“Is she single?” Luis asked.
“Yes, she’s single, but are you sure you’re ready for an American girl?” I asked.
“We enjoy tourist,” Luis stated.
I felt the hair go up on my neck. The way he said it made me think he wasn’t the type of boy Cassidy would like. I was wondering if I liked him, beyond some baseball practices.
“So, where would I meet a girl? Are there clubs or other places I could go?” I asked to change the subject.
“I like you, David, so let me give you some advice,” Tony said. “
“What’s a jineteras?” I asked.
“Whores,” Luis supplied.
I wrinkled my nose because I wasn’t really looking, and if I were, I didn’t want to spend time with a prostitute.
“When we go out to a bar to dance, almost all the girls are jineteras. You have to realize that going out isn’t cheap. The girls call themselves ‘Cuban girlfriends’ for foreigners, and they accompany lonely businessmen on tours of Cuba, escort them to dinner, and then often back to their hotels. You need to watch these girls because they will either steal from you or bleed you dry.
“What you must realize is that these women become prostitutes out of necessity, not by choice. Most of them work to survive and ensure their family’s survival.
“In Cuba, a prostitute can earn in one week the equivalent of a doctor’s annual salary paid by the state in pesos. In the tourism industry, workers make tips in dollars. But all our other jobs are paid in pesos, and salaries come from the Cuban government since the government runs all industries. Government salaries for professionals, such as professors and engineers, total close to $20 a month.
“Many establishments won’t even accept our own national currency because of its minimal value; they only accept US dollars. That makes it impossible for those who don’t work in the tourism industry to buy goods, because they don’t have any way to obtain dollars,” Tony explained.
“Basic necessities are rationed and available at affordable prices. However, the ration amounts generally last just two weeks. Most people either go without or are forced to pay outrageous prices to survive the rest of the month. Food rations have become the norm since Cuba does not produce enough food to feed the nation. And importing food is complex due to high costs and the embargo,” Luis said.
“The average family can live only if it somehow obtains dollars. You can understand why girls turn to prostitution. Even men choose to work in the tourism industry. My cousin quit being a doctor and now works as a bartender at a hotel so he can get dollars as tips,” Tony said.
“So, I need to avoid jineteras. Where would I meet a nice local girl?” I asked, now curious.
“Why would you want one?” Luis asked with a smirk.
“I haven’t had the best luck with prostitutes. Rather than hire a girl, I just want to hang out and experience what your country has to offer. I’d prefer to do it with someone that wanted to hang out and not someone trying to figure out how to get money out of me,” I said.
“I’d recommend you meet a Cuban girl during the day and then take her out at night for dancing. If I were you, I’d go to
“Normal girls in Cuba don’t speak English. And if she does speak English, then she’s likely to be running a scam on you or is a prostitute,” Luis advised.
“What else should I look for to be safe?” I asked.
“Avoid the ‘Havana Honeymoon Surprise.’ That’s where you wake up, and all your belongings are gone! This happens with a sleepover,” Tony said.
“You guys make it sound like I’m either going to find a prostitute or get robbed.”
They both shrugged as if to say it was what it was.
“You need to worry about family members if you meet them. One of my friends got into a lot of trouble. The girl’s mother lied about her age. She turned out to be only fourteen and used her twenty-two-year-old sister’s ID,” Luis said.
“How did he not figure that out?” I asked.
“In Cuba, fourteen-year-old girls can have more piercings and tattoos than a veteran sailor. They can fool you, believe me,” Tony said.
“You need to be careful with the police. Cuba’s not like the US. If a girl is caught in the company of a tourist, even a regular girl, they may arrest her. One of my neighbors was arrested when she was caught just walking down the street with a tourist. The police also regularly raid clubs with undercover operatives to watch who girls are talking to and to question couples. When a girl visits a hotel, she is forced to register by law. That information is then sent to the police,” Luis explained.
◊◊◊
On the way back to the hotel, I asked Fritz about it. I told him about the underage problem.
