The Lost City, a Continuation - Chapter 2

Index of Chapters

Chapter 2

“And that’s the genius of Benny Moré,” concluded professor Fico Fellove to his musicology class. “See you all on Friday.”

Fico began collecting his notes, and then his LPs as the students began to file out of the auditorium. As he started up the stairs to leave he noticed someone, a woman, sitting in the last row of the large auditorium. Then he heard the familiar voice. “I saw Benny More perform once, in person.”

His mind had to be playing tricks on him. Aurora Fellove? He hadn’t heard from her since 1960. They had last seen each other in New York when she accompanied Fidel Castro on his trip to give a speech at the U.N. That night Fico had begged her, to no avail, to stay and make a new life with him in New York.

Now here she was, literally out of the blue, sitting in his classroom. He was frozen in place and couldn’t find words. She stood up and began to make her way down towards him.

Aurora was a wearing a yellow flower print dress that was easily two sizes too big for her. She was thin, thinner than he ever remembered her being. She had a shock of gray hair. She had aged considerably in almost 20 years, yet the elegant beauty was still there.

“Fico, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Is that what I have become to you, a ghost?” Aurora asked.

“How did you expect me to react?” Fico answered. “I haven’t heard from you in two decades. Are you here on a diplomatic mission? Why did you come here?”

“I’m a refugee Fico. I came on a fishing boat from Mariel,” she responded.

“But what happened to Revolution? To all of the good that Fidel Castro was going to do? What happened to that piece of shit, Che Guevara?”

“Fico, I didn’t come here to talk about politics but if you want me to say I was wrong about Castro, about the Revolution, then I’ll say it. I was wrong.”

“You didn’t listen to me. You chose those animals over me,” Fico answered.

“It’s not that simple, Fico and you know it. I wanted to be with you but I thought I could finish what Luis started and help, in some small way, to create a better Cuba. I had good intentions.”

“Did you know the road to hell is paved with good intentions? And you look like you’ve been to hell, by the way. What do you want from me? Why did you come here?”

“I wanted to ask you for help, I need a job. I have no money and I don’t know anyone in Miami. But I can see that all you have in your heart is hate and if there’s one thing I don’t need now, it’s hate.”

“Coño Aurora! How the hell did you expect me to react? You come here with your hand out after all this time. I have a wife and three kids, I’m a different person.”

“Yes I can see that, the Fico I knew was compassionate and selfless. That Fico would have never raised his voice or insulted me,” Aurora said as she turned and left the auditorium.
Fico sat down in one of the auditorium chairs. He was dumbfounded. There was a time that Fico would have done anything for Aurora. Now she was just a painful memory that he wished he could just erase.

When he got home, Fico couldn’t remember the drive at all. It’s as if his car had been on autopilot, he was so lost in thought.