Countryhumans Hispanic Heritage Month 2024

Putamente Bananas

Prompt: Honduras

Honduras was angry. He was angry with a lot of things. His government, the banana companies, United States—all of it.

He felt like his life was slipping out of his hands, like he was getting closer and closer to being a puppet, dancing on someone else's strings.

He hated it.

The banana companies controlled so much about his country now, and whenever Honduras tried to do anything about it, United States sent over his military to keep him contained and to undo whatever progress Honduras had made.

It was humiliating to be an independent nation that United States and his army had decided to treat like a rebellious child. He hated how the military talked down to him, how they called him a young girl and a little girl and acted like he wasn't nearly one hundred years of age.

They seemed to ignore the fact that he was a countryperson, that he was not some child or untrained fool, but an independent countryperson who had been his own country for decades.

He was a good country, too, a great one even.

But between the banana companies and the United States, his country had been plunged into strife and civil war. And the United States and their military had the audacity to say that it was Honduras' fault, that they were helping him because it was clear that he needed it like they weren't the ones who helped cause the problem in the first place.

Honduras hated it.

The fake kindness in United States' voice, the poisonous nature of his words, the way he spoke like he knew better, the way his voice was sweet and kind and yet so deadly.

Honduras knew he could have it worse. United States could be occupying his country and not just intervening whenever he felt like it. Honduras knew the United States could just be moments away from snapping and taking over his country, taking away his freedom, leaving Honduras to be run by a bunch of fucking banana companies.

Honduras felt like he had to walk on eggshells around United States, wanting to convince the older nation to leave him be but at the same time not inadvertently convincing the bastard that Honduras was unable to take care of himself or threatening his interests and that he needed to be occupied.

He wasn't going to give United States a justification.

He wasn't going to end up like his sister.

Honduras just felt very powerless; he couldn't do anything to help, and he was adrift in a current.

He wanted to help. He knew—hoped that the interventions would not last forever. He hoped that United States would get tired and stop, or that he would run out of money to do this, or that something else would get his attention and he would leave Honduras alone.

Honduras didn't want to become a colony of the United States.

He wanted to be himself.

And that didn't involve fucking bananas.