Difficult Times

Luis Miguel del Bahia

HAVANA TIMES — My girlfriend is a teacher. She earns 500 pesos (22 USD) and her salary is never enough. Her mother has to help the best she can.

In August, she ran out of money near the first of the month. We survived by selling things.

We eat very modestly: rice, eggs, beans, and hotdogs when we have more money. We spent about a week wolfing these things down: eggs, white rice, and sometimes boiled potatoes.

We have a child in the house, but we don’t know if or how he’s growing, given his poor diet. He’s super skinny.

Much is said about Africa and capitalism, but what about us, what about our children? The Cuban state can’t expect a person to live on that miserable salary.

She can’t “hustle” in the street, nor does she want to. She hopes to earn a decent living. But it seems that “werewolf values” aren’t restricted to life under capitalism.

We looked at stands where they sell things in hard currency. The prices aren’t affordable to us.

Why do the most essential things, like milk, cost so much.

The revolution was for the poor, but the truth is that today the only ones who can have full stomachs are those with the wealth.

She works eight hours a day, some Saturdays, educating the future generation. Meanwhile, others hustle and live a luxury life.

Is that social justice? “Down with Batista the murderer” isn’t only applicable to him.