Caray, Caray!

Dear Readers: Mil disculpas in advance because I’m giving you a slightly irregular recap tonight. I’m going out on travel for the next two weeks, half for business and half family visit. I’ll be reading, though, so I can keep up. Cheryl NM will be your sub, so thank in advance, Cheryl!

Poor Delirio, he don’t get no respect. No respect at all. He’s still in that elevator with Pastor and Ivonne behind him, and Pastor is commenting on how he’ll have to tell her more later because of the undesirables on the elevators. What’s more, it’s smelling pretty bad in this elevator, so he’ll have to get a memo sent out about bathing daily to all the staff, though he knows how much work it is for some of them. Delirio alternately rolls and closes his eyes and does his level best to ignore while Ivonne tries hard not to bust out laughing. Oops, too late. She’s busting out. The bell rings and she leaves, then Pastor shoves Delirio aside with a snide comment and leaves.

CL is at his slick best as he tells Paula she’s hallucinating. She’s the one who told him to quit pressuring him, poor schlep that he is. But, since when has he paid any attention to what she’s told him? He asks her permission to tell her she’s insufferable. [You don’t need hers, CL—you have ours.] They just need to stop talking, he thinks. They fuss a while, and then she escalates to screeching. Our suave CL keeps his cool. [He’s a pro, Paula, why are you working so hard at this?] He tells her she’s upset, and saying things he doesn’t like. Well, she’s saved the best for last. It’s best if they break up, forever. CL sighs, hangs his head mournfully, and generally gives an Emmy-worthy performance. That’s best, he thinks. They’ll do it her way. It’s pretty clear she can’t handle this situation. [Not his fault, por supuesto.] So, she’s right, they have to take radical measures. They agree it’s best for everyone and bid each other goodbye. CL turns toward the door and turns back (sort of like Columbo, the funky detective who always has one more innocuous question that trips up the killer later). He’s hoping this won’t affect the work. He wouldn’t, for example, like to find her fourth letter of resignation on his desk tomorrow. No, this ain’t gonna happen, she assures him with a pasted-on smile. Good. He leaves, and Paula picks up her desk blotter and throws it around a little, muttering about CL. He stands outside and throws a kiss to heaven, congratulating himself on this coup. Paula realizes she could have made a strategic error. [Ya think?]

Yadi is sitting in the living room, enjoying the day like any stay-at-home leech. She answers the phone and Gutis asks who he’s speaking with. Yadi wants to know who he wanted. He realizes it’s his quarry and says her name. He stammers and stutters and tells her it’s him. Bored, she asks how it’s going. It’s bad and it doesn’t please him a bit. She tells him Perafán is at the office. He wants to talk to her, though, because he’s heard she’s getting married. He wants to know if it’s true or not because he thinks that cockroach Perafán invented it. Gutis figured her for a decent girl who wouldn’t have to get married. She fusses at him and tells him not to bother her. He just still hopes he can convince her not to make a mistake. Yadi is incensed and hangs up. Wow, what timing, Mami’s getting home! Yadi is thrilled to see her. Nidia is not her usual bouncy self. Yadi wants to know if she gave out all the invites to the wedding, how’d it go? Nidia tells her “more or less.” Yadi knows something’s up here. The phone rings, and Nidia wants to know why she’s not answering. Yadi says she knows who it is, and asks her Mamá guess who it is. Nidia’s not for guessing games; she has a headache. What’s more, if it’s for her, she’s gone. The phone keeps ringing and Nidia goes upstairs, with Yadi trying to get her to talk. Later! Yadi is puzzled and the phone rings on….

Nidia sits down on the side of the bed, looking like she’s seen a ghost. [Well, she actually has. The ghost of Christmas Past, who may have left her a gift?] She remembers bumping into Angarita and looks like she’s close to tears.

Juan and Fern are discussing the bar for Kike’s wedding. It’s a special day, and Kike should have the best, Juan tells Fern. Nope, Fern tells him, half beer and half tequila. He’s adamant. Juan accuses him of being a skinflint (codo-stingy, from Sylvia’s list today), and Fern reminds Juan that Fern always ends up paying. Suddenly there’s CL, bright-eyed and busy-tailed, greeting Juan warmly. Juan is puzzled. He greets CL, and asks how’s it going. Never better, CL tells him with a wide smile. CL goes off and the smile turns to a disgusted scowl; Juan is just perplexed. He thought bubbles about the conversation, which doesn’t please him the least bit. Something’s fishy.

Kike runs up and asks how it’s going. They have to go to night school. Juan points out he has to wait for the Licenciada, what can he do if she hasn’t come down? Kike thinks Juan should ask her, otherwise he’ll have to go alone. Juan tells him to calm down and goes to ask.

Yadi is still sitting in the living room, waiting for whatever, when Marely gets home from work. She tells Marely she’s been waiting for her. Marely wants to know why. Yadi asks about Mami’s visit to the office; she came home muy strange and is now closed up in her room. Marely tells her about the guy Mami saw, and how Mami said she owes the guy money. Mami lost all her color when she saw him! Yadi isn’t buying it since they seem to have plenty from Papi’s inheritance. Marely thinks it could be, and explains that she thinks they’re living on Juan’s, hers and Delirio’s salaries. Now it’s all catching up with Nidia. Who knows who she got mixed up with and now has to pay the consequences, Marely tells Yadi. This guy came looking for her at the office. [Marely, honey, for a smart girl you aren’t thinking clearly on this.] Yadi doesn’t think this is it. She has a gut feeling (intuition) about it. She can’t say why, but it’s not a money problem; it’s just a hunch (corozonada) that Yadi has.

Juan bounds off the elevator, thought bubbling about how he needs to get to school on time. But, he’s about to be surprised. Paula looks disgusted to see him. Juan excuses the interruption but he wants to know how long she’ll be. He has class. She tells him to go to class, and she’ll take a taxi. He won’t hear it. He babbles on and she cuts him off and starts to screech. She tells him again to go to class. She wants to be calm, and be left alone. She especially doesn’t want to talk to him. He thought bubbles to himself about this turn of events, and tells her excuse me, but there’s no need talk to me like this. She yells at him, he’s just trying….she yells yet again and cuts him off. They fuss back and forth; she accuses him of playing the victim and he retorts that she can just stay with her venom and bitterness. She throws him out but tells him he has to stay until it suits her to come down to the garage and go home. He squares his jaw and tells her he’ll wait. Paula shakes her head as he leaves, like she’s not sure what she just did.

Juan goes back to the basement, where Kike waits nervously. Kike tells Juan let’s go, but Juan informs him that he can’t go until his boss decides to get her sorry okole down there to go. Juan is yelling up the stairs and Kike shushes him. Juan is not deterred and fusses about that woman. She’s just too high to deal with a lowly chauffeur. Kike reminds him they are friends. Juan says they WERE friends. He was necessary while she could use him, but when that’s done, there’s a dagger in the back. Kike tries to calm him and get Juan to explain what happened. Juan tells him nothing, except the Licenciada just made him remember the law of life, that she behaved like any big boss would with an overconfident (confianzudo) lowly chauffeur like him. The only person who lost his place was Juan. Kike looks mystified by this turn of events. Juan swallows hard. Real mean don’t cry.

Paula is still at work, and it’s dark outside. She’s talking to a doc on the phone, and finalizes an appointment for a consultation. Paula no sooner hangs up than her phone rings; it’s Ana, worried about her baby girl. Paula just says she’s awfully busy. Why? Ana wants to know if she should wait dinner for Paula. She says Paula should calm down, and Paula agrees; she’ll come home and they’ll talk. Ana’s happy.

Juan is still pacing the garage and stewing about the treatment Paula gave him, thought bubbling and scowling. Here he is, all overheated like a penguin in Acapulco. He’s confused and VERY angry. Could it be he’s lost all the ground he’s worked so hard to gain? Or, could he have miscalculated the real distance between him and her? What to do, what to do? Go into reverse? Nope. He’s not going to lost his dignity. Paula interrupts his reverie, polite for a refreshing change. She thought he’d gone to school. What? Didn’t she tell him to wait? But what about his class? He tells her that’s his problem (asunto mío, my business). They exchange chitchat, and Paula offers an apology. He tells her she doesn’t need to give explanations (and calls her Señorita). She’s frustrated and he thought bubbles about what she’s trying to do. It clearly won’t fly with him.

Kike is doing his level best to get Juan off the hook with the maestra, give him one more chance. She’s says Juan’s done well enough at times, but he’s not consistent. He didn’t leave her much latitude, though. Kike whines and begs prettily. [Does Juan have ANY idea how much he owes Kike? Probably not.] Okay, the maestra will listen to Juan, but no promises. Kike beams like a niño.

Juan lets Paula off at her home, going around the car and opening her door with military precision but no eye contact. She thanks him, and he tells her he’s at her orders. She’s going to take her own car in the morning, no need for him to come by for her. Whatever she’s arranged. She awkwardly tells him goodbye. He stands like a statue.

Later, at Ana’s and Paula’s dining room table, Paula tells Mami about her frustrations. In summary, she doesn’t understand men. [You could have asked any of us, we would have told you that around July 1]. Ana notes that she realizes this is the story of her life. But, has Paula ended everything with CL? Paula assures her mother she has. Period. Ana expresses her sorrow and Paula yells at her not to lie. They talk about Paula getting her calm back. [Just a thought: Paula’s usual “calm” has me convinced she took acting classes with Emilioooo. I’m just saying.] Paula hopes so because she doesn’t like the carousel of emotions. [Probably because you tend not to have any. Ever. Of course, emotions would give you frown lines.] Ana asks what about Juan. Paula sighs. It’s such a complicated topic. She tells Ana they had a little fight.

Kike tells Juan that finally, the teacher said she’ll listen to Juan. Judging by her tone of voice, she really wants to bounce you out (dar cuello-eliminate). Juan, who has always gotten by with his delightful looks and charming personality, is muy impactado.

Nidia is lying on her bed, breathing deeply as Yadi comes in to find her. Yadi strikes her pose with crossed arms and all, and wants to know who she ran into at Farell. Oh, you talked with your sister? Yup. She tells Mami that Marely related a strange story about Nidia running into someone she owed money to. It’s the truth, Nidia tells her. Yadi isn’t buying it. It may work for her clueless (pasmada - bewildered, astonished) sister, but not for Yadi. Nidia retorts and tries to divert Yadi’s attention—it’s all a drama with these girls, but Yadi won’t let her and wants to know again what’s going on. She pleads with Nidia to confide in her, trust her. Nidia looks startled and then resolute.

Juan and Kike are at the school, but out in the commons. Juan yells at Kike about the unfairness of it; Profesora Sabogal is bitter. He rails about the situation. Kike counsels him in how to behave. Juan will need to grovel and apologize. He fusses at Juan about how Juan’s fixation on the Licenciada has brought this about. Juan doesn’t want him to rub lemon in the wound. Kike talks at him some more, telling Juan he’s acting like a high school kid. Juan wants to know what he’s supposed to do now. Kike tells him to use his lip, and describes all Juan’s verbosity and charm working for him with the Profa. Juan’s not sure. He’s fed up with begging everyone.

Nidia wants Yadi to cease and desist. She owes a guy money, that’s it. Yadi scoffs. She tells Mami to watch out, she doesn’t know what mess Mami’s involved in, but watch herself. Nidia says nothing’s going to happen; she just needs to pay the guy and that’s that. Yadi wants to know about the wedding that Nidia’s putting on for her. Everyone’s going to wonder about the money Nidia had to make it happen. Nidia breaks the new gently to Yadi that they’ll need to make it a bit simpler. Yadi is totally incensed and they fuss about their vastly differing expectations for The Wedding. What, Nidia asks, you can’t tell me you didn’t suspect this? Nidia pontificates that marriage is a sacrament and the celebration is of lesser importance. Fat chance Yadi’s going for that. She’s feeling Deprived. Nidia tells her not to raise her voice to her mother. Yadi is righteously indignant because she Can’t Believe Her Mother Would Do This To Her. Her mother is going to have to do better than that (pasaste, from pasar, one meaning is do better than that.) Yadi runs out crying and slams the door.

Juan stands in his best Humble Stance, apologizing to the Profa. She is not interested and fusses at him. He tries to interrupt, but she tells him everyone has a special case. You think you’re the only one? They go back and forth and finally she hammers in the final blow; Why do you think students come at night? Because they have day jobs, and lots of them have children to boot. They work all day, leave the children at home and get to class on time so eventually they’ll have a better future. She tells him he’s lost out for this semester, not to stay for this period, and she doesn’t want to see him around these parts again. Juan is very, pero very, downcast.

Yadi isn’t sitting on a chair in the living room any more. She’s on the steps instead. Delirio greets her warmly, as always, as he comes in from work. She is not in the mood. There’s nothing good about the evening. She scathingly tells him to get Gutis off her case. Tell him not to call, not to look for me! Delirio tries to pacify her. He’s not in charge of this guy’s wishes. She yells that she doesn’t care how he does it, but he’d better convince this guy or he’ll have consequences. He’d better get this little problem resolved or she swears this house will become an inferno for him. What? More than it is? Yep, more! She calls him ridiculous old man and he mutters as she stalks off upstairs.

Soon after in the master bedroom, Delirio attempts to take control of his life by greeting Nidia. Since she’s lying on the bed with an eye mask, she’s not making eye contact. She doesn’t know what’s good about the evening, either. Delirio comments on the atmosphere in the house; it’s cloying. He tells her he had a problem with the daughter. Nidia takes the mask off and wants to know which daughter. This time it was Yadira, the epitome of feminine tenderness. He points out that her daughters don’t give him the least bit of respect. Nidia points out that respect has to be earned, it cannot be demanded. She asks him to respect her headache. He assures her with pleasure he’ll respect her headache, but who’s going to respect his heartache? Everyone in this house wounds his heart! Nidia gets up and goes to lock herself in the bathroom. Perhaps it has a loud fan.

Juan complains to Kike that everything is going badly for him. Kike tells him that it’s all because of his love for Paula. What good has it been for him to be at this woman’s back? Only for him to suffer. Juan argues there have been moments of great joy, lovely times. Kike points out they’ve been d*** few moments. Every time it hits Juan harder. Juan realizes he’s right. This woman has stolen all his joy. Kike wants to know why he doesn’t forget her once and for all. Let everything get back to normal in a flash (en un tris, in a moment). Juan reminds him of a talk they had one night (in a bar, IIRC) when Juan told Kike exactly these words and Kike told Juan that you can’t choose to love. Love comes when you least expect it, not according to a specific hour or date on a calendar. When you fall in love you become a slave. Kike tells Juan he’s right, and we hear Palomita in the background.

Fern is in a bar, asking the girl who’s tending the bar to call and ask for Nidia. Delirio answers the phone in his striped jammies with his socks on. The bartender asks as requested, and Delirio wants to know who’s calling. It’s a friend. Delirio tells her to hold on, because the Sra. is indisposed. [My hubby would just tell the caller I’m in the bathroom. That’s how deaf culture works.] He goes to call Nidia to the phone. Nidia wants to know who it is. “A friend (female).” Why, Nidia, were you expecting someone? The bartender hands Fern the phone. Nidia tap-dances her way through an awkward moment. Fern is puzzled, and irritated because they won’t see each other as planned. Nidia says goodbye in English with a “besote” (I kiss you). She looks sideways toward Delirio who is still standing, hands on hips, listening and watching suspiciously as she hangs up on a not-too-happy Fern. Delirio asks who it was. Nidia rolls her eyes and tells him it’s a lover of hers, calling from a bar. He asked a waitress to ask for her. Well, it’s that we had a date, but since you got home early, I couldn’t go out. She shrugs sarcastically. Delirio, equally sarcastic, tells her how amusing the Sra. is. At your age, making jokes about such a serious thing. He scoffs. She shrugs with a “qué, Yo?” look.

Monica is telling Laura about how Paula got all involved with a chauffeur (and here we thought she was so egalitarian), and imagine her involved with CL. In the beginning, he did it half as a game, half serious. But she was involve with a chauffeur. Laura can’t believe it. Moni continues: imagine this, she’s confused about her feelings. She doesn’t know how to decide between CL and a chauffeur. Laura scoffs at this incredible truth. Moni has decided to get Juan on her side. He’s just as much a victim here as she is. Laura wants to know how she’s going to go about it. With patience. She’s in no rush, Moni tells Laura. Moni thinks that with Juan on her side, things are going to be much more difficult for Paula and CL. And Much Easier for Moni.

Paula is having her blood pressure checked by the silver-haired doc, and describing her anxiety and tension. No examining room here, just his office and she’s in the chair across from his desk. Is this how it’s done south of the border? He’s got all his degrees and certificates on the wall, too, so we know he’s legit. He remarks that she’s had strong emotional changes she hasn’t had time to process. He goes back to his seat and tells her she needs therapy [and we hope she isn’t paying too much for what we would have told her for free]. He can help her assess her situation. He’s going to give her a scrip, too, but one thing: no booze. By gosh, she’s got a cami on and almost no serious décolletage. How did we miss that under her suit jacket at the office?

Juan is in his workout clothes, doing rapid pushups military-style. Whew, be still my heart. He thought bubbles that back home in these situations exercise always helped him. [Juan, rest assured your exercise will help calm me, too].

CL is still at the office or is it tomorrow? No, we find it’s Juan thought bubbling while he does pushups about the following weeks when a tense kind of calm prevailed. As he thinks about those times, we see our lives—or someone’s lives—passing before our eyes. CL tensely meeting Paula in the lobby at Farell, never speaking, and turning away toward their offices….Monica looks down from the mezzanine above worriedly as Juan continues to describe those weeks.

Juan’s reverie continues as he muses in the Farell garage that some days he brought the Licenciada to work, and others she drove herself. [Lots of time on his hands, but apparently downsizing to create efficiencies isn’t a problem at Farell.] Juan and the boys watch Paula pull away.

Sometimes Juan drives, and the next passing scene tells us that Paula works in the car instead of talking to Juan so he can keep telling us how those weeks went. Since the night of the discussion, he advises us, things have definitely chilled between them (enfriaron). He had no way to pick them up again.

He continues that Yadi and Nidia were engaged in a war to the death….and we see he means they’re pretendercizing with Yadi grabbing Nidia’s ankles as Nidia brings them up into the air off the bench she’s lying on. Meanwhile, Juan tells us, Delirio is still training and exercising, while Juan has no idea the enemy he wants to deck is Pastor. Back at Farell, Juan continues, Fern is a growly bear (peor genio – worse temper). The boys are aware that Nidia had something to do with it—she hit him hard. But Juan’s blows were worse.

Kike’s bachelor party, Juan confides, was a disaster. We see him with Fern on one side and Kike on the other, watching a stripper who’s up on a coffee table doing her thing, and the boys are totally unmoved by the scene in front of them. Empty glasses and full bowls of snacks litter the table with bottles of beer. This group has about as much joie de vivre as the group on the front porch in Hee Haw used to have. Maybe even the dogs on that porch had more than these three.

Finally, Juan is home in bed, crossing himself, and concluding that he felt his story with the Licenciada had gone sour (en picada). It was only a matter of time before this noble love (amor sublime) died a natural death. He turns out the lights.

Oh, Juan’s not done yet. As we stand outside the court building, he tells us that there were still lots more things to happen. and one was going to be the best thing, or better said, the worst. We see CL and Moni sitting in front of the judge’s desk. The judge is advising them of the law, and telling them because of their business partnership, he’s compelled to ask them if they really understand the implications of a permanent separation. If their differences aren’t too great, there’s still time to save their marriage. CL looks like he has heartburn, and Moni bites her lip. CL looks away, off into space.

The judge continues –he wonders if either them has anything to say. CL starts….”yo….” Moni snaps her head to look at him. “No.” Moni looks back a little sadly. CL says the decision is made, and Moni says she does have something to say, even if it won’t change a thing. She wishes him peace, and tells him she thinks he’s committing the worst error of his life. Sooner or later he’ll realize. He looks like a block of wood. After the life they have built, she continues, he’s going to leave it all behind for a passing adventure. And the worst of it is, there’s no going back, because he’s causing wounds that no one, ever, can heal. His face is blank but we know him well enough to know he might be a trifle uncomfortable. She finishes by hoping that he will realize before it’s too late. CL recovers whatever bit of discomfort he may have had for a nanosecond and asks if that means she isn’t signing off. No, she will sign. She’s a woman of her word, although her entire world is crumbling (derrumbando, collapsing). He looks off at the side as she looks down in front of her. “Where do I sign?” The judge gives her the papers; she signs (left-handed), then the judge indicates where he needs to sign. CL hesitates, looks at Monica, sighs, then signs. Monica is close to tears again.

As some marriages end, others begin. Kike and Juan are at the church and Kike comes bounding toward Juan, humming Lohengrin: Act 3: Treulich gefuhrt ziehet dahin (Bridal Song, just thought you’d like that trivia). He tells Juan there are only last minute thing left to arrange, and he’s jubilant as the Mendelssohn Wedding March starts in the background (they’ve got it coming and going in just two bars here). They exchange chitchat about the impending wedding, and Juan assures Kike all will be well. “Look who’s talking! Pessimist number one.” Okay, Juan tells him, but Juan’s made a decision. What? Is Juan finally going to forget….and look someplace else? No, on the contrary, if Paula doesn’t make the first step tomorrow, Juan will. He just can’t keep playing this infantile game. He’s dying to be with her, to talk with her. Kike tells him to stop that already. Well, at best she might be thinking like me, Juan tells Kike. The uncertainty is killing him. If nothing happens today, tomorrow at Kike’s wedding Juan Dominguez, native of Chichipico, is going to bite the bullet (let his guard down).

At the lobby desk in Farell, Julia is spilling her guts about the guy who ran into Marely’s mother. The other lobby lizard is behind Julia’s desk listening, and Marely is standing in front, getting the full scoop. Julia tells Marely he’s Pastor’s brother. Moni and CL get off the elevator and we hear Julia’s chisme fade into the background as Moni remarks that like she said in court, she hopes he’s made the best decision. He abruptly says he’s made it. She congratulates him on the indifference he’s adopted. He tells her it’s difficult for him, too (no eye contact). Does she want Fern to take her some place? No. She’s got some things to do in the office, then she’ll go. She wants to walk a while. Monica starts away and CL takes her wrist to make her turn back—is she going to be all right? She points out it’s not like she finalizes a divorce every day.

Marely realizes something’s up; she cuts Julia off mid-sentence and runs to Paula’s office. Paula whines that Marely startled her. Marely says CL just arrived with Monica, and Paula thinks maybe they’ve reconciled. No way! Marely overheard them say they’d finalized their divorce!

Yadi’s getting a final fitting for her wedding gown. Yadi wants to know who’s taking her down the aisle. Well, Alirio, of course. He’s the man of the house, Nidia scoffs. Yadi’s not having any of that. This guy leaves her cold. If we want the man of the house, that’d be Juan. Nidia looks worried—how could they be so rude to Alirio? [No problem at all with that, if you ask me]. Yadi offers to tell him. Nidia says thanks, but no thanks and begs a little for Yadi to get with the program. Yadi says if it’s Alirio, she’s not getting married.

Paula is leaning against a credenza behind her desk, décolletage in full bloom. What does she care if they got divorced? Don’t mess with me, Marely tells her. Marely knows she’s plenty interested. Paula says she’s Wrong. Are you sure? Marely wants to know, arms crossed and looking doubtful. Yep. She explains her position to Marely, which we all know is totally bogus. Marely gives her a look. Paula tells Marely she wants to stop this chitchat and get back to work. Marely gives up for the moment.

Kike is worried that if they don’t buy the suit (tacuche, from my Mexican usage dictionary), he’ll never get it. Time’s running out. Juan wants to know why he just can’t use the suit he used for confirmation? Nope, Kike wants to wear it for the first time (estrenar). Juan’s mind is on if the Licenciada may need him. Kike wants to get the suit, accessorize, and make an impact. Kike talks him into calling for permission to be gone a while to help Kike get his suit. Juan goes to call upstairs while Kike beams and babbles.

Paula and Marely work on some documents; the code doesn’t belong with another, why? Because one’s a quotation and one’s an actual invoice. Paula isn’t concentrating; she has no head for it. Marely wants to know if it’s because of what she’s thinking it is. The phone rings. Paula doesn’t want to take the call but tells Marely to tell Juan he has the afternoon off. Kike is bouncing up and down like a puppy. Juan knows that Paula is avoiding him, he’s not stupid. Kike tries to calm him and reassure him, he doesn’t want Juan to get depressed now. What does he want? Juan is hurting a lot. Kike tries to get Juan to go, and Juan snaps at him because Kike isn’t helping with his suffering. Fern comes along and wants to know what’s up. Kike says they’re going shopping. Kike is getting muy anxious. Couldn’t this wait till later? Fern tells them the latest: CL and Monica finalized the first paperwork things for their divorce. Fern describes the tears. He’s never seen her cry before. Juan thought bubbles that he divorce is real now. He asks God to give him strength.

CL tells Pastor he’s not sure if he’s taken the most important step of his life, or made a world-class mistake (stupidity the size/tamaño of the world). Pastor empathizes, and CL says he’s left with neither of the women. Pastor wants to know what his hard line and indifference with Paula have brought? CL says she’s tougher than he thought. She’s arrogant (soberbia), proud, and doesn’t seem to bend. Pastor gives more of his excellent advice, which so far is working so well.

Juan and Kike are walking around in the store, and Juan is complaining that his soul is giving up. He thinks CL’s divorce is dangerous for him. Kike isn’t understanding, and Juan explains there is no obstacle now to Paula ending up with CL. Now that he is free, he’ll enter the fray full force. [Gee, Juan’s tie is almost the right length tonight, but it wasn’t earlier in the capítulo. Is this a sign of something? A social statement?] Kike advises Juan that she just doesn’t suit him. She’s made Juan suffer and she Doesn’t Love You, he tells Juan. Kike wants to know what he has to do to convince Juan. Juan fusses at Kike that no one, since he was born, can tell Juan Dominguez about women. Kike says he can’t discuss it with Juan more. Juan grabs him back and dares Kike to tell him what an imbecile, romantic, he is, a miserable chauffeur who looked too high. Juan babbles on and Kike stops him. Juan lightens up and takes a kid-size tux; he tells Kike it’s probably too big.

Pastor is still advising CL. Hablablablabla. CL should take his game to an extreme. Compel her to give up her pose as a dignified woman. How? Take a risk. What risk? Pastor stands up, takes a deep breath, and prepares to give him the Plan du Jour.

Laura lets Monica into the apartment. Moni is crumbling. [I’ve been there; I recognize the signs.] Moni is crying that she shouldn’t have done it, shouldn’t have signed. She still loves him. [Qué the heck for?] She collapses on Laura’s shoulder, and Laura comforts her. Moni says all she needs now is the wedding—the wedding of CL with this stupid woman. Laura puts her arm around her friend and holds her while Moni cries.

CL comes into Paula’s office, wanting to know if she’s very busy. No, it’s fine. [Interesting how her suit matches his tie. She could borrow his tie to cover that décolletage.] He wants to talk to her. About what? CL supposes she’s heard about his divorce. They met, etc….he’s just waiting for the documents. She tells him she didn’t know. CL says “I did it,” and looks at her meaningfully. She tells him she’s sorry. CL replies he’s made a decision he thinks she should know—he’s leaving the country, going to Spain. Paula is Impactada, of course.

Monday: Paula tells Ana about CL’s divorce, and Ana is Impactada, too. Must be genetic. Ana wonders if Juan has another chance. Juan wonders if Juan has another chance.

(Vocabulary is in the text, and I may have time on the road to edit it and put it down here, if not, more disculpas).

Jeanne

Labels: Juan