Hemingway’s Whiskey – Cuba (Micro Fiction)

Posted on by Prior...

Hello blog friends, as June winds down, I wanted to check in.

It has been almost a year since I joined in with What Pegman Saw fiction challenge.  When I saw Cuba was featured today – I had to join in. I also have a post for Su’s Changing Seasons and will share that later (got it up and it is HERE)

Here is the photo prompt for today’s fiction:

CUBA: San Francisco de Paula. (photo-credit: Narcisco-Gonzalez-Herrara, 2017)

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Hemingway’s Whiskey 

(fiction word count: 150)

Sitting at the bar in Cuba, Hemingway quotes ran through my mind: critics, sleep, trust….

My thoughts flashbacked to 1993, that summer job in Plantation, Florida.

Made friends with this short, stout lady.  Opposites, but we had chemistry. Both straight shooters. No BS.

I brought her in a pair of thrift-store work shoes –

a gift of friendship.

Once, we had shots of whiskey on a break.  Chests afire as we went back to work smiling.

One afternoon, she whispered that her man was coming back from Cuba on a small boat in the cover of night.

I stared, processing the secret, embracing the trust.

Dare I ask more?

Nah.

Didn’t wanna know.

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“Soda refill?” the bartender asked, bringing me back to now.

“Actually, I’ve changed my mind. I’ll have that whiskey shot.”

Placing my empty shotglass down, I appreciated how friendship memories can sometimes flood the chest with warmth.

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Today’s fiction was loosely based on a true event – from my summer job in Plantation, Florida back in 1993.

Today’s fiction also unfolded because K. Rawson mentioned Hemingway fans might want to explore a certain area in Cuba, which then reminded me of Kenny Chesney’s remake of Guy Clark’s Hemingway’s Whiskey song (here):

 

 

Closing thought – to piggy back on a line from the song – which is “there’s more to life than whiskey….” – well it always amazes me how easy it is in our culture to get sucked in by alcohol –  whether that be whiskey, vodka, beer, etc. It comes across as masculine, sexy, sophisticated and all this fun. However, too much is a bad thing. It is toxic for the body and alcohol consumption can really interfere with thriving. 

So… if anyone reading feels like their alcohol drinking is out of balance – may I invite you to try and fast from drinking for 30 days? Seriously- tomorrow is July 1st and it is the start of a brand new month. Fasting – or taking breaks from things is VERY good for humans. And it could become a gift to your freshness and outlook. Just an idea.

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Author update – if anyone wants to see more of Cuba – check out Naomi’s awesome post Cuba’s Third Currency here.

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37 thoughts on “Hemingway’s Whiskey – Cuba (Micro Fiction)”

  1. I agreed with your observation about alcohol. It can make one uncomfortable when attending social event and you are the only person who do not touch alcohol. You feel like you do not belong.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Love those reminiscences at the bar, the stout Cuban lady and her dangerous secret. I wonder if her man made it in one piece? Lovely writing

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi Lynn – I think her man made it for that trip =- but wonder if future adventures were always so successful 🙂
      thanks for the feedback

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Your reminiscences have the ring of veracity, a credit to your writing. I also sense the influence of Hemmingway here. Or is it only the bar and the whiskey?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hi – thanks for the comment – and I have not read much Hemingway (I know – gulp – well I did the required school reading and as a teenager – my friend Kim H. used to rave about some of Hemingway’s books – her passion was inspiring – ) – but one of Hemingway quotes did inspire this – “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”

      Liked by 1 person

  7. There’s something so romantic — in a wonderfully messy, risky way — about drinking whiskey in a bar in Cuba and talking about Hemingway, and you really brought that feeling out in this piece. I really liked that it focused on a friendship too; so few stories feature platonic but meaningful friendships between a man and woman.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. oh that comment that was really nice to read.
      and Joy, this
      Hemingway Quote inspired part of what I shared:
      “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”

      Liked by 1 person

  8. You have bee away a long time, Y. I wonder Y? I hope all is okay. Really enjoyed this little tale and the picture you chose. What a bar. What a narrator. And what prose. I certainly have missed you. A lot.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks K to the Two – and my break was just a planned pause – which is hard to do but it is also important to fast and break from anything that gives that dopamine rush – hahahha
      peace amigo

      Like

  10. A very clever take on the prompt. And nice encouragement to take a fasting break. I did Dry January, and I hear often times people do Dry July, too. Your right it is great for the body.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. thanks for reminding me of the term “dry” and I think it (fasting) – can really help someone not let something get a stronghold on them

      Like

  11. “Friendship memories can sometimes flood the chest with warmth” – I particularly liked this part, a fitting end for your piece of fiction. But I am intrigued by the true event which loosely inspired it. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for the comment Ana, and that summer (Plantation, Florida 1993) has so many little special memories I have started a little pdf about it. Not sure where it will take me.
      And so the lady I worked with – a short stout woman – very motherly and was 25 or 30 years older than me – we really did bond – I did buy her a pair of second hand shoes – she really did tell me about some illegal boat activity and I was shocked – but we never did shots at work. That was the fiction part – lol – and I smile to think of that acquaintance and the brief friendship when I needed it a lot.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Glad to have you back Yvette (even though we’ve chatted on my blog a few times since your return). I hope to catch up here in Reader before too much longer. A Canadian friend visited Cuba a few years ago and had the best time and shared her pics on Facebook.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I hope everything gets back to normal soon, including this fractious weather Yvette. My friend told me last night they had tickets to the Squirrels game and just arrived and it started to storm. We are having a double round of storms this evening, so I hopped on here now to catch up and may not be back – I’ll be hopelessly behind in Reader again just as I was catching up a little. I’m trying to not do too much sitting today.

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    1. Thanks a lot Joey – I was trying to have a play with the way whiskey warms the chest – you know by habit this sentence come after setting down my empty shotglass
      – and hope you are well – be over soon

      Like

  15. Pingback: Hemingway’s Whiskey (What Pegman Saw in Cuba) — priorhouse blog – Truth Troubles

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