His entire life has passed between two Cuban territories: the current province of Artemisa and the city of Havana. But this October Heberto, his wife and his little daughter will make the leap to another geography. The family will embark on the migratory route that will take them from Brazil to the southern border of the United States. “This is what we have resolved,” he says, hardly giving importance to the thousands of kilometers that separate that entry point to South America and the final goal.
“We needed a large suitcase and a small one,” he says. “With the big one we are going to go out and take the girl’s things, but it is likely that along the way we will have to stay only with the little one because we will have to go through complicated areas.” A seller of cheese, guava pods and yogurt, Heberto has been traveling for years from his native Alquízar to the surroundings of the train terminal on Tulipán Street to offer his products. In that same area he closed a deal this week: a large suitcase for a sheep.
“With the big one we are going to go out and take the girl’s things, but it is likely that along the way we will have to stay only with the little one because we will have to go through complicated areas”
“A former client had the suitcase and needed the meat, so in a few minutes we fixed it,” he details. “Then he told me that if I got him a large, well-cured cheese, he could also give me in exchange one of those carry-on suitcases that go in the cabin of the plane.” One earns food at a time of inflation and rising costs of basic products, the other gets a good pair of solid suitcases with wheels that will help him in his efforts to emigrate.
The neighborhood around the small station loses, however, one of its most constant merchants. For two decades, Heberto has cultivated a loyal clientele that values his merchandise. His catalog has undergone variations over the years but has never been interrupted “except during the pandemic,” he clarifies. “There was a time when I also dedicated myself to selling milk creams but that is no longer possible because there are fewer cows in my area.”
“Then tilapia gave me a lot of business, but that also fell out of favor because there is no feed to feed the animals in the dams.” Pork was one of his star items, until “the guajiros of Alquízar sacrificed the pigs because they had no food to give them and the people they raise are now for family consumption.” In recent times, she supported her list with some fruits, okra, some Creole rice and the occasional piece of mutton. The same product that this time has become the suitcases that will help him fulfill his dream of “leaving this country as soon as possible.”
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