Caray, Caray!

Tomas tells Alicia he will help her get the money she needs to get her car back. Alicia demurely protests that she doesn't want him to give her the money. She doesn't want to complicate their friendship that way. He says, well, then, what do you want to do? She asks if he has friends who could maybe lend it to her, with interest. (LOL. Right.) Tomas eagerly agrees to look into it.

Now she says she wants to talk, but she's actually getting very affectionate. She puts some very chaste little kisses on his mouth, then suffers a sudden attack of guilt over Lety ("my friend, my dear friend!"). She's all flustered and ashamed! She says she's confused. Tomas pulls her back into his arms and says he's a little confused too. Alicia says the evening is ruined; Tomas suggests a walk in the fresh air, but Al makes excuses that her makeup is all smeared from crying and she's sad and her conscience is weighing on her, so it'd be better if they talk tomorrow.

Tomas says he doesn't want to leave, but Alicia says she doesn't feel well. She gets into her bed and says she'll feel better when her problem is resolved. Tomas tells her not to worry, he'll have some news for her tomorrow. He rushes to her bedside (still carrying that bottle of wine he wasn't able to open), but she says goodbye and then pretends to be asleep. (She snores for good measure.) She watches from her bed as he makes his way to the door. Whenever she stops snoring, he turns around hopefully to see if she's awake, and she hurriedly closes her eyes and snores some more.

Finally he is gone. She rejoices at finally being free of him and hugs her very last bottle of wine, grateful she didn't have to waste it on him.

Is Tomas disappointed? Hells no. He dances out of her building like he is on cloud nine. He tells himself he was kissed by the most sensual woman on the planet. It wasn't a dream, it was real, they were mouth-to-mouth.

Writing in her diary, Lety says that Tomas has a right to his dream, even if it is as fleeting as what she had with Fernando. The difference is that Tomas knows what's going on.

Lety also tells her diary that she should get away from Fernando. He is continuing with his dirty game and she can't go on with it much longer. His persistance is wearing her down, and his kisses are leaving her on the edge of an abyss and in spite of everything, he seems so sincere.

Meanwhile, Marcia is at home chatting on the phone with her idiot sister, Ana-Leticia, about all the wedding preparations and how busy she's been. Fern quietly enters and hand-faces in exasperation. He kisses her (on her head) and Marcia goes on to tell her sister that they shouldn't have chosen such a complicated date for their wedding, but they did it so that Fern's parents could combine their trip for the Big Meeting.

Marcia asks Ana-Leticia when she's coming. She tells A-L she needs her help, but she has to hang up now. She kisses Fern again and shows off some lingerie she's picked out; he's not interested. She shows him a stack of thank-you cards; along with these are some tickets for their honeymoon. He asks her about all the clothes on the bed; she says it's her trousseau. She says she hopes it inpsire something when... grr! she laughs... when he sees her put it on. She moves in for a kiss, but he pulls away. She says she's not going to bother him today. She says she's been very patient with him, and she can wait a little longer.

She asks him if he thinks they are going to marry, only for him to be a man who sleeps at another woman's place. Is that what he wants? She imagines that after the Cannes event and the Big Meeting that all his tension will be gone, and then he'll be able to stop seeing that other woman. (He protests weakly.) She says she hopes that he'll forget about her after their trip. He simply answers that yes, after all that, he'll be relieved of many pressures. She puckers up for a kiss, and he air-kisses her from several inches away.

He watches with detachment as Marcia shows off some more lingerie. Lety continues writing in her diary: He seemed so sincere, so honest, so tormented when he told her that he hadn't made love with Marcia. If she didn't know any better... if she hadn't seen them devouring each other in his office (probably in reference to the mauling Marcia gave Fernando when she came back from Germany)... she needs to stay strong, she feels like she's in a tunnel, when will she be able to see the light?

The next morning, RoboPop samples some sponge cake that was Mom's grandmother's recipe. He kisses her hand with gratitude. Lety comes down for breakfast and Mom shows her that she's added St. Jude to her little altar next to Jesus. Lety lights a candle. She also tells Pop it's time to balance the books for Filmo-Imagen. (She thinks to herself that she's soon going to turn the company over to Fernando.) He says it's no problem, except he's missing the petty cash, there are many expenses, and there's a huge restaurant bill. He asks her for an explanation, and she is saved by the doorbell.

Tomas swaggers in and says he has some news. He gravely informs them that last night he went to bed without any dinner, and he hasn't yet had breakfast. He helps himself to Lety's breakfast, and RoboPop jokes about a bottomless barrel on the menu. He tells Tomas to eat quickly, because today Lety needs them to work out the ledger. He shuffles off to get started.

Now Lety and Tomas are alone, and she explains to Tomas that she wants to be able to account for every penny of Filmo-Imagen if Fern asks for it. Tomas is again impressed that they've made Fern so jealous. Lety tells him that Fern said he didn't care about the money, only what went on between her and Tomas last night. He made a big scene of jealousy last night. (Lety rolls her eyes and scoffs.)

Lety questions Tomas about the date. She asks him how much it cost. He says, nothing, because she invited him up to her place. (Lety is incredulous.) He explains that they were going to have a glass of wine. (Lety rolls her eyes and strokes her hair.) She asks how much money she bilked him out of. He crosses his arms and looks indignant, but she reminds him that he said he wouldn't lie. Lety says, "don't tell me she invited you up to her apartment in exchange for nothing."

Tomas says that Alicia is desperate. She got a phone call saying they'd smash her car (or dispose of it in some way) if she didn't pay up. Lety thinks it's a pretty amazing coincidence that they happened to call last night while he was there. Tomas tells her she's very paranoid and unpleasant.

Lety again asks what he offered Alicia. He denies giving her anything and says they decided not to mix their friendship with money. She didn't get a cent out of him. Lety asks him to swear to this. He averts his eyes. Lety calls him a traitor. He reluctantly swears and tells her that Alicia never said "Aaaaay, Tommy! Give me 500,000 pesos!" (Lety doesn't enjoy his Alicia impression.)

She asks what else happened. He tells her to brace herself. He says they kissed. (Gross, Lety says. Well, she says "guácala." I love guacamole, so I'd have to use a different word.) Lety advises him to disinfect his mouth. :-) He says it was the first time in history that a boyfriend asks a girlfriend if she can believe that he kissed someone else. He laughs and says it was very emotional, and is she jealous? She says no, of course she's not jealous, but she's worried because Alicia will go with anyone who has money.

Tomas is intrigued. Maybe she will have "sexual relations" with him. ("Guácala!" Lety protests again.) He muses some more and I can't understand all that he says, but it's something about sexual fantasies, and Lety replies something about economic fantasies. She advises him to be very careful. She says she doesn't believe that Alicia could give him a sincere kiss and that it's very dangerous.

Tomas assures her that he's been very careful about all he's done... and all he's going to do. He asks when she needs the balances. She says as soon as possible. They're sitting on a time bomb that could blow up at any moment.

Meanwhile, Ariel paces around in his office while questioning his old pal Olarte (former CFO at Conceptos, who was fired in disgrace several months ago) about Filmo-Imagen. Apparently, no one has ever heard of this company. Ariel is angry and tells Olarte to try harder. It can't be a phantom company, there must be some information about them, go to the Secretary of the House if he has to. Who owns this company, what kind of money do they have, and what do they do. If Olarte wants to keep working with Ariel, he'd better find out.

At Conceptos, PM, Juana, and Martha (eating) meet in the restroom to talk about Saimon. PM left a message for him, but hasn't heard back from him yet. They wonder how it went for Lety last night, with her boyfriend.

Just then, they are joined by Lola, Sara, and Lety. They ask how it went with her boyfriend. She says she'd rather discuss it later, but they want to know now. Fernando hasn't arrived yet. She tells them she forgave Tomas. They cheer. She says Tomas confessed that it was in a moment of weakness, that the airhead was persistent and he only went out to eat with her, nothing more. He promised her that it wouldn't happen again.

Lola says that men will promise but that doesn't mean they will follow through. Lety says she believes him, and asks them all to keep quiet about this.

Alicia is singing to herself and greets them cheerfully, especially Lety, when they pass her desk. They think it's as if Tomas didn't cancel their date. Lety says she probably just doesn't want them to see how upset she is, and urges them to forget about it. Juana says they are going to keep an eye on the situation.

Fern and Marcia come off the elevator, just behind the cuartel. Marcia tells Alicia about the unforgettable, magical honeymoon they've planned (in the Middle East??), while Fernando yawns very loudly hoping that Lety won't hear her. Alicia says she wants to tell Marcia about her night; she (Marcia) is going to die, and so are they (the cuartel). Marcia says tell me in my office. Alicia says fine, I don't want to tell you in front of these desdichadas (losers) anyway.

Fern tells the cuartel to get to work. Oh, hey, I love his tie. It's orange with white stripes. Kinda reminds me of clownfish. Speaking of clowns, Omar invites Fern into Omar's office for the Daily Rehash. For some reason, Fern sits in Omar's chair. He tells Omar about how Marcia was blabbing about the honeymoon in front of Lety. Omar thinks this is no big deal since Lety already knows that he's going to go on with the wedding preparations. (Fern complains about Omar's desk.) Fern says it's not even about Lety, he just feels like an idiot organizing a honeymoon at this point.

Omar thinks maybe it's because it's the Middle East. He's never been there, but he's heard that the food is awful. Maybe he should just tell Marcia that he'd prefer to go somewhere else, like Europe. Fern says it's not that either.

Fern remembers the psychic's words. "You can't resolve your problems, because you have mixed up your business and your love. Separate them and choose; if you continue thinking that the company is the most important thing for you, you are lost."

Fern says he doesn't want to compound his problems; he doesn't want to marry Marcia. Omar wants to know where is the hidden camera. Omar rehashes the reasons this is a bad idea and asks if it's because of Lety. Fern says it's not for Lety, it's for him. (They switch seats - Fern says the vice presidency can't accommodate him - but he looks just as uncomfortable in Omar's guest chair.)

Omar doesn't understand why Fern doesn't want to get married and asks about the events of last night.

Fern tells Omar about Lety & Tomas's date at Le Noir last night. They hugged, held hands and were affectionate. The way they were carrying on, he thought they'd go to a hotel, but no, they just went to her house. Then she insisted they were just friends, making up after an argument. He rants again that this guy is driving Fern's sports car and paying the bill with Fern's money. Omar corrects him, saying he's seducing Fern's Lety with Fern's sports car and Fern's money. He asks Fern why doesn't he offer Tomas his house, too.

Fern reminds himself not to talk about his feelings about Lety in front of Omar, since Omar would only make fun. He says, "don't tell me about 'my Lety.'" Then he whines that she wouldn't even give him a kiss.

Omar suggests that Fern go to a monastery since he isn't getting any sex anyway. He can't do it with his official girlfriend and Lety is rejecting him. He's not doing it with models or dancers. Zero bone, zero sex. When you least expect it, you'll be fooling around with some nobody, some woman or maybe someone like Luigi. It's very dangerous.

Fern denies that this has anything to do with Lety. Marcia was all excited about the wedding and he felt empty. The wedding is going to be a farce. He's getting married to a woman he doesn't want.

Omar puts a mirror in front of Fern and says it's an ugly, tired, face of jealousy. Fern reminds him that in 48 hours will be the Big Meeting that will affect all of their lives, and the numbers are in the hands of that ingrate (Lety). (More rehashing)

Fern says the stress of all that's happening has caused him to lose his sexual appetite, that's all. Omar prays that he never experiences this. "You could do it with Lety, though, couldn't you?" he prods Fern. Fern tries to supress a tiny grin and thinks how much he would like to make love with Lety.

Alicia tells Marcia about the date. Marcia can't believe she invited that ugly guy to her place. Alicia said she didn't want to be seen with Tomas again. And he had just left Le Noir with Lety. He didn't know how to open the wine bottle. Marcia wants to know what they did. Alicia says no, you've got it all wrong, if you think anything happened between us, you're very wrong, you're crazy.

Marcia says okay, then tell me, what happened? Alicia said it was no big deal, that Lety doesn't matter to him, Tomas is a freezer, he's cold as ice, frozen stiff. Marcia wants to know how she knows that. Alicia says they kissed. She seems very pleased with herself.

Lety is depressed in her office, knowing that Fern and Marcia are going to get married. She balls hands into tiny fists and asks herself why she's surprised about something she already knew. She chastises herself for being so dumb, naive, and fragile about love.

She works on the balances and thinks about how she wouldn't kiss him last night at her doorstep. Carolina shows up asking about some invoices, and notices that Lety is tense. Lety admits that the crisis with her boyfriend never ended.

Caro says she's getting the impression that Lety is only functioning for someone else. Lety becomes self-conscious. Caro reminds Lety of all the things she's dealing with and asks if she's taken any time to think about her own future. Lety says there's no time; Caro herself said that Lety can't abandon Fernando. There's a little edge in her voice that causes Caro to take a closer look at Lety.

"He needs me," Lety continues. "That's why I'm here."

Caro says she still must take some time for herself. Tomorrow is the Cannes event, next day is the Big Meeting, and at the end of the week, the wedding. Lety should ask for permission to go on a vacation after the Big Meeting. But no; Lety will have to take care of the business while Fern's on his honeymoon.

Lety says she doesn't want to be around for the wedding, much less running the company during their honeymoon. Caro wonders aloud what the wedding and the honeymoon have to do with Lety's boyfriend crisis. Lety makes up something about it being her boyfriend's birthday. She says Fern is just going to have to accept that she'll be on vacation at that time. She muses that it will be the happiest day of his life and nothing can change that.

Caro wants to know if she should talk to Fern about it. Lety begs her not to. Caro says okay, it's just something between you two. Lety says yeah, that's it, it's a work problem between the two of us. Caro asks her to just think about it and she'll come back for the invoices later.

Lety slumps into her chair. "I want to go away from here... I want to go away from here..." She says she wants to go someplaces where she isn't herself.

Omar thinks it's a dumb idea to cancel the wedding and tells Fern he needs to re-seduce Lety. He gives him the Card of the Day to fill out. He calls Fern the "pen of oregano" (??) and Fern tells him not to watch him write.

He finishes the card and takes it to Lety. Lety tells him she has taken calls from Klaus and Zoom, but she supposed he was busy with Omar. He says they were working on a problem with tomorrow's event. He says he supposes she was bothered when Marcia was talking about their honeymoon. Lety says she realizes that he has to go ahead with the preparations for the wedding, etc. but it's going to cost him a lot of money when he cancels everything.

But he doesn't want to talk about that. He gives her the Card of the Day (no envelope) and asks her to read it. She takes it reluctantly and looks at him. "Lety, read it, please. Please!"

---

Next week

Marcia tries on her wedding dress.

Fern tells Lety he really, truly wants to cancel the wedding and that everything is in her hands.

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