Caray, Caray!

• The Montalvo family is in their skyscraper in Mexico City. They've gathered for a board meeting. It begins with champagne as Aaron and Minerva smugly announce their pregnancy. Aaron's mother (who was Hipolita's weevily mother in Alborada) squints happily as she daydreams about her son raking in all the spoils as per Amador's will.
  
  Rod happily and graciously toasts the parents-to-be.
  
  
• In this very same skyscraper, on the very same floor, Gaviota is being interviewed by Aaron's henchman Medina. Rod is but a few feet away, pacing back and forth, trying to get Roman or James on the phone. He wants them to hire more detectives now that he remembers Gaviota's real name. She's right behind him when he is whispering her name and saying he's desperate. What a tease.
  
  
• Gaviota (aka Maria Franco Villarreal) tells scads of lies to Medina. She took this curriculum, that curriculum, she was in management at the Holly Hill Hospital in London and ran a chain of Italian restaurants in Paris with Benvenuto Verduci. And of course, "I speak English and French and a little German." She says she doesn't have her papers with her; Medina says if she's chosen she'll have to come up with the documents and her references will be called. "I left Europe to work at home because I was tired of being cold, my nose was red and my teeth chattered." She pointlessly tells him the lengths of various rivers - the longest is in Mexico. He asks if she's an experienced editor. She says not really, but she learns fast and is very responsible.
  
  
• Counting the little chicken before it's hatched... Aaron's mother doesn't want to be called Granny, rather, something affectionate like "Tita." Aaron says he will name his son Aaron. Have they not considered that 50% (approximately) of births are female?
  
  
• Aaron's executive secretary, the mature and competent Elvira, enters the boardroom with papers; Rod laughs incredulously to think of his cousin with such an unsexy secretary.
  
  Aaron calls her an "android" but boasts he'll be choosing his next secretary bonbon from a bevy of beauties; he suggests Rod come interview them with him. "Will you be 'casting' in a motel?" "No, first I select one, the hotel comes later." Minerva is watching and thoughtbubbles: "You'll be surprised to see your new secretary." She has told Medina that she, Minerva, will be hand-picking the final candidates.
  
  Minerva leaves the meeting for a bit to sequester herself with Medina and pick over the job aspirants' resumes. "Is my husband choosing a model or a secretary?" "He's fussy about appearances." Minerva looks at Gaviota's resume and snorts, "I remember her, forget it, with her body he'll make her a Vice-President in a week."
  
  
• TWB tells Sofia she loves the new deluxe apartment and hopes it will keep Rod in the city. Sofia reveals the "macho" will Amador left behind - it's winner-gets-all in the race to produce a little (male) heir. "So you HAVE to get pregnant." TWB fears that will be difficult since she and Rod have never had sex - she's tried everything. "The only thing I haven't done is disguise myself as a jimadora"
  
  
• At the hotel, Sra Flavia busts Gaviota. Sarcastic rhetorical questions: Why are you so late? Are you in fact sick as your healer mother feared? Did you go to the doctor dressed like that? Gav tells a bunch more lies and gets away with it. Nancy wants to hear all about the interview. "I didn't meet Aaron but I got his card. Tomorrow I'll be his new secretary."
  
  
• In the boardroom, a Powerpoint presentation: "Montalvo tequila around the world." I say, in chorus with Sofia and TWB:, "The tedious ciphers are over, I hope." In conclusion, Montalvo had its biggest, most profitable quarter ever.
  
  Aaron rubs it in: "Dad, in my first time out I did better than you ever did." Dad doesn't mind. Aaron and Patricio will bring the business to new heights.
  
  The lawyer says, "Don't forget the importance of the excellent agave crop, for which Rod deserves the credit."
  
  Aaron wants to make more expensive, upscale tequila to capture a wealthier consumer base.
  
  Everybody wants Rod to stay in the city. He demurs. "My parents never left the land and I won't either."
  
  Aaron asks lawyer Videgaray about the mysterious undisclosed provision in his grandfather's will. "It can't be revealed for three more years."
  
  
• Gav gets home from work. Clara marvels over Gav's hair and imagines what a wonderful vision she must have been, entering the interview in her magnificent white dress with gold ribbon (over which Clara slaved all night).
  
  Gav admits she didn't wear the romantic white dress : "It's meant for an elegant party, not work." She shows the suit she bought "as an investment" and tells Clara she had to tell a lot of lies.
  
  Clara is horrified to hear the only true datum Gav presented at her interview was her contact number. She even fears Gav could go to jail. "Ma, I had to, I want to be an important executive." "This isn't the way! I'm disgusted. I don't want a chapucera for a daughter." [slapdash, botched]
  
  Gav gets mad. "Should I have told the truth, that I'm a migrant worker, that I don't even know my own father's name."
  
  They make up, even though Clara's still worrying that all those lies will come back and bite Gav, and maybe Rod will show up. "If he does, he'll find Maria Villarreal, a woman very different from the one he knew."
  
  
• Granny, Sofia, TWB and Rod are in the apartment, which it turns out is a belated wedding present. Rod says it's an unnecessary expense. "Not if you visit more often."
  
  After Granny and Sofia leave, TWB starts wheedling again and Rod curtly says it's no use, he isn't going to be staying, in fact they'll be leaving shortly. "But I like being near my parents." "Come here whenever you like, I don't have to come with you. Anyway, don't unpack, we're going back to the hacienda tomorrow." He wants to leave in the morning but she begs for an extension to the evening so she can shop.
  
  
• Isadora's parents arrive as Rod is leaving. Her dad admits he's bankrupt.
  
  
• Aaron is muy impactado when he sees the passel of feas his wife has chosen. He throws their resumes on the floor in a snit. Medina says they are well qualified and intelligent. "You know perfectly well what kind of secretary I want, and she doesn't need to be smart, I have Elvira for that." He says there isn't time for a new announcement, and why did Medina make such mediocre selections?
  
  Medina admits it was Minerva's doing.
  
  Aaron chooses the least ugly one and gives her the job, saying "don't think of making an alliance with Elvira, much less my wife. Everthing that happens in my office is secret."
  
  Rod arrives and, once again, Aaron rides him about his "problem" saying, "I'm glad the jimadora got you over that hump - she must be a real professional." Rod socks him again, saying, "Gaviota is the love of my life."
  
  
• Finally, at the hotel Gav is driving her friend Nancy crazy with her impatient waiting for the call offering her the Montalvo job. Since Aaron has, however reluctantly, hired somebody else, the call, obviously, doesn't come.
  
  Gav decides to be proactive: she'll go see Aaron.

Labels: Destilando

Permalink posted by melinama @ 12:31 AM