Before Pierre Dorvil Tavares ever touched a deal, before Mundo Henriques left Brooklyn for Panama, there was Hopeton Silva - the quiet architect who built the system they would all inherit.

Restraining the heathen with a rod of iron.  You know not the destiny of a next man.

According to family legend, shortly after I was born, my mother gathered me in her arms and presented me to the Babalawo. 

1990 – Black Star Shipping & Logistics

By the time I was in my early thirties I’d already traveled a long way.  Havana, Kingston, prison, England.  And then, a legal citizen of the United States.

I’d arrived in Brooklyn four years earlier, a few days after my 28th birthday.

1990 – My Secret Weapon

“You speak Spanish?” he asked- in English.

“Sí,” I replied.  “Soy Cubano.”

1972 – Flashback To Habana

Even at that young age, I had a strong feeling that my father knew my sister and I would have to leave Cuba eventually.

1990 – Pivot Number One

The next day, when Rafael Montilla arrived, I was standing in my usual spot behind the counter at Black Star.

1990 – Panamanian Star

“We’ll have to make some upgrades to this place,” Bolo noted as we entered the spartan backroom area.

 “You may want to tell me what I’m going to be getting myself into with you before we worry about locksmiths and security systems,” I suggested.

1990 – Outside Things

I knew Panamanian Star was already in effect, even before the building changed ownership. 

A necessary evil, and a signifier of my changing fortunes.

1990 – Cross References

Next stop was East New York. 

A Dominican barbershop on Pitkin Avenue, where there would be a more substantial amount of money than usual to collect- an emergency bail situation.

1990 – Let Me Sleep

I’d rather deal with the likes of Rafael Montilla than walk away from Black Star. 

I refused to give up the one thing I’d ever managed to establish for myself. 

1990 – I’ve Got The Handle (You’ve Got The Blade)

“To get to where I am today, I had to hack my way out of a sugar cane field,” Bolo pressed on.  “Just me and my machete.”

1991 – Téofilo

"I want to make something clear from the beginning, Hopeton," Teó said in a ‘let's cut to the chase’ tone of voice. 

"I don't work for Bolo.  I don't even really work with Bolo."

1991 – Mid-point

It was good of Bolo- kind of him, even, to have Teó Henriques set the scene for what was really going on.  To let me know, from the very beginning, what my true role was to be.