Alex's eyes were glued on the classic cars driving the streets of Havana. Piper reached over and acted like she was closing Alex's mouth then mopped at the corner as if Alex was drooling. "Well Alex, what do you think about an overnight trip in Havana?"

Alex grabbed her girlfriend in a fierce hug, swinging her around the boat. "Piper, how did you manage this? I thought travel to Cuba was still restricted."

"I have my ways." Piper grinned at Alex. The captain finished tying off the boat, collected Piper's folder and the passports from both women and disembarked, leaving the rest of the crew and the women. "Since Cuba isn't exactly open to pure tourism, we are on people-to-people visas. The idea is to meet Cuban people and to exchange, talk about life in the United States, learn about life in Cuba. The captain has some extended family here who is going to host us and serve as a guide."

Alex was utterly excited she could barely contain her glee. "This is so going to rock! I have the best girlfriend ever." Alex turned her attention back to the land, watching the cars and examining the gorgeous Spanish architecture of the buildings. Her appreciation of the culture that was visible from the boat was evident.

Eventually the captain returned, grabbed their bag, and helped them off the charter. "Everything cleared ladies. This way." He meandered around the fishing traps and equipment scattered about the pier. "My uncle should be waiting for us. Actually Piper, I have to thank you for the opportunity to make my first trip to Cuba. I am first generation American, but my heritage is Cuban through and through. Ahhhh there is Uncle Carlito."

There was an older gentleman wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, a Guayabera, and loose cotton pants leaning up against the yellow 1957 Chevy Bel Air four-door sedan that Alex had seen earlier. As the trio walked up, a grin broader than then man's hat spread across his face. "¡Mi sobrino! Usted es la viva imagen de su madre." His pride was evident as he hugged his nephew.

The captain blushed as he hugged his uncle. "Mi madre envía a su amor." Turning to Piper and Alex, he said, "Esto es Piper y Alex," motioning to each woman in turn.

Carlito took Piper's hand and gently raised it to his lips then repeated the gesture with Alex. "Es perfect for me to work on English, no?"

Piper laughed and patted herself on the chest. "Mi español es muy malo."

The captain laughed along with her. "This will be good for all of you. My uncle owns a tobacco plantation and has many contacts to expose you to Cuban culture. Many of his employees have school age children who want to learn about the United State in hopes of being able to emigrate there some day. Don't let Uncle Carlito fool you. His English is quite better than he lets on." Both men laughed.


Once the uncle and nephew said their goodbyes, Carlito placed their bag in the trunk of the car. Piper crawled into the back seat, Alex admired the tall fins and chrome trim of the vehicle as she walked to the passenger side. "You like cars, si?"

Alex slid into the smooth leather seats, grinning at Carlito as she gently shut the door. "Yes. Mi… ehhhh novia," Alex motioned to Piper in the back, "gave me a 1964 ½ convertible Mustang".

"Ahhhhh yes. I know that car very well. You must treat her well, your novia, to get a gift such as that." Alex blushed. "Well Alex, who has good tastes in cars, I hope you enjoy Cuba. First we shall go to the farm, maybe smoke a good cigar. I have quite a treat for you tonight back in the city."

As they slowly wound their way through the old town, the car windows were down despite the humid salty air. Pretty much at every corner in Havana Vieja someone was be playing some great music – either on a portable radio or even someone sitting on a stoop with a guitar. Periodically, Carlito would pause to allow the women to listen to the tunes. Soon they were out of the city and on the open road. Carlito pointed to the corner fence post that marked the boundary of his farm. A few miles later, he turned down a long, dusty driveway to a beautiful colonial style house. There was a large tobacco barn in the distance and various farm implements scattered in between.

Carlito hopped out of his car. "Bienviendo a mi casa!"


After showing Piper and Alex to the room in which they would stay and allowing them some time to freshen up, their kind Cuban host gave them a tour of his tobacco farm, ending in the barn. During the tour, he explained the lure of Cuban cigars. "Our cigars have one single ingredient, Cuban tobacco, which is grown best in this region of the island. Our country's cigar traditions go back to the 1500's and rolling methods have not changed in one hundred years." While Carlito's English was still heavily accented, his nephew was right. He knew more of the language than he first let on.

In the barn, Alex was amazed at the areas set up to cure the tobacco once it was harvested from the fields. Larger, darker leaves were in one section while longer strip leaves were in another. As they were led into a separate area, she was shocked to see rows of men and women bent over tables, twisting handfuls of thin tobacco leaves in their hands, tearing them and pulling them into just the right shape. Once a sufficient amount was arranged, the cigar master, as Carlito called his workers, would place the bundle diagonally on a larger sheet of tobacco and tightly roll into the familiar looking cigar shape, working the roll back and forth until the larger sheet was tight and smooth. One end was then cut off with a device mounted onto the table and that end was moistened to keep it from unravelling. The other end was left slightly rough as the cigar was again rolled back and forth to ensure its tightness.

The cigar maker reached for another, even smoother sheet of tobacco which was kept under a moist towel. Now the worker was extra cautious as he trimmed this sheet then rolled the cigar into this outer wrapping as this would be the final product and it had to be perfect. After completion, the perfect cigar would be stacked upon other perfect specimens. In total, the process took about five minutes.

While Piper respected the trade and could appreciate the hard work that went into this long standing traditional Cuban trade, it was Alex that was enthralled. "How long does it take to learn how to do this?"

Carlito found her question humorous. "Our best masters train up to six years to perfect their trade. Would you like to try?" No sooner did the words escape his mouth was Alex around behind the table. "This is Filberto, my best trainer. Good luck. By the way Alex, he doesn't speak any English." With a few words of Spanish to his other workers, a slight bit of laughter rippled through them. Many stood up and made a loose circle to watch as Piper took out her cell phone to video this. "Nicky is going to get a kick out of this," she murmured under her breath.

Thirty minutes later, an exasperated Filberto threw up his hands. By this time, the rest of the workers had bored of watching Alex struggle and had gone back to work. It took all of Piper's strength to not laugh at her partner. The master trainer finally reached around Alex, placed his hands over hers and finished the final rolls of the outer tobacco sheet. Alex looked down, grinning at her loose, misshapen semi-stiff cigar. After profusely thanking Filberto, Carlito, Piper and Alex made their way back to the main house, Alex proudly carrying what might possibly pass for a cigar.

As they sat on the porch, Alex exclaimed, "That was awesome. I think I did a pretty good job for a beginner. Now the first cigar I ever smoke will be a Cuban one I rolled myself." She reached for Carlito's cigar cutter and lighter.

Carlito roared with laughter as he placed his hand atop hers to stop her. "Oh no Alex. Let's call that your souvenir. Something that loose may light but it will never stay lit long enough to smoke." He handed her a properly rolled cigar, explained how to properly cut and light it. And the two enjoyed a long smoke together.

Piper had gotten a kick out of watching the workers all politely try not to outright laugh at Alex, but Alex enjoyed herself which is what was important. "So Carlito, you said we were going back into the city tonight. What do you have in store for us?"

"Ahhh pretty lady. You will see! In fact, it is almost time to leave. In the city we shall dine, visit Barrio Chino then the treat. Let's say twenty minutes?"

As Piper and Alex freshened up in their room, Piper spun Alex around and wrapped her arms tightly around Alex's waist. "You looked pretty sexy rolling that cigar babe. I think you have a new career ahead of you." Alex narrowed her eyes at the blonde's teasing. "Hey, did Carlito say Barrio Chino? Isn't that Chinatown? Do you seriously think Havana has a Chinatown?"

"I suppose I've seen stranger things," Alex laughed. "Or have I?"


As the trio drove back into town Carlito explained his vision for the rest of the women's short visit. The next morning would be spent talking to the older offspring of the workers who they had met today, sharing stories about the United States and talking about life and opportunities there. He had also arranged for some of the young adults to take Piper and Alex through the city, perhaps to a shopping area or to Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

As they again wound through the streets of Havana, Carlito began to tell about the huge Chinese community of Cuba. He pulled up to a curb. "But there are no Chinese people left. In fact, what is left today is just about two blocks of Chinese restaurants."

Alex was finally learning what a jokester Carlito was. She poked him in the side. "You really had us going. Barrio Chino, yeah right!"

"No Alex. I am actually serious. Perhaps you will believe me if we eat Chinese tonight." He went to put his car in park. He glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the look of shock on Piper's face. "Relax. I am kidding Ms. Chapman. Tonight we shall dine on traditional Cubano fare."

True to his word, Piper and Alex dined on what could only be described as the best Cuban fare on the face of the planet. Despite being almost too stuffed to walk, Carlito once again loaded the pair into his car and drove to his next destination.

"This, my ladies, is the fortress La Cabaña. The view of Havana by night is most amazing. They wandered around for a while, looking at various exhibits and appreciating the scenery. As it grew closer to 9, Carlito guided them towards the gates. "The ceremony of "el cañonazo de las nueve"," he said. "This is a tradition that has taken place for centuries." Piper was in awe as soldiers dressed in the traditional costumes of the 18th century shot off cannons. As the noise died down, Carlito explained, "the cannons are to warn that it is time to close the city gates, to protect Havana from its enemies. We are a country staunch in tradition."

By the time Alex and Piper made it to bed, they were exhausted. Alex laid on her back and held Piper who snuggled into her side. "This has been amazing Pipes. We have done so much in such a short time. And just think, we have almost twice as much time tomorrow!"

"I know Al. I'm glad you are enjoying this. Carlito is a great host. We definitely need to invite him and his family to the states for a stay in Founder's Inn. I'm sure his extended family would love to come as well and catch up." Alex murmured her agreement. "I cannot imagine not being able to see your family in so long, knowing they are physically so close." Piper reached around her shoulder and pulled Alex's arm tighter. "What would you do?"

Piper paused for Alex's answer. "Alex?" Piper pushed herself up slowly onto one elbow to look at her girlfriend. "Alex?" She whispered softly. Alex answered with a quite snore. She had fallen right asleep. "So much for conversation," Piper thought to herself as she wrapped her arm around Alex's stomach. "Good night Al."


Both women woke early the next morning. Of course it was an easier task than normal since there were no window coverings and the farm's roosters seemed to reside directly beneath their open window. Alex and Piper quickly cleaned up and made their way to the front porch which seemed to be the center of the gatherings in the household.

At the table stood the traditional Cuban café con leche, basket of tostadas, and a large fruit bowl. Alex gratefully sipped her coffee mix while Piper chose to immediately dig into the fruit. Soon, the screen door opened and a rotund woman came out with steaming plates of scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon. Through her broken Spanish, Piper learned that Ezmerelda was Carlito's wife, and he had gone to check the fields.

Ezmerelda was extremely pleasant as she sat and ate breakfast with Alex and Piper. She must have mistaken Piper's attempt at communication as Piper being fluent in the language as she chattered away. As Piper caught bits and pieces of what Ezmerelda was saying, she nodded and laughed as it took every ounce of concentration she had to comprehend what she was being told.

To Alex she said, "apparently after we finish breakfast, we are to go to the barn. The kids we are meeting will be there in about an hour." Ezmerelda happily nodded her head and headed back into the kitchen.

Alex pushed her glasses back up on her head. "Pipes, I think you've just been played again."

Piper pouted as she muttered. "I needed to practice my Spanish anyway."


As planned, the couple spent the morning with the youth talking about life in the U.S., comparing it to what they had seen thus far of Cuba. They talked about their café at home and the bed and breakfast they were finishing up. The kids were amazed that two women could be such successful business persons.

Piper found it difficult to explain how vastly different parts of the U.S. were from other parts. She tried to explain in broad terms about the east coast versus the west coast, the Gulf region versus the mid-west. Finally, Alex explained that the U.S. was nearly 90 times the size of the island of Cuba. This alone was unfathomable to the worker's children. Yet they listened to everything Alex and Piper said, soaking it in and asked many excellent questions.

Soon it was time for the pair to say goodbye to the workers and their children. Back at the farm house, Piper and Alex gave their thanks and farewells to Ezmerelda who let them know that Carlito would meet them at the pier before they left.

Two of the older youth were responsible for taking Alex and Piper into town for their short excursions of the must see sites of Havana. Alex browsed through a lovely book market in the center of Plaza de Armas, the oldest square in the city while Piper posed for cool pictures with several of the women in traditional Cuban garb carrying baskets of various goods for sale such as fruit and flowers.

As Alex and Piper slowed due to the heat and high humidity, the youth found some guarapo – a good dose of sugar to recharge their batteries. They all watched as the vendor squeezed pure sugarcane juice directly into cups. When Piper made a face at the particularly sweet drink, the boy with them squeezed in some fresh lime to cut the sweetness.

In the shopping market, Piper found some souvenirs to take home as well as some small gifts for their workers and Tom's family. Alex became frustrated when the youth refused to allow her to purchase cigars and Cuban rum to take home. She tried to explain that she knew how much she and Piper could each take back legally, but the youth were adamant against those purchases.


As the sun began to approach the horizon, the two youth and two weary travelers made their wait to the pier to meet Carlito and the charter boat to take them back to Key West. The ever smiling Carlito met them and dismissed the kids who had been their escorts throughout the afternoon.

"Ahhh my new friends. How did you like my country?"

The three visited as they waited for the boat. Piper and Alex invited Carlito to the states to visit. Piper let him know that if he and his family needed help with visas, that she would be more than happy to assist with her contacts.

Alex was trying not to be too pouty that she was not going to take home a bounty in Cuban cigars and run. Finally Carlito turned to her and questioned, "My pretty Alex. Why are you so glum? Did you not enjoy your time?"

Alex forced a smile. "Not at all Carlito. I had a fabulous time. We both did. I'm just disappointed to not be taking home any famous Cuban cigars or rum."

Carlito had a twinkle in his eye as he opened up the trunk of his car. He extracted their overnight bag and passed it to Piper. To Alex he handed a woven bag. "My gift to you and your novia, mi amigas nuevas." Alex peeked in to see two bundles wrapped in burlap along with some papers. She looked at Carlito questioningly. "Cigars freshly rolled from my farm and the finest rum my country has to offer. The papers certify that your gifts are within limits for personal use for two guests leaving the country. Having you in my home has been a pleasure."

Now Alex's grin was larger than the one she had first seen on Carlito's face when he first saw his nephew. "Thank you Carlito. This means so much. You have shown more hospitality to us in two days than many Americans show in a lifetime. Please let us know once you obtain your visa. Piper and I love for you to visit our small town so that we can return your generosity."

Soon Piper and Alex's ride arrived. After some extended goodbyes, the captain again steered his ship into international waters back towards Key West. Alex pulled the two burlap packages out of the bag and stared at them lovingly before placing them back in. As she did so, she paused and extracted two loose cigars at the bottom of the bag with a note, a cigar cutter, and a box of matches. "Para mi sobrino y tu … for your ride home." Alex grinned as she made her way forward to the captain's deck to share a pair of the finest cigars in the world.


A/N: I apologize to my Spanish speaking readers for my absolute butchering of your language. For Cuban readers, I offer the same apology to you if I misrepresented your fine country. I am looking forward to visit there someday soon.