Caray, Caray!

CL informs Marely that he will butt in, er, join her for lunch with Paula. Mari is distressed and not pleased. Meanwhile an unsuspecting Paula is at the restaurant telling the waiter that she expects "someone" to join her.

Over at Angarita's house Anga has told Nidia he loves her but to leave him in peace for a while. After she leaves he calls Delirio and invites him over for a show down. Instead of leaving Nidia hides behind a table. Anga doesn't see her and comments that women with so much love will drive a man crazy little by little. Nidia mutters something about him being a traitor and wanting to see his face. (?)

Juan visits some guy's office. I think he's selling the contest because he makes hourglass figures with his hands. During the meeting he thought bubbles that he had an uplifted heart thinking about his future with his little dove. At that time little did he imagine the Chubasco that was about to drop. (Note: The Chubasco is a sailor's dread. It is a nasty and violent squall that arrives without warning, usually in the Sea of Cortez. Winds typically are 20-30 knots but it's not unusual for them to hit 50-60 knots. Luckily Chubascos are typically of short duration, but a lot of damage can occur in a short period of time, especially if one is unprepared for the hit.)

As he drives to the restaurant CL tells Mari that she seems nervous. She denies it but nervously answers that Paula can be very delicate when it comes to surprises.

Juan has finished the big sell and is on his way to the restaurant. Unfortunately he has hailed the taxi from hell. The cabbie won't be hurried and tells Juan that he has his own rhythm (i.e. slow). Poor Juan only wants him to hurry a bit but the cabbie becomes sarcastic and tells Juan to shut his trompa (snout, schnozzle). Juan asks, "and is it you who'll shut me up?" The obnoxious cabbie pretends to quake, "ooh, I'm scared!" He stops the cab and they have a stare-down, Juan scowls and Obni-Cabbie grins.

The Achi Lovelies meet their tour driver in the hotel lobby. The Maestra wants to go to Xochimilco. (Remember this place? It's where nasty old Bertha of Heridas de Amor lost her fingers and met her unhappy fate at the Isla de las Muñecas.) Naturally Lorena doesn't want to go, but Maestra and the other Lovely vote against her. Hooray for democracy! Delfina shows up and sadly announces she is love sick. The two nice lovelies grab her and off they go for their tour, begrudgingly followed by Lorena.

Over at Anga's Nidia has fallen asleep behind the table. The doorbell wakes her. She answers, perhaps thinking it's Anga, but it's Delirio and they are mutually impactados. He calls her perfidious. (I love that word.)

Obni-Cabbie calls Juan out and they argue outside the cab in front of a growing crowd. Obni-Cabbie calls Juan a chicken and flaps his arms. We all know Juan could easily pound this little dude into the ground but Juan has other priorities. He tells Obni to cut it out, he's in a hurry. He thought bubbles that his honor is at stake, but as important so is his life and his future. His Palomita awaits.

The Palomita awaits. Suddenly, to her unpleasant surprise, Mari and CL join her. "What are you doing here?" she asks CL.

"What are you doing here?" Nidia asks Delirio. He says he could ask her the same question, acting all lady of the house. They argue, she tries to push him out, he refuses to leave and surprises her by revealing that her little friend Anga invited him. She tells him that Anga is sick but at that moment Anga walks out of the bedroom and confirms that yes, he did ask Delirio over for a meeting. Delirio gloats.

After a few very uncomfortable moments at the restaurant Mare reads Pau's signals and leaves Pau and CL alone. CL tries telling Pau he came to surprise her but she doesn't buy it. "Tell me the truth. What are you doing here?" she demands. They have a glare-down.

Back at the cab Juan still has not thrashed the cabbie who, by the way, has now rolled up his sleeves to reveal his anemic biceps. Juan calls him a lump with feet and in desperation says yeah yeah, you're strong, I'm afraid, now let me the hell out of here. He pays the cabbie, reconsiders for a moment whether he should pound this toad, then finally strides off in disgust. The cabbie taunts him by calling Juan a monkey, a gorilla, a zacatón. (I'm not sure if this is what the cabbie meant, but a zacatón is a famous deep cenote or sinkhole, I would love to dive there sometime!).

CL admits to Pau that he came expecting to find Juan Dominguez there. He's dying of jealousy. Pau goes on the attack and asks him does he see Juan anywhere around? (What the viewer sees is Mari standing outside fretfully looking around.) Pau scolds CL while managing to cast furtive glances outside.

Anga tells Nidia he's glad she's there because they all need to discuss something. Nidia and Delirio start to get into it but Anga, the voice of reason, shushes them. He asks, to get to the point and without preamble, how much does Delirio want for Nidia's freedom? Nidia is bug-eyed impactada.

CL acts contrite (Faker!) and Pau acts holier-than-thou (Liar!). She says she doesn't want to eat with him so who will leave, he or she?

Delirio postures, his marriage is sacrosant, la-dee-da. Anga tells him to cut the act, he knows all about Samuel's will and Nidia and Delirio's role in it, so back to the point, how much does Delirio want to rectify this absurd situation?"Absolutely nothing!" answers Delirio, "My love for Nidia is not for sale." He waxes poetic for a while, it's even a bit touching. "She is my dear wife and only the hand of God can separate us." Nidia, rushing over and spinning him around, breaks the mood by announcing "But I don't love you!" He tells her if he can't have her then nobody can, what does she think of that? Not much judging by the look on her face.

Mari intercepts Juan outside the restaurant and prevents him from barging in. They see CL depart and Juan asks Mari what's up? She tells him to go in and ask Pau. Juan asks the Santo Niño de Atocha for help.

Pau is obviously happy to see Juan. She smiles but evades his kiss. She has something to tell him. Then she stalls by talking about CL and poor Mari. Juan opens his hands and asks "so what's the problem?" Pau evades the question and makes small talk. Juan tells her he's been waiting for good news from her ever since she left Achichipico. Heh, he's going to be waiting longer than he thought!

Anga and Nidia weigh their options. Clearly Delirio won't give her up, not even for Ali Baba's treasure. Anga suggests divorce but Nidia says Delirio would rather confess all and see her in jail. Anga firmly says in that case there is only one solution, Nidia has to confess to Las Davila. It won't be easy but her fate is in her own hands.

Pau takes forever to get to the point. Since she left Achi her circumstances have changed. Juan begs her to come clean, please no more evasiveness! After letting him proclaim his love once more and making him beg again she finally answers. She's pregnant! She and CL are expecting a child.

Excuse me please while I fast forward through this next painful scene of a pitiful Juan asking if she's sure, of Pau saying things have radically changed and her pregnancy was a surprise (?), that the only thing they can do is accept their fates, of Juan saying he would be a father to her child, that he will die without her and never be happy, of him weeping and kissing her hands and telling her he wants to feel her skin for the last time.

Juan wishes Pau all the best before running out to Mari. He cries that it's all over and then yells at Mari for not telling him. Poor Mari, she just keeps getting the short end of the stick.

Mari rushes in to comfort her sis and Pau blubbers some more...Misery, Blame, blah blah blah, she's so sorry.

Nidia comes home to find Delirio catching flies. She tells him to shut up and stop his stupidities, she has something definite to say.

Yadi and Profe Nacho make their only appearance in tonight's show. They walk along eating ice cream and Yadi says he has treated her marvelously. Not only did he defend her from his wife but he invited her for ice cream and is spending his important time with her. (And the baby.) She caresses his face where wifey smacked him and says she's sorry. He tells her not to give up on school, to fight tooth and nail for her dreams. They get kind of goo-goo eyed. He wants to walk her home but she declines as her husband will be jealous. "What a woman," he remarks as she leaves, "sweetness in person." (Ha ha, if he only knew Yadi like we do!)

Delirio tells Nidia he's had enough of her vituperations and jokes at his expense. She can cry, scream, beg, throw herself on the floor, but there is no price that he will accept for a divorce. Fine, she says, then she'll be forced to do the extreme; she doesn't have much time left in this life. He blathers and postures and calls Anga a troglodyte with a machete while he, (insert full name here), has perseverence and education! Nidia retorts that's why the world despises him, because he's a loathesome crow-buzzard (cuervo ratonera, I guess that's what it means). Everyone hates his attitudes and that's why he'll never have her love!

Our poor disconsolate Juan lumbers down the street. Uh oh, who should drive up but the Obni Cabbie. "Hola little friend," he yells, honking and taunting. The fool even has a fare in the cab! He stops and asks Juan if he wants to go to the beauty salon to have his lion's mane styled, or maybe to buy some roses?

That's all Juan, in his funk, needs to hear. He tries to pull the cabbie from the vehicle but the cabbie drives off, leaving Juan to kick the departing cab in frustration. Juan curses the idiot taxista and thought bubbles that he doesn't want to drown in anger or he might end up writing his sad memoirs from a jail cell. He tells his white dove to sing, God knows how much he loves her. "Sing, dove, sing, while my soul cries."

His Palomita cries on Mari's shoulder. Boo hoo, she's stuck with CL and she wants to be with Juan. She feels like she's the worst woman in the world. (You are, you are!!) Mari sweetly consoles her saying nobody thinks that." (But we do, we do!!) Pau insists she is the worst, not only did she kill her own dream but she killed Juan's too. She'll be miserable to CL and to her own child, the most innocent of all. She is a Complete Failure as a woman. Mari tries to comfort her, the picture looks bleak but it will look better, Pau's not a failure, blah blah say the right thing and pat the hand.

Juan is awash in a wave of memories...the first time he saw Pau, some happy times, making love times, her marriage to CL, and his own fantasies. He finds himself in a church where he does his funny curtsy. He asks if God is laughing at him. Maybe things are happening for the benefit of all, but there is one poor man, a fool and a blockhead, who cannot see as far as God. He asks God to show him a ray of light, or even lend a hand to help support the pain that is eating away his soul. Juan prays that he feels very alone and he asks God one last thing, please don't let go of his hand.

Labels: Juan