No Problem

“Ungrateful!  Talking trash about the Revolution and today you have a name only because it gave you free health care and education.  Besides, it guarantees you a monthly allotment of basic goods while around the world millions of people die from hunger every day.”

“You know, I don’t like talking bad about anyone behind their backs.  In fact, go ahead and look for her so I can look her in the face and let her know how I feel.  Show me who she is.  How can I talk to her?  Give me her address, I’m going to knock on her door.”

“Don’t pretend to be clever.  You know very well what I’m talking about.”

“Yes, I know, and you also know what I mean.  Today I want answers and if she is not here to give them to me, then you tell me.  I want to know why you lied to me and also to my parents.  You said it was the best and only solution, so that we could all equally achieve progress.  My parents believed it and I believed them. I dedicated my body and soul to studying, I became a professional.  What was the use, if I don’t even respect myself?  Today, in the union meeting they demanded the help of all us workers to confront illegalities and corruption. They collected the written agreements of all workers: their names, phone numbers, address, size, weight, and skin color…”

“Why was all of that necessary?”

“I don’t know, ask them.  But look, don’t interrupt me.  I gave my information and signed everything.  You know I’m the chief of the warehouse and I have to set a good example.  If I don’t I then run the risk of being questioned and may even lose my job, which I struggled a lot to get, and there a bunch of people who would do anything for that to occur.  A little place like that is worth a lot of money…”

“That’s for sure, the new chief who came has you under his foot.  The guy fires everyone so he can bring in his own people.  He already started with the economic group, they ordered an audit and they threw them out.”

“Back to what I was talking about… Man, I’m tired.  Sometimes when I get home from work my kid starts talking to me.  I don’t know what to tell him, he wants to be like me.  Who am I?  A mechanical engineer who works at a warehouse stealing all I can get my hands on in order to survive.  How do I explain that to him?  That’s not the future I want for him.  I studied, that’s true, but for what?  I have a degree that I can’t use.  The sad part is that in the morning I repeat all that gibberish about “conquering and sacrifices in order to preserve the Revolution” to all the workers when we all know very well that this can’t go on.  Leave the excuses, girl, I’m you’re boss, but with me you don’t have to lie.  By the way, why didn’t you come today?”

“I had to take care of an issue I had, I don’t have a single grain of rice in my house.”

“That’s enough, enough.  Don’t explain so many things to me.  I’ll throw you a rope with the personnel lady.  Tomorrow go by where the union lady is and just sign.  We need the agreement of 100% of the workers so that the corporation could be distinguished in the semester emulation.”

“You know that with me there is no problem!”

Laritza Diversent

Translated by Raul G.