Fist of Pain

(Servant bed chamber, Joselina wakes at the crack of dawn)

Joselina: I fear I am too late to catch my masters before they have left for church.

(Joselina walks down stairs)

Joselina: alas, I truly am too late. Oh how I have wondered what it is like at church, the splendor of the art, the words of the bible being spoken by an almost all powerful being, just for that small moment. What I would give to be in such a place.

(Walks to the windowsill)

Joselina: Ah. The sunrise. I remember when that sunrise looked so differently to me. Before I met these people who are now my masters.

(Sits remembering her past life.)

Joselina: Ah! My masters are home, oh, how quick the time flies when thinking. I wonder what news they will have for me to overhear.

(Joselina runs to the kitchen)

Lord: While talking to my friends at church, I heard the greatest news about the Spanish.

Lady: What great news did you hear about the Spanish?

Lord: They have left Cuba and now we are a free country, all on our own in the middle of the ocean.

(Lord and Lady walk to dining room to be served breakfast.)

(Dinning table, Joselina serves the Pueblos as they gossip.)

Lady: What do you suppose will happen now that they are gone?

Lord: Well, Cuba is a brand new world, everything will change.

Joselina: Your breakfast.

(Serves the Pueblos)

Lady: Yes but, what will we do? How will we live?

Lord: We will continue to raise and trade our crops. The only difference now is that we have the freedom that the Spanish refused to give us. We are in control now.

Lady: I see, and what of those who don’t own land, the slaves and such? What is going to happen to them?

Lord: Well…we will control them now.

Lady: I Hope that they don’t receive those freedoms we are. Slaves running the land, I couldn’t bare to see the site.

Lord: No I will never allow slaves to contribute anything to our government. They will continue to live their lives as they were meant to, under our control.

(Joselina drops plates in background, Lord and Lady Pueblo stand up)

Lord: What’s going on Joselina?!

Joselina: Nothing! I just dropped something!

Lady: You clumsy worthless trash!

(Enter Lord Pueblo, Joselina and Lady Pueblo)

Lord: EL IDIOTA CONSIGUE DETRAS! What were you thinking? (Slaps Joselina) Now clean this mess up and I will be back in ten minutes. (Joselina, sitting there looking blankly.) VAMOSIR RAPIDAMENTE!

Exit

Joselina: Ma’am I am so sorry. It’s I just overheard you and Mr. Pueblo talking saying that the Spanish have left the land and gone back to Spain. Is that true?

Lady: You shouldn’t be listening to our conversations. It is none of your business on what is going on in our country. If it will affect you, Mr. Pueblo or I will tell you. Now hurry up and meet Mr. Pueblo in the other room.

Exit

Joselina: How could I not listen? I am standing right there. Do I have to block out all the noises or what? Can any of the rules be even the slightest bit fair? I mean, if slave owners gave even a little bit of respect, they would have a better chance of getting the work they asked to be done at a higher rate of it being done right.

(Re-enter Lord and Lady Pueblo)

Lord: I thought I told you to have this cleaned up by the time I got back. If you are not done in five minutes that is twenty whips.

Lady: Come on do as he says.

Joselina: Yes Ma’am. I wish they would regard me as a being. It just sometimes I wish they could try and treat me as something more than dirt. They treat dirt nicer than me. Yes I may be only a servant, but don’t I have any rights in this world?

Lord: (From within) Joselina, I will be there in a minute, I hope you are done!

Joselina: Lord no! He is going to be in a minute? What am I going to do? I can’t clean this mess up in a few seconds. I am so screwed. I really asked for it this time.

Lord and Lady: I thought we told you to be done in five minutes. Nothing has changed since I was last in here.

Lord beats Joselina to the point of utter blindness.

Lord: Now you will be done when I get back. No question.

Joselina: Yes!

Lord: Now go and clean up the rest of the breakfast.

(Exeunt all)

(Joselina Heads to Her Chamber after Her Beating, Joselina Enters Her Chamber)

Joselina: (To herself) Pain, oh pain rest upon me, it runs no where but through my veins. Cast upon me pity he not of the suffer I endure for the sacrifice of his service. My aching body cannot take this pain, so much pain to my body. He bears no mercy for I shall die from his beatings and cold hearted would he stand to witness my death. Have mercy he not!

(Joselina overhears voices of Lord and Lady Pueblo in Kitchen)

Lord: (To Mrs. Pueblo) One of these days she will find herself on the front porch or even death. With the Spanish gone, we can do all as we want. They are here upon our requests, our needs, and we are their masters, there is no need for her to defy us in any way; she does not have the choice of being satisfied here, all she can decide to work or death.

Lady: My husband, have patience, she is only a slave, ignorant and it is not her fault that she is careless and mindless. We must discipline her to the extent to threatening her residency but death cannot be the answer. We have saved lots to afford her and I will not tolerate for our money to come to waste.

Lord: Are you defying my authority too my lad? For you know I rein this estate and I do so alone so let me be bid. You are much too harsh on her; it must be part of your feminine being. I have you know I will handle the punishment for Joselina myself without your resistance. Is the issue clear? Tomorrow we will take her out for a whipping, then she will know what pain really is and then she will learn her lesson on sticking her nose where it belongs.

Lady: How dare you say I would side with the slave, surely she has been with us not long but I would not put her sake before my own or defy you in any way? Do as you want to her for I will bid no care. Whip her as you want and I will not care.

Lord: then I shall, at break at dawn!

Lady: I do not want to hear any more of it so let it be.

Lord: My lad you are getting really tolerable of Joselina’s mistakes, she can’t learn without punishment, you a lad should--- Voices are faint and cuts off as the couple leaves

Joselina: Oh what is there to occur? Will I suffer more as to what I had? Will I die? My father, lead me to these answers, shall death reside upon me with even greater pain as to this? Can I suffer the whippings to occur at break of fawn as my master had said or was it to threaten me of further mistakes I will make? Oh I can’t, no I can’t suffer such a pain! I can’t I refuse to I will not! I will not let him, even if it means death doing so. I would rather die with dignity than of their fallen salve, no I will not surrender without a fight, I wont’ not now, not ever!

(Joselina falls onto her wooden bed sobbing.)

Joselina: Oh no, what has become of my masters?

Hysterically sobbing.

(Joselina leaps from bed with anx)

Joselina:I know! My fellow victims will follow if I lead, That’s what I will do, rebel, so how they will react, come to my needs will they upon hearing of my rebellion. That’s’ it, I shall advise others so too, they will gain the respect they need and deserve. That’s it they will come to our needs if we rebel for they cannot labor our work as great as we perform the task. That’s’ it, they will liberate us if we slaves stick together and hold out against these devils.

(Joselina jumps up with glee from her bed.)

Joselina: A new wave of power will begin, a revolution shall I say of the victimized slaves and the evil slave owners. They will see our suffers and commend to them. A revolution, that’s’ what it is, a revolution! At break of dawn, the wave of power will change and cannot be revocable. I will depart before the break of dawn and then I will lure other victims, and they will hold out with me. ‘Til the suffering of our people ends, Before break of dawn…….

(She lies down on bed with excitement, drifts to sleep waiting for the wake before morning…)

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