In walks Leonis...

Aside from spending time with Jorge, I also met another Cuban through one of my friends during their late night escapades - which I was always absent for because I was with Jorge having night swims in the pool or simply just retiring to the room early to converse - among other things ;)

So his name is Leonis, and he is definitely a very rare Cuban. At first glance, he had on the same small smile employees of the resort had pasted onto their faces. But upon truly getting to know him, I realized not only was his English impeccable (he knew of words I've only heard in passing and had no accent when he spoke) but he was also capable of dishing out the most sarcastic and mean jokes that rival mine. In short, I have met my Cuban match. There was no shortness of laughter when I was hanging out with him with my friends. There were many moments in which I forgot I was in a different country because he was just like another guy I would meet back in Canada. Slowly we learned more and more about him, like how he was previously employed as a lawyer but found that working at the hotel paid more monthly due to the tips he'd receive. Stories like that just stick with me, how strange that a profession such as a lawyer get's paid less than that of someone sitting at a customer service desk at the resort? As an outsider, it is easy to judge other countries but I assume there are perks to how their society runs - although in no means will I ever be able to adjust to living there.

There are many moments where I catch his gaze upon me, and the feelings I get in return are strangely stronger than those I get when I am around Jorge. Sometimes I slip up and let out more information about how the Cubans work then I should - several times he has asked "just how entangled are you in the Cuban network" and I find myself lying in order to protect my dignity. He seems to see right through the ploys his people plays against tourists and I oddly don't want to disappoint him and have him realize I am just another potential gringo. In the middle of a conversation about my current relationship status, he writes into a novel titled Secret's and slides it over to me. The note was short but conveyed a deep kind of meaning - it made my heart flutter that someone would use an old fashioned way of communication to flirt. Why am I such a sappy romantic whenever I am in Cuba? I will never understand. None the less, when I wasn't with Jorge or my friends - I found myself frequenting his desk just to chat. Maybe I am just another girl seeking a thrill outside the mundane confines of the developed world but what I found in Leonis is something I rarely find in men - a dark sense of humour that gets mine, intellect beyond my own and the ability to communicate thoughts clearly. He was also working on his own ways to get out of the country through his skills as an interpreter. He knew five languages and was in the process of collecting the necessary papers to apply. He also scorned at the others who married to get their green cards, a price most Cuban would pay to escape their current state of affair. It was nice to know he was capable and willing to get out on his own terms. It makes him the most real and genuine.

Jorge does notice I've been spending time with Leonis...but in his words he wants to give me "freedom" and it is "nice I am talking to people" followed by "but if I see you with another boy in that way - then it's done I don't like that yeah?" Jorge has a funny way of making me feel like a child he is lecturing at sometimes or always wants to make sure I am following his will or train of thought. That's one thing I don't appreciate, being treated like an invalid because I don't speak Spanish or that I can't seem to decipher his broken English at times.

I definitely left Cuba more confused than when I got there - but that is a post for another day when I have the energy to continue revisiting the events of the week that has just passed.