An evening in Santa Clara

We climbed the wooden stairs to what seemed like a once very impressive colonial house. It was packed to the crumbling rafters with people pulsating, dancing and loving.
The room smelt of sweat, cigarettes and neat alcohol that formed an oppressive haze over the serpent-hipped crowds. Brown bottles of unmarked rum sat half drunk on the shoddily put together tables. I watched the Lycra clad full figured ladies who filled the dance floor bulging from the top of their bottoms and the bottom of their tops as they danced. The men were captivated.
As I looked on I saw that they, in turn, were looked at me with razor sharp stares. I took a large gulp of neat rum. It tasted bitter, hard and rough not unlike the stares I was receiving. I resisted the temptation to spit it back up as it hit my stomach with the softness of a bulldozer.
I took another sip.
A toothy Cuban then pulled me to my feet and began to dance with me. I could see and feel the smirks develop on the ladies faces as I attempted to Salsa. He grabbed me from behind and pulled me into him. I pushed him away softly at first and then hard, so hard that he looked at me with confusion closely followed by anger. I didn’t realise he had slapped my till after it had happened and when the pain came I realised I was being dragged away firmly by my arm. I watched the crowds blurred faces drift past me as I was navigated, almost carried out, down the wooden steps and back into the car park.
‘What the hell?’ I shouted with my now vague wimper of a voice.
‘That is no place for you’ He said in a determined manner.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You are a guest in our country, you must be protected from what is about to happen here.’
‘What is about to happen?’
‘I will take you back to town but you must wait here’
‘Where are you going?’ I was suddenly very attached to this man I had just met.
‘I cannot drive, I must find someone, don’t worry!’
He moved back inside, leaving me alone, on a sandy car bonnet surrounded by vehicles from every generation but ours.
The music suddenly went off in the main house and I could hear raised voices. A man ran from the house towards me followed my multi-lingual knight in shining armour.
Even in all the panic there was still time for him to open the car door for me. A gentleman it seemed.
‘What’s happening back there?’ I asked the men once we were a safe distance, the driver shot me a serious look.
‘Some people drink too much and want to fight’ was his reply
‘About what?’
‘It does not matter’
I wanted to pry further but stayed silent. Instead I just sat back, took a deep breath and allowed myself be driven back to safety.