Caray, Caray!

Meléndez tells Santos not to be upset. He was just talking to Santos' girlfriend (novia). "Because I suppose this precious little thing (presciosura) is your girlfriend, or no?" says Meléndez. Santos says that his relationship with Marisela isn't any of Meléndez's business. Meléndez says that everything going on here is his business. He asks Marisela if she is Santos' girlfriend. Marisela says that they are cousins, second cousins. Then Meléndez says, "Entre más primo, más me arrimo," which I guess is a saying about cousins being attracted to one another but I'm not exactly sure how you would translate it. Santos tells Marisela to leave. Meléndez asks about Marisela's mother. Santos asks why he is interested. "If the the child is like that," asks Meléndez, "what would the mother be like? Divine."

DB asks the the doctor if he is sure that she can't get pregnant. He says that it might be possible if she had an in vitro implantation and spent her pregnancy in bed. She can't get pregnant in the normal way. DB says that she had a child 17 years ago. Why can't she have one now? The doctor replies that her uterus is perforated. He says that it is as if she had an accident or something worse. DB denies that that anything happened to her. She says that she will seek another opinion.

Antonio introduces Lucía to Cecilia. Lucía tells Cecilia that she was at school but now she has come back to live on her father's hacienda. She asks to visit Altamira to meet some new people. When thay are gone, Cecilia says that she isn't anything more than Señora Barquero.

Meléndez is still quizzing Santos about his relationship to Marisela and to Lorenzo. Santos replies that he doesn't think his family tree has anything to do with Meléndez's investigation. Santos says that Meléndez is here to search Altamira. He should finish the job and leave because he won't find anything here. After Santos leaves, Meléndez says that he will trap Santos, he is sure that he is hiding something.

Gonzalo comes out of the tunnel under the tree where Juan Primito is sitting. Gonzalo asks JP to get him to Altamira without anyone seeing them.

Marisela tells Lorenzo and Mujiquita that Meléndez gives her the creeps. Santos comes up and both he and Lorenzo tell Marisela not to leave the hacienda while the troops are searching. "Things don't look good, Lorenzo, not good at all (Esto no pinto bien, Lorenzo, nada bien, literally, 'this doesn't paint well')" says Santos. Lorenzo tells Santos not to let them see that he is worried. "Smile in the face of adversity ('al mal tiempo, buena cara,' literally, 'in bad times, good face')," says Lorenzo.

While searching where the vaqueros live, a soldier finds a book of poems. Meléndez's lieutenant says that he has to show the book to his colonel. It means the rebels from the university were hiding here. Pajarote says to María Nieves, "Look buddy, it finally turned up," (to the lieutenant) "That book is mine."
"Oh really," replies the lieutenant, "how about that, a llanero who reads poems." He opens the book and asks Pajarote to read him a poem. "What do you think, lieutenant," says Pajarote, "look at me. I am a macho guy and macho guys with any self respect don't read poetry but they give them to their girlfriends." "You have a girlfriend who reads poetry?" says the lieutentan, "You have to introduce me to her becaue I'm not buying this story ('yo ese cuentico no me lo como,'
literally, I am not eating this little story')."

Santos comes to see Marisela. She tells him that Meléndez is bad, very bad. When he met he, he called her Barbarita. "Do you think the knows my mother?" she asks.

DB prays and says that she needs a child. She asks what else God is going to take from her. Santos?

Meléndez leaves Altamira. He tells Santos that he has been saved this time but Meléndez is watching. Meléndez sees Marisela on the balcony and tells her that she beautiful and they will see each other soon.

Leon and Tigre discuss how strange it is that the students disappeared overnight and they didn't hear anything. They see Eustaquia heading out of the house with food and start to follow when Melquiades tells them not to move.

The lieutenant, accompanied by Pajarote, tells Melesio and the terneras that this is a 'recognition check' ('inspección de reconocimiento'). Melesio says that they have already searched here. The lieutenant asks if a Genoveva lives here. Genoveva identifies herself. The lieutenant gives her the book of poems and says that Pajarote told him that she likes to read poems. He wants her to read one so that he can see if what her boyfriend told him was true.
"My boyfriend?" says Genoveva. "Yes, because this gentleman says that he is your boyfriend, or isn't he?" Pajarote comes over, grabs Genoveva and says that the lieutenent doubts that they like each other so they will remove his doubts. He kisses her.

The soldiers are searching Marisela's wardrobe. She asks if they are looking for a dwarf (enano). The soldiers have no sooner left her room than JP and Gonzalo appear outside her window. Marisela says that Gonzalo is crazy to come to Altamira with the soldiers searching for him everywhere. Gonzalo says that it was urgent that he talk to her. He asks if she will escape with him.

Genoveva reads some of the poem, thanks Pajarote for the book and kisses him on the cheek. "Enough kissing!" says Melesio and asks if the soldiers are satisfied. The lieutenant says he is leaving. When the soldiers have gone, Genoveva slaps Pajarote. The other terneras say that he was protecting the rebels. Genoveva says that she knows that but why did he use her name. Why didn;t he say that the book was for his girlfriend, Federica? Pajarote replies that he dislikes Genoveva so much that her name was on the tip of his tongue. Genoveva slaps him again.

Marisela tells Gonzalo that escaping with him is a crazy idea.

Josefa tries to get Mujiquita to take her back but he refuses. M comes in and Josefa introduces herself to Meléndez.

Casilda tells Santos, Cecilia and Lorenzo that Marisela doesn't want to come down to dinner. Santos goes up to see her and finds her and Gonzalo in the hall. Santos yells at Marisela. He says that she is putting them all at risk and he never thought she would have a man hidden in her room. Marisela goes back into her room. Gonzalo says that it was his fault.

Lucía asks Antonio if he is in love with the woman he introduced her to in the town. Antonio explains who Cecilia is and says that there is nothing between them. Lucía asks if they can be friends. Antonio says sure. DE comes up and says the soldiers just searched Altamira and he expects them to search his hacienda the next day. Antonio asks permission to go to his house and make sure his family is ok.

Santos escorts Gonzalo back to the entrance to the tunnel. Gonzalo explains to Santos that coming to see Marisela was all his idea. His only excuse for taking such a risk is that he is in love with Marisela.

Pernalete and Meléndez are talking about Santos. Meléndez says that he is interested in the woman he goes around with, his cousin. He doesn't believe it. He asks Pernalete if Marisela is really Santos' cousin or his lover. Pernalete asks how Meléndez could even think that Marisela was Santos lover. Meléndez says that the girl is a looker ('bomboncito'). "Santos can't have anything to do with that girl," says Pernalete, "because my comadre would kill him." "Your comadre?" asks Meléndez. "My comadre is Santos' lover," replies Pernalete, "and the mother of Marisela Barquero." Meléndez asks what her name is. "She is the doña," says Pernalete, "Everyone knows her. She is the most powerful person in the Arauca." Meléndez says he doesn't care about that. He wants to know her name. "Bárbara Guaimarán," replies Pernalete and Meléndez is impactado.

Marisela hears about the poetry book incident. She teases Genoveva about liking Pajarote.

Pajarote is asking María Nieves about his progress with Altagracia. What has he said to her? Has he kissed her? MN says that he kissed Altagracia once and she ran away. He hasn't been able to fix things since then. He doesn't know how to speak nicely. Pajarote says that MN doesn't speak well or badly because he is as silent as a stone ('más callado que un palo de escoba,' literally, 'more quiet than a broomstick'). He tells MN that with women you have to ask them and and ask them and ask them (se lo pides) and finally they give you what you want. "What do I ask them?" says MN. "What you want them to give you. You start with little kisses and go from there," replies Pajarote, "Ask, ask, ask and she will give. The same that we gave to Federica."

Federica is telling her baby that it has to look like the father when it is born so he can't deny that he was the father. Josefa comes in and says that Mujiquita is a lost cause. He won't take her back and it is Federica's fault. Federica says that she is the laughingstock of the whole town and that is Josefa's fault. They call each other "churnia," which is obviously an insult but isn't in my dictionary.

Genoveva doesn't want to talk about Pajarote, she wants to talk to Marisela about Gonzalo. Genoveva says that Gonzalo is drooling (babea) for Marisela. "What good does that do if I don't care for him as a boyfriend," replies Marisela, "I swear that if I could, I would fall in love with Gonzalo and go far away with him." (Santos is listening outside the door.) "And Don Santos," asks Genoveva, "are you capable of forgetting him forever?" "I will never be able to forget Santos," says Marisela, "even after a thousand years. I will never stop loving him. The fact is that I can't continue to be near him, seeing how he falls for that woman every day." "But he cares about you," says Genoveva, "I see it in his eyes every time he looks at you." "You're wrong," says Marisela, "He only has eyes for DB and that hurts me. It hurts me to see him groveling in front of that woman. It hurts me to see how she decieves him and uses him. No, I have to leave here. I don't want to see Santos destroyed like my father. Santos will never be happy with that woman because she will never change. She is bad to the bone (lleva lo malo en la sangre, literally, 'carries badness in her blood')." "But she loves him," says Genoveva. "Ok, I don't doubt that she loves him but it's a poisoned love like a snakebite. If I knew that Santos would be happy, I wouldn't care so much but that won't happen and that's what hurts me." "The thing is that men become blind when they are in love," says Genoveva. "Santos isn't blind," says Marisela, "he just doesn't want to see."

Melesio and Antonio-
M: Why the long face, son?
A: It makes me furious that things turned out the way they did between Cecilia and me.
M: You're complicating your life because you want to. (por gusto).
A: I don't want to. She didn't believe in me. She hid her pregnancy from me and at the first opportunity, she married Lorenzo.
M: So what. She made a mistake. You have made many mistakes. But there's a magic word for that - sorry. You have to learn to forgive if you want others to forgive your mistakes.
A: No, forgiveness won't help anything, viejo. It's already over. It's better to forget her already.
M: You two drive me up the wall! You're both pig headed. You are two of a kind - specialists in complicating things, in making things more difficult. Talk to her, tell her everything, the good and the bad. Let all the resentment and all the love you have inside you out and you will see that everything gets cleared up.
A: But she is married, viejo. She is married to another man.
M: God forgive me but it seems to me the marriage with poor Lorenzo was another act of charity
by your woman. Talk to her, son. Talk to her.

María Nieves is driving Altagracia to town. He is trying so hard to follow Pajarote's advice that he nearly runs into a tree. He says that he can't say what he feels, he can only do it and he kisses Altagracia.

Antonio comes to see Cecilia. He asks how her pregnancy is going and she says that it is going well. Cecilia remarks on how pretty and young the woman with him yesterday was. She suggests to Antonio that he bring her to Altamira to meet the terneras and Marisela. Cecilia says that she can see that Lucía likes Antonio, a lot. "That doesn't bother you, that she likes me a lot?" asks Antonio. Cecilia says that it is normal that they are attracted to one another. They are young, good looking... Antonio leaves but comes back in a second. "Cecilia Vergel," he says, "you are the most hypocritical and stubborn woman I have ever known. You are a coward."

DB dreams about her rape and says that Meléndez will pay for what he did.

Eustaqia scolds JP for disobeying DB and taking Gonzalo to Altamira. Meléndez walks into the house. "Look what we have here," he says, "Eustaquia, the Indian. It's a pleasure, Eustaquia. You are exactly the same. How are things?"

Marisela is sweeping the schoolhouse when Santos comes in.
S: Can I come in?
M: That depends. If you are going yell at me or scold me, no.
S: I came to say I am sorry for what I said last night. Gonzalo clarified that you didn't have anything to do with it, that he came on his own.
M: He had to tell you in order for you to believe me? Of course, I am a liar who makes promises and doesn't keep them. I always put my foot in it.
S: Can't we be friends? Can't I sit next to you again and read books or talk nonsense or just laugh like we did before?
M: I don't know. Now you are at El Miedo having conversations with her, talking to her, reading books with her. What do I know.
S: Look Marisela, I don't want to lose you. I don't want to fight anymore or to say unpleasant things. Yes, it's true that I live at El Miedo but I only go to sleep there. As soon as the sun rises, the first thing I do is come to Altamira. Do you know why? Because I miss you. I miss you every moment when I don't see you, I miss your voice, your happiness, your eyes... Those eyes that have shed so many tears because of me.
M: I don't cry for you.
S: Then who are you crying for? For Gonzalo" Are you in love with Gonzalo?
M: If only I could fall in love with him to see if.. if I could forget you.
S: Don't say that.
M: Santos, what do you want? Do you want me to spend my whole life waiting for you, while you are with that woman? Santos, why did you fall in love with her? How can you feel good at the side of such a bad person? I can't understand it.
S: Marisela, let's not talk about Bárbara now, ok? Let's talk about us and our friendship. Listen, I ... I need you. Because if you aren't here it's like the sun goes away and I'm living in shadows. You are the light that illuminates my life. Please, don't stop caring about me.

Labels: barbara