Caray, Caray!

Grandpa and Sofía ask Gabi again how that piece of Robles land came to be theirs. Sofía says the Reyes' parents were killed for it and the land is stained with their blood. Gabi tries to conceal her shock at hearing the Reyes are the Robles. Sofi says this puts her father's, grandfather's, and Gabi's honesty in doubt. Gabi tries, unconvincingly, to play dumb and simply says Raquel gave that property to them.

"In exchange for what?" Sofi asks. Grandpa warns that these secrets could ruin Gabi forever. Gabi directs a very creepy, speechless giggle at Sofi and walks out.

Rosa is rehashing to Ofelia her last conversation with Anselmo, and how angry he was when she told him that Luisito wasn't his. She's worried Anselmo will take her away from him by force. Then Eva bursts in with the news that Feo just killed Anselmo. Whee!

Sweating profusely, Feo tells the comisario his version of the story: he was just defending himself from an escaped inmate who wanted to kill him and take Rosario and her child. In fact, he was the one who tried to burn her and Franco alive. It was all Anselmo's doing. He even said as much to Feo when he tried to kill him.

Benito tells Juan and Oscar that he'd like to help, but he's totally out of the loop on his aunt and uncle's affairs. He and Octavio moved in with them when their own parents died under strange circumstances - a strange accident no one could explain. Benito and Octavio were very young. The entire estate passed to his aunt and uncle, and supposedly B and O will get it all back when they get married. If they don't get married, they won't see a cent. And it's all part of a perfectly legal setup, so they can't get out of it.

Rosario blames herself for Anselmo's death. She feels she was foolish to tell him the truth about Luisito's paternity. Ofelia thinks maybe not - perhaps Feo will treat them better now that he knows. Rosario doubts this.

Juan and Oscar are at the bakery. Juan is frustrated that the whole world seems to be protecting Ricardo Uribe, but he's happy they found their house and their tree. Oscar didn't recognize the house and wonders if they remodeled, but Juan is sure and now they'll find out who killed their parents. Oscar is worried that their investigation may jeopardize their relationships with Jimena and Sofía. And the women still don't know that Libia was their father's girlfriend.

At that moment, Quintina is chastising her sister for bringing back Libia's photo in front of Sofía. Hortensia thinks it's high time the sisters found out the truth about the girl. Quintina warns her to mind her own business. Also, she needs to make a ton of mole.

Juan proudly tells unconscious Franco that they found their land. Oscar tells him to get better soon.

Eva goes to the hacienda. Gabi complains. Eva says Sarita and Jimena need her. "Nobody needs you, with the exception of that little hussy, that chick... uh... what's her name? Rosario?" She helpfully adds that Eva will burn in hell forever for her sins. Rosario's already begun to pay, having been burnt alive. "Is she already dead?" she asks hopefully. Eva says no, the reason for her long face is her shock at knowing Feo just killed a man. Now Gabi is shocked too.

Feo is shown to his luxurious cell, where Nabor and another man are still cooling their heels. Nabor is terrified.

The comisario has gone to the dispensario with questions for Rosario. He sorta screws it up by telling them Feo's entire story, which strikes me as something a professional would never do, and asks if it's true. Rosario hesitates. Ofelia jumps in and confirms Feo's story that Anselmo wanted to hurt Rosario, and Feo defended her. "Right, Rosario?" "Yes, it was just as Ofelia said." He asks what her relationship was with Anselmo. She says he was her first boyfriend and her child's father, and he wanted to take them away by force. Ofelia is relieved.

Juan and Sofía making bread and Juan is trying to figure out what went on between Gabi and Raquel. It must have been something very awful. Sofi doesn't think it has anything to do with his parents' murder. Juan says only Ricardo Uribe can clear it up, and he's going to find him; if that doesn't work out he'll have to talk to Gabriela. He has something else to tell her: he went to Raquel's door, and the memories came back to him. That was his house, the home of his parents.

Oscar has just told Jimena everything too, including the murder and the tree. Jimena thinks her mother will like him better now that he comes from a hacienda. Oscar says that property also holds a secret between Gabi and Raquel that they won't talk about. Oscar has to find out what it is.

Jimena makes a sad face. The craziness never seems to end with this guy.

Sofía and Juan visit Rosario, curious as to why the comisario was there. Rosa tells them that Feo's in jail for murder. Juan goes to find out what's going on. Rosa tells Sofía about Anselmo, the reason she was in jail. He tricked her and made her suffer a great deal.

Eva puts Luisito to bed. (There seems to be a stick on the bed next to him. Wouldn't he prefer a Snoopy doll or something?) Grandpa is glad Feo's in jail and hopes he stays there forever.

Rosendo drops off Gabi at the police station and tells him to come back in two hours. The Coyote intercepts her. (Last week or the week before, possibly at the cockfight, Coyote approached Feo and asked him about his mother-in-law. I'm not quite sure what he's up to.) Coyote humbly takes off his hat and says maybe she doesn't remember him, but he couldn't forget her. He's a friend of Feo. She remembers that she blocked them with his truck in the road; she still doesn't get the "joke." He's grateful that she remembers him.

Gabi asks what he wants. He says he just wanted to say hi, but since she's at the jail, is there some problem? She says no problem for her, but Feo's in trouble. He gives a very emphatic promise of help if she ever needs it.

Juan is walking down the street, mumbling to himself about how great it will be to get his land back, when he runs into Padre Tadeo. Talking a mile a minute, he tells the padre he's ready to investigate the murder of his parents. He tells him about the tree. It'll be a big fight but it's okay, he'll do it and he'll also find his parents' killer. He's sure Gabi is involved. Otherwise why wouldn't she talk? Why not tell the truth? And that snake Fernando, even though he's very young, Juan's sure he's got something to do with it too. "Oh, didn't you know? Feo's in jail for murder."

Tadeo doesn't look even a little bit surprised. I think he's just going through his mental list of Feo's enemies.

Gabi shows up at the police station and demands to see Feo immediately.

Feo's henchman, the other cellmate, asks if Feo thinks he'll be there very long. He says no, he'll be out soon, and asks the henchman if he got the money he sent. (Nabor is rhythmically butting his head softly against the bars.) The henchman says yep, he got the money just as Feo promised. Feo says 'You well know that I'm generous with those who serve me loyally."

Nabor is looking at Feo. A cold glance from Feo neutralizes the man's curiosity. The henchman says Nabor hasn't given him any trouble - he's been in terror of him ever since he showed up. (I think the deal is that Feo paid this guy to get arrested so that he could lean on Nabor day and night.)

Nabor has squashed himself against the bars, trying to make himself invisible. Feo asks if he's the one who claimed that Mapache uttered Feo's name before dying. "Me? How could you think that? I've never said anything against you. Nothing!"

Sarita is telling the kids a story when Pedro, who has been working on orphanage building, interrupts to say she's very young to be so sad. Sarita tells the kids to go play silently. Pedro asks what Franco did to her so that she doesn't smile. She says he didn't do anything, and don't ask those kinds of questions. (I'm not sure what part of her body he's speaking to, but he's not looking at her face.) He hopes she'll begin to smile again soon, because he's sure it would look great on her.

She tells him to leave her alone, she just wants to be a nun and serve God. "Really? You really want to serve God? Or are you just trying to escape the pain that Franco caused?"

Juan and Sofía come along. Uh-oh, Juan thinks Pedro was flirting with her again!

Gabi is at Feo's cell. He greets her coldly. This repetitious conversation can be summed up as:

Gabi: Waaaaaaaaaaah, but I looooove you. Pleeeeese?
Feo: Eh, bite me. You threw me out. We're done.

He also mentions that he killed the man to defend Rosario, and no doubt Gabi will think he was screwing around with her too. He tells her to go away and don't come back. She squeaks and says she won't ever doubt him again, she loves him, can't live without him. He disagrees, she never really loved him or she wouldn't have doubted him or been so selfish. He's going to pay back all the money she loaned him, too. She's made him suffer too much.

She weeps and begs pathetically. "I promise if you come back to me, everything I have will be yours. Everything."

Yes, Juan did jump to that conclusion about Pedro flirting with Sarita. Pedro reminds him that Franco was taking off with Rosario. He had made his choice. Meanwhile, he says, Sarita's about to make a big mistake. She just wants to become a nun out of spite, and they can't let it happen. "You're a Reyes," Juan concludes.

Sarita is angry when Sofi tells her that Juan accused their father. Sofía says they have the right to know the truth and no one can deny them. Sarita says love is blind, the Reyes came to the hacienda to hurt them, they've deceived them all along and they still are. Sofi says Sarita is the one who's being blind, out of spite, because Franco wanted Rosario. "How can you say you want to be a nun if you judge the whole world? ... Every day you seem more like our mother, yes, you're always scolding others, embittering life. That's not a good Christian, Sarita. It's obvious you don't have the calling."

Ouch.

She takes Sarita's hand and tells her to get past it. Sarita coldly pulls away.

Benito asks his aunt about the pact she made with Gabi about the land. The Reyes have a right to know. She doesn't want to hear about it and tells Benito to stay out of his uncle's business and stay away from the Reyes. Don't ask questions or snoop around, "or you could lose everything you have now. Everything!" (Notice how this last statement somewhat mirrors what Gabi said to Feo, except it's about taking away instead of giving. Interesting? Or just coincidence?)

Blind with tears, Gabriela stumbles into the street. Juan launches himself across the road to save her from a red pickup truck, saving her life and ruining a perfectly nice white shirt - two awful things in a split-second.

Not surprisingly, Gabi is offended rather than grateful. She curses him as a crowd gathers. She blames him for all of her problems; he repulses and disgusts her. She'd rather be dead a thousand times than owe him her life. She's tired of suffering because of them and the bastard Sofi is carrying in her entrails. "I curse you and the child you're expecting."

Sofi says if you curse your own blood, you're cursing yourself. "That's what you think. My blood and yours are not mixed together (revueltas)." Juan asks if she's referring to the blood that was spilled when his parents were killed. She says she had nothing to do with his parents' death, but if they were killed they surely deserved it. She can tell what kind of people they were because of the kids they had.

Juan approaches menacingly. He scoops up her purse from the ground and gives it to her. He warns her not to talk that way about his parents, or he might forget that she's the mother of the woman he loves.

Gabi screams hysterically at the onlookers not to forget that Juan wants to kill her. If something happens to her, it'll be his fault!

Tadeo shows up, pulls her aside, and says (again) "we have to talk." He tells her the Reyes aren't her enemies. Her true enemy lives in her house, close to her. He begs her again to get Feo out of her life. Gabi gets offended, says Feo is a great guy, and tells Tadeo not to make her have to speak to the bishop. He says fine, "do what you want, I won't do anything to prevent it, but don't throw my words into the wind. One fine day, you could regret your stubbornness."

Gabi starts crying again.

He says goodbye to her, asks God to protect her since Tadeo can't convince her of the danger she's in nor soften her heart. He tells her to trust in God. He leaves, and she rubs her shoulder and leans against a post for support. The witnesses are paying no attention to her, however, as Juan is thanking Rosendo for saving Franco from the fire and tells him the Reyes have long memories. He can count on them for anything.

Sofía reminds him to bring his kids to catechism class to prepare for their first Communion. Rosendo mentions his ages-ago request that Juan and Sofi should sponsor them as godparents.

Gabi comes back and forbids Rosendo to speak with them. He says it's his private life. She complains that they're all so insolent. "I should fire you right now." Rosendo says that's up to her.

However, he's her ride home, so she doesn't fire him. She just says she's tired of them and shuffles away, with Rosendo steadying her by the arm.

Back to the hacienda. Jet-black with grime, Oscar is flirting with giggly maids in the kitchen. One of them informs him needlessly that mole poblano is the main dish of Puebla. He doesn't want them to be formal with him; he tells them to call him Oscar because they're all family.

Gabi comes in and scolds him for eating in the kitchen, where only the servants should eat, and chatting with them. He doesn't understand why. She says he's low-class if he only feels comfortable in the kitchen with the help. He licks his fingers. She complains about him being dirty and eating with his hands. "You're disgusting."

He tells her he's only putting up with it for his wife, but he could always leave this house and take his wife with him. She mocks his dignity and tells him to go with her.

Sofía thanks Juan for saving her mother's life. They agree that her hurtful attitude is her problem, and she'll miss out on the joy of her first grandchild. Sofía won't suffer any more over her put-downs. Juan and the baby are her family now. He says he'll do anything for her - even forgive, if necessary.

Oscar is scrubbing his teeth with his bandanna in Gabi's study. She lectures him about self-respect. He can't act like a bricklayer now that he's un hacendado (a hacienda guy). But she'll help him get classy so that he doesn't lose Jimena. (He shakes his head in denial.) Gabi says he's the man of the house now, and they need him. But if he lets her down, she'll have to ask Feo to come back to the hacienda. (From jail? I wonder if this scene was edited out of order.)

Tadeo visits the jail. Feo glumly but sarcastically asks if he's come to give a sermon or to absolve him of his sins. Tadeo ignores him and tells Nabor he knows he's not in good company, but God is with him and will protect him.

Juan and Sofía are making out in the kitchen. Quintina sneaks around them and says the love of two is the love of God. They speak in mushy dichos for a while. Q cheerfully says she's glad they stopped, because it's like counting money in front of poor people. Then she says something about a lemon and chases a terrified Pablito around. I think she wants to tickle him.

Oscar comes out of the bathroom at bedtime. Jimena pretends to be asleep. He teases her about pouting and her pretty eyes that make him think of the sky and the sea. She smiles, but keeps her eyes shut and pretends to be immune to his words and kisses. He talks about the Reyes dignity and standing before the open balcony as God brought him into the world, except, also with his underwear and boots, because a cowboy never takes off his boots.

Finally Jimena pays attention. She tells him to shut the balcony before he makes a scene. He doesn't care! Let them look! He clowns around some more until she begs him to come to bed. She asks him to turn out the lights, but he says he likes to feel that he's being seen.

He gets into bed and pulls the covers over them. They're still at it later, in the dark.

Next time:
Grandpa questions Gabi about her relationship with Feo.
Anselmo's death is ruled self-defense.
Oscar sees something that may well cause him to go blind.
Gabi teases us again about Sofía's "origin."
Feo acts like a jerk.

Labels: Fuego