After hearing that her son Lenin was among the seven Cuban rafters who reached the Bahamas with Orlando ``El Duque'' Hernandez, Maria Hernandez Rivero thought she would soon see him in person.

So far, that has not been the case.

The phone call came last Tuesday, a few hours after the refugees reached the Bahamas.

``Mom, call Livan Hernandez and describe to him our situation and see what he thinks about what's happening to us,'' she quoted him as saying. So she phoned the Marlins pitcher, a man she described as kind and decent.

However, she said: ``I'm afraid that this situation with the visas and the permits is out of his hands. Livan can do little or nothing about this.''

Maria Hernandez -- no relation to the Hernandez brothers -- left Cuba about five years ago. She lives with her aunt in Little Havana.

Every two or three months, she would talk to Lenin, her only son, who captained the small craft that carried the eight Cubans to the Bahamas on Dec. 30.

She praises Orlando's decision to stay in the Bahamas until all eight are allowed to come freely to the United States. To her, it's a major statement of solidarity.

``I'm very distressed right now, but I'm consoled by the knowledge that `El Duque' will not accept the U.S. visa until the situation of all the other refugees has been settled,'' she said. ``I must stress that.''

In Maria Hernandez's estimation, the situation affecting her son and the others is not only unfair but also dangerous, because if the Bahamian government repatriates them, they are sure to suffer serious reprisals.

``I don't understand why [the U.S. government] grants a visa to some and none to others. The judgment applied in these cases is, to me, unclear,'' she said. ``If the government agrees to grant humanitarian visas, it should do so without any restrictions. All the more when it's a group of people who came from Cuba together.''

Lenin Rivero is helping his mother cope with the situation. Whenever he gets a chance, he calls her from the detention center in Nassau, where he waits for an official ruling on his case.

``Keep calm, Mom, everything is going to be all right,'' he told her. That attitude, together with the support of many people, including some U.S. lawmakers, has given Maria Hernandez hope.

Rivero, 36, is a bachelor. Back in Cuba, he worked in the construction trade and drove a taxi. Hernandez hopes that Orlando's attitude will make Washington look kindly on her son.

If he comes to Miami, he could find a job anywhere, she believes. What's more, they would be together once again -- something that hasn't happened for five years.

The last time she spoke with him was Sunday, she said, when Rivero told her everything would turn out all right.

``We'll find a solution. Don't worry,'' he told her.