Rum, cigars and revolution.

Havana is like no other city in the world. The Cuban capital intoxicates visitors with its potent cocktail of premium cigars, high-quality rum, pulsating music and dazzling dance mixing with the sultry sea air in colourful streets of faded colonial grandeur and atmospherically dilapidated buildings. Shielded from globalisation, the usual billboards and branding were replaced by socialist propaganda posters and iconic revolutionary images.

Going to Havana is like stepping through the looking-glass into a parallel world where the march of industrialisation and capitalism has been held back for decades. Most visitors are first captivated by Habana Vieja - the UNESCO World Heritage site- where a grid of atmospheric 16th-century streets and cobble-stoned plazas are lined with restored reminders of Cuba's Spanish colonial past. Mirabella smiled as she walked down the streets and saw performers fill the squares with song while live music leaked from a bevy of cafe-bars, vendors peddle their wares and hustlers attempted to make a quick buck.

They were staying in Havana for only two days, and then they'd be on their way back to Italy. The reason they had come to Havana in the first place was because Daniel had to meet with his fathers old friend who was his godfather. And since Daniel didn't want Mirabella to spend one of her two days in such a beautiful city doing nothing, Daniel ordered Bruno and two other men to keep an eye on Mirabella while she went out to explore.

Mirabella walked open-air restaurants, bakeries and private eateries that were tucked behind the facade, and book-sellers and countless museums offering food for thoughts. Lots of locals lived there too, giving the old city a certain vital and authentic air that's often missing in the old quarters of world cities.

The vibrant culture in the capital was testament to Cuba's creative energy and spirit and Havana was one of the best places on the island to experience traditional salsa and son, Cuban jazz and a myriad of other Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Mirabella stopped to watch a performance. A crowed of people stood by, watching as the performers sung, danced and played their instruments. A few people that stood by watching also danced. A little boy no older than six walked towards the performers and joined the dancers, earning himself both laughter and applause.

••••

There were four blocked that made up a square. One block was a pinkish-red colour that was fading away, the other one was blue and also looked like it was fading away, but like it was also falling apart. Another block was yellow and a few tiles were missing and the last block was a faded green colour that had lines of cracks on the walls. The blocks were tall and wide. There were at least four or five floor in each block.

The windows were either smashed, some had have curtains and some didn't. Some had metal iron bars, or wooden boards nailed on the inside of the apartment to stop the wind from entering. Some windows had clothes hanging out on strings so they could dry because the people that lived there didn't have a section where they could hang their things so they could dry.

The children were running around wearing either ripped, oversized or dirty clothes and shoes. Their hairs were messy and they looked like they haven't bathed in days. The children were all beautiful and handsome boys and girls. It was a shame for them to live like this. Whenever a car arrived or left they'd run after it as though they were playing a game of tag. The teenagers stood around, some slightly better dressed than others. They stood in circles talking, laughing or smoking.

Daniel drove up the driveway slowly, making sure he didn't hit anyone. All the children ran out of the way, but one. A girl no older than seven or eight stood on the side wearing an oversized dark purple top that had holes, dark blue leggings and pink sparkly sandals. She had thick, long, golden hair that was messy, olive skin and bright blue-green eyes. She was a beautiful little girl, but the way she stood with her arms crossed over her chest told them that she was stubborn and not so good.

"Look at her," said Diego. "She's not going to move." Daniel slowed the car down even more. Someone had to move her out of the way because there was no getting around her.

A girl, dressed in black leggings, a white top and a black and gold Nike hoodie stepped forward and pulled the girl out of the way. Daniel presses his foot on the gas and drove by the two girls. "If I handed her my gun she'd shoot me," said Diego, and Daniel laughed.

They stopped by the yellow block and got out of the car. Daniel entered the block alone while his men waited outside for him.

He walked up the first flight of stairs, the sound of doors opening and closing reached his ears as well as shouting and talking. He looked around, not sure if this was the right block or floor.

"Hola."

(Hello)

A sweet voice made him turn around and find the same girl that blocked off the driveway moments ago. He looked down at her and smiled. "Mi nombre es Madelin," She introduced herself as she held her hand out.

(My name is Madelin)

Daniel reached his hand out and shook Madelin's hand. The little girl dropped her hand down by her side and held her head up high as she looked at Daniel. "Hola, Madelin" said Daniel. "Puede decirme dónde vive Rinaldo Pazzi?"

(Hello, Madelin. Can you tell me where Rinaldo Pazzi lives?)

Madelin nodded her head and gestures for him to follow her.

They reached the third floor. Kids were running up and down the stairs as they laughed and talked about what games they were going to play outside and who was going to participate in those games. The teenagers stormed down the stairs, some in anger as their parents called after them, but they didn't listen. They were too focused on getting as far away from their parents as possible.

Madelin knocked on the door that was supposed to be a gate, and then they waited for someone to answer. Moments later, a woman with dark hair, olive skin and brown eyes opened the door. She first looked at Daniel and then at Madelin. "Puedes irte, Madelin" she told the girl.

(You can go, Madelin)

Daniel watched as the little girl walked down the stairs, and just as she was about to walk down the next flight of stairs she waved at him and then went out to join her friends.

"He's in the room," the women told him as she stepped aside, letting him enter.

The first thing Daniel saw when he entered the apartment was the kitchen with brown-red cupboards and a dark brown table for two on the side next to the fridge. There were two doors, the door next to the table led to the bathroom and the other door next to the kitchen cupboards led to the living room.

The living room had orange walls with yellow. There was a glass wardrobe that had fancy glasses for wine and champagne inside, there was a red sofa with blanket that had flowers on it and in between the wardrobe and the sofa was a wooden coffee table. Another sofa was in the living room that turned into a bed which was where the woman with brown eyes slept.

There was another door that led to the bedroom and there was Rinaldo Pazzi, sitting outside on his balcony.

"You met Madelin?" Rinaldo asked without as so much looking over his shoulder.

"Yes," Daniel smiled as he went to join the man on the balcony.

Rinaldo chuckled. "She's a charmer." There was a moment of silence as they stood on the balcony, looking over the people.

But that silence didn't last very long. "I thank you for coming here, Daniel" said Rinaldo. "This means a lot. Your father was like a brother to me. He trusted me with his life and family, and trusted him with mine hence why he made me your godfather."

Daniel nodded his head. He knew that his late father treated Rinaldo like a brother. Her could remember the stories his father told him of his and Rinaldo time as business parents. He grew up calling Rinaldo uncle and he could remember the many times he helped his father and family.

"I am old. My time is up," Rinaldo said. "I trust you. You are like a son to me, Daniel and so I am handing over all of my businesses to you. I trust that you will do right."

••••

The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange, and then almost tangerine. It merged with the sky, like juice-mix dissolving in a glass of water. The clouds were cotton-candy, as though they blushed at the warm touch of the sun. Silhouettes of birds flew home across a sky that was now magenta; and the sun was half into the water, but its reflection in the sea made it look complete. The mauve of the dusky sky intensified, and in just a while, the biggest star had set, giving way to a thousand others.

Mirabella sat at an open-restaurant, eating ice cream as she enjoyed the performers playing their music and the sunset. She finished her ice cream, asked for the bill and went to look for Bruno.

She walked a few feet away from the open-restaurant, scanning her eyes around for Bruno. She saw the two other men that were with her watching the performance so she went to asked them if they could take her back to the villa. "Have you seen Bruno?" She asked them.

"No."

"Yes, I saw him just a moment ago."

Mirabella sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she took another look around, hoping to spot him so they could leave.

"Grazie A Dio,"

(Thank God)

Mirabella turned her head and saw Bruno walking over towards her and the two men with a hand over his heart. "You gave me a fright there," he said. "Daniel would have my head on a silver platter if you went missing."

"Sorry," Mirabella said. "Can we go?"

Bruno nodded his head and led the way.

The manors nascent stone walls were white, and were barren of the moss or ivy that clung to the walls of the older homes in the city. It's large oak door was double wide and was sheltered under a wide porch supported by stone pillars. There was a fountain in the middle of the driveway as though it were a roundabout on the road only that the road was covered in small stones like sand.

Mirabella sat in the living room, going through phone. She had so much fun exploring the city and seeing the people and culture. She only wished she could erase her memory just so she could relive it all over again.

It's been an hour or so and she felt suddenly tired. The little energy she had left vanished and all she wanted to do was fall asleep. She got up from the sofa and walked towards the staircase. She held her shoes in one hand and her bag in the other as she walked side to side.