Complications

Complications

Saturday of March o 1947.

"I and some other girls were assigned to work at a local warehouse.

In fact it is a large scale packaging business where the female workers , prepare small carton packages of cumin(a spice) and oregano (a local herb) before the male workers load them in waggons and send them away.

The owners lease girls from the chain gangs, to do cheaply most of the work.

The job herself luckily wasn't heavy or complicate.

Unlike us many male chain gangs is being worked in more heavy and difficult jobs, as i learn later.

But the old building was almost without any windows from 1897(as i heard latter, possibly in order to prevent thief attempts)and latter in the day the heat inside was unbearable.

The rough floor was a mixture of grey mad and gravel that made most of the women bare feet extremely uncomfortable with every step that they made there.

Sixteen hours of continuous work with only one or two short breaks was a real punishment even for the more durable Latin America girls from countryside.

When the owner and his young wife came out to view us, I smiled and said good morning to them as I always would have done, before my arrest.

But slaves, oh sorry, I mean convicts, are not allowed to talk to anybody without permission.

The same people, who only some weeks ago, would have helped me if I had slipped in the street, now stood and looked at me as if it was something normal.

Without any thoughts about helping me in any way.

At least I only have three days left of my sentence.

Monday of April 1947

Today I fainted in the floor exhausted and possibly with very high fever that i had often in my first weeks there.

When the overseer found me and woke me up shouting and swearing in my face i was so much behind with my work.

I had no chance of catching up with the others now.

I am afraid that in few moments he is going to call my name again.

Oh no.

He just did it...

I know the punishment ...

It's going to be a long night for me alone down there in this wet cellar that i knew already.

Ahh !

- It's a strain having to stay like this for the whole night, but it's the normal punishment, when a girl doesn't complete her work quota.

Sometimes they even pick out a girl and put her in the cuffs, just to scare as.

Wonder what my friends at the university will say, if they ever find out that I was forced to stay like this, without water or food for almost all night !

And i have to start working immediately after the dawn.

I don't think I will ever tell them that I experienced it myself this situation !

It is so embarrassed !

The next day, without warning, one of the men that worked there as a prison supervisor suddenly pushed down me on the ground.

He and an other one grabbed me from both of my wrists and ankles ,held me still.

-"I hadn't done nothing wrong !" , i shouted ... please...

"Did you all see what she just did to me ?" the man said with his characteristic Mexican accent.

"The stupid girl kicked me without any reason !"

"She is crazy !" Celin was her name ?

"Yes - There is no doubt about that i saw her ! agreed the other one trying to hide his sly smile.

We will report her for what she did to me Dave ! And hey! - if she tries to get up, you better tied up her !

She is an dangerous individual "

After a while he returned back with a horse.

He tied my wrists dragged me behind him through the dusty yard.

"Come on! Get going ! he shouted with his deep voice at him every time that i was falling back.

We passed the wooden gate and soon i found myself in another cell in the nearby police station.

"This is terrible! They accuse me of having attack an supervisor!"

I should have been released today, after having served my final days sentence.

Instead I am being dragged outside walking after a horse, to be put before the judge once more.

This time for a crime that can earn me an extra five years sentence.

The other girls had warned me that this could happen.

The guards and the business owners made trumped up charges against healthy convicts serving only very short sentences.

Good workers are valuable and they do not want to lose them, if it can be avoided.

I have to contact the newspaper.

They will of course help me out!"

I am valued for my employers and they won't let this happen !