Cassidy claimed the aisle seat next to me. I usually wanted the aisle for my long legs, but Fritz had made it clear that one of my security people should be between any danger and me. I’d agreed because I had been attacked on a plane before. Something else he’d insisted on was that I had to wear my birth-control, black-rimmed glasses that acted as a bodycam. I’d gotten used to wearing them, so it wasn’t a problem.
Turned out, Cassidy was terrible security. She slept the three hours it took to fly to Miami.
◊◊◊
In Miami, we were directed to customs, where we had to produce our special papers for travel to Cuba. When I’d gone to the UK, I’d only had to show my passport, but for Cuba, you needed a special entry visa. We were sent to a different section where we found the rest of the cast and production crew who were to fly to Havana on our chartered flight. There were twenty of us altogether, and we were the last to arrive. We soon boarded a much smaller plane than we’d come on. This time there was no choice about seating class.
When we arrived at Havana, it was nothing like I expected. London had the feel of history, as did Havana. As we rode in our taxi to the hotel, I caught glimpses of seductive beauty sidled up to spectacular decay. It was obvious that the city had gone through some hard times. While clean, many buildings showed signs of neglect. There was also a unique odor, a combination of papaya mixed with tobacco leaf, gasoline, and a musty, moldy smell.
On top of the odor, you couldn’t help but notice the heat and humidity. It must have been at least 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. It didn’t help that the taxi was a 1957 Chevy with no air conditioning. The heat and humidity were almost physical, weighing you down. It was hard to get your breath, almost as if you were breathing under water. I was confident that my deodorant wouldn’t survive for long.
The movie was being filmed at the
While everything was top notch, you got the feeling that you’d stepped back in time by about sixty years. I think what gave it such a dated feel was the furniture. It all seemed to be right out of the 1950s. When I got to my room, that feeling was reinforced. There was a French provincial couch that looked as though it had recently been bought at an antique shop.
While unpacking, I found another problem: the electrical outlets were for two-pronged devices with round pins. I couldn’t even plug in my new cell phone to recharge it. I should have discovered that because I’d done my research on Cuba, but never came across that particular piece of information.
While I puzzled out what kind of adapter was needed, I began to worry that it might be a different voltage. It would totally suck if it fried my phone. Caryn would give me a ration of shit about breaking it the first day.
While I finished emptying my carry-on, there was a knock on the door. It was a porter with my boxes that had been shipped. He had some helpers, and they were delivering them to everyone else as well.
“Do you speak English?” I asked.
“
“Can I tip you in dollars?” I asked.
“Sí, of course.”
I pulled out a twenty and saw his eyes get big.
“Would this be enough for everyone?” I asked, indicating the two other men.
“More than enough. I am Cedro. If you need anything …” he responded and snatched the twenty.
I got the feeling that for another twenty, I might be able to have someone killed.
◊◊◊
Dinner was in a private dining room that held about thirty people. All the folks who had flown in today were there. Then there was a head table where Laurent Vance sat with a few other people who looked to be important.
When everyone arrived, the waitstaff brought us salads, and a young woman stood up at the head table.
“I’m Anita Haig, the production assistant. I want to introduce a few people if I may. Seated next to me is Laurent Vance, our director. Next to him is Kitty Ellis, assistant director, and Roger Brooks, our producer.
“I also want to point out a couple of people who’ve joined us: David A. Dawson, who will play Rick; Stewart Thatcher, who plays Callum Ascot of MI6; and Heath Rooter, playing Mike Carter of the CIA,” Anita announced.
Stewart looked like he could play James Bond, while Heath was a character actor I’d seen in many movies. He had to be almost sixty.
“While you eat, I’m going to give you the dos and don’ts while you’re in Cuba. First of all, I know some of you have discovered the outlets in your hotel rooms. I have a box of adapters with me. Please see me before you leave, and each of you can have a couple of them.
