Mariano arrived in Barcelona at eight in the evening and he opted to walk from the train station, France, to Port Veil. Although his luggage was light, from time to time he would stop and change hands. He reached the Paseo Elizabeth II ahead of schedule and sat on a bench in front of the restaurant Les Set Portes. He kept himself occupied by
looking at the facade and every time one of the doors opened he would admire the decor of the modern restaurant. At nine o'clock, a man in his forties stood before him, impeccably dressed in a gray suit.
“Are you Mariano Defaus Moragas?”
“Yes sir, I am the eldest son of José Defaus Ballesté de Malgrat. Are you Jose Sarrá from Catalan?” asked Mariano.
“The same. Let's go in, I've reserved a table. Look, you can leave the suitcase with the restaurant attendant to watch it for you.”
“Thank you for everything you are doing for me. I must reimburse you for the voyage ticket and for the money needed to arrange for all the necessary papers,” Mariano told the man with the beard and glasses.
“Don't worry, on the boat we will have a lot of time to settle accounts. This morning, I went to the Civil Guard headquarters. An officer I met was employed there during military service. The poor man, being crippled, became a humble office worker. He has helped me in everything he could. I want you to know that I have not bribed anyone and that no paper has been forged. Here is your safe conduct report and your ticket.”
“I appreciate very much all you have done for me.”
“You have been saved by the fact that you have just turned seventeen. In the barracks this morning, they had the list of the passengers who are eighteen years old and up.”
“Does that mean that today I can travel and that maybe tomorrow I couldn't?”
“Yes, we made it by a hair. From tomorrow on you will be a deserter, but we will already be at sea.”
“I hope everything goes well.”
“Do not worry! Nothing will happen to you by my side. Your cabin is second class, mine is first class. I had to fix it like this so they wouldn't suspect us. Remember that from now on you are an employee of the Sarrá Pharmacy De La Habana.”
They chose a table near one of the beautiful doors. Mariano was stunned looking at the furniture, the lamps, and the checkered floor. At night, the place seemed even prettier than a year ago, when he went to eat there with his father. Mariano felt intoxicated from all the emotions he was experiencing.
They embarked at half past eleven, but the ship left more than an hour later. It was almost one o'clock in the morning when a small steamer towed them out of the port. Mariano, despite the cold, spent much of the night standing on the deck, not wanting to miss a minute of the journey. Finally, pharmacist Sarrá went looking for him. “Go to sleep! Now there is little wind and the sea is calm, but wait and see when the storms come. Before going to bed, take these anti-nausea pills, one each day, for a week. You will see how your body will get used to the giant waves of the Atlantic. And you need to take these pills when we get to Cuba so you don't get sick from the tropical fevers.”
“How many times have you made this trip?” asked Mariano.
“Oh, four or five. My wife got sick the first time she set foot on the island. She didn't do well living in the Tropics and that is why she now lives at her parent’s home in Barcelona. From time to time I return to Catalonia for a few months and settle with my wife and my children in the house we have in Malgrat, where my father runs the pharmacy. Luckily, my cousin takes care of the pharmacy we have in Havana. As you see, I won't stop traveling.”
“Do you like living in Havana?”
“I love Havana, it's a beautiful city, but with many contradictions. For example, generally second or third European generations are very wealthy and live in luxurious mansions. Others, always white-skinned, like shopkeepers and merchants, manage well. But the majority of the population are black or mulattos and are very poor. There are very few Indians left. Even though slavery has been abolished, some whites engage in the slave trade. I know two or three Catalans who have become rich trading African slaves. I do not agree, and I would like our compatriots to earn a living without exploiting anyone. It's a shame that human beings are still allowed to be sold!”
Mariano remained thoughtful. He had only seen black-skinned people in some illustrations of books that his teacher showed him one day. Then he said, “I didn't know there were still slaves! And I couldn't imagine that in Cuba there would be so many blacks. Are there slaves in Havana?”
“No, in Havana there are no slaves; however, the rich have many servants such as butlers, maids, nannies, waitresses, and cooks. Generally, all the servants are black or mulattos. However, in the countryside the slaves work on tobacco and sugar cane plantations, whose owners buy and exploit them. Then the owners sell them when they are no longer needed.”
“And nothing can be done to end all this?” Mariano asked.
“It will be a slow process, because the rich do not want to lose their profits. And despite the fact that the law prohibits slavery, those in the government turn a blind eye. But now let's talk about the beautiful things in the city. You will love it and you will immediately become accustomed to the cheerful and helpful people, to exotic food and tropical fruit, to the rhythm of the Cuban music and sensual dances in the midst of the heat and humidity.
Mariano followed Mr. Sarrá's advice and took the pills to avoid getting motion sickness. Every day, to keep from getting bored, he tried to distract himself by reading, looking at the sea, and talking with the pharmacist as well as other passengers who, little by little, he was getting to know.
One morning, the pharmacist asked him to copy some prescriptions for medicines and seeing that he had very good handwriting, he began to dictate homeopathic and allopathic prescriptions.
“You have to know that the Sarrá Pharmacy is famous for preparing unique remedies at very good prices. In the basement of the building, we have discovered a spring of virgin waters. Water is very important to prepare medicines, but I like to think that honesty and the desire to help people is what has caused the popularity of our pharmacy and our medicines,” Jose told Mariano.
Mariano enjoyed listening to everyone’s stories as he began to mix with all the passengers and the crew. Many times he helped the boys to hoist or lower sails and he tried navigating. His fair skin became more and more tanned and his body became stronger. However, at night it was difficult for him to sleep. His cabin companions were three brothers from Barcelona. The eldest was forty years old and the youngest thirty-five. They told him that they were sons and grandsons of shopkeepers; but
that as a result of the riots and public disorders, their grocery store had been set on fire and they had lost their parents in the fire. A neighbor told them that in Cuba the shopkeepers earned a good living and that there were many Catalans in Havana. And without much thought, they picked up their few possessions and embarked on their journey. They also did it because they feared that sooner or later they would be recruited for the war. They were tall and robust men who liked to eat, drink, play cards and chat with other passengers to pass the time. Mariano liked all three brothers, except for one bad thing - at night they snored and sounded like an orchestra out of tune. Mariano would try to wake them up and try to make them sleep on their sides; but after a while, they would turn around and start snoring again. A few days later, he found a way to make the nightly noise more bearable, Mariano tied a scarf around his head to cover his ears, and while he listened to the snoring, he closed his eyes and imagined that he was lying on his bed, in the house where he was born, in Malgrat. His father snored too, but he and his brothers, Juan, Isidro, and Francisco, would hear the quiet clicks as they were sleeping in another room. The nights his father wasn't snoring, he felt as if something was missing, because those noises actually accompanied him and perhaps the same thing was taking place with the three mouths that trembled in unison in his cabin. One night, with the scarf over his ears and the blanket on his back, he began to write a letter to his mother.
Beloved Mother,
As I promised, I am going to write you a letter every fortnight. I hope everyone is in perfect health. We have been sailing for more than a week, and thank God and Mr. Sarrá, I'm fine and have no symptoms of being seasick. At night it's cold, and luckily, I brought my coat and the blanket. I also want to thank you for the provisions you placed in the suitcase. Until now, they have not given us fresh bread - only dry bread, fish and salty meat, and a little fruit; however, I can't complain. I have an excellent appetite and I eat everything. When we stopped in Valencia, the captain ordered several boxes of oranges, melons, watermelons and other garden products. From then on, our diet has improved. For dinner they give us a comforting soup.
I close my eyes and dream of the bread and garlic soup that you prepared for us in Malgrat. How are my brothers? I am sure you are pleased that Juan is so serious and dutiful and loves working in the fields. Isidro seems to like the Jesuit boarding school very much, and let's not forget Francisco who is a hustler. How are my sisters? How wonderful that Maria loves taking care of Luisa and Rosa, our little ones in the family!
When we get to Cadiz, I am going to deliver this letter to a sailor so he can take it to the Post Office. I can't risk getting off the boat - they could suspect me of deserting. It will be exciting to cross The Strait of Gibraltar towards the Canary Islands where we will stop for a few days.
Do not forget me. Every night, I think of my siblings and of you, my dear parents and I thank you for always helping and supporting me. I miss all the family. My cabin mates are good people. Mr. Sarrá treats me like a son and teaches me many things about the pharmacy. I hope my father has expressed my gratitude to the mayor for me.
Take care.
Mariano Defaus Moragas
One afternoon Mariano saw the maid of a Mrs. Valls, leaning on the railing of the deck, and he approached her, curious to meet her. The Valls were cattle merchants and were going to Cuba to found a cattle ranch. The girl's name was Maria and she was very shy.
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