Even The Baseball Players Turn Out To Be Hustlers/Jiniteros!
Article: Even The Baseball Players Turn Out To Be Hustlers/Jiniteros!
By: Claudia
Country: Canada
July
14 2014
We met on the tiny dance floor of a Varadero hotel. He was tall handsome, a baseball player on tour with the national team. he told me I could dance better than him would I teach him a few steps. He was being eyed up by an aggressive elderly woman from Toronto much to the annoyance of her jealous husband but he only had eyes for me.
It was flattering to have the undivided attention of a Cuban baseball player. He was not allowed to drink none of the players were but he would not mind if I could get him a rum and cola the rum had to be in a separate glass. This was the first sign that Lazaro was a selfish control freak. He was married he told me, and yes she was a good woman. Did did not stop him making a play for me.
I made my apologies and left the dance floor, there was no way I was going to get involved with a married man I did not need the complications, besides if he was prepared to cheat on his Cuban wife he would cheat on any woman he got involved with.
He would depart early each morning for the games and return sweaty and exhausted after each game they would sit at the bar downing huge jugs of cold water. An hour later they would hit the dance floor smelling of aftershave, flashing smiles and hustling rum and cokes.
When they departed for Havana the hotel was so quiet, they had been the life and soul of the hotel for a week, and it was dead without them. The croaky voiced coach came up to me as their busn was about to depart. 'Lazaro wants to see you again' he told me to tell you he will be back in a few days when we are en route to Camaguay for another game.
True to his word he showed up at the hotel a few days later tired and short tempered, he had travelled all night from Havana. He promptly placed the bus ticket on the table a hint do doubt that he expected the fare to be refunded. He joined me for breakfast there seemed to be no problem that a charmer like him should be dining there since he was a hit with all the female staff who were all on first name terms with him. He demanded a rum, with the instructions that it be served in a separate glass from the cola.
At four o'clock he departed for Havana to join his team mates, he assumed I would be joining him, that I would call a taxi to take us to the bus depot. His face fell when I announced I had not intention of joining him in a the tiny 2 star hotel in Havana where they accommodate their baseball players. I informed him I wanted to stay close to the beach I was leaving in a couple of days and wanted to make the most of it. He turned on his heel and stormed off banging the door behind him in a huff offended that I had refused to accompany him back to Havana. this was the second show of his over inflated ego and short fuse. |