Caray, Caray!

First, a word from your recapper. Why no recap last night?

11:30 pm Monday - get home from rehearsal, settle in with my tv and vcr. Note this is a filler episode, feel sorry for person who has to recap it, fast-forward quite a lot. Go to sleep.



1. The cuartel

El Cheque has evidently been instructed by Jazmin to make nice with lawyer Sanchez, as tomorrow his case will come before the judge and alimony will be set. He makes a brusque but unctuous testimonial, telling Sara what a great guy Sanchez is, and urges her to go out with him.

She doesn't want to go but a quick huddle with her pals convinces her that, for Lola's sake, she should. She accepts. Sanchez wants to go someplace quiet where they can knock down a bunch of tequilas (or whiskeys, if she prefers). But she says there is one condition: she'll go with him only accompanied by chaperones - the entire cuartel.

He checks his wallet anxiously. "Take it or leave it." He takes it and all leave.

El Cheque waves his lame bundle of flowers at Jazmin and whines that he tried to do as she asked - he tried to toady up to Sanchez - "but look what happened." [I am so aggravated by her little rock hard breast implants I can hardle look at her -- Ed.] She's annoyed but they leave together.

2. Alicia, the convenenciera

Don't you love that word? convenenciera = a woman who uses people.

Ariel is ragging Alicia about the new stockings, is it a lover inside Conceptos, it certainly isn't your friends cause you don't have any, did somebody lend them to you ("I would never wear used stockings!"), well MY friends would prefer you without stockings... she starts to cry.

Tomas steps forward, terrified and stammering, but says Ariel should respect Alicia, not humiliate her. "Oh, is THIS the lover who bought you stockings?" Alicia churlishly denies it, "How could you think so?" Tomas: "I'm a gentleman and I don't allow ladies to be abused." Ariel mocks his stutter and tells him to stay out of the way. Tomas: "You think it's macho to be cruel to women?"

Ariel calls Tomas an insect and says he won't fight, and mocks Alicia for her bad taste in men.

Aldo, who heard the end of this exchange, inserts himself 3" from Ariel's face and says ¿Hasta adonde puede llegar el abuso del agresor?, how far can an aggressor's abuse go? (thanks marycelis)

"Ah, Aldo DomensaEEEn, I"ve barely met you and already I see you are an insufferable meddler." [Shout of agreement goes up from our anti-Aldo contingent.] "And I've seen what class of person is Ariel Villaroel. He hides all the good and noble he has and shows his dark side. What do you gain by offending people? You only gain their antipathy. How does it feel to experience such aloneness?" [Even you Aldo haters must admit this is a classy approach.]

"You haven't seen my darkest side yet!" Ariel threatens as he leaves.

Alicia falls all over Aldo, stroking and cooing, to Tomas's chagrin. Aldo tells Tomas, who's complaining: "You were valiant, you showed the beast you have inside, I'm proud of you." He peels Alicia off his body and says he needs to see Lety.

In Lety's office

Aldo and Lety have a few cheery words before the phone rings - it's Mom - "Your father wants to know when you'll be home?" Erasmo snatches the phone and emphasizes that Lety promised to be home early. "You may be president but as long as you live in this house there are rules."

Aldo whispers it's ok, don't worry about our dinner date, so Lety says she'll be home soon. She tells Aldo she wanted to go to dinner with him, he says he had important things to say but they can wait, how about they go running at dawn? "I'm dying of curiosity to know what you want to tell me." "Don't you know why I came to the city? It wasn't for work. I want to talk about you and me."

He leaves. Lety flashes back to Marcia [who's been wearing this hideous white belt for aeons] complaining about the cuartel Knowing All about the great secret of Fern and Lety. Lety can't get them on the phone. She goes in the hall and Alicia says the cuartel's been gone for hours. "Oh, I didn't notice how late it is. Well, Marcia has a complaint..." "Oh, are they going to get fired?" Alicia asks hopefully. "No, it's just about gossip, and I'm not going to spread it any further." Lety leaves and Alicia says "I suppose it's about her and Fern, I know all that, I'm no fool."

Lety goes back to her office and writes in her diary, which she now keeps at Conceptos to be "safe" - "I need Aldo, he illuminates me with his gorgeous smile, we're good friends..." (Cut to Aldo thought-bubbling: "Haven't you noticed I'm in love with you?") "If it weren't for Aldo," she writes, "I couldn't resist Fern - I'll keep struggling to forget him until he's not my first and only thought every day." (Cut to Fern, flipping through the Cards of Memory and fondling Lety's stuffed animals. "I had to rescue them, they are my mementos of a beautiful love - well, it's a little sad now - but still beautiful.")

In Omar's office

Fern is pacing. "Can't you be still for one moment? You're like a referree at a soccer game." "I suppose Lety will go out with that Alllldo." "The theme of Aldo, which bores me profoundly, is beginning to wear you out, look in the mirror, you're a wraith, and you're like a br-br-broken record. I, for one, have a date with a chocolatito from the Czech Republic. How do you say 'I love you' in Czech?"

Fern makes up some ridiculous guttural nonsense which Omar practices on his way out the door, offering over his shoulder - "you can use the chair now."

Fern jumps into the chair, fires up the computer to pictures of Lety, and mopes.

desgastarse = become tired, wear oneself out

In the hall and Luigi's office

Alicia snags Aldo as he passes, asking if he's ready for dinner. "Actually, I'm kind of tired..." "But I have a super secret secret to tell you ..." when she looks away to pat and stroke herself he grins at her ridiculous behavior but when she looks back he snaps his serious, concerned face of "grave interest" back into place. "Why not tell me here and now?" "It's about (thrusts boobs even further than usual) our Pre-si-den-ta, about what kind of person she is."

He's saved by Luigi, who runs her off and says Aldo needs to talk to the composer of the music themes. "We'll talk later, Alicia." She thinks tonight is her lucky night. Strokes and pats self. [I can't stand any more of this - Ed.]

Luigi complains to Caro that Rully has become so possessive, "we're light-years apart." "Have you given him reason to be jealous - like, say, ALLLDO?" "OK, as always you're right, Aldo makes me nutty, he's the man of my dreams." "Does he feel the same?" "I'll make him feel the same." "As your friend, I must tell you he's in love with another woman." "Can he forget her, do you think?" "Luigi, listen, I don't want you to suffer, Aldo isn't g..." "NO I WON'T LISTEN LA-LA-LA..." Caro leaves.

Luigi complains to Rully por telefono and says: "you never tell me anything." As Rully starts to speak, Aldo comes in to say goodbye. Luigi says, "Yes, Aldo, you go rest, because it's been a LLLOOOONNNNNGGGG day." [Tell us about it -- Ed.] Luigi watches longingly as Aldo leaves, in a reverie, the phone drooping limply from his hand. When he remembers it, he discovers Rully has hung up. "Rully, this is exactly what I was talking about," he scolds the dial tone.

Marcia in her awful belt is subjected to the Oxy's recount of her rescue by Alllldo. Marcia notes Ariel's part in the story and muses: "I'm worried about my brother," but Alicia is focused on one thing: "Aldo wants me." "No, he stood up for you because he's a gentleman, it doesn't mean he wants you."

Back in Lety's office

Tomas comes in to take her home. She tells him she'll be running in the morning with Aldo. "Lety, be careful, if you go too near the trees you'll scare the squirrels." "Well, if I scare them with my ugliness, Aldo will bring them back to life por guapo - with his sexiness."

OK you non-Spanish speakers, I expect by now you have learned this word, let's all say it together and from now on we don't have to translate it: GUAPO = GOOD-LOOKING & SEXY.

"So Aldo is guapo?" "Yes, very." Tomas sulks, she asks why, he hesitates but then says, "Don Ariel was offending my girl (chica)" "Your chica?" "My chica, my love, my life, Alicia Ferreira... I defended her with energy and decisiveness, but then sexxxy Alllldo came meddling in the fight... he stole my victory..." "I'm sure sexxxxy Alldo was only trying to help." "Why does everybody love Aldo?" "Because he's a great guy - but so are you - your only defect is that you keep trying to conquer Alicia." "That's love - the heart rules."

Back in the hall

Marcia knocks on Fern's door to ask his plans, he says he'll go back to her apartment with her. As he gathers his things, Marcia asks Alicia where the new stockings came from, and Alicia is forced to admit Tomas gave them to her. "Tomas? What shame!" "I prefer one humiliation to two dozen humiliations - everybody here - including you - except Aldo - kept making fun of me."

Alicia asks when Marcia's coming to pick her up in the morning - I'm not - well I can't take the microbus - if I come it's with Fern - ok I'll take the microbus... "Alicia, why don't you ask Aldo?" "Oh I can't do that, we've just started dating, I can't give my address. That'll have to wait one little week more."

Tomas and Lety, leaving, pass Fern and Marcia in the hall. Fern and Lety exchange a brusque goodbye, Marcia says nothing. Fern is silent. "Amor. Amor! Do you want to leave with me?" She takes his arm with a look she wishes could be a securely smug one. They leave.

Alicia lies in wait and springs out as Aldo passes, saying "You're punctual, remember, you invited me to dinner." "I don't remember a formal appointment?..." "I don't want to pressure you but - where's your car, I want you to take me to a great restaurant!" "I don't have a car." "QUE????!!! (Muy impactada) I thought you'd have a spanking new sports car." She snags a taxi which zips right past Tomas and Lety to stop at her feet. Neither Tomas nor Lety is pleased to see Aldo getting in the taxi with the Oxy. (Fern and Marcia see this, too.) Tomas runs after the taxi and Lety thought-bubbles: "better alone than with bad company."

At the bar (as if you cared)

The cuartel and Sanchez enter, table for seven, they are loud and rowdy, their hi-jinx keep Sanchez from pawing and dribbling on Sara. "I'm so near [to Sara] and yet so far."

In the taxi

"Aldo, I know a great place where we can eat quietly, it's delicious." "What type?" "It's Le Noir (he rolls eyes at pretentiousness), when you get to the door there're all these guys with really really expensive sports cars, everything is luxurious, high society ..."

"But I meant, what kind of food?" "It's international and from all over the world (he rolls eyes again), the menu doesn't have prices in it, having prices would be in bad taste, besides it's really really expensive..."

"Alicia, has nobody ever suggested to you that the most expensive isn't always the best?" [TELL IT, BROTHER!!! - Ed.] "Are you serious?" He laughs, saying she enchants him. "Ah, others have said so too, but I'm glad you think so." He suggests he take her to a place 'de lujo' which he knows. "Yes, OK, because I want you te be comfy and relaxed when I tell you what I know - so take me where you like."

Lety gets home

She tells her mom about the picture Aldo gave her a month ago (I mean earlier in the day). Mom says, "I thought about Aldo all day, he's a sweetheart." "Yeah, I guess." "Why so disenchanted?" "I saw him leaving with Alicia." "You sound a little jealous." "I am, but just as a friend - it hurt Tomas to see that. ... but why HER? I know him, and she's such a materialist, he doesn't go for that."

I was never so glad to see the golden circle of goodbye. It is now 9:36 am, friends. Goodbye till next time.

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