In this part of the story, the main characters, Rafael & Steve who are vacationing in Cuba, are walking through a nieghborhood in Havana where the local sex workers come out to practice their trade. . .
. . .Rafael was about ready to call it a night [and return to the hotel] when a young girl with the most voluptous figure he had ever seen caught his eye. She had light skin, long wavy hair, and curves that would tempt the Devil himself. She was dressed in a type of black nylon pantsuit that accentuated her delicious shape. She couldn't have been much older than twenty.
He passed her by a couple of times before she noticed his interest in her. Almost immediately a tall, well built young man approached Rafael. At first Rafael became a little nervous. Could he be a jealous boyfriend? But the young man approached him in a friendly manner. He was a very handsome man, looking like a magazine model.
He introduced himself then asked Rafael, "Would you like to meet my sister?"
Rafael was taken aback. "She's your sister?" He nodded in the girl's direction in disbelief.
"Yes. Would you like to go out with her?" The young man repeated.
Rafael suddenly noticed the resemblance between the two. They were both stunning, must come from an attractive gene pool. This is too much, he thought to himself. "No. It's ok," Rafael said and began to walk away disappointedly. He would really liked to have been with the girl. But he just couldn't bring himself to purchase her fron her own brother. He was ashamed of himself for having shown that kind of interest for her in front of her brother. It seemed disrespectful.
The young salesman followed after Rafael, who was walking back to where Steve was at. "What's wrong," he asked Rafael, "you don't like her?"
Rafael turned to the young man, "Sure, I like her; I just don't feel comfortable being introduced to her by you."
"Why?" He appeared confused. "It doesn't bother me if you take her with you."
Rafael hesitated. "No. No, thanks." He then resumed his walk towards Steve who by now had met up with Michelle.
"Wait. Let me talk with you for a minute." The young man persisted. "Look at her." The girl was following behind her brother. "You're not going to find a better looking girl out here tonight." He leaned up close to Rafael and said in a low voice, "Look at her ass; check out those tits. There's nobody out here who looks like that."
Rafael felt his blood rush. He was becoming angry. How could someone talk about his own sister that way? But his anger was also directed at himself for he was very tempted to take up the brother's offer. "No. Thanks anyway." He insisted as he walked faster towards Steve.
He told Steve about what he had just gone through, but Steve did not seem at all disturbed by this. "You should have went for it." He remarked, half smiling.
Just then the brother walked up to the group, his beautiful sister following dutifully behind. He noticed Michelle and took her to a side and began to explain something to her. Rafael couldn't hear what the young man was saying to Michelle. He only noticed that the young man was speaking very passionately, as if he were a defense attorney protecting his client with extreme prejudice.
After a short while, Michelle returned and announced, "He's not really her brother; he's her husband."
"See," Steve said, "He's not her brother. Now go get her."
"Are you serious?" Rafael was both incredulous and disgusted with Steve.
Michelle cut in, "He just says that she's his sister so nobody will harm her. She's really his wife."
Rafael didn't buy it. "That's just as bad." He told Michelle.
Michelle became a little defensive by Rafael's angry tone. "That's the way they do things here. People need to eat. We need money to live."
"Would you sell your sister for money?" Rafael asked her.
"No." She replied almost automatically.
"Why not if you don't see anything wrong with it?"
"I just wouldn't." She, too, began to get angry.
"It's just that I'm a teacher. I teach kids that are about her age. I can't do something like this. I wouldn't feel comfortable." Rafael surprised himself with the rush of ethics he was just now experiencing.
"Ok. I'll go and tell them." She walked back to the young man and his sister who were leaning against the wall of a building. He had been very intent on their discussion, but his sister just stared at the passing cars as if in a trance. Michelle talked to the young man for a few minutes, and then the couple walked away in defeat.
"I can't believe you wanted me to be with her." Rafael reprimanded Steve.
"Why not? What's the difference between her and the other two you were already with? Besides, she was hot." He replied. "Rafael," he added, "you got a lot of hang ups."