Caray, Caray!

Mari is still sitting around with the ducks at castle San Roman. She wishes JM would come home. She remembers being happy in the barrio, being with Cande, and the angry Grandma Onelia telling her to get out.

Cande is talking to the padre, wondering how long Mari is going to be gone. The padre says she’s gonna need some working on, some schooling, to get her on track. Cande says you mean I won’t get her back any time soon? The padre says you can visit or she can visit you. Cande says I’ve lost her, she belong to other people now.

Aerial view of the castle – yowza! Time for a class uprising, no doubt about it. Rocio in teeny tight shorts walks up to Mari who is still holding a duck. Mari asks her if she’s part of the shrink’s family. The are friendly a bit with each other, and then Mari says she wishes he would come home because there’s nothing for her to do.

Cut to the barrio street where there is lots of life swirling around. The artist guy Vicente comes up to Cande who is doing wash and asks what’s up with Mari and why didn’t she show up to pose? Cande fills him in and he wonders who the doctor in question is. Cande says that shrink and Vicente says ahh.

At the judge’s place, JM is just leaving the room after having met Isa and Stef, and Stef is all gaga. Stef asks Cecilia about his financial status and Isa asks about his marital status. They both pretend to be sorrowful about his wife’s death. The phone rings and it’s the padre.

Mari is starting to get tearful as she tells Rocio that she misses Cande. She tells Rocio that that’s the lady who raised her and then corrects that to the lady who gave her a home after she’d grown up. Rocio says that’s the laundry lady, right? and wants to know how come she came to live with them. Mari tells them about the milk caper and says you’d have done the same thing for the starving orphans, wouldn’t you? Rocio says ummm I dunno. Probably I would have bought some milk.

Cecilia is telling the padre he was right to call. She says she’ll get some friends to donate and he says that the nuns don’t give her the whole story because they feel she donates so much already. She says thank you Padre Vidal and Isa tries to stifle an impactada look.

Mari is telling Rocio about her arrest and how JM saved her and told her she’s now like one of the family. She talks a little about granny Onelia and how she yells, and how she was so rough with the little girl. Mari says you know what? I’ll just leave. It’s not the first time I’ve been thrown out like some wild animal.

Isa is asking about how long Ceci has known Padre Manuel, and Ceci explains that it’s the first time she’s spoken with him. Isa laughs nervously and looks relieved. Ceci asks if she knows him and Isa says no.

It’s night at castle San Ramon and Mari is at the kitchen table poking at a tortilla and we see black and white flashbacks of her arrest, of the jail cell, of JM rescuing her. The maid tells her to eat up, but she says she’s tired of waiting, the doctor has forgotten all about her and she’s leaving. The maid (Malvina, I think her name is) tries to persuade her to stay. Running down the corridor Mari runs splat into JM who looks at her, puzzled.

The little girl, Mayita, is in her nightie, but she pushes aside the trunks, clambers into the hidden chamber and suddenly again we’re in Disney…. er, Grannyland. Granny appears and Mayita tell her about Mari and how the mean grandma called her a thief and wants her to get out.

Vicente is painting and Amador is looking on. He asks how Vicente can paint without a model but Vicente says he has a clear mental picture of Mari. Amador wants to know where he is and Vicente you’ll never guess – in the home of Dr. Juan Miguel.

And there we are in the castle. In one room, Stef is telling her aunt Isa that she has met her future husband and it’s JM.

In another room, JM is trying to convince Mari that she cannot go. He gives his never-fail half smile, then tries his open-lipped look, but she says you didn’t buy me and I don’t give a rat’s patoot about this family or this house. She rants on some more, then runs out of steam and leans against him. I’m sorry, she says, forgive me. She kisses his check. He hugs her back. She says you left me alone all day, I’m sick of it. She re-thinks and says maybe you were doing really important things? She sees his serious look and says what’s wrong?

Stef and Ceci are discussing JM. Ceci is biting a cuticle and looks nervous. Stef says don’t you like my choice of future husband? Ceci says no, he’s fine. Then what’s up? asks Stef. Ceci I don’t want to worry you – I’ll get some information, then I’ll give you the details. She leaves. In the stairwell, she stops and says to herself Padre Anselmo Vidal! How is it possible?

Back in Grannyland, Granny is saying the young woman is good, probably she just got off on the wrong path and that’s why she’s different from other people Mayita knows. Mayita says she’d like to talk to her but the mean grandma won’t let her. Granny says Mari needs love and Mayita could help her feel better. Mayita says how come my mama hasn’t come back? Granny looks heavenward and says sometimes God sends you things at the time you least expect them. Mayita says why are you so good and so pretty? You never say things that hurt me, and mean Grandma Onelia always does. Granny says because you are the person I love most in the world of the living. Mayita snuggles up to her and soaks up love.

Now Mari and JM are sitting on the stairs. She says tell me what’s wrong (he looks exactly the same if you ask me) and he says, nothing. She asks if she can go see Cande and Cuate, but JM says it’s nighttime and he doesn’t want her going, particularly alone. He promises to take her tomorrow.

She says you didn’t ask if I was good today – I was, or rather I think I was. That old windbag yelled at me and told me I had to leave. JM looks puzzled.

At the artist’s studio, Amador is asking why JM has Mari and Vincent explains. Amador says where’s this guy’s house? Vicente says ask his cousin.

JM is telling Mari tomorrow they’ll talk more calmly (they were already pretty calm, if you ask me). She wants to talk some more, spend some more time with him, but he demurs. He says he’ll have Rocio take her shopping for some clothes. For me? she says, excited.

Vicente is driving and is on his cell with Elsa, JM’s cousin. Looks like he’s leaving her a message telling her he wants to see Mari and where does her cousin live? (They seem to have given up on the threatening angry-bee strings for his theme music and now it’s some dark piano notes.)

Cande is sitting outside with Cuate and Adrian comes up with some to-go food. Cande laments that Mari hasn’t come all day to see her, and Adrian says maybe the doctor won’t let her. Cande is afraid Mari has forgotten her and doesn’t even care about Cuate. Now she’ll be in that big house and forget all about them. Adrian says he wants to go see her and he hopes they’ll let him.

They agree it’s better than her being in jail. Adrian says he’s jealous. Cande says come on – do you really think a big important doctor would be interested in a street girl like Marichuy? Cut to JM sitting in his study looking maybe a little distressed, hard to tell. B&W memory of Mari leaning on him and talking. He puts a hand to his brow and looks tragic.

Balbina (Malvina? What’s her actual name?) the maid comes in and tells him there’s a man at the door who wanted to talk to Mari, but since she’s in bed, he asked to talk to JM. JM walks to the door and says to the guy (who we don’t see) what do you want? Wow, rude, JM!

Back in Grannyland, Mayita wants to know where the little bird is that used to live in the cage there. Granny says go closer, and sure enough a little red cartoon bird appears. Granny says she has to go do some stuff and Mayita says skeptically in heaven? at night? Granny spreads her arms and disappears and Mayita blows a kiss.

It’s Amador at the castle door. (Don’t they lock the gate at night?) He’s giving a bit of attitude and says he wants to talk to Mari. JM says who are you to her? She doesn’t receive visitors. Amador says got her locked up, huh? JM curtly explains the situation. He adds that he needs to keep her away from the bad-influence friends she was with (of course, if crime goes down in the neighborhood its’ because she’s gone, not because the artist types are gone). Amador says he’s not pleased and JM says I don’t care what you think. Please be so kind as to leave. Amador says just a few minutes. JM says not one second - leave and don’t come back. Amador says okay, maybe she’s on your territory right now, but later, we’ll see. Bye, Mr. Headshrinker.

Mari is lying in her nice big bed and is thinking maybe she was an ingrate. Plus JM is so handsome and kind. Cande said he looked half in love with her.

It’s morning now and the maid sees Mayita off on the schoolbus which was waiting by the front gate. Hmmm …. when Marichuy came in to deliver laundry, it was a huge distance from the gate to the front door, so is the maid having to hoof it? At any rate, she has arrived in the foyer, not winded, and here comes Onelia down the stairs in a stylish pajama set. She wants to know if that young woman has left the house now, and the maid says no, she’s still asleep. Onelia is furious wants to know where JM is, and the maid says he’s having breakfast. Sure enough, we see him outside alone at a table long enough for 20 people.

Onelia takes her fit and JM says Mari stays and that’s that.

Adrian is in the foyer of the castle looking around like wow! He tells the maid that he wants to talk to Mari, but she says no visitors, the doctor said so. Andrian asks to talk to him. The maid heads off to talk to JM.

Meantime, Onelia is saying are you going to make me leave this house? JM says I didn’t think of that when I signed on with the orphan, and I don’t want you to leave, but if that’s what you have to do…. Onelia says you have to throw her out and she stomps off.

The maid comes up and says there’s another visitor. JM says no visitors and I don’t want to talk to him. He changes his mind and heads into the house. He recognizes Adrian as the boyfriend. JM says he’s responsible for her now, but Adrian says that could change at any minute and I’ve come to take her home with me.

At the studio, Amador is showing some temper. He’s furious that JM threw him out. One of the artist girls points out that the law is on JM’s side and that he saved her from prison. Amador says he knows important people and he’ll do something! He has to see her!

JM is explaining to Adrian that he has to keep her away from the bad element she was hanging out with. (Such tact, JM!) Adrian says I’m not from that group. What do you do, asks JM? Adrian says I work in an office during the day and I study at night - you have no right to tell me I can’t talk to her. JM says if you’re so decent why couldn’t you keep her away from those bad types? Adrien says I tried to and JM says well, you didn’t succeed, so now I’m going to. He walks off. Adrien says this isn’t the last of it! You have to right to keep her from the people she loves. Tell her I’m here.

Mari has showered and she tells the maid that she loves the hot showers there. The maid tells her Adrian is downstairs, but Mari makes a little face and says she’s mad at him right now. But she’ll go down. She gets her one outfit from the vast empty closet.

Outside Adrian is cooling his heels. JM walks right by him as if he doesn’t exist and gets in his fancy car and drives off. Meantime, Mari slides down the banister, then goes out to see Adrian. She’s glad to see him and asks what about Cande? She says he’s her first visitor and he says JM isn’t letting anyone in. Mari is surprised. He tells her he said he was her boyfriend. She’s not happy about that, but he says he had to say that or JM wouldn’t have let him visit.

He asks if she wants to stay. She says it’s all right, she seems to belong to JM now. Adrien says there’s a way for her to leave – marry him! She jumps down off the wall they’re sitting on. She doesn’t like the idea, but he says it would just be a way of escape, he wouldn’t touch her. They could be married friends.

JM and his pal Eduardo are in an Olympic-sized pool. They swim to the edge and chat. Eduardo says how did you get into all this? Why don’t you tell the judge your mother-in-law is taking a fit and hand Mari back? JM says back to jail? No.

Back at the castle, Adrian is saying come on, you’ll be free. Mari says this is where I am now. Adrian says why - what is the doctor to you?

Meantime Eduardo is asking JM the same thing. They are out of the pool and we get some towel-draped beefcake. Eduardo says come on, be honest with me and JM says yes, there is something more, Mari makes me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time. I’m confused. When she gets next to me, she makes me want to embrace her, to kiss her.
I’m in love with her.

Eduardo says love, ha! She knows what she’s doing. JM says no, she’s innocent and doesn’t know how I feel. Eduardo says come on, she comes from the streets, she knows.

Adrian is still trying to sell his marriage idea. He asks if Mari’s in love with JM. She looks defiant.

In the looker room, the guys are towel-less and we can see where William Levy’s true talent lies. But back to the plot: he tells skeptical Eduardo that he’s sure Mari views him as a brother, she’s as innocent in her manner as Mayita is. JM talks about Mari’s skin, her lips, her youth. When those lips are near him, why, he just wants to plant a big ol’ beso on them. He says he doesn’t want to do anything stupid. Eduardo says then she needs to be out of his house.

Mari is telling Adrian that if she married him she’d be more trapped than she is here with JM. He says he’d give her every freedom. Sez you now, says Mari.

JM says to Eduardo that he has to keep her out of jail, protect her. Eduardo says you have to protect yourself first. JM says I guess you’re right.

Adrian tells Mari she’s stubborn. She says JM is like a brother and he’s going to improve her, though she’s not clear exactly in what way. She says if you don’t believe me, tough. She rushes him off and says tell Cande and the padre to visit me. He wants to stay, but she smilingly says she’s start a fight with him and they won’t allow him back. He leaves reluctantly.

Mari goes to her room and flops on the bed, saying all guys are alike. She decides to watch TV, but can’t work the remote. She finds a button the TV and some singers come on. She dances around and pretends to sing into the remote.

Cut to Onelia who is having a fit, demanding of Balbina to tell her where that music is coming from. She rushes into Mari’s room and turns off the set. They glare at each other.
Outside, JM pulls up. Mari says why did you turn off my TV? Onelia says I don’t have to explain anything to you. They get in a shoving match, Onelia even kicks out at her. Balbina tells JM thank goodness you’re here! He runs off to see. Mari has had Onelia down on the bed, holding her wrists, but by the time JM arrives they’re up again. Onelia says she attacked me! She has no respect! She tells JM to throw Mari out. Mari says you started it from the first time you saw me. Old lady! Old windbag!

Mari tells JM I was watching TV, listening to music and she came and turned it off and then she shoved me. He looks amused. They throw insults. Mari says is playing music forbidden here? Onelia says, yes, we’re in mourning. Mari turns serious. Onelia says to JM you won’t throw her out because she’s pretty, a woman.

Avances: JM sits on his vast bed in his vast bedroom and agonizes.

Labels: Cuidado