The Price of Paradise

by Susana López Rubio

Those eyes seemed like quicksand: easy to fall into and impossible to climb out of.

“Einstein said that science is nothing more than curiosity in everyday thinking, so we can all be scientists.”

“When you’re afraid, put my hat on and remember that the best way to beat monsters is to read science books.”

I spat out those three words with the same pleasure a little girl spits out papaya seeds.

In fact, cocktail hour was such an institution that the fashion designer Christian Dior renamed his evening dresses as “cocktail dresses.”

“A cocktail dress isn’t a specific dress, but an elegant dress with a knee-length skirt. It’s normally decorated with lace or jewels,

But, of course, the crown jewels, the Holy Trinity of cocktails, were the three Cuban classics: the daiquiri, the Cuba libre, and the mojito.

the mojito, it was conceived by a corsair so his crew could hold off scurvy thanks to the vitamins in the mint leaves, but it was popularized by the famous Bodeguita del Medio.

In Cuba, getting soaked by rainstorms was a favorite childhood tradition. Older women always told us the first rainstorm in May was made of holy water, and its miraculous powers would protect us from illnesses, purify the soul, and fortify our hair. Anyone

“Exactly. That’s why they call it the New Look. With these designs, Dior means to say he’s sick of austerity. The ignorant see it as a waste of fabric, but in reality, it’s the opposite of that. These dresses are a hymn to life itself!” Manet exclaimed.

I realized Coco Chanel had changed everything about handbags. It may not seem like a big deal to a man to have his hands free, but for women to not have to carry their bags in their hands meant a liberation of astounding proportions. I