The habit of taking naps has barely survived among Cubans. If anything, “a quick shut-eye” might be enjoyed by the elderly, young children and state workers who prefer to kill time resting before continuing to pretend they are working. This is the case for this gravedigger at Havana’s Colón Cemetery who, after lunch, assumed a horizontal position on the first grave he found.
Snoozing on a sepulcher may seem a bit frightening to some, but when the sun is at its highest point in summer, resting in the shade on the cold marble of a slab may be the best option for these workers. The worst that can happen is that, while one of them snores a few inches from a cross with the typical R.I.P. etched in its stone, the deceased’s family arrives to put flowers on the grave only to find it has become an improvised sofa.
If that happens, the worker opens his eyes, stretches his limbs calmly and looks with surprise at the newcomers. He yawns, steps off the grave, shuffles his feet and lays himself down once again on the next nearest tombstone.
A cemetery can be a multipurpose site, it serves both to rest in eternal sleep and to take a few minutes’ nap.
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