Sure, we'll return to Cuba, but unconditionally? We'll see

Sure, we'll return to Cuba, but unconditionally? We'll see
Published November 16, 2006

The man in the Cooper City pizzeria spotted the crest on my shirt and
immediately approached.

"I like your shirt," he said, flashing me his key chain, which had the
same Cuban emblem on it.

Before long, we were sharing stories about our Cuban pasts. Strangers
made brothers through circumstances.

"Looks like change may finally be coming, huh?" I told my new buddy, Jose.

"Yeah, he doesn't look too good," he answered.

No need to say the name Fidel, or mention Monday's Associated Press
story that said U.S. government officials now believe the dictator has
cancer and will last just three to 18 months.

You see, being Cuban in the United States is like being a Freemason. A
life of symbols and unspoken understandings.

"So, are you going to go back after he dies?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, you bet."

The final irony in this half-century saga of paradoxes, absurdities and
incongruities is that, as his final days unfurl, The Question is not
about Fidel at all. Rather, the people he's spent a lifetime fighting
and loathing: Cuban-Americans.

How will Cuban-Americans respond after Fidel's gone?

It's certainly a question that should interest all South Floridians.
Imagine the economic impact on both sides of the Florida Straits if just
10 percent of almost $30 billion in annual revenues from Cuban-American
businesses were invested in the island. You think opening up 1,500 miles
of coastal real estate, much of it undeveloped, might affect housing
markets?

Eye-catching numbers. But for Cuban-Americans, particularly those such
as my parents who left as adults, it's about something much more
important than land or money.

"When will I go back?" is about honor and emotion. It's about fulfilling
a promise.

A promise made with a single Spanish word: Volveremos.

"Volveremos," has always meant more than the literal translation: "We
will return."

The real translation is: "We will return ... after Fidel's gone."

That promise has superseded the suffering of family on the island. It's
been stronger than the longing for homeland.

Now, facing our own mortal deadlines, The Question looms.

When will I go back?

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/columnists/sfl-ralph16nov16,0,1096090.column?coll=sfla-features-col