No Name Key, (Part 1)
“No Name Key” is about a couple of Key West local fellas who have been laid off of their jobs at the local seafood cannery and decide to join up with the Cuban Freedom Fighters. It starts with the older of the two down at the Key West docks just resting and fishing.
Manuel had been coming down to the Key West city docks in the early morning just to sit and fish on the pier. He had been doing this the last few months since he retired at age 65. Manuel’s last job had been as a civilian stevedore working on the dock at the Navy Yard Base. He had done some special planning for this day’s fishing. He had bought some live shrimp for bait, an ice chest, a comfortable folding lawn chair, and his lunch. Now he could get down to some serious fishing.
Manuel was Cuban American. He came here with his parents in 1914 at the age of 10. He had two younger sisters. His grandfather’s ancestry dated back to the 1400’s. That’s when the Spanish conquistadors made the Cuban natives slaves to work the sugar cane plantations.
His mother was a natural born Cuban native. Manuel was average height, about five foot eleven inches. He was still fairly muscular and in trim shape from the previous eight years working at the dock. He also had strong black features, and he was very proud of it!
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young man on a bicycle pulling up to the sidewalk next to the pier. Since it was early morning, not too many people were on the docks, especially the tourists!
Just what was this young man up to? He could see that this guy was paying close attention to him. Did he have a camera? No, he was sketching him. He said to himself, “I hope this fella is not a member of the D.G.I. (direccion de inteligencia, Cuban Secret Police).
It hadn’t been too long ago, only eight years, since that April 1961, the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He was sure he had covered his tracks. No one except the C.I.A, and the Navy’s Human Resources individual who hired him knew he had participated. His family didn’t even know. There was one other person, his friend who had talked him into it. However he was sworn to secrecy.
His mind started to drift off. It was late February in 1961. He and Hector had been laid off from the old fish cannery which was located along the Key West docks. Even though Hector was much younger than he, they were good friends. Hector had been 28, single, individualistic and invincible. He was light-skinned and primarily of Cuban descent.
Every day after looking for work, they would come down to the docks and fish after supper. This particular evening they were sitting on a couple of folding chairs, poles held in their one hand, and a cold lemonade in the other.
Suddenly Hector said, “We should join the Cuban Freedom Fighters and go help kick Fidel Castro out of Cuba!”
“What are you talking about?” Manuel asked.
“I’ve heard that the C.I.A. is actively recruiting in Miami for a brigade of Cubans to overthrow Castro.”
“Where do you get your information? I haven’t heard anything about that!” Manuel exclaimed.
“One of my friend’s brothers went up to Miami. He said don’t tell anyone but he went up to join and hasn’t returned.”
Manuel said, “That doesn’t prove anything. He could be partying in Miami! By the way, how do you know the F.B.I. is recruiting?”
“Not the F.B.I.,” Hector said, “It’s the C.I.A.! Everyone knows about it. Haven’t you read the Miami Herald newspaper? Besides, I know a better way to enlist and train. Word on this island...is that some of them are training on No Name Key.”
“What do you mean No Name Key? What is the name of the Key?” Manuel asked.
“No Name Key is the name of the Key next to and East of Big Pine Key,” Hector answered.
“I always thought that was Little Pine Key,” Manuel said. “Now just where did you get this information? Super Spy!”
“Well, smart guy, you know that I play Double 9 Dominoes with Island Jim down at Sloppy Joes. You know the guy that everyone’s trying to beat at his own game. Jim doesn’t have to get around, the whole island comes to him! That guy is definitely in the center of things at Sloppy Joe’s and Key West. He hears all, knows all, and sees all. Says that some group is training on No Name Key.”*
“What do you propose to do?” Manuel asked.
“Let’s borrow my brother’s car and drive up to No Name, and see if we can join,” Hector stated. “Hey man, at least we can see just what’s going on. We can’t find any work. We’ve looked everywhere the last few weeks. Let’s finally do something good for our country. Let’s make Cuba free!”
From the author: My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book on Don Browne’s Southwest Florida Online, A Walk Across Florida.)
As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969.
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