Caray, Caray!

OK, I'm trying Ferro's idea today and typing as I watch.

Trying to learn how to be an actual secretary, Sara ushers Carloca into Fern's office with exaggerated formality. The cuartel hisses, "the panther goes after her prey!" Fern gyrates to avoid herCarla's advances, puts her on the other side of the table, gives one of her fingers a gingerly kiss. She virtually licks the spot.

"Tell me about last night," she callously begins. "I ended it with Marcia after 4 years. She's still in love with me. Most of the fault for this is mine. I have to admit I'm relieved."

PM bounces into Lety's office with more gossip: Fern is sequestered with Carla in his office. Lety says PM should inform all that there will be a meeting in the board room, with Marcia too. "This is gonna be one hot meeting!" says PM. "Not hot, a hell."

The cuartel is internally divided over the correct amount of time to spend in idle gossip. Some think 95%, some thing only 80% and Sara seems to be temporarily anti-gossip altogether. Code Red is called. Marcia sees them stampede off to the bathroom, where it's decided that for the sin of too much gossip Martha must give her sandwich to Alicia. She does. Alicia eats it.

The board room is tense with Marcia so angry. Lety suggests they not talk about what happened last night, but Marcia points out: "We seem to have a lot of trouble separating business from personal stuff."

Carla and Fern enter. Bitterly Marcia suggests Carla and Lety go at it to decide which of them will end up with Fern. Carla tries to be businesslike and says she'll be reaching 67% of the US market with the commercials - they should have another meeting one week later.

Unable to keep her mind on business, Marcia continues to voice ugly speculations.

Fern is about to say, in front of witnesses, that he loves Lety; he is extremely frustrated that Aldo suddenly enters. He mutters boorishly: "Aldo, you're only here because Andreu is forcing you on us." Aldo and Fern cutely squabble until Lety cuts them off. Carla says she's used to the way men behave.

Tomas approaches Alicia, who is as usuallying blush to her boobs (does she not have nipples any longer, since her plastic surgery?) and asks if she's paid her bill and gotten her cellphone back -- cause he needs his. She says, "No, the debt is unpayable, I'll need yours for at least another month." "Uh, well and then you'll give it back?" "I'm certainly not promising anything, but I'll do what I can..."

"... Oh, and Tomas, I have something to ask. My father promised to help me buy a car as good as the one I had, the one I lost forever." (Sobs and hams it up.)

"Oh, no Alicititita, the car, my car, your car, our car, your car, is at your disposal when you need it." She pumps her fist in victory. "No, Tomas, that can't be true -- because I need my car ALL the time, to go to work to go home, to ..." "Alicia, what a lack of confidence! I'll bring you and pick you up!" She agrees, patting his wispy tuft, and he shouts quietly, I have a chica!"

Carla's leaving for NY in the morning. Omar wants to move in on her; Fern cuts him off. What did this mean: "He's worse then Kekim of the tele." ?? The two of them fight and fall over each other trying to grab the tapes to give to Carla. Fern (or maybe Omar) falls into the Rubbertree plant.

Lety and Aldo meet over her desk. She's wondering if, now that Fern is free, Carla will take him to live in NY?

Coincidentally, outside Conceptos Carla is strongly proposing this idea to Fern at the very same moment. Fern says, though: "I still love Lety." "That's not what I wanted to hear." "In other circumstances ... I would have loved making out with you, you're incredibly sexy ... Carla, you are the first woman in my life with whom I have been completely honest. Adios."

They kiss - a little more passionately than Fern had intended. Celso watches and then intervenes. Carla: "I'd rather have you as a friend than stop seeing you altogether." She leaves. Celso: "Man to man, who could turn that down?"

Lety write the usual in her diary, concluding: "I want to go back to the beach with Aldo. [Flashbacks to their moonlit horseback ride.] Things are simpler there."

Fern comes back in from saying goodbye, he's whistling and dancing. Omar whispers: "There's lipstick on your mouth..." He drags Fern into their den where he proceeds to interrogate vigorously as Martha crouches outside listening.

Fern repeats patiently, over and over, that absolutely nothing happened with Carla, not in NYC, not at her hotel the previous night, no champagne. Omar fantasizes about champagne, looking Carla in the eyes, kissing like crazy, peeling off her little clothes... "When we were little we told each other everything - when we played Doctor..." Fern ignores him and sweetly prunes his bonsai tree as Omar scolds.

When Fern continues to say NADA happened, Omar says, "She is too much woman for you!" "No, I may be a little out of the game, but that's not it. She's a good friend and that's all." "Has Luigi infected you?"

Fern talks about being in love and Martha really wants to hear who he's in love with, but Sara appears. The cuartel decides: for Lety's own good, they will cause her to think Fern's in love with Carla - so she'll then give up on him and give in to Aldo.

(Omar: "You haven't had sex with anybody since Lety, it isn't normal." And finally a moment of brilliant clarity: "All the world knows you love the gargolita, now you need to tell HER!" "I said I'd leave her alone." "How long? Until Aldo convinces her and carries her away?")

Alicia bursts into Marcia's office to demand a gossip debriefing and to increase Marcia's misery. Marcia is hopeful: Lety is jealous of Carla so she won't give Fern another chance - Marcia will be able to win him back. "Where's your dignity? He said he doesn't love you!" Marcia plots: "Lety will leave here with empty hands, she won't have the business and she won't have Fernando."

Tomas wakes Lety from her daydreams and drags her to his office to figure out if there's enough dough to pay the first installment. Guess what, there isn't! Because Luigi's production costs are ridiculously high! Lety blames herself...

As the cuartel stampedes off to the bathroom for yet another Code Red, Fern overhears them say: "... plan of Lety and Aldo!" So he crouches to listen at the bathroom door and the golden circle of goodbye catches him in that undignified position.

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