Once Upon A Time In Miami: season one THE ODYSSEY

By Gelson García

My name is Gelson García.

I live in the United States, in Miami, Florida. After many years I decided to write this book of fiction and adventure, called Once Upon a Time in Miami.

It has three seasons. This is the first called THE ODYSSEY.

This story begins in Great Cayman passing through Rohattan lslands, Honduras, Belize, Mex

• Language: English
• Publisher: ibukku, LLC
• Release date: Jun 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685743956

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ONCE UPON A TIME IN MIAMI

season one

THE ODYSSEY

Gelson García

All rights reserved. The total or partial reproduction of this work, nor its incorporation into a computer system, nor its transmission in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or others) without prior written authorization of the copyright holders is not allowed. Infringement of such rights may constitute an offence against intellectual property.

The content of this work is the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. All texts and images were provided by the author, who is solely responsible for the rights thereof.

Published by Ibukku, LLC

www.ibukku.com

Graphic Design: Diana Patricia González J.

Cover Design: Ángel Flores Guerra B.

Copyright © 2023 Gelson García

ISBN Paperback: 978-1-68574-394-9

ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-68574-396-3

ISBN eBook: 978-1-68574-395-6

Main character: Camaro.

Wife: Ivonne.

Secondary characters:

Grand Cayman: Miguel, Sylvia, Yirle, Yanara, John, Julio, Hilda, Roberto, Cristobal, Vicki.

In Miami: Fidel, Victoria, Grandmother.

In the boat: Captain, Negro, Chiquis.

In Roatan: Patron.

In Belize: Yunuen, Yatzire, The man and lady of the house, The coyotes.

In the village of Mexico: The Indian lady, The carriers, The fat man, the skinny man and the dwarf.

At the inn: Whiskers, Bertha.

Friends of Miami: Lorenzo.

Friends from Cuba in Mexico City: Lolo, The jeweler, Roberto The Bald.

Immigration in Puebla: The Boss, The Chinese.

Jailers: The fat bald man, Beto.

In the prison: The Chilean.

Introduction

This book is about a great adventure story, which reflects a journey from Grand Cayman, through Roatan Island, Honduras, Belize and Mexico, to Miami, USA. It becomes a great adventure full of dangers, storms, sharks, jungles, crimes, wild animals, scams, robberies, kidnappings, sex and prison.

It has a wide representation of tourism and beautiful places, besides being very instructive, highlighting many teachings for life and survival, and even techniques and sexual details and the representation of moral and instructive codes for life.

A season in which the reader does not lose concentration or tension, focused on the depth of the book.

In the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, 2020. This is my story.They call me Camaro. I left Cuba fleeing Fidel Castro’s regime in 2005. After several attempts, my family and my wife’s family in Miami, Florida, contacted a human trafficker named Miguel, a Cuban living in Grand Cayman. We agreed on the cost of $20,000 to get me and my wife to Grand Cayman. The plan was to arrive in Grand Cayman and there we would be put on a plane to Canada with a stopover in the United States. We would get off and hide in the bathroom. Once the plane had left, we would throw away our papers and ask for political asylum. At that time Cubans were given political asylum when they set foot on American soil. It all seemed like a perfect plan.

Everything was perfect. We left on a plane bound for Grand Cayman. It was a quick flight, 40 minutes, since Cayman is not far from Cuba’s Côte d’Azur. It is quite close. It was a small plane that was fast and I didn’t feel much as I was drinking Cuban rum to kill feelings, as I was leaving a daughter behind.

Already entering the Grand Cayman airport I found myself alone, without any contact. The airport was small, with a big picture of the Queen of England. Everything was very simple and rustic. We stayed there until it was empty, without knowing anyone or anything. I began to suspect that it smelled bad. I asked for a phone to a signer, as he spoke very little English. In Cayman they only speak English, as it is a British colony and the natives there are black. I was in Grand Cayman, as there are two islands: one is Little Cayman and the other Grand Cayman. Then a tall black man lent me his phone and I called Miami. I called and they told me to wait, that they were going to pick me up. After a while a young man appeared in a white van, about 19 years old, short, with black hair and white skin.

Hello, I am Yirle, Miguel’s brother-in-law and I am here to pick you up.

-Hi, how are you? My name is Camaro and this is my wife Ivonne.

-How do you do, said Ivonne.

-Nice to meet you, get in the car,- said Yirle.

-Where is Miguel? He was supposed to pick us up,- I asked.

-He went on an emergency trip to Miami,- he answered.

-Okay. -Where are we going? -I asked.

-We are going to Miguel and family’s house. We have a big house where you are going to stay for a while.

I asked no more questions and got in the car. I felt more confident and I started to look at the scenery around me. Everything looked very nice and new, compared to Cuba. We arrived at a big house, with large compartments with white walls and a blue roof. A lady named Sylvia, Miguel’s wife, came out of the house. She had tanned skin, short stature and black hair, and also a young girl with white skin, black hair and short stature, about 17 years old.

-Hi guys, welcome home. I am Sylvia, Miguel’s wife, this is my daughter Yanara, Yirle’s wife, whom you already know.

-Hi, nice to meet you,- I said.

-Nice to meet you, thank you for your hospitality,- said Ivonne.

-Please follow me to your accommodations,- said Yanara.

-Hey Sylvia, how can we get a phone number to call our family in Miami? -I asked.

-Don’t worry, for the moment use ours and tomorrow Yirle will take you to buy a prepaid phone. Well, make yourselves comfortable in the living room, that’s where you’ll be sleeping for the time being.

They gave me an inflatable mattress, blankets and 2 pillows. While I was inflating them, another guy named Julio came in, he was tall and skinny, with light eyes, little hair and he looked nice.

-Hello, I’m Julio, nice to meet you, I’m also from Cuba and I’ve been working here for a few months with my wife Hilda.

At that moment his wife came in, reddish-haired, medium height, with big breasts and thin.

-Hi guys, it’s a pleasure to meet you and have you here. We are going to show you around this place.

-Yes, Hilda, please take them to see the area," said Sylvia.

The house was a condominium type house with two bedrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen, followed by a one-bedroom apartment with a bathroom and living room, with a glass door. Next to it there was another house similar to the first one, in the back, that is to say, separated from the whole complex, but belonging to the same property. Two apartments one above the other with one bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. All this very well done and beautiful. All the floor filled with gravel around the entire condominium and the parking spaces on one of the sides. Incredibly they had achieved something very well organized. Behind the two apartments there was a shed with the laundry and an outdoor shower. Really a very good idea, it served as an example for me. I always thought of returning to Grand Cayman and doing something similar, but I did not know the surprise that life was going to give me and the surprise that awaited me. Well, I will continue explaining the house: the apartment in the middle of the two houses was rented to a Dominican with his wife, who had an air conditioning company. The house next door was rented by a Caymanian with his wife and two children. The back room was rented by the Cuban couple Julio and Hilda and the other apartments I had not yet been told who lived there. Well, after the guys showed me around and explained everything, we talked to our families and then went to bed.

The next day when we woke up, we went to the table to have breakfast with Sylvia, Yanara and Yirle.

-Hey, let’s go buy you a phone. Do you need money? -asked Yirle.

-Well, let’s go. Don’t worry, I have money. -I answered.

I had money since I had sold my jewelry and my motorcycle to pay my way out of the country and have money for my trip, apart from what we borrowed from our family in Miami, which we had to pay them back for when we arrived.

I went out with the boy. It was a beautiful day, sunny, with good weather, Cayman is a tropical dream! From the day I saw it I fell in love with it. It is an island completely surrounded by beach, clear blue water with very soft white sand, blue sky and shining sun. It is very similar to the climate of Cuba. The quiet streets, full of condos and hotels on the sandy shore and boats anchored a short distance into the water. The place was very nice.

-Hey Camaro, you have to exchange dollars for Cayman currency; the value is $1.20 for a Cayman dollar. -Yirle told me.

-That’s good Yirle, I’m going to change 200.

-Well, you would have about 160 Caymanians left and the phone will cost you about 30 plus the card, about 20.

-Let’s go then. -I said.

Finally I bought a small prepaid Motorola and when I connected it I called Miami. My father-in-law answered and told me that his wife Victoria would be arriving in Cayman any minute. Victoria, my wife’s father’s wife, owned a Cuba package agency in Miami. At that time she was using Grand Cayman as a bridge to get packages to Cuba, since at that time they did not allow people to enter Cuba directly. She contacted Miguel to organize our trip since they knew each other from Cuba, they were from the same town.

Victoria had been running her business for years. We already knew each other from Cuba and we had done some business together: I sold them boxes of tobacco in Cuba, which I sold in the Bahamas and Cayman Island, rather than in Cuba. He sold me gold-plated garments wholesale, which I distributed. We had very good relations and in short, we got along very well. So we went back to the house to wait for Victoria. I already had a telephone with a line and when we arrived at the house, Ivonne ran to me.

-Lend me the phone to call my dad in Miami.

-Call and don’t spend so much, please,- I asked her.

-Hi daddy, how are you?

-Hello my daughter. I am happy you are already there. Victoria is sending you to a girl who owns a travel agency in Cayman, her name is Vicky. She is going to pick you up to take you to lunch and then to a hotel where later in the evening Victoria will meet you.

-Okay, Dad. As soon as we’re at the hotel we’ll call you. I’ll explain to Camaro here.

About an hour later, a gray Porsche SUV showed up. A tall, black-haired, white-skinned, well-dressed and well-mannered girl got out, wearing fine jewelry and with a very nice appearance.

-Hi guys, I’m Vicky, Victoria’s friend.

-Nice to meet you. I’m Camaro and this is Ivonne, my wife.

Sylvia and her daughter came out of the house and greeted Vicky as if they had known her for a long time.

-Hi Vicky, how are you?- greeted Sylvia.

-Hi Sylvia, I’m taking the boys to a hotel that Victoria booked to meet them and then she’s coming back with them.

We got in the car and she took us to lunch in downtown Cayman at a restaurant overlooking the bay. There were a lot of cruise ships in it and all the workers were brown skinned. Vicky recommended a chicken with BBQ sauce, very typical Caymanian. We drank Red Stripe beer, also typical of the place. The name of the restaurant was Hard Rock Café and it had a very nice view of the bay and another view of the downtown area. It was our first time in a Hard Rock Café, since it does not exist in Cuba.

-Guys, this is the "Hard Rock Café, very popular in the world and in the United States. All those guitars and clothes you see are from famous artists who once used them. -said Vicky.

We were amazed, everything looked so beautiful and we felt a little scared; we just watched and followed her steps. We finished and went together to the hotel, a Ritz Carlton located in front of the beach. The room was already reserved by Victoria. The receptionist, a brown-skinned girl with a brown skirt, was very friendly.

-I have a reservation; the name is Victoria, said Vicky.

-Give me a second, let me see,- replied the receptionist.

The place was very nice and elegant. Through the glass windows at the end of the hallway I could see the glare of the sun over the pool and further back that beautiful sea of Cayman Beach. Vicky picked up the keys and addressed us:

-Guys, these are the room keys, it’s floor 5, room 510 down the hall. Well, I’ll leave you now. Victoria should be arriving at the end of the night.

-Hey, thank you very much for everything -I told her-, we had a very nice day.

-Vicky, leave us your number in case we ever need you,- said Ivonne, -we don’t speak English well enough to communicate with the people at the hotel. Thank you very much for everything.

Then she gave us her number, gave us a hug and left. We had liked the girl very much and she had given us a very nice tour. Well, we were already settled in the hotel. So far everything was nice. We did not know all that awaited us: our great odyssey.

The hotel had all marble floors, nicely decorated. To my right were glass doors with tables and chairs, which looked like a restaurant and where breakfast was supposed to be served. To my left, behind the glass doors of the hotel’s main entrance, was a water fountain surrounded by beautiful plants. I walked straight ahead towards the elevators with a view in front of the pool. I went up to the fifth floor, walked to the end of the hallway where my room was. The room had two separate queen beds, light blue walls, an all marble bathroom and a balcony overlooking the beach. All very nice. What a nice present I was getting.

It was getting dark and I decided to go out to look for a liquor store, since I knew that the hotel was expensive. We went out the back door facing the pool, to get to know the hotel better. The pool was large, round, with lights surrounded by hammocks and cabanas. We continued walking towards the sand. Next to me there was a bar with tables facing the water, very well-lit and with music. A couple of tourists were dancing. We walked back down a street to the side of the hotel until we found the main avenue. Then I walked until I found a liquor store. There were many all along the main street along with stores for the tourists. I bought a bottle of Capitan Grand Añejo and we went back to the room. Then we called my wife’s father as he wanted to hear from Victoria.

-Hello Fidel, how are you doing over there? I wanted to know what time Victoria will be arriving. We are waiting for her at the hotel.

-We are fine. She won’t be arriving today; she will arrive tomorrow around 12 noon. Rest and enjoy the room.

-Thank you. Here is your daughter.

They talked for a while and I sat on an armchair watching the TV. I poured myself a drink, opening the curtains and appreciating the beautiful view. There was a full moon and it lit up the sea as if it were a light bulb. Ivonne, immediately after finishing her conversation, went to bed to rest. After a while we took a shower and enjoyed that shower and bath with great comfort. We went to bed and fell fast asleep since the bed was very comfortable and we had not been able to sleep well in the house where we had stayed.

The next day we woke up to enjoy the breakfast buffet. We went down to the restaurant I had seen to my right in the lobby and had breakfast in splendor, as it was a very well stocked buffet. As we walked out the door of the restaurant we saw Victoria arrive with her luggage.

-How are you guys? It’s good to see you.

-Hi, Victoria,- said Ivonne as she gave her a hug.

-Well Victoria, let’s go up to the room. Have you had breakfast? -I asked her.

-Don’t worry, let’s go up to the room. I already had breakfast,- she answered.

Victoria is a 58 year old lady, with blonde hair, white skin, her face with fine features, with a calm and very confident expression. We went upstairs, settled in the room and she began to make phone calls and organize her business plan. We went to the pool to give her space to work. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining, the pool was full of tourists and we settled into one of the cabanas. I ordered two drinks and then refilled them with the rum I had left over, that way I wouldn’t spend any money. Anyway, I was having a very nice time, now calmer, because we had Victoria with us.

We went up to the room. Victoria was sitting on the balcony drinking coffee and appreciating the beautiful view.

-Guys, my plan is for you to enjoy the hotel today and tomorrow I will take you shopping at the market and leave you with plenty of food at Miguel’s house. I hope that in a week you will be in the United States with us if everything goes well.

-What would it be like for us to leave for the United States? -I asked her.

-I understand that they change your queue and put you on a plane to Canada with a stopover in Miami, that’s where you stay and ask for political asylum.

-But without papers, how are they going to put us on a plane? -Ivonne asked.

-Don’t worry, they have everything organized. It is not the first time they do it, I have friends who have left the same way.

-Well, everything is arranged. A kiss, Victoria, let’s go to the beach for a while -I told her.

Entering the beach the water was without any waves, the sun was shining, there was no air, the sand was white. A tropical beauty. We went into the water and had a nice time. At sunset we went back to the room with Victoria.

-Guys, let’s go to dinner together, I invite you to the restaurant by the beach. A guitarist named Jerry Cobb is playing there, so take a quick shower and get ready.

We showered and dressed up and headed out to the restaurant with Victoria. The restaurant was lit with blue lights, medium bright, not too badly lit. In one corner there was a stage with the guitarist playing sitting in a chair. Victoria had already made a reservation and we had our table in a very pleasant atmosphere.

-What would you guys like to drink? And read the dinner menu.

-I’ll have a Cuba libre, rum and coke,- I asked.

-I’ll have a Bloody Mary,- said Ivonne.

Victoria ordered a Bloody Mary as well. The three of us looked at the menu to decide what to have for dinner. There was a soft and pleasant wind blowing and at the same time the sound of the guitar could be heard. It was very difficult for me and my wife to decide on the menu, since we came from Cuba and didn’t know much about that kind of food, so we decided to go for the easiest thing: pizza. Victoria agreed too, so we ordered two family pizzas for the three of us, a pepperoni and cheese pizza and a Hawaiian pizza. We had a nice time, ate dinner, had a couple more drinks and went back to our room. They went to bed and I went to the balcony looking at that beautiful view. I sat down and drank what was left of the bottle, thanking God for everything and happy, thinking that I would soon arrive in the United States.

When we woke up the next day we picked up everything, went to breakfast together and when we finished, Vicky picked us up. We stopped at an impressive market for us. In Cuba we never had anything like this, such a big market with so much variety of everything, so well organized and clean. At that moment my eyes watered thinking of my daughter in Cuba and the poverty we came from. Victoria filled two food carts to the brim with all kinds of things and we left, loaded everything in the car and left for Miguel’s house. When we arrived everyone came out to greet Victoria, greeted each other, ordered the food in the cooler and then Victoria said goodbye to everyone. Vicky took her to the airport as she was on her way to Cuba on business. Everything was happy in her mi, but another story would begin that was not at all as planned.

We stayed quietly in the house after saying goodbye to Victoria. Sylvia proposed a game of dominoes between all of us, took out a bottle of Cuban rum and toasted everyone. While we were playing, she began to tell me that besides her daughter Yanara, she has another older son, son of Miguel as well. He had grown up in the Cayman Islands and was the one living in the back apartments with his wife, a Caymanian. In the end we spent a very pleasant night.

At dawn the next day Miguel arrived, quite a character, about 57 years old, short, hairless, with magnifying glasses, a Hawaiian shirt and short shorts with flip-flops, typical Miami and Cayman Island dress. No one would suspect what kind of devil he was hiding underneath that appearance.

-How are you guys? -He greeted us.

-Nice to meet you, everything is fine, thank you. -I answered.

-Have you been well taken care of?

-All very well, thank you.

We went back inside the house. He went through the motions and we didn’t speak to each other again. At nightfall I saw a modern blue car arrive, a sporty car, it was Miguel’s oldest son. I saw that he continued in his car, looked back and did not greet his parents. Then I said to myself: Something is wrong that they have not told me. After a while I saw Miguel get out and go to his son’s apartment. At that moment I felt a fight of words, the youngest daughter came out and we went out back to see what was going on. Yanara started to hit with the brother’s wife, I ran to separate them and that’s when I saw that Miguel gave a knife to his daughter and told her to stick it to the other one. That’s when I started to calculate Miguel, how could a father do something like that? Something so low, dirty and disgusting: turn a murderer on his own daughter so young and pretty and with a future ahead of her. So I interceded, took the knife from her and separated them.

That was my first stumble with Miguel, I knew I was not going to look at him kindly anymore. These types of people are treacherous, cowardly and spiteful and when they have the opportunity, they stick a knife in the back. Soon the police arrived. The ambulance took Miguel away, as