Title: “My color does not determine my capacity”.
Author: Clara Pérez
4 characters:
- Peter: Child who suffers an accident.
- Mery: Peter’s mother.
- Arthur: A man with a dark complexion who tries to help Peter.
- Nurse: Who communicates with Peter’s mother.
ACT I
Setting: Place where there is a high wall where Peter climbs up to play.
Introduction: Mery is sitting on a bench, while Peter plays running and jumping all over the place, until he climbs a wall and starts to balance, failing to do so and falling from the height, hitting himself very hard.
Mery (somewhat distracted reading a magazine): Peter, don’t run, you’ll fall.
Peter (ignoring his mother and jumping from one side to the other): I’m not falling, mom, I’m very agile.
Mery (without raising her head from the magazine she was reading): Well, I told you, if you get hurt I will punish you and we won’t go out to play again.
Peter (without paying attention to what his mother was saying, he climbs the wall): Look mom I’m going to walk the tightrope.
Mery (raising her face and looking at Peter): Peter, get down from there!
Peter (doing somersaults): It’s ok mom… Ahhhhhhhhhh
Peter collapses in the eyes of his mother, who drops the magazine and runs in panic to where her son has fallen. Nearby there is a colored man who, seeing what has happened, runs to help her.
Mery (shouting in anguish): Peter son, Peter, please help me!
Arthur (approaching Peter and bending down close to him to check him): Easy lady, let me check on the boy.
Mery (looking at Arthur with bad eyes): Let go of my son. How would you know how he is? Do you want to help? Call a doctor.
Arthur (trying to explain): Ma’am, calm down, I…
Mery (not wanting to listen to reason): Calm down? My son is unconscious and you are in the way, I already told you to let him go, what can a black man know about medicine? Get away from my son now.
Arthur (trying to speak again): Ma’am, the boy has vital signs, if I may… well look here comes the ambulance, someone has already called it, let’s take the boy to the hospital.
Mery (annoyed): Let’s take him? I am going to take my son to the hospital and you are going to stay away from him, who knows what you are really looking for?
Arthur remains silent, while he watches as they put the child in the ambulance and take him to the hospital.
ACT II
Setting: Hospital waiting room.
Introduction: Mery anxiously awaits news of her son.
Nurse (approaching Mery): Good afternoon, madam.
Mery (anxious): Good afternoon nurse. Tell me, how is my son?
Nurse (placing her hand on Mery’s wrist and smiling): He will be very well ma’am, fortunately he was attended by one of the best doctors in this city and your son will soon recover. But sit down and wait, Dr. Arthur will soon come to talk to you and you will be able to ask him all the questions you may have.
Mery (a little calmer): Thank you, Miss.
Mery takes a seat, playing with her hands and looking towards where she knew they had her son, when she sees the man who tried to help her at the time of the accident coming, this time wearing a white coat and walking confidently towards her.
Arthur (approaching Mery and extending his hand to her): Nice to meet you ma’am, I am Dr. Arthur , I attended your son and he is completely out of danger, he will remain under observation for a couple of days and then you can take him home and take care of him according to our recommendations.
Mery (almost unable to speak and not knowing what to say): You were the doctor who attended him? The best doctor in this hospital? Oh doctor, I’m so ashamed, I’m really sorry and thank you very much for saving my son, I think I misjudged you.
Arthur (smiling slightly): You didn’t judge me my lady, you judged my skin color, you thought that because I was a man of dark complexion I couldn’t know anything about medicine, don’t do that again, if this would have been more serious, because of your discrimination, your son could have lost his life.
Mery (lowering her face in shame): You are right doctor, I have acted badly.
Arthur (smiling to relieve her): It’s all right ma’am, a lesson in life, come with me so I can see your son.
They both walk towards the room, Mery still not daring to raise her face in shame.
THE END.