280 Marriage Classes at Guantánamo

Anna Martin

FromThe New York Times, I’m Anna Martin, and this is Modern Love. This week’s essayis written by Mansoor Adayfi. It’s about how Mansoor nurtured hope in a placedesigned to destroy it. It’s called “Taking Marriage Class at Guantanamo.” Andit’s read by Edoardo Ballerini.

Edoardo Ballerini

Until Iwas 35, the most significant relationship I’d had as an adult was with aniguana. It wasn’t easy to meet anyone where I was for all of my 20s and nearlyhalf of my 30s, at the prison camp at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

When Iarrived, I was put in an isolation cell, where huge fans blew day and night,making deafening noise to prevent us from talking to each other. Even when wewent outside for recreation, we were not allowed to talk to the otherdetainees.

Butoutside, we did meet new friends — the cats, banana rats, tiny birds andiguanas that came through the fences, asking to share our meals.

I had agood friendship with a beautiful young lady, an iguana. She was so elegant. Sheused to come every day at the same time, and we would have lunch together.

When Iwent on a hunger strike, I had no food to give her and I was ashamed to standthere without food as she came up to me. Sometimes, the guards punished us forsharing our meals with the animals, but they couldn’t stop me from talking toher. She was a good listener. As the years passed, our friendship grew into astrong bond.