By Kamil Kenders
HAVANA TIMES – My sister is a healthcare professional, one of the good ones. She studied dentistry and specialized in maxillofacial surgery. The hospital’s operating room where she works has been closed for more than a year because it is undergoing “repairs” and, due to detoured resources and the laziness of the construction workers, the work has taken longer than initially planned.
In desperation, even before this episode, my sister started looking for work elsewhere because, like all healthcare professionals in this country, her salary is not enough. After many days of searching and even trying some offers, she finally found something that suited her free time: teaching English at an academy in the evenings, from Monday to Saturday.
Although a bit exhausted, my sister felt more relieved economically, but even so, just as the money comes in, it goes out, and each time it goes faster.
On one of those “lucky” days (let’s call it that for now), when my sister was trying to hail a collective taxi on the street to get to school on time, a “good Samaritan” appeared. His modern car stopped in front of her, and through the window, she was greeted by a well-dressed man, over sixty years old, polite, and respectful, who offered her a ride.
Although a bit hesitant, she agreed, and they both conversed very cordially and respectfully. He is a Cuban who has lived in another country for over thirty years and has obviously done very well in life. He has part of his family in Cuba and visits frequently because his financial situation allows it. Initially, this man thought my sister was a foreigner, perhaps because of her appearance, her education, and especially because he started speaking to her in English, and she responded with such perfect pronunciation that he was inevitably surprised when she confessed to being Cuban.
Mister X, as we will call him, ended up offering my sister a job, requesting her help when he came to attend to his business. My sister, who is a young, intelligent, and a very enterprising woman, accepted and was delighted because this would mean a higher income, and especially because it would be in hard currency.
Mister X left for his country but returned soon and contacted her. And my sister went to learn about her new job, a job she had been waiting and hoping for. She thought she might help translate documents, act as a kind of secretary or assistant when he was here, but unfortunately, it wasn’t like that.
That respectful, well-mannered, and polite man gradually shed all of that to make my sister understand that he wanted her for his personal use and enjoyment. From the first sign, my sister let him know that he was mistaken about her and that, although, unfortunately, many young women sell themselves for a few green bills, she is not that type.
It is truly sad that a healthcare professional, who dedicated years to studying and who alleviates and cures human ailments, finds herself exposed to such an unpleasant situation because her doctor’s salary is not enough to cover even her basic expenses.
Read more from the diary of Kamil Kenders here on Havana Times.
