The Ludmila Confessions

“What’s that you have there in that little box? Why do you have those little seeds?”

“Well, well!” let’s see the other pockets, frisk, frisk………….!

The officer called for backup as she slammed the handcuffs on my wrist like I was a big wanted criminal. But since I’d had a drink or two at the aeropuerto I didn’t feel very panicked, I knew I was not a criminal and after a few minutes they would apologize and send me off to continue my trip to Canaima with Tad. I had nothing to fear right?…..wrong!

Thinking “what is next?”

Well it was not exactly like that!  Now the two of them, one in civil clothes she called on earlier, and her, Officer Salazar, were looking at me. The big one said, “possession of drugs, si?” I said, “no, no, no let me explain…” “Silence and answer the questions,” officer Salazar said, “follow me please.” We entered into a little room, and suddenly she closed the door saying “Wait for me here.” Like I could go somewhere out of this hot dirty hellhole! Claustrophobia was already setting in and I began to sweat. I didn’t like this at all! I was going to lose my flight.

After about ten minutes which seemed hours, she walked back in with a paper saying that the contents of my pockets, the little silver box with seeds of marijuana and maybe 3/4 of a roach, was ILLEGAL. “Take off all your clothes” “What!? Officer I don’t have anything else,” I said, trembling, “only my paperback and my address book and some Bolivars (cash), which you already have.”  “I said to take off your clothes!” I thought I should be humble and behave, it would be better for me but to act with dignity– after all I know a lot of important people in the capitol.

Shaking, I started unbuttoning my shirt and pants, but I was still reluctant to take them off. “Dear God, this is not good,” I started praying to myself, so she wouldn’t get mad, and holding my cross which I would never take off, even in a doctor’s office. I would put it in my mouth in those cases of taking an x-ray, so it is always with me– my mama put that cross on my neck a long time ago when I was baptized. “Okay, you can keep your cross on.” “Gracias, señora officer Salazar.

I continued undressing. “No, that’s good enough,” she said, as I was hesitating to strip completely she looked at me saying, “Put your arms up and turn around.” “Okay, now dress yourself.” She left the room again, this time with the door slightly open. Thank God, because I can’t stand being closed in! Soon she came back, picked up the evidence and the papers she was working on, and said simply “Follow me.” We walked into a bigger room where there were two officers. One was directing his voice toward me, and one of them was trying hard to speak English.

“Please, señor, I speak Spanish muy bien!”

“Okay, why were you carrying this marijuana? and these seeds?” he continued in Spanish. Not caring how stupid I sounded in my innocence I said, “I just wanted to see how they looked when they grow!” In those days, before the internet nobody knew these things exactly. “I just wanted to plant them in my brother’s island, just for fun if I will remember to do so, when I am there? But with all the drinking that goes on there and partying, I would probably forget and leave them in my pocket, and that would be very bad for me when I went back to the United States.”

Caracas, Ludmila on the cover of a most famous popular magazine “MOMENTO”

I kept talking: “I think they would be just concerned as you are here! I am very sorry, let me tell you the truth–  I don’t even like the weed, it belonged to my boyfriend I was just saving that for him. It was only for his personal consumption, for his migraine headaches. The doctor prescribed it for him and said it was okay!”

“Well ma’am, here in Venezuela it is a serious crime, and worse than the roach is the box with the seeds for growing! Do you have an abogado? Do you need to call anyone?”

“Yes, sir, the American Consulate, if you will allow me. Could I have the telephone and phone number please?”