90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis Read Free Book Online

and said, “Don’t worry, it’s going to be just like she says it is.” Gordo just stood there with a big smirk on his face like he and Alquilino were in on the joke and I was the one who didn’t know the punch line.
    When my mother marches into our room, I don’t even try to hide my drawing.
    She stops at my suitcase first. Her fingers run along the inside walls, slowing down to a walk at the corners. I know she’s feeling for the secret compartment she had put in behind the blue lining. Her golden swallow with the ruby wings—the one we rescued from Alida’s house—is sleeping in its own secret, blue pocket.
    â€œIf I wasn’t looking for it, I’d never find it,” she says, sounding satisfied.
    â€œIt’s going to break my heart to sell it, but we’re going to need money when we get out,” she says, and checks the sides again. “Fifty dollars and one change of clothes is all they’ll let us take out, and the government keeps everything else,” she huffs. “Does that sound fair to you? How can you start a new life on fifty dollars?”
    I know it’s not a good time to ask, but I heard Alquilino tell Gordo that they search everybody at the airport.
    â€œWhat if they search me and they find it?”
    â€œDon’t worry, Julian. They won’t look in your suitcase. They search the older kids like your brothers and I told you already why it has to go in your suitcase. If they catch them trying to sneak jewelry out of the country they’ll keep them here—make them join the army—and then we’ll never get them back.”
    â€œAlquilino said—” I start, but she cuts me off.
    â€œJulian,” she says, her voice rising, sugary sweet. That’s the fake sweet voice she uses when she wants me to do something that I don’t want to, or forget why I’m mad. “At first I wasn’t going to tell you about the swallow—even your brothers thought I shouldn’t tell you. We were afraid you might give it away. But I think you can keep a secret.”
    â€œYou told them and you weren’t going to tell me?” I say pointing at my brothers as Gordo glares over his comic book at me. “I can keep a secret as well as they can.”
    â€œI’m sure you can,
querido
,” she says and then draws an imaginary veil across her forehead. “All you have to do is forget it’s there, wipe it right out of your mind.”
    Then Gordo says, “The real reason she told you was because we might get separated.”
    â€œGordo, mind your own business!” my mother snaps.
    â€œWe might get separated?” I ask. “You never said that before.”
    My mother looks at her watch. “Not another word! We don’t have time for this!” she says, her voice dropping back to the hard commanding tone of the last few weeks.
    My mother starts checking the new clothes that I packed. “Two pairs of pants, three shirts, and socks, very good. You have to take good care of these, we don’t know how long they are going to have to last,” she warns.
    â€œBefore, you said it would be a few weeks, maybe a month, now you don’t know, do you?”
    â€œI’m doing the best I can, Julian.”
    I turn away and press my face into the wall. The plaster feels cool against my burning cheeks.
    â€œTurn around. I have something for you,” she says, her voice higher and syrupy sweet.
    When I turn around she’s holding out a small plate with one name tag on it. She couldn’t just hand me the paper; she has to serve it on the plate I bought for Papi on Father’s Day. It has a big marlin jumping out of the dark blue water, just like the one that got away.
    The plate and her fake sweet voice are not going to work this time. “I’m not a little kid anymore!” I yell into the wall.
    â€œI know, I know,” she says, her voice fraying at the