| Excerpt
From Book:
The
ocean lashed out furiously at the hull of the Coast Guard Cutter
Manitou. The 110’ Island
Class Cutter remained motionless unaware of the waves reaching out like
hands trying to reclaim what was taken away from it so suddenly.
The crew, also unaware of the ocean’s plead, worked furiously
trying to bring the precious cargo aboard.
Captain
Ronald Haas watched the crew as they brought a second body aboard the
cutter, a young woman, that like the man before her, was found dead in
the make shift raft floating aimlessly.
Haas
was a guest aboard Manitou, a friendly gesture from the Lieutenant in
command, allowing an ex-commander aboard his old ship once more.
The Captain spent the first few hours moving about the ship,
walking through the old familiar deck that he called home for so long.
Even the first call brought back memories, as Manitou raced to
intercept another migrant raft close to the beaches of
Miami. What they discovered however was slightly different than
anything he remembered.
Lieutenant
George Williams remained silent as the second body was brought on board.
As the Commanding Officer of the CGC Manitou, Williams had seen
his share of migrants, none ever looked like this.
Turning
around, Williams met his Executive Officer who was walking in his
direction.
“What
do you have for me Jones?” he asked not waiting for Jones to fully
arrive.
“It’s
not good sir,” Jones replied. “Dolphin
is requesting a status, they might require assistant.”
Williams
acknowledge his XO’s statement. “We’ll
be underway as soon as we bring the raft aboard. Make sure we’re ready.”
Lieutenant
Jones turned and walked away, leaving Williams alone once more.
Since
leaving port, Manitou was monitoring Dolphin’s
situation. A 31-foot boat
overcrowded with Haitian migrants tried to outrun the Coast Guard
Cutter, only to begin taking water and was now close to capsizing.
Manitou
was heading to aid Dolphin when they were diverted to their current
location, a routine pick-up that turned into something much different.
“Not
quite what you expected for your cruise?” Haas asked Williams.
“Sorry
Captain,” Lt. Williams said. “I
was hoping to provide you with a more enjoyable cruise.”
“What
do you have?”
“Is
strange, first of all, this location is wrong; the currents would’ve
never brought them this far. They
were probably dropped off near here; by someone.”
“Kind
of far from shore,” Haas commented.
“Probably
got scared and ran when they were seen.”
Williams’ eyes remained watching his men, who continued to work
on bringing the raft on board. “Another
weird thing, there were only two people in the raft. That’s very unusual.”
Haas
nodded.
“And
still, what bothers me the most is the bodies.
The woman had multiple stab wounds, while the man had a single
shot to the head.”.............. |
Note
From Author :
“Patria
or Death,” a tale of caution.
No
world event occurring right now has more impact on South Florida than the
health of Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro.
But while most of Miami is preparing for a celebration, there is
also a danger that should not be overlooked.
During
my research for this story, I spent countless hours reading about the
leader and the man, Fidel Castro.
This
extremely intelligent man has escaped numerous attempts on his life and
his regime. He has matched
wits with US Presidents and often ridiculed them by his actions.
We still remember the Mariel boatlift.
How
would a man that scared Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis
by saying that he and his country were ready to die for the cause, act
when he knows that his days are numbered?
How would he like to be remembered in history?
During
my research I found a caption from one of his letters that date back to
the beginning of his revolution, “I’ve sworn that the Americans are
going to pay dearly for what they are doing.
When this war is over a much wider and bigger war will begin for
me, the war I am going to wage against them.”
In
a recent speech, he mentioned that letter and those same words.
Yes,
the man could be dead as you read this, and these words would be as
obsolete as the novel I wrote. Believe
it or not; I could only hope, however…
What
would a dictator do when both his health and his power are slowly slipping
away?
Two
things have been a constant aggravation:
1.
The United States never truly left the island, making their presence in
Guantanamo a constant reminder of this.
2.
The Cubans that left the island arrived in a new country and made a home
so close. How could he die
when the driving force of all his hatred resides less than 100 miles away?
What
would a man a Dictator, blinded for so long by his believes do when he
knows that his life is coming to an end?
Would he die peacefully in his sleep or would he continue his fight
until his last dying breath?
After
all, what does he have to lose?
This
is the story; a story that I hope will never come to pass.
"Patria or Death"
By Jesus Lopez
Contact
Jesus
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