While the above information represents what is considered common [End Page 156] knowledge about the trajectory of Celia's life, it bears mentioning that there are other elements of Celia's biography that are not so well entrenched or openly discussed. Perhaps no aspect of Celia's life has received more attention from the international academic community than her relationship with Fidel Castro. In fact, this is frequently the only context in which she is mentioned within the general histories of the Cuban revolution. As Secretary to the President, it is clear that Celia wielded a considerable amount of personal and political power. What is less clear is whether or not Celia's relationship with Fidel was purely professional-and neither Fidel nor Celia ever publicly addressed this issue. Within Cuba, the question of the nature of Fidel and Celia's relationship is most often either addressed at the level of rumor-"se dice que fueron amantes" ("they say they were lovers")-or it is not spoken of at all. A more common response, however, is an uncomfortable silence followed by the claim that Celia never married in order that she might fully devote herself to the needs of the Cuban people.10 It is important to note here, however, that the mere prevalence of a set of memories about an individual does not mean that they will be universally upheld. The Cuban exile community in the United States has proven to be a major source of countermemories of Celia. Several of the histories of the Cuban revolution published in the U.S. derisively refer to Celia as the "proverbial lion at [Fidel's] door" who also happened to be "sharing his double bed,"11 or as "Fidel's long-term companion."12 While it is difficult to measure the impact (if any) these sources have had on the popular memory of Celia within Cuba, their mere existence is interesting to note, as they expose the tender underbelly of national mythology.13