Caray, Caray!

Update posted....

I’ll start with Ana, Paula’s mom, being overcome with distress and extremely upset when she heard that Samuel was dead. She doesn't understand why he did this. She saw him looking bad but she never imagined he do something like this. She decides that now nothing matters any more and what matters is that she loved Samuel and she deserves to mourn him so she wants to go to the viewing. Paula, upset because now she can’t ever tell him she was sorry for yesterday’s brat rant, and he died thinking she hated him, tries to talk her Mom out of going saying it's not a good idea. Her Mom says she'll go with or without her. Her Mom wonders again what could have led him to do this. Paula upset tells her that maybe it was her fault!

Nidia complains that her daughter is being too hard on her. She doesn't understand how she can accuse her so harshly as if she had no heart and wasn't suffering too. Juan consoles that she is just upset too and not to take it so hard because people say things they don't mean in times like this. Nidia praises how well his words console her and how appreciative she is that he is there for her as she slides herself all over him.

Ok now I see it's at this point in the circus, uh, funeral viewing, Alirio Perfan, I think a lawyer and friend of the deceased shows up to console Nidia. He gives his greatest condolences and says he's at her services. He tells her this is quite a tragedy and that not to worry, he'll take care of all the bills.

He is of course over the top friendly to her and tells her that he is very happy to help her through this difficult time (I’m reminded of Aldo leaning over the desks at Lety). Nidia actually sort of repels him and reaches for Juan and introduces him to Perfan who is not exactly pleased that Juan will be living with them for a while. He does however introduce himself quite formally to Juan. Nidia tells Alirio she doesn't know what to do with the government people over there that are watching her. Of course he says leave it to me. I'll take care of them.

An apparent beau of Yadira, Enrique, shows up and wonders how her mother is doing. Yadi says very affected as you can see. He goes over to greet her and she begs him to fetch a mariachi band, oh yeah, and some spirits to lift hers. Nidia says that she wants to hear “la Negra.”


Meanwhile in the airport, Cesar Luis is shoving his wife off on a plane. She expresses her sadness that this happened and that Samuel was very important to the business and to her husband, and maybe she shouldn’t go just now. Cesar doesn't want her to sacrifice on his behalf that she has her projects etc. For some reason Cesar just keeps on telling her it's ok to go and she should not miss her flight. Fly Fly he says over and over. It seems for some reason he wants her gone.


Enrique comes back and tells the band to wait for him outside. He goes up to tell Nidia he brought the mariachis. Yadira argues with her and that this is not a party and it would be inappropriate for the mariachis to be there. Nidia says she doesn't want this to be a sad occasion. Yadira then tells her that Marely doesn't want them here and if they play one note she said she'll call the police.

Some how Juan offers to go out and take care of them. Nidia asks Enrique if he brought the other thing she asked. He slides her a bottle of something. We see her taking a swig clandestinely as she says she needs to be alone for a moment and walks off.

Alirio then tries to get info out of Yadira and wants to know if Juan is really a family member. She says yes, the nephew of her aunt. Arilio is concerned that this Fulano is not of a high enough class level to be part of their family. He mentions something about the outfit giving him a bad impression and Yadi says those are her Papi's clothes. She says something to the effect that he may not look high society but he's hot from head to toe. They discuss something about him causing jealousy if Enrique sees her talking to him and she says she doesn't care because he needs to learn he has no future with her anyway. Arilio wonders why she gives him false hopes then if that is true. She appears to deny the importance of that.


Ana and Paula are still arguing about going in. P tells A that it is imprudent to be here and that his wife and children and real family are there and this is not the right time for all of that. Ana is unconvinced and thinks she loved him too, for 25 years, and that none of that matters anymore and that she deserves just as much to say goodbye, because he was the great love of her life, besides he gave her the best most precious thing in her life, her daughter and as his own flesh and blood Paula should be there too to mourn her father. She loved him more than anyone in there anyway and Paula doesn't know anything about his life. Paula still doesn’t want to go there, because now her Dad is gone so none of this matters. The Mom is surprised that she calls him Papa after all these years now that he's gone. Paula minimizes that and tells her she feels really bad about this whole thing too. Ana final word is that she's going in and that's that.



While Juan is walking out to deal with the mariachis, Paula and her Mom walk right past him into the viewing. He smiles, surprised this woman has crossed his path again, realizing it was the woman he passed in the cab. He says something about her being a rose and having eyes of honey. He tells the band to wait while he thinks about this.

Now that's a riot. I think I'll try that in the middle of a task sometime. "No, wait just a second while I thought bubble this what if contemplation to myself. OK, I'm done. Where were we?"

He wonders what she could be doing here in the funeral home and he thinks she could be an angel to help bring the soul of the deceased on his way to heaven. He asks that when he dies that she takes his hand and lead him through his last moments.

Juan then gets back to the task at hand and tries to set the band up outside near the window so that they aren’t in the salon, but that they can still be heard. Outside, the mariachis start up with “La Negra” (the black or dark one – female). They are playing in the courtyard, and Juan Q is dancing a very folky dance with a handkerchief in his boots to the song outside with the band.

When Paula and Ana arrive to pay their respects to the coffin, Nidia, now having taken plenty of swigs, screams and starts yelling that this amante has no business here and that she should leave and leave her husband in peace. Ana tells her that she didn't respect her husband in life she can at least respect him in death. Over top of the coffin, she begins insulting Ana, to which Paula starts to defend her. She tells the dirty woman to leave and then Yadira gets involved defending her mother. Nidia wants to know who Paula is and what business she has interfering. Arilio tries to stave off the fight.

When Paula sees that this is not going to go well, she again tries to convince her Mama to leave, referring to her as Mama, to which Nidia now realizes that this is her husband’s offspring. Many more insults fly and Nidia says that Ana should listen to her little bastard and leave. At this Paula hauls off and whacks her a good one! Now that’s cajones!! Whacking a widow at her husband’s funeral!! Go Paula!

This craziness continues with the four of them clawing at each other over the coffin of the husband, spinning it around in their haste to get at each other. We flash to Marely, who is sad and crying and is not involved in all this cat bickering. Finally, though, she has had enough and she intervenes crying for them all to cut it out. They separate and move away from the coffin. Paula finally convinces her Mama to leave and Nidia recomposes herself and wants the mariachis to play. Marely just hugs her Papa’s coffin.

Paula has an "i told you so" conversation in the car after leaving the viewing. Mom sort of agrees. Paula gets mad now and says if these people want war, then war they will get.

La Negra

Negrita de mis pesares ojos de papel volando
Negrita de mis pesares ojos de papel volando
A todos diles que sí,
Pero no les digas cuando
Asi me dijiste a mi,
Por eso vivo penando

¿Cuando me traes a mi negra?
Que la quiero ver aquí
Con su rebozo de seda
Que le traje de Tepic.

¿Cuando me traes a mi negra?
Que la quiero ver aquí
Con su rebozo de seda
Que le traje de Tepic.

After the fight I think Nidia begs the mariachis to come inside after someone goes out to tell them they shouldn’t be outside and should go away.

She yells that this was her husband’s final wish to hear them, so that's what he's going to get, that it would make him happy and life goes on, and that they should all be celebrating and not crying. So, now inside, the mariachis play Cielito Lindo (Beautiful little heaven or sky) a very happy tune actually which tells us to sing and not cry!:

Cielito Lindo

De la Sierra Morena,
Cielito lindo,
vienen bajando
Un par de ojitos negros,
Cielito lindo,
de contrabando.

Ay, ay, ay, ay,
Canta y no llores,
Porque cantando se alegran,
Cielito lindo, los corazones.
Pajaro que abandona,
Cielito lindo, su primer nido,
Si lo encuentra ocupado,
Cielito lindo, bien merecido.

Ese lunar que tienes,
Cielito lindo, junto a la boca,
No se lo des a nadie,
Cielito lindo que a mi me toca.

Ay, ay, ay, ay,
Canta y no llores,
Porque cantando se alegran,
Cielito lindo, los corazones.



Nidia tries to get everyone to sing. Marely is apalled telling her Mom she hates her and says the mariachis shouldn't be playing this isn't a party and that's she's making a scene. Nidia says this is an homage to her Dad. M says this isn't an honor to her Dad it's an insult. Her sister tells her to stop being holier than thou and that this is who they are and she needs to shut up and take it or else the open door is right over there and she can be on her way.

Labels: Juan