The first apologies from the Castro family

I don't know whether to refer to him by his name (Sandro Castro), by his lineage (grandson of Fidel Castro), or by the disparaging term (rotten potato) that his uncle Alex Castro supposedly used (or someone who identified as him on Twitter and was retweeted by come-candelas) to describe his video driving a Mercedes Benz, which our incomparable Yessy Word wryly referred to as "an old little toy."

The fact is that Sandro Castro, the young Cuban businessman behind the bars EFE and Fantaxy, has apologized for his hardly justifiable video filmed inside a car that Cubans living off their salaries cannot aspire to own. He is aware that his paternal family (the Castros) pays meager wages, penalizes the importation of high-end vehicles (and any kind), and imposes prices that far exceed the actual market value and the dreams of any worker in Cuba.

I personally appreciate Sandro Castro's apologies. Not because I believe them, but because they are the first we have received from a family that has spent decades insulting us with their lifestyle. This is yet another example that in Cuba, the low-hanging fruit is a thing of the past.

Let's see if the example catches on and Mariela Castro, El Cangrejo, and Antonio Castro also apologize, following the lead of the rotten apple in the family.

We cannot overlook an important detail. Sandro Castro is upset because one of his WhatsApp contacts downloaded the video from his status and leaked it to the press. The kid feels betrayed. And that is a good sign. It means that the inner circle of one of Fidel Castro's grandchildren is losing grip. So sooner rather than later, we will hear more about the simplicity in which one of the fledglings of power goes about their daily life.

On the other hand, there is the friend who lent him the Mercedes. At this point, we realize that Sandro Castro lied to us when he said that the Mercedes was one of the toys he had at his house, or he is lying now when he says that the toy belongs to a friend.

Assuming he lied the first time and that, in fact, the Mercedes belongs to an acquaintance, we find ourselves in the same situation. Sandro Castro's circle of friends doesn’t know what humility or simplicity is. Why would he know? No Cuban worker could lend a Mercedes to Sandro Castro. No specialist doctor could do so either. Who is Sandro Castro's friend?

We already know who his girlfriend is. Now we need to figure out who lent him the Mercedes, because if it turns out that the little toy actually belongs to his family, then... Houston, we have a problem. The spoiled kid would be enjoying a car purchased with public money, and we would return to square one: the deception would be even more outrageous.

Notice that the King of Spain apologized when he was caught hunting elephants in Botswana in 2012, during a deep economic crisis while thousands of Spanish families were losing their jobs and homes; in 2014 he abdicated in favor of his son, Felipe VI, and today he lives in exile in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). His lack of exemplary conduct and opaque dealings have put him in his place.

If one thing leads to another, we have a couple of news cycles left of authoritarianism and misery in Cuba. That’s why it’s so important to force these people to publicly acknowledge that they have messed up profoundly. We didn’t succeed with Alpidio Alonso (for now), but there’s still time.

I don’t know if Sandro Castro was forced to apologize. I don’t know if he read the apology. I don’t know if he really feels like a fool. But what I do know is that the Communist Party press didn’t report on it, and as you can see, it’s unnecessary for them to do so. All of Cuba saw Fidel Castro's grandson driving a Mercedes at 140 km/h on the eight-lane highway. Everyone in Cuba understood that if these people are not seen in the lines, it’s because the Ordering Task doesn't apply to them. It has not yet reached their enchanted world.

Sandro Castro and his borrowed Mercedes, taken from among the toys in his home, have nothing to do with Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, even though they are roughly from the same generation. One is the child and grandchild of prominent figures, owning two bars and having acquaintances among dangerous, selective, and treacherous circles. The other is an artist accused of being a terrorist and a mercenary, monitored by a camera full-time and harassed day and night by State Security.

Fidel's grandson is white. Luis Manuel Otero is mixed race. One mingles with the elite of Vedado, while the other associates with the humble people of San Isidro. These are the two Cubas that have collided: the one with spoiled potatoes and the one with nothing to lose. Today, the traffic police of the National Revolutionary Police are not pursuing Sandro Castro to fine him for flaunting his speeding on social media, but Luis Manuel Otero is under constant scrutiny from State Security.

Without intending to, Sandro Castro has become a symbol of the decay of a corrupt system propped up by four old men. Probably without wanting to, he has become the last straw. That’s why, my dear, you had to apologize, because if the people get fed up and take to the streets, you will have nowhere to hide from your own and from those who are not.