They radioed ahead and escorted him to Havana harbor where a huge demonstration and celebration was underway, exactly how organized or spontaneous shall never be known. Rey was a national hero. He was a diplomatic coup, by declaration judged to be of immense proportion. He was a living embodiment of the glory, the triumph, the miracle of “la revolucion”. And if you think that is verbal hyperbole, you have never been to Cuba. Rey’s eventual reward, it turned out, after he unloaded his cigarettes, was to be captain of the 80 foot, state owned of course, Halcon, catering to european and now american sports fishermen, still making $15 a week. But we tip good. On our last night, after dinner and dancing, after showing off his mambo, Rey stopped me and looked me in the eye in a manner of unusual seriousness. He is a tall, gentle, handsome man. In the whole week there had been not the slightest sense of anger or conflict or rancor among the crew, a group of eight highly organized men. Not that we ever saw. Not one raised voice by Rey. An amazing demonstration of cooperative society that would be impossible and unheard of among americans. “How do you feel”, Rey asked me earnestly. “I feel fine, Rey, great”, and I started off. But Rey stopped me and I realized there was something more important he was trying to say and his english was letting him down. He started again. “Are you happy?”, and I realized where he was going. I had organised our party and made all the arrangements. I was, in their minds, El Jefe of the guests. This was the final accounting. “It is my job,” and here I realized he was speaking for all roles at once, as representative of the Cuban state, the government, the simple pride of Cubans which was palpable each and every hour, and person to person, all mixed into an inseparable stew, ”to make you happy!” And I convinced him beyond all doubt that he had done a wonderful job of that. That the best part of the week had been to live on the boat among the crew and learn the Cuban culture from them, and that I was unhappy only in that we were leaving. “On the Halcon,” Rey summed it up, “we are all one big family.” And for Rey, family and loyalty are all that matter. PMP March 1992
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