It was raining and Abuela held a trash bag over her head as she walked to Mass early in the morning. She opened the large wooden doors of La Iglesia de la Merced, the Church of Mercy. Although it needed repairs, the church and especially the altar were still breathtaking. Abuela walked toward the confessional and waited in line with two other older ladies. When it was her turn she knelt down and closed the confessional door. Finally, Padre Pepito opened the small grated window that separated them.
“Padre, forgive me, for I have sinned,” Abuela said.
“How long since your last confession?” Padre Pepito asked.
“It has been a month,” Abuela said. At the end of her confession, she added the phrase that would identify her, “I am sorry for my lack of trust in God but I know I can count on his mercy.”
“Oh, yes,” Padre Pepito said, recognizing her. “You can count on his mercy. As penance, pray a rosary and meditate on the life of Christ. If I may suggest, you should do this in the rose garden by the statue of Mary.”
“Si, Padre,” Abuela said as the priest absolved and blessed her.
Abuela left the confessional and looked for the door that led to the rose garden. She prayed the rosary by the statue of Mary as she waited for the priest. She really didn’t need to go to confession today, but she did need to speak to Padre Pepito. They had to go through this ritual in case someone overheard them in the confessional. There were rumors that some confessionals were bugged by the government. Once Padre Pepito finished hearing confessions, he walked into the sacristy to put his stole away and then quietly slipped through the door to the rose garden. He walked slowly toward Abuela and gently tapped her on the shoulders.
“Hola, Padre,” Abuela said quickly. “Listen to this! The exodus will begin soon.”
“Is it confirmed?” Padre Pepito asked.
“Yes,” Abuela said. “We just don’t know exactly when. What do you know about our Lady?”
“She is on her way,” the priest said with a smile.
“Will you ever join your family in Miami, Father?” she asked.
“I can’t, Maria Elena,” Padre Pepito responded. “If there is anyone whom the government would immediately allow to leave Cuba, it is the priests. But if I leave, who would tend the flock?”
“God bless you, Padre. We certainly need you here,” Abuela said, giving the priest a hug.
Abuela left the rose garden feeling assured that things were taken care of.
On her way home, she stopped in the side chapel of La Iglesia de la Merced to kneel before the image of our Lady of Lourdes. Abuela had gotten married in this church. It was filled with so many happy memories. How she wished she were with her family again! Abuela prayed hard for her family and for her country.
She walked home slowly, occasionally looking back to see if she was being followed. She noticed a strange car parked outside the church. It was the same car that had been parked across the street from her house for two days now with someone inside listening to the radio. She hadn’t known if they were watching her or someone else, but now she was certain they were watching her. She decided to avoid the man in the car by going into the bodeguita. Besides, the line was long. They must have meat there today, she thought. Then she remembered that her friend Miriam lived in the nearby apartments. She hurried across the street and went into Miriam’s building. When she saw a door at the end of the complex that led to an alley, she decided to go through the hall and out the back of the building. Cars couldn’t make it through the narrow road behind the building. She walked down the alley to the next block, turned, and followed her usual way back home, looking cautiously behind her. Nobody was following. She reached her apartment a bit out of breath. It was too much excitement for an old lady. She only wanted to live in peace.
Her hands were still shaking as she opened the door to her apartment. She closed and locked her door. She heard footsteps, but they stopped, and she heard a door slam. It was just a neighbor. Before she even put down her purse, she looked in her cupboard for a few twigs of tilo, linden leaves. She was in luck—she had electricity today. She boiled the soothing herbal tea to calm her nerves and whispered a quick prayer to her guardian angel. Things will be fine, she assured herself.