A Wound in Time

Plot synopsis:
Based on the Off Broadway play, beautiful Cuban-American cardiac nurse, Negra Centron (Anissa Smith), leads a sheltered life and is haunted by a childhood secret in New York City's tough neighborhood of Spanish Harlem during 1993. She spends time working long hours at the hospital and seldom socializes. She lives in the same building that she grew up in downstairs from her busy body mother, Millie Centron (Tina Moore) who is vexed by her daughter's relationship with ex-con and lady's man, Tony Perez (Frankie Ramos). After all, Negra was a good girl, raised by a good family and had nothing in common with Tony, even when they were children. Millie still grieves for her husband, Ruben (Ralph Hopkins) even though it has been 20 years since his death, and spends her time keeping tabs on her beloved Negra. Millie has had enough of this strange relationship and seeks the counsel from the neighborhood Santeria priestess, Iya Carmen (Wanda Colon) for insight and resolution. Negra is well liked in the neighborhood, and her mother is not the only one perplexed by this unsavory alliance. Negra's only friend, Chee Chee (Rock Jones) a gay fashion conscious freelance photographer, is also perturbed and makes his feelings known. Tony has a steady lady who is "whipped" by his animal magnetism, Lourdes (Irma Cadiz), known in the neighborhood as the "Latina ticking time bomb", who is not to happy with Tony's relationship with Negra either. She spends much of her time keeping tabs on Tony's whereabouts, often catching him leaving Negra's building. Tony has a buddy, the brother of mob boss Domenic Vico (Tom Caterina) in Harlem's Little Italy, Bobby Vico (Evan Davis). Although Bobby, unlike Tony, is a family man the two have been inseparable since childhood. Bobby is married to Barbara (Michelle Lamelza) who he showers with gifts and calls his "Italian Princess". She has a nice relationship with Tony and accepts him as the good friend of her loving husband. Both Bobby and Tony are small time hustlers but manage to cop big scores once in a while with the inside information from big brother Domenic. Bobby too, is perplexed by his buddy's relationship with Negra and is not happy by the way she is treated by his pal. Clinton Williams (Stacey Griffin), the well dressed successful professional who happily moved away from the neighborhood after college, despises the old neighborhood and the people in it and only comes around to check on his mother. Though his father, Mr. Williams (Conrad Neblett) has long been dead, he still has a major influence on how he sees the world. He too, is not happy about Negra's and Tony's relationship, feeling that Negra is too good for him. His distorted views of the neighborhood and those who live there takes this displeasure to another level. Blue blood playboy cardiologist, Dr. Todd Turnbull Adams (Bill Barry), has a fondness for Negra. He admires her work ethic and finds her attractive. Negra doesn't quite know how to handle his subtle advances, as she has never been with any man, except Tony. Dr. Adams is concerned and wonders why a beautiful woman like Negra goes out of her way to do overtime at the hospital. He finds her to be withdrawn and tense.But during this particularly hot Summer in 1993 things begin to heat up. Iya Carmen finds that there's much more going on, as revealed by the Orisha (African gods) during divining with her cowrie shells, and from the spiritual mass (seance). She must convince Millie that Tony Perez is the least of Negra's problems, for all does not bode well from the ominous revelations...

Tags: realism

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