A Monthly Date with Uncertainty

An image repeats itself every month like a bad dream. More than a hundred elderly people line up very early at the bank on Contreras Street in the city of Matanzas, with a single objective: to collect their pensions.

Far from being an isolated incident, this scene portrays the ordeal that Cuban retirees go through month after month to receive what legitimately belongs to them.

Physical exhaustion and patience at the limit

Their bodies no longer respond. Fatigue, dizziness, pain in their legs and spine are part of the landscape. Many have gone hours without eating or drinking water. Sitting on the curb becomes, in this context, a privilege.

As the clock ticks on, discontent turns into a chorus: a concert of complaints, anguish, and hopelessness.

Voices demanding respect

An elderly woman confesses bitterly: «You come with hope, and they can tell you at any moment that there is no money.»

Meanwhile, a man with an evident physical disability adds: «This is a disgrace for those of us who worked for more than 50 years and deserve a happy, peaceful retirement.»

This concert of demands had many soloists, each with profound statements reflecting the helplessness of an entire generation.

Solidarity in the midst of chaos

Solidarity fluctuates between collaboration and selfishness; both currents can be observed. However, I witnessed a truly solidary gesture.

A 91-year-old woman, who collects the pension for her schizophrenic son, lives in the Versalles neighborhood and walked to the bank.

When those present learned of her story, they accompanied her to the manager and arranged for her to receive priority attention. An act of humanity that deserves to be highlighted.

A question that hangs in the air

Once again, the concert of voices organized itself without a conductor; the baton passed through several hands, but all tuned to the same note: what do social workers do in these critical cases?

The wait continues

Today, that 91-year-old woman is still waiting. Like so many others. Because Contreras Street is not just a postal address; it has become a symbol of a wait that hurts, that makes people sick, and that, in a just society like ours, should never be repeated.