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97 • the nobel prize After the second plane crash in Africa, Hemingway suffered chronic back pain. I often gave him back massages using the lion lard he had brought back from safari. It seemed to ease the pain somewhat, but I was no masseur. Lily, the manicurist, told us that Frankie Steinhart hired a masseur three times a week. Mary, who had a much better relationship with the Steinharts, looked into the matter and was able to get the man to come over and massage Papa. It turned out that the masseur was Mario “Kid” Sánchez, a one-time national boxing champion in the featherweight division. He was nervous , fast-talking, and entertained us with his anecdotes of the ring. In no time he won Papa’s affection. Papa often told me that Mario was punch-drunk but a joy to have around. It wasn’t long before Mario was coming to the Finca five days a week. Mary oversaw the strict, low-sodium diet the Spanish doctor had prescribed for Hemingway. She also saw to it that he significantly reduce his consumption of alcohol and get plenty of rest. She insisted that Papa have only one whiskey shot a day and no more than three glasses of wine. Spanish matador Luis Miguel Dominguín visited the Finca for a couple of weeks in August of 1954. Hemingway and Mary took him fishing on the Pilar and showed him around Havana. On several occasions Papa and I took him to the cockfights in El Cotorro. He also showed the bullfighter several of the lances he had brought back from Africa and demonstrated their use during a lion hunt. Numerous young ladies from the pueblo asked permission to come up and get 98 rené villarreal and raúl villarreal his autograph, and the handsome Spaniard gladly obliged. During his stay in Cuba, Dominguín expressed his curiosity about Afro-Cuban religious practices. Perhaps the matador wanted to find out about his fate in the bullring. Juan drove him to Guanabacoa, a town a few miles north of San Francisco de Paula known for its powerful and wise Babalaos , high priests in the Order of Ocha, a religion that combines Catholic and Yoruba beliefs (widely known as Santería). A couple of weeks after Luis Miguel Dominguín left the Finca, the beautiful American movie star Ava Gardner came to visit for a couple of days and to rest and enjoy the Cuban sun. (Hemingway believed she had fallen in love with the young matador in Spain and had followed him to Cuba.) The local press announced her stay in the Vigía, and the presence of this famous beauty caused an uproar among the young men of San Francisco de Paula. One morning as I came up from the pueblo with the mail, I saw a group of young boys jumping the fence and making their way up to the house. I followed them from afar. When they got close to the pool, they hid behind trees. Ah! I could see what had boldened the young men to take such intrusive actions. Ava Gardner was swimming nude in the cool waters of the pool. I walked up to them and asked what they were up to. They said they wanted her autograph. I told them it would be better if they left and came up later to ask permission, just as the young ladies had done when Luis Miguel Dominguín had visited . They agreed and left quietly. I couldn’t blame them. She was a beautiful woman indeed. I watched Miss Gardner swim for a few minutes, before taking a deep breath and going inside to give Papa the mail. I told him what was going on outside. To avoid any further problems, he suggested to Miss Gardner that she sunbathe on the roof of the tower, where no one could see her, and that she skinny-dip only when they were out in the Pilar. I had a strange feeling I had just shot myself in the foot. During the brief time Ava Gardner was at the Finca, she managed to have every male guest on his knees. I remember a lunch party Papa and Mary gave in her honor. Mayito Menocal was invited, as was his son Mayitin and Gianfranco Ivancich and Siskie. She flirted with all of them. Mary watched in amusement as the men fought for Ava’s attention. She was very glad that Papa...

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