Caray, Caray!

Antonia tells Soledad that she went for a walk. Soledad can’t believe she was walking for all the time she was gone and moreover Antonia smells of tobacco and alcohol. Antonia laughs offs the idea. She tells Soledad that she is so happy the baby is back, that Daniel has left guards outside so that they are all safe and oh by the way, Daniel is a great guy. Soledad says that is the only thing they talk about here. Antonia now reveals to Soledad some of what Dr. Dan confided to her as George the pianist: that Dr. Dan is dying of love for Soledad; that he loves her with all his heart and with him, she would never be heartbroken; she is sure that he would give his life for her. Antonia asks Soledad to think about it.

At the Hacienda, Alcides is, what else, eating nuts. Hercu-less comes in and reports that he arranged for the letter that Alcides gave him to be mailed in Alcala and it will be delivered tomorrow morning. “Perfect,” Alcides says to him, “Go get some rest.” Herc leaves. Alcides says that now no one will suspect that Michelle is dead. Now he needs a way to get Dr. Dan out of his way.

Margot is in bed alone. She has multiple flashbacks to things that happened yesterday. She can’t understand why she keeps thinking about Arturo. Herc comes in. They kiss. Herc asks her what happened. She tells him that she told Arturo that she missed Herc and he let her go. Now she is his, only his.

Alcides is obsessed with nuts. Hugo is obsessed with fruit. Hugo is having breakfast and remarks on how sweet the raspberries are (‘Qué tal la dulzura de estas frambuesas’). His neighbor’s daughter gave them to him. He says that today he is going to forge a special sword to give to Michelle. Boris says that Hugo looks happy today and ready to formalize his relationship with Michelle. “I can’t continue to be committed to something impossible, Boris,” says Hugo, “Soledad and I can’t be.” There’s a knock at the door. Boris takes delivery of a letter from Michelle to Hugo.

Soledad is in her ‘mine cave in’ yellow dress. She tells Ursula that Hugo should see the baby before he leaves to find Michelle. Ursula asks if it is just the baby that Hugo should see. Soledad gives her a look and Ursula says that it will give her an opportunity to see Boris.

Ester is sewing and Antonia comes in and says good morning. Ester asks where Antonia was last night. Antonia spins a tale of a rich friend of Paquito’s who wants to learn to play the piano but only at night. Ester asks his name and Antonia says, Oscar Sand. She produces the money that she earned and Ester is impactada. Antonia says that she promised to maintain the house.

Hugo is carrying around the letter unopened. Boris asks if he is going to read it. Hugo says that he has a strange feeling that this letter is going to change the rest of his life. Hugo notes that it was postmarked two days ago; the day that Michelle disappeared. Hugo reads the letter aloud:

Dear Hugo: I can’t express in words what I feel in my heart. I want to be yours but I can’t. First, because I feel that I am hurting Soledad. Second, because I see in your eyes that you have never stopped loving her. (Soledad and Ursula have come into the room behind him.) I was yours for the first time and it was beautiful but in your eyes and on your lips Soledad’s name was always there. As long as she is between us, we will never be happy. Not her, not you and not I. (Hugo gives a big sigh and put the letter down.) He says that is why she left San Marino without saying goodbye to me. He turns and sees Soledad standing there. Soledad tells Hugo that she couldn’t help overhearing him read the letter (she could have knocked). She says that Michelle was completely right to leave. Hugo says that he wasn’t expecting her. “You told me you were leaving town to find Michelle,” says Soledad, “I brought the baby so you could say goodbye to her.” Ursula has actually brought the blanket named Aurora but Hugo dutifully kisses it. Soledad starts to cry. She says the letter is horrible. Michelle must be suffering so much. Michelle is Soledad’s friend. She has been with Soledad in her worst times. “She saved my life,” says Hugo, “Thanks to her and Dr. Dan, I’m cured of catalepsy. But she has made her decision.”
S: Pushed by us, Hugo. It’s our fault. You need to go and talk to her. You must convince her that it’s not true; that’s she wrong.
H: No. No, Soledad. It’s true. However much we try and deny it.
S: No. There is no future for us. Out of respect for all the people around us: Dr. Dan, Michelle, my family and even Alcides, who have all been trying to persuade me, we have to separate. We have to take different roads. Please. You have to look for Michelle. Try to be happy with her – for us.
H: And you?
S: I know what I have to do. Goodbye Hugo.
Hugo suffers.

Alcides is lurking outside the Obragon house. He says that the only way to get past the security is to kill the guards. He says that there must be another way to get to the treasure.

Paquito tells Pierre that the opening of the cabaret was a big success. He is going to be rich. Pierre gives him the receipts and the bills and goes to bed. Paquito sees something on the couch behind him. He uncovers Deborah, one of his waitresses. She is dead. What a problem! (I may not have mentioned in yesterday’s recap that Deborah was the waitress serving Arturo at the cabaret.)

Hercu-less wakes up alone in bed. He calls for Margot. He wonders where she went so early. Margot is at the foot of Arturo’s bed. Arturo is dreaming a flashback to the May 2 episode when he vowed to wipe out Alcides and his family. Here is how I recapped that scene:

>>>Arturo is instructing his men on what they are to do: show no mercy and leave no witnesses. Gladis asks him what’s going on and why everyone is armed. Arturo tells her to get back to the kitchen; this is a guy thing (good luck there, Arturo. We know who really wears the pants in your family). Gladis demands to know what he is planning. Arturo says that he is going to kill Alcides and all his family, all of them. Gladis is impactada. She tries to get him to change his mind. Surely, as an intelligent man, he can think of a better way to get his money back than killing everyone? Once they are all dead, how is he going to get his money anyway? Arturo says he will plunder the hacienda. Gladis asks if he wants to spend the rest of his life in jail but Arturo says that he has the authorities under his control.<<<

Arturo wakes up and sees Margot. He asks what she is doing there.

Eloisa (in an amazing green dressing gown with huge ruched sleeves and her hair down) says that Alcides must have something very important to tell her to come this early.
Alcides says that it is hot in here. He takes off his coat. He can’t get to the treasure. However, someone with access to the Obragon house could do so. He wants to make a deal: Eloisa will go into where the treasure is and take the money they need. Eloisa is impactada.

Hugo is in the forge. He appears to be making a sword while the ‘Mi sufrimento,’ song is playing. In no time at all, he has a beautiful polished sword with a fancy gold hilt. “Soledad was right,” he says, “My future is with Michelle. Michelle, my belle.”

Dr. Dan has come to take Soledad to the hospital. Lucas says that she went out very early. She comes back in and asks Dr. Dan to wait a minute (she’s going for the ring, I bet). Lucas says that he knows Soledad very well. Something is going on. The Obragon witches come in. Antonia flashes back to meeting Dr. Dan in the cabaret but he doesn’t appear to make any connection. Soledad comes back and asks them all to listen to what she is going to say to Dr. Dan. She says that being his friend has been a privilege but from now on things are going to be very different between them. She says that she will marry him (‘Acepto ser tu novia’). Dr. Dan asks her to repeat it. Dr. Dan wonders if he is dreaming. Soledad shows that she is wearing his engagement ring. Dr. Dan is happy like a 6 year old who’s been given a lollipop. Ester happily and Lucas reluctantly welcome Dr. Dan to the family. Dr. Dan says that he didn’t expect an answer so quickly. Soledad says that she discussed it with her family and they all agreed that marrying him was a good idea for her and her daughter. Dr. Dan suggests celebrating at the new cabaret that evening and announcing his good news to all of San Marino. The cabaret is in the French style and has a wonderful pianist (I’m sure Ester would love it!). Antonia is impactada.

Paquito says that he doesn’t deserve problems like this right after the inauguration. He wonders who killed Deborah. He tries to think what to do. He tells the body that he has to get rid of her. He doesn’t know who did this or why but he can’t let it ruin him.

Eloisa ask if Alcides is asking her to go inside the treasure vault in the Obragon house without anyone seeing. Alcides says yes. Eloisa says that if the guards could see Alcides, they could see her. Alcides replies that as Soledad’s friend, she can come and go in the house without arousing suspicion. He says that the treasure vault has two entrances: one is outside in the garden near the patio and other… (first we’ve heard of a second entrance). Eloisa refuses to listen. She says that she doesn’t want to know anything. She believes Alcides is setting a trap to kill her. He wants her to enter the treasure vault and be killed.

Margot tells Arturo that she snuck into the house when Gladis and the maid went to mass. Arturo was asleep so she made him breakfast. Arturo is suspicious. He thinks she has come to spy on him for Alcides.

Hercu-less wanders around his house drinking milk (out of the bottle).

Dr.Dan is all excited about celebrating his engagement at the cabaret but Antonia is horrified. She says that it is a place of sin. Dr. Dan says that they can have a celebration at the house with the baby. Soledad says that she doesn’t want to celebrate at all. She says that she means it should just be a family event. Whatever, says Dr. Dan. Lucas, Ester and Antonia leave. Soledad turns around and Ursula has disappeared (we can guess where she’s gone!) Dr. Dan says to Soledad that now that they are alone, he would like the truth: why did she become his fiancée? A few days ago, she wasn’t sure. Was it for love or to distance herself from Hugo?

At the forge, Hugo is polishing the sword he made. He flashes back to giving the other sword to Michelle and to asking Michelle to give time a chance to heal his wounds. Boris comes in and says that without doubt, this sword is his best work to date. Hugo says that it will be a good present for Michelle. He hopes that she will forgive him. She is a great woman with a noble and generous heart. She doesn’t deserve to suffer. Hugo hands the sword to Boris, turns away and sighs, “Soledad.”

Eloisa says that she won’t fall into the same trap as Rebeca and Michelle. She won’t let Alcides kill her. Alcides demonstrates that he could kill her right now by drawing his guns. She agrees to go into the treasure chamber. Alcides tells her that there is an entrance inside the house where the guards won’t see her. Eloisa has three long and very bizarre flashbacks that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with the story.

Soledad tells Dr. Dan that she agreed to marry him for various reasons. He is a marvelous man, noble, good… Dr. Dan interrupts and says that he has a feeling she still hasn’t told him the most important reason. Soledad says that something happened that helped her make her decision and it was the letter that Hugo received this morning from Michelle. Dr. Dan asks when it was written. Soledad says that she doesn’t know but Hugo got it this morning. Dr. Dan says that Soledad just came back from seeing Hugo. She explains about taking the baby to say goodbye to Hugo before he goes after Michelle. She gets back to the letter. She says that it gives the reason that Michelle left San Marino and the main reason was her, Soledad. She feels guilty for that. Dr. Dan says that it is true then that Michelle left town. Soledad says yes, Michelle has returned to her country. That is one of the reasons Soledad has agreed to marry him. She knows that the only way for Hugo and Michelle to be happy is if she, Soledad, stays away from Hugo for good. Dr. Dan says then Soledad didn’t accept his proposal for his sake. She did it for Hugo. Soledad asks if Dr. Dan remembers that she told him before that she wasn’t ready for a new relationship. That hasn’t changed. Her heart hasn’t recovered. Dr. Dan kisses Soledad on the cheek and hugs her. The credits roll.

Tomorrow: Hugo carries Soledad off on horseback

Labels: la traicion