Caray, Caray!

Squeaky (Renata) has walked in on Fernanda and Gonzalo arguing in Fern's place. She is impactada and faints. When she comes to she wants to know what her dad is doing there; he was about to ask her the same thing. Squeaky says she lives in the house next door. "How quickly your concept of house changes. This is no house," he says offensively, "no offense but it's the truth." Squeaky mouths off that she's not really his daughter so why is he worried? Gonzo tells her it's Florencia who is not his real daughter. Her eyes bug out, impactada twice in one paragraph. He tells her to pack her bags, she's going home with him.

Fabricio is on the phone with mom asking how Sleazar was able sell El Manglar (Mangrove Swamp) when it belongs to her. He says he's going to go to the new owner and try to get the property back. Mom tells him that Sleazar sold the quinta to get enough money to spring Gonzo from jail. Florencia and Nuria confirm they heard this same story from Vicente and Luis Alberto. Nuria says it was sold to Luciano Sartori, the same guy who bought the reserved shares. "NO PUEDE SER!" says Faby. Sleazar walks in and says it's so.

Amparo is setting the table as Squeaky enters, dazed. Amparo tells her to put a wet cloth on her head because she looks feverish. Squeaky wants to wait until Juan comes home. Amparo says it's always the way that "en casa de herrera azadon de palo", the blacksmith's house has to hoe with a stick, i.e. the cobblers children go without shoes. Squeaky is whining so much that Amparo asks her what's up. Squeaky admits seeing her dad next door and he wants to take her home with him. Just then Juan arrives and sees her upset. Then he gets upset, he's way too sensitive, and drags her around the house forcing her to look at their abject poverty. This is all he can offer her while her dad can give her the life of a princess. In the other room Amparo is begging, "Go Renata go, there's still time for you to go before completely destroying my boy's heart, GO GO GO." Juan tells squeaky they've made a big mistake, she should go. Squeaky cries. Amparo keeps her fingers crossed.

Miranda and Pamela are cleaning up after a hard day's work. Hey, weren't they already clean at the pozole feast? Well I guess they need this bathtub scene so here we go...Miranda and Pamela are getting into their respective and separate baths but still within shouting distance. Pamela asks if Alejandro was proposing something to Miranda earlier that evening. Miranda says he asked if they could make love and she almost accepted. What stopped her? Everything and nothing, but next time she won't refuse.

She is now in the steaming tub and we can see her reflection in the mirror. She gets all dreamy as she sponges water on herself. She thinks she's talking to Pamela but suddenly Alejandro's hand takes the sponge and he begins washing her. He tells her how much she means to him, she is his whole universe. They kiss and kiss some more. "Miranda, Miranda!" It's Pamela, waking her up out of her sexy fantasy. Miranda gasps, then laughs, then plays around some more with her sponge, embarrassed because Pamela says she knows she was thinking of Alejandro. We don't get to see Pamela in her tub, sorry Chris.

Down in the library the brothers Beltrán Campuzano aren't fighting for once. Instead they are drowining their sorrows. Sleazar tells Faby that Alejandro only used him to get close to Gonzo in order to seek vengeance. Faby says little by little Alejandro used him to get all sorts of info that could be used against Gonzalo. Sleazar says they have to do something, he sold their family quinta to help Gonza and to prove his own innocence, never thinking the property would end up in Al's hands. He's SO sorry he says, weeping crocodile tears. Faby, who until this moment has loathed his brother for his wickedness and bad sonmanship, has suddenly been suckered in by his lies. "Don't worry brother," he stupidly says, "one important thing, Miranda is going to hear about all of this." "Not so fast," warns Sleazar, "First let's put on a good show. Telling Miranda will be the coup de grace, then he'll disappear from our lives forever." They shake hands, slap each other on the back and during the man hug Sleazar smirks behind Faby's back. Fab says "Nothing is going to separate us Cesar." Sucker.

Amparo consoles Juan as Squeaky walks by with bags packed. She sobs "I don't want to go Juan. I love you and want to stay with you. Please don't kick me out, this is the only house I have." They embrace and Amparo nods her approval, tears in her eyes. She says "yes, it's poor, very poor, but it's your house." Group hugs all around. These people sure change their minds easily!

Cesar surprises Nuria with a Mundo de Fieras kiss. "Ouch, that hurts!" she cries, rubbing her lip. Sleazar says, "if it doesn't hurt it doesn't mean anything." Nuria has something weird to tell him, she feels like she's been in this hacienda before, many places are familiar. "In fact," (picks up old ratty doll) "here is the very doll I have seen in my dreams" she says. "What do you think? Could I have lived here in another life?" Sleazar tells her it's impossible and as a show of compassion throws the doll in her face.

Fernanda convinces Gonzalo to let Squeaky live her own life and he reluctantly agrees. She runs right over to Squeaky's house and proudly tells her she convinced her father to leave her alone. Squeaky squeaks that she doesn't need the Dr.'s help and now she knows that what her aunt Bertha said is true, that Fernanda is her dad's lover!

Miranda and Pamela are again dressed in their high fashion peasant outfits and Miranda's has a built-in pushup bra. Arcadia tells them that during the night all the bags of cacao were stolen. Miranda and Pamela are indignant and beautiful.

We are in Tapijulapa, Tabasco. Al is in a cantina with Gabino and orders a double tequila. A mystery man calls him "blondie" and asks if he's from Santa Maria. How does he know? In this town everybody knows everything. Since he knows so much Al offers to pay him for information on the cacao robberies. The mystery man says such questions could get Al killed. He walks off. Gabino tells Al this guy "El Guapo" is dangerous and should be avoided.

Al approaches him again. We now see El Guapo has a withered hand which may be the cause of his crankiness. Al tells him to name his price. El Guapo tells Al to keep his money. (He says "no le busques ruido al chicharron", anyone know what that saying means?) He says behind all of this is a Very Important Person and he can't tell Al anything about HER. Oops. Aha, Alejandro knows it's a woman! El Guapo clumsily draws his gun and aims at Al's head. Gabino draws his own gun and aims it at El Guapo. I think we all know what this is called. Finally Al convinces El Guapo to lower his gun and they leave. Guapo dials his cell phone..."Miss Bertha, Guapo here, we have a problem."

Chicharron update: literally means "don't go looking for the noise the breaking of the chicharron makes" i.e. "don't push me till I crack" or "don't provoke me."

Arcadia tells Miranda that the thieves are now stealing them blind on the other side of the river. Miranda jumps on a horse and off she rides just as Alejandro and Gabino return. Al grabs another horse and follows. Because Miranda is yelling at the top of her lungs long before she gets to the river the thieves are warned and make their escape. Nice job big mouth. She's sobbing into her empty cacao pods as Al rides up to console her. He looks mighty fine in bluejeans but he's no Fernando on a saddle. Nevertheless she loves him, sobbing that she has lost everything except him. If she loses him she'll die and so on and so forth. They get right to the kissing and lots of it, even the horse tries to get in on the action. Really. I'm not making that up.

Back at the hacienda Al continues to console Miranda. Fabricio bursts in and asks them do they know that Luciano Sartori bought El Mangrove Swamp from Cesar? "You know him?" asks Miranda. "Yes," Faby accuses, "and so does Alejandro!"

"NO PUEDE SER!" cries the shocked Miranda. But Pamela saves Alejandro by running interference, saying they have too many other things to worry about at the moment. After they leave Al and Faby get into a shoving match. Faby says he doesn't appreciate being used for Al's plans of vengeance. Chest thumping, arm twisting, and scowls fill the room.

Miranda and Pamela spread the cheer to Flor and Nuria that the cacao has been stolen, they have lost everything. Flor gets philosophical, saying there is a solution for everything...except death. She confronts it day after day and she's winning the battle. Even when Florencia is right she's so holier-than-thou in her delivery that I just want to slap her! Miranda is inspired by Flor's insipid resolve. She promises to face whatever comes her way.

El Guapo is at the cantina with two cronies. All three of their hats look brand spanking new. The cronies tell Guapo that they were able to sell all the cacao and tools at the market. Nobody suspects a thing and they are perfectly clean. (Especially their hats.) They want more work but Guapo says do nothing until they receive further instructions from Miss Bertha. I wonder how she'd feel about him throwing her name around like that? In the meantime they are to spy on Santa Maria and report all comings and goings to him.

Al throws Fabricio down. Fab says he doesn't appreciate being the imbecile that Alejandro used to get back at Gonzo. Ha, his word not mine. Al says it was only at first, now he thinks of Fab as a brother. More of the same blah, blah, blah.

Amparo is caring for Squeaky who has chills and fever. Squeaky sleeps while Francisco and Amparo talk loudly in her room. He wants Amparo to sell tacos but Amparo says she can't leave Sqeaky home alone and sick. Guess they're best buds now. Francisco looks at her sleeping and say his grandchildren will be beautiful, tantrum-throwers but beautiful.

While Squeaky is sleeping Carola swaggers into the room and wakes her. "Feeling bad Princess? I came for Juan's things." Squeaky tells her to get out of her house. Carola jumps on the bed, says it's not Squeaky's house, and tries to drag her out. They fight and Carola says a witch like Squeaky belongs on the street. She adds, "Juan doesn't love you. Do you know why he married you? We had a bet and I lost. Can you imagine what the prize was? My body! Juan has always wanted me." Squeaky cries, "No, no, he loves me!" Amparo comes in; Carola wasn't real, only Squeaky's delirium. Amparo puts cold cloths on her feet.

Vicente tells Gonzo that the entire harvest was lost even though Miranda did everything she could. The first crop of the year was completely lost and bad guys destroyed the telephone lines. The hacienda is in the same sorry state as the business.

Florencia flashes back to a green memory with Squeaky saying Miranda could save the business by marrying Alejandro. Flor tells Miranda that the hacienda and business have reached a critical state. They need to find a solution and fast. Flor says the only option is for Miranda to marry Alejandro. She says this like she's helping out, but she has a really mean look in her eyes. Or maybe she just always look mean. Or maybe she thinks if Miranda is married then she possibly won't be a threat to her husband. Or maybe I should just go to bed now.

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