Free Mission Libertad by Lizette M. Lantigua Page B

we are not home.”
    â€œOh, Mom,” Tommy said. “I’ve always played outside. I’ve gone as far as the back woods and nothing has ever happened to me.”
    â€œWell, we haven’t seen burglars in our neighborhood before,” she said.
    â€œYou should ask the neighbors if they have seen those cars here before,” José said, looking at Rosie.
    â€œThe other day someone followed us in the store and to a fast-food restaurant,” Rosie said. “This neighborhood seems to be changing. Some very strange things are happening.”
    â€œMom, there is nothing wrong with the neighborhood,” Sonia said. “It was obvious, the creepy guy was after me.”
    â€œYeah, you are just his type,” Tommy said laughing. “Creepy!”
    â€œStop it, you two,” Rosie said.
    Tommy and Sonia were smiling at each other, but the adults were quite serious. Elena and Miguel, especially, didn’t take the news of someone following the family very lightly.
    Luisito had caught half of the car’s license plate and he would be on the lookout for the other half. He had an eerie feeling he would be seeing that car again.

17 DIECISIETE
    The two Hispanic-looking men in the car sped away. Antonio, who had slick greased hair and bad acne, was driving. Jorge had longer hair in a ponytail and was wearing a Yankees baseball cap and sunglasses. They had taken the pictures they needed, and now they couldn’t wait to develop them in their makeshift darkroom.
    â€œThe boy looks like he has lived here all his life,” said Antonio.
    â€œWho wouldn’t adjust easily to this good life?” Jorge said, laughing.
    â€œHas the thought of defecting ever crossed your mind?” Antonio asked bluntly.
    It actually had crossed Jorge’s mind many times but he wasn’t about to tell Antonio that. Even though he had worked with Antonio for years, he didn’t trust him. He didn’t trust anyone. Anyone in Cuba could rat on anyone else to rise in the government. The Communist Party rewarded and encouraged this type of behavior. Jorge himself had gotten this great job infiltrating the United States by spying on fellow Cubans and turning them in. It was just his way of surviving and providing for his family, he told himself. He would defect in a minute except that it was too complicated to get his whole family out.
    â€œNever!” Jorge said, smiling. “The Cuban government gives us all we need. Imagine if I came to this country and I had to start bagging groceries or mopping restaurant floors.”
    â€œI am with you on that,” Antonio said after a long pause. “The Cuban government is good to us and our families. This assignment is the best job in the world!”
    They parked their car at the downtown apartment they had rented in Baltimore.
    â€œWhat do you think about the American who is following them?” Jorge asked. “FBI or CIA?”
    â€œWho cares?” Antonio shot back quickly. “We got the pictures. That is what the people back home needed. We haven’t committed any crimes. They can’t do anything to us.”
    â€œDo you think they will be on our trail?”
    â€œWe will clean up this apartment and move on to our place in Miami soon. We can change our appearance a bit,” Antonio said. “How would I look as a blond?”
    â€œPretty ugly!” Jorge said, laughing. Yet he was sure this assignment would not be an easy one. It was one of those feelings.

18 DIECIOCHO
    The weekend before school started Luisito packed all his new supplies and laid out his clothes for Monday.
    â€œBoy, you are ahead of the game!” Tommy said when he stepped into their room. He still had everything scattered in his closet.
    Sunday night Luisito went to bed early. He had an uneasy feeling about his first day of school. He had spent the previous night asking Tommy questions about high school.
    Back in Cuba, Luisito knew