90s Flashbacks, a lo cubano

 I had a rather surreal experience last night.

With only one week left in Cuba, I suspect my friend Elisa is trying to find me a Cuban novio. She called last night to invite me to a concert in the Plaza Vieja. I arrived to find her there with her boyfriend, Arnaldo, and his friend Miguel.

Miguel is tall and dark. He wore jeans with a sport jacket and a button-down shirt, open at the collar to reveal his bling. Oh, and large diamond stud earrings. Elisa assured me that Miguel is very funny—and he is—but he also left me shaking my head for much of the night.

We ended up at the restaurant that he owns in Chinatown. After an evening of Mexican rock in the Plaza Vieja followed by a long cruise in Arnaldo’s car blasting reggaeton, the sound of Mariah Carey was something of a shock to my system. Miguel blasted the volume on the TV as he informed me that he loves American music, especially R&B. The videos playing on the screen were his personal collection and he was eager to show me.

“Do you like Craig David?” he asked me. I responded that I don’t know Craig David, so he proceeded to show me who he was talking about. As Miguel informed me that Craig David is his favorite singer in the world, a song came on that I vaguely recalled from the bygone years of my youth. Miguel assured me that, in the world of R&B, Craig David is the best, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the dude was a one-hit wonder from the late nineties who has long since been forgotten by the developed world.

Miguel went on to tell me how much he loves American fashion. “You can see how I dress?” he asked me. “American fashion is the best.” He also frequents a club in Vedado every week where they only play R&B from the US. I imagine everything the DJ spins at his favorite club is at least ten to fifteen years old.

I wish Elisa weren’t so determined to find me a Cuban novio, especially since she’s so far off the mark with her matchmaking. Fortunately for me, she doesn’t have much time left.