see, and I carry it with me.'' She then began to describe to me the exquisite view of the Cuban hills with its crescent sun of tropical colors. She knew she would be leaving Cuba for America. The hills that lifted her vision and spirit represented the freedom she had longed for. Their stillness and perfect sacredness stifled even the possibility that her arrival could not happen.***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Cubans savoring U.S. food - American farmers find fertile market *** While farmers are allowed to sell many of their products to Cuba, the U.S. government has an elaborate system of payment rules, according to Pedro Alvarez, the chairman of Alimport, the Cuban government agency that imports food products. The United States allows Americans to sell their goods to Cuba on a cash-only basis. Cubans must make the payment for purchases of U.S. goods to a foreign bank, which forwards it to a U.S. institution. They paid an additional $8 million in foreign exchange fees in the past 15 months because of this system, Alvarez said.

Despite the cost of doing business with Americans, Cubans are still interested in buying goods from their northern neighbors. They want an end to the embargo, so Americans could do business with Cuba and travel there freely. Cuban officials pointed out that they welcome American business officials and that they have paid for the goods they had purchased. Many critics say Cubans are known for defaulting on their debts to trading partners. ***