Caray, Caray!

Caro explains to Lety that there will be a contest that afternoon for beauties of all ages, shapes and sizes. The goal is to show how any woman can be beautiful, it all depends on her attitude. She thinks Lety should come. Lety looks herself over in her bright red pajamas and says she understands Caro’s thinly masked advice. Caro laughs and tells Lety to take the morning off. Lety says she intends to work. Caro tells her to forget about work; bringing her to Acapulco for work was just Caro’s excuse to get Lety out of Mexico City so she can recuperate, and it is obvious that she is healing very well in the company of Aldo [she says his name loudly so that Aldo, who Lety still has holding on the phone, can hear her]. Lety shushes her and Caro giggles. Lety looks wistfully and says yes, tht's true, although she felt even better in Fern’s company [meaning his personal company, not Conceptos], back when she was still happy with him.

Marcia walks into the lobby and Alicia runs right over for the gossip. Marcia has no good gossip for her. Alicia is disappointed. Marcia asks for Fernando and Alicia advises that he has not arrived yet. They think that is strange, since he is always early. Omar walks in, also looking for Fern. Marcia leaves and Alicia tells the cuartel to get back to work. Seeing Omar, she says “oh, wait, not you.” I think this was a reference to Omar not having an official position anymore, but no one seemed to think it was funny. The cuartel wonder how Irmita is doing.

Aldo rents the a boat again and he tells Lety she will get to know the bay and the sea “profoundly.” He follows this with a laugh and this makes Lety very nervous. She doesn’t understand. Finally he says he’s taking her diving. She doesn’t like that idea. She says she can’t swim. Aldo continues to laugh. She lightens up and they goof around sing a song that goes “in the sea, life is more flavorful.”

Irmita brings her family to work. They are introduced to PM and Saimon. Everyone is in funeral black. Humberto, Mama T, and Ariel walk in with the lawyers. Ariel hits the elevator up button while Humberto tells Lucy the grandkid that her grammy is super awesome. Irma’s son whispers that the Mendiolas appear to be in a rush. Irmita begs their pardon for holding them up.

As mom and pop walk into the executive lobby, Alicia rushes to be the first to greet them. They ask for Marcia and Fern, and she tell them that Marcia is here but not Fern.

Lety takes off her arm brace and calls out to the ocean that now she and it have officially lived together as husband and wife. Aldo asks why she took off the brace, and she explains that she wanted to liberate her hand. When Aldo leaves the wheel, she freaks out and he teases her.

Marcia offers her condolences to Irma. Irma says that, out bad things, good things sometimes come. After all, due the death of Mr. Mumbles, she was able to meet her granddaughter Lucy. Marcia tells Lucy she is a doll. Lucy smiles precociously.

Meanwhile, Irma’s kids pay a visit to Luigi’s office. Luis calls them his little brother and sister, and asks what he can help them with. As a matter of fact, they want his help in arranging Irmita’s retirement.

Caro opens the beauty contest for all and explains the rules about attitude again. The camera scans the participants and we see that they are mostly “everyday” women and then the camera stops on a girl who is pretty but very pouty… will she be a lesson in bad attitude?

Irma’s kids tell Luigi that they think Irmita is lonely, and Luigi nods politely, but he is fanning himself. He is not liking where this is going. They explain that they can not relocate to Mexico, so they want to take her to the U.S. with them. Luigi becomes distraught. Irmita and Lucy come into the office and he tells her they are conspiring to steal her away from him.

In the meeting room, Alicia offers to send a cafeteria worker to bring them coffee, but they instruct her to take their order herself. They comment some more about why Fern has not shown up yet.

Fern walks into the executive lobby, very hung over. He didn’t bother with a tie or a jacket today. Alicia rushes right over and begins yelling in his ear. He sushes her. His cell phone rings. He answers and tells Omar that he will be there as soon as he gets from “here” [where he’s standing next to Martha’s desk] to “there” [He runs to Lola’s desk in time to say “there”]. He is in an unbelievably good mood considering the hangover. He walks into the meeting room still talking to Omar. Omar says “okay bye” into the cell phone even though Fern is now standing right there next to him. Fern sees the serious mood in the room and sits down. He tries to make small talk but dad cuts to the chase, “Where is Lety?”

On the boat Lety puts on a diving suit and a life vest, plus she’s holding a lifesaver. Aldo laughs and asks how she expects to dive that way. Lety says that if he wants her to get in the water, she’s going in with the vest and lifesaver. Aldo laughs and Lety pouts.

Fern tells the board that Lety will not be coming today either, but she is sending her representative again.

Tomas walks in the lobby wearing his trench coat like a cape [I know this was taped months ago, but we’ll just say it’s a tribute to James Brown]. He stops to smile longingly at Alicia. Alicia runs over to call him desgraciado again. He offers her a rose. She says “Ay Tommy…” then rips the rose off the stem and throws it. The cuartel get up from their desks to get a good view. Tomas nervously says it’s nice to see her again too and begins to walk away. She rips the coat away from him, and he covers his chest with one hand and his netherlands with the other, apparently forgetting that he is wearing clothes under the coat. He says he would have liked to bring her something nicer, but he doesn’t have half a cent. He hands her what’s left of the rose and asks her to put it in water.

Tomas enters the meeting room and Fern gets up to give him a big hearty hug. Dad impatiently asks Tomas about Lety. Tomas apprehensively explains that she won’t be back for a few more days. Marcia wants to know why. Tomas says she has important business outside of Mexico City, and that’s all he can say.

Aldo tells Lety not to be afraid of the water. Lety says she can’t help it, she never learned to swim. With the diving goggles on, she talks as if she has a bad cold. He tells her that if she loves the ocean, she can not be afraid of it. He makes a good argument because Lety suddenly agrees and plunges into the water. Aldo is surprised that she would throw herself in like that and exclaims “Que barbara!” [how barbaric… I love that! It doesn’t sound nearly as severe in Spanish]. He jumps in after her.

Marcia demands to know how much Lety wants in exchange for giving them their company back. Tomas assures them that Lety doesn’t want anything, and that she will sign all the necessary documents as soon as she returns. Marcia is sure that by then Lety will have some other excuse. Fern rubs his temples as if the sound of her voice hurts him. The lawyers explain (if I understand this correctly) that Filmo Imagen’s lien on Conceptos is running it’s course, and the case is currently in the hands of a judge. If Lety doesn’t show up soon to sign the paperwork, the legal process will continue and soon Filmo Imagen will legally own Conceptos; that is, Lety will legally own Conceptos.

Aldo gives Lety diving lessons. Uncharacteristically, Lety seems to enjoy it.

Tomas refuses to tell the board where Lety is. Fern slams a notepad on the table. Marcia sarcastically wonders if Lety is at the bottom of the ocean [heh!]. Omar thinks this is hilarious. Marcia says that surely Lety will not show up until the judge rules in her favor and formally hands her full ownership of Conceptos. Tomas says they are mistaken, Lety is not capable of such a thing. Ariel the Arse thinks the evidence indicates otherwise. He says Lety wouldn’t take any bribe from them, as Marica suggested, because she is already in position to take the whole 45 million dollar company. Fern rolls his eyes in disgust. Marcia says Lety and Tomas’s intentions are clear. Dad agrees and sternly thanks Tomas for his time. Tomas insists that they are wrong about Lety and says he will deliver whatever other messages they want to send her. Marcia stands and exclaims that he should tell her that they will not stand idly by. Fern shakes his head in disgust at her.

We then get cute scenes of Lety and Aldo exploring the ocean’s wonders, while the Fea Mas Bella theme song -- the Musak version -- plays.

Alicia talks on the phone to her dad about her money woes. She’s not sure whether she should pay her credit card bill. She may need to move to a smaller apartment. Tomas walks out of the meeting room and hides behind a potted plant, then ducks behind a desk. The cuartel pretends not to see Tomas. Martha remarks to the others about the scandalous scene Alicia made earlier. Sarah pulls Tomas's ear as she wonders why he brought Alicia flower. Lola pulls the other ear and says that they must have been seeing each other all this time. After all, she is a husband-stealer and he is, well, a man. They pretend that they suddenly realized he is there. They try to get Tomas to tell them what’s going on with Alicia. He says that, since Alicia doesn’t like Lety, she doesn’t like him either. Tomas convinces them to help him sneak by so Alicia doesn’t see him. They try to block Alicia’s view but Tomas gets distracted; he stares dreamily at her and he forgets to leave.

Back on teh boat, Lety says she had a great time diving. She says she’s really happy. She didn’t even worry about the sharks, which her dad warned her about! They have a good laugh about it. They laugh about her funny laugh. Lety adds that her mom laughs the same way and they laugh some more.

Alicia sees Tomas and blocks the elevator. Roller Derby Sara tries to defend him and Alicia tells her to stay out of it. They gang up on her so Tomas can run in the other direction. Alicia yells after him “Thief! Give me back my 500,000 pesos!” [That’s right… Miss Kettle In the Tight Black Dress thinks he’s the thief]. She yells the cuartel that they are Lety and Tomas’s accomplices. Irmita comes in and asks for a favor.

Ariel says they can't just wait around for Lety to take everything, they must act now. Fern says they are being absurd. Ariel says no one asked for his opinion, rubs it in that this is all his fault, and chastises him for sticking up for Lety.

Lety says is a new woman. She can’t believe there is such a big world underwater. It is as immense as the sky. Aldo says that it is as immense as the ocean inside her. Lety says she doesn’t belive that there is a whole ocean inside her; that’s impossible. Aldo explains that we are all part of the same immensity. He picks a pitcher of water and fills a plastic cup with water. He asks her to imagine that she is the plastic cup. Her body is just the vessel in which the immensity of ocean is contained. Lety scrunches her nose as she tries to make sense of it. Aldo then throws the water from the plastic cup overboard. Lety says that if the water is returned back to the ocean, then it goes back to being part of the immensity, and it’s as if it had never been separated from the rest of the ocean, right? Aldo asks where she thinks her essence comes from; that is, where her strength comes from. She says it comes from the ocean, from the earth, from fire, from the wind, from nature, from the immensity… [I’m not sure if she’s listing them all as one answer, or if she’s guessing until she gets the right one.] Aldo says the right answer if “from God.” Lety agrees, after all, those things are all components of God.

Fern says he’s not defending Lety [how disappointing]. Omar waves his hand, clearing out the smell of Fern’s breath. He says he is simply saying that they are not in a position to take action against Lety. Ariel remarks that Fern reeks of alcohol. Marcia says it’s not just the alcohol, it’s because he’s wearing the same clothes from yesterday. Fern says that’s not true. Dad shuts him up and forbids him from speaking again during the meeting. He tells Fern that he hasn’t learned anything and that his stupidity has no end. Tears well up in Fern’s eyes. No father-of-the-year award for this guy.

Back on the boat, Lety’s lesson continues. She throws the remaining drops of water from the plastic cup into the ocean. She says the water has been returned to God, then she stares intently at the empty cup. Aldo wonders why she’s so intrigued with it. Lety articulates that the cup is disposable plastic, almost worthless, but it served to hold the water from the ocean. Aldo smiles and says, “That’s it, you’ve got it!” But Lety wonders what the difference would be if they would have used a glass made of fine crystal instead of a plastic cup. He asks her what she thinks. She thinks that the contents would not change; it would still be ocean water. Only the presentation is changed, only the exterior. She suddenly becomes pensive, as if the light bulb has just turned on above her head. Also asks if she thinks the presentation is important. Lety says it depends on the person. Some people don’t like disposable cups, and some of us have never even seen a crystal glass. Aldo agrees that then it must depend on personal preference. He says that good wine in a plastic cup tastes exactly the same as if it had been served in a crystal glass, and he would enjoy it just the same. No matter what kind of glass it is, it should be cared for, understood, and respected, because it contains the essence of the universe. He concludes (finally) by saying that her body is a glass and what it holds is immortal. Lety stares a second and they smiles.

Back at the office, Ariel the Arse tells dad [he actually calls him “dad” just to bug Fern] “Whether Fern is sober or drunk does not make a difference. He is useless and all he’s done is ruin us.” Mama T tells him to shut up, that’s enough. Ariel tells dad that because he could not take his money from Conceptos to invest in his new business, that business has failed. On top of that, his patrimony has been lost as well. Fern, who still has a tear on his check, clarifies that Conceptos has not been lost, he won’t allow it. He repeats to Dad that he won’t allow it. Humberto warns Fern that he better not see him at work in this condition ever again. Ariel doesn’t think that’s enough; Fern got them into this mess and then stuck up for that woman, so he wants Fern out. Dad turns to the lawyers and instructs them to come up with a legal plan of action to get them out of this. He says he is also suspicious of that woman. Ariel says it’s pointless to continue when they have already lost. Dad says he is sure they will find a way out of this. He gets up to leave but Mama T says she will stay to talk to Fern. Dad says it’s just as well that she can still stand to talk to him, because at the moment, he (dad) considers Fern useless. Fern looks despondent.

Lety holds the plastic cup and says “a cup of ocean water” with big grin. Aldo is bandaging her hand back up and she thanks him. He says it’s his pleasure to help cure her [pun intended, I'm sure].

In the cuartel’s conference room (aka restroom), Irmita tells the cuartel and Saimon that she plans to go back to the States with her kids. They discuss the pros and cons… on the pro side, she will be with her kids… on the con side, she will have to leave the cuartel. Saimon pontificates about the strong bonds of family. They don’t like this so they kick him out. Irmita says that Saimon is right. Family is the most important thing. Saimon walks back in and points out that he was right.

Back on the beach, Lety says she will keep the plastic cup forever so she can remember everything she learned. Aldo takes the cup full of water from her and says “You understand that his water comes from the ocean; it is the ocean itself.” Lety agrees. Aldo then crushes the plastic cup. Lety is miffed about this. Aldo explains that the water will evaporate into clouds, which will rain over the ocean, so the water can continue its course. That’s why we never disappear. Life continues, and therefore we live on in a continuous flow. [Shh... does anyone else hear Elton John singing The Circle of Life... wait, that might just be in my head.] Lety is impressed with Mr. Guru. She says “Ay Aldo [forgetting to add señor in front of that], como te quiero” [how I care for you]. She gives him a warm hug. Just then Caro walks up to them calling out “Lety!”

Warm thoughts and loving prayers for Mr. Jimenez's family, on-screen and off. I'm sure he will continue on in the grand circle of life... :)

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