THE LOVE STORY

"Turquoise taxi driving the streets of Old Havana, Cuba"
VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm Geddy Images

Carnival time! The cities in Cuba before the revolution were always filled with happy people and festivities. Some cities' view on taxing was “just raise money." Some would throw street parades and carnivals and proceeds would go to town hall. All the local citizens enjoyed taking part, helping, building floats and competing. The equivalent to an old time country carnival or fair. The food, the music, and language albeit different wore the same look as America.

The float was to be a ship. The three sisters were to be sailors. Their father was a master woodworker who enjoyed his art, and poured his heart into his work. The day of the carnival arrived and it was a beautiful parade float, shaped like a boat, with steering wheels and nautical decorations. The floats that went down the town streets were guarded by the national guard, and one guard in particular wore a gleaming white smile, looking distinctly over to one of the sisters.

It was the end of the parade, and many of the local girls were instructed to drink (or dump) as many drinks as they could get the visiting gentlemen to buy, all in the name of their city of course. The young national guard that took a liking to one sister, was named Diego, and her's was Amarilis. They sat together, drank and chatted, you could tell a romance was blooming, but he had to go back into his military duty and time would have to tell. They meet again only once, when he is on leave, and he proposes to her. 

On a beautiful clear morning Amarilis receives a letter from her fiance and it reads, “You must be ready, I am coming to visit you, and we are to get married." The date he was arriving was that same day. With anticipation and panic she prepared for what would be her wedding day. She headed out to the local baker and ordered a wedding cake. She fitted her sister’s wedding dress and prepared by telling family and friends. Not long before receiving the letter she sees Diego walking down the street and towards her house. The cake barely made it, and fell a bit to the side being mushed, but the smiles in the room were from ear to ear. They were truly a beautiful couple. The day and year was June 4, 1958.