Arranged To The Mafia Boss

Chapter 12 • Havana ooh na na

Rum, cigars and revolution.

Havana is like no other city in the world. The Cuban capital intoxicates visitors with its potent cocktail of premium cigars, high-quality rum, pulsating music and dazzling dance mixing with the sultry sea air in colourful streets of faded colonial grandeur and atmospherically dilapidated buildings. Shielded from globalisation, the usual billboards and branding were replaced by socialist propaganda posters and iconic revolutionary images.

Going to Havana is like stepping through the looking-glass into a parallel world where the march of industrialisation and capitalism has been held back for decades. Most visitors are first captivated by Habana Vieja - the UNESCO World Heritage site- where a grid of atmospheric 16th-century streets and cobble-stoned plazas are lined with restored reminders of Cuba's Spanish colonial past. Mirabella smiled as she walked down the streets and saw performers fill the squares with song while live music leaked from a bevy of cafe-bars, vendors peddle their wares and hustlers attempted to make a quick buck.

They were staying in Havana for only two days, and then they'd be on their way back to Italy. The reason they had come to Havana in the first place was because Daniel had to meet with his fathers old friend who was his godfather. And since Daniel didn't want Mirabella to spend one of her two days in such a beautiful city doing nothing, Daniel ordered Bruno and two other men to keep an eye on Mirabella while she went out to explore.

Mirabella walked open-air restaurants, bakeries and private eateries that were tucked behind the facade, and book-sellers and countless museums offering food for thoughts. Lots of locals lived there too, giving the old city a certain vital and authentic air that's often missing in the old quarters of world cities.

The vibrant culture in the capital was testament to Cuba's creative energy and spirit and Havana was one of the best places on the island to experience traditional salsa and son, Cuban jazz and a myriad of other Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Mirabella stopped to watch a performance. A crowed of people stood by, watching as the performers sung, danced and played their instruments. A few people that stood by watching also danced. A little boy no older than six walked towards the performers and joined the dancers, earning himself both laughter and applause.

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There were four blocked that made up a square. One block was a pinkish-red colour that was fading away, the other one was blue and also looked like it was fading away, but like it was also falling apart. Another block was yellow and a few tiles were missing and the last block was a faded green colour that had lines of cracks on the walls. The blocks were tall and wide. There were at least four or five floor in each block.

The windows were either smashed, some had have curtains and some didn't. Some had metal  iron bars, or wooden boards nailed on the inside of the apartment to stop the wind from entering. Some windows had clothes hanging out on strings so they could dry because the people that lived there didn't have a section where they could hang their things so they could dry.

The children were running around wearing either ripped, oversized or dirty clothes and shoes. Their hairs were messy and they looked like they haven't bathed in days. The children were all beautiful and handsome boys and girls. It was a shame for them to live like this. Whenever a car arrived or left they'd run after it as though they were playing a game of tag. The teenagers stood around, some slightly better dressed than others. They stood in circles talking, laughing or smoking.