Caray, Caray!

Alternate title: Marichuy goes ashore to find her shipwrecked prince.

In the study, Juan Miguel tells Rocío that the detectives think that Viviana shot a man she was involved with and dumped him in the sea, then fled to Madrid. Rocío is shocked and thinks that it may be divine punishment that Viv was also murdered. Juan Miguel thinks that life provides its own punishments and God doesn’t so much bother with it. No deity has any need to bother with punishing Juan Miguel, for sure…he is a master of self-punishing behavior. Anyhoo, Juan Miguel is off to the jail to see Blanca. He and Rocío are hoping to get her out of the pokey and back home with them soon, because Viv’s murder is so last month’s news and they’d like to move on to the next one already. Life’s been getting dull for them with only an attempted murder and devastating heartbreak.

Side note: we never actually see Blanca in this episode, but I hope that JM took her a change of clothes. It pains me to see her in that flimsy nurse uniform day after day. She’s got to be dying for something fresher and warmer to put on.

Marichuy and Cande discuss the newspaper story. Marichuy refuses to believe that JM conspired to kill Viv.

Stefi drives the car along a country road while Ceci navigates. I don’t think she’s very good at navigating, though, because Stef has to tell her that they’re about 40 km from San Felipe. Ceci voices her plan for what must be the umpteenth time—as soon as they get to town, they will stop at the first business and ask for directions to Hacienda Escondida. I know, I know, says Stef. They stop on a road which is NOT in town (we see a pueblo in the distance) and Ceci wants to ask some passing farmers in a wagon for directions. Stef tries to block Ceci’s progress by saying those hicks won’t know anything, but Ceci says in a small town people know everything. She asks the men. Escondida? Escondida?, they repeat, as though they’ve never heard of it.

Mari is crying and telling Cande that she must go to see Juan Miguel, and that she still loves him. Cande is all kinds of shocked and rants at Marichuy at length: Are you going to leave Omar? He trusts you and everyone is getting ready for your wedding; he has been so good to you; you are a total ingrate; how can you just stand him up? Marichuy says it’s not just a matter of her feelings, but also that Juan Miguel is Jr.’s dad.

One of the farmers gets off the wagon (but he looks sober enough) and says sure, everyone around here knows that hacienda. He then gives them complicated directions to get there, mentioning the storm damage and the livestock he lost in the floods. He says they won’t be able to miss the hacienda; there’s a big sign. Ceci thanks him and as they get back in the car, Estafa says she doesn’t want to drive her fancy car on bad roads. Ceci’s like, oh shut up, if this car gets ruined Patricio will just buy you another one, even though you are NOT OUR DAUGHTER. She didn’t say that last part out loud.

Onelia yells at Rocío and accuses her and Juan Miguel of inventing the story of the Jamaican boy-toy’s murder just to defame Viviana.

Marichuy tells Cande that she doesn’t think she has the right to deprive her son of knowing his father, and she doesn’t think it’s right to deceive JM either, besides, surely he would find out her lies eventually. So why did you agree to marry Leo?, Cande wants to know. Mari says she’s been turning it over and over in her mind, and she was never sure she was doing the right thing, but she wanted her son to have a home and family and she thought that Juan Miguel already had another one. She begs Cande to understand that, as it turns out, Miguelito can be with his real father. In spite of everything, Juan Miguel is her one twue wuv. The baby looks like he’s thinking hard about all this.

JM tells Ornerylia that the investigators will find out the truth, and soon they will know what happened.

Marichuy says that it pains her to think that she will hurt Leopardo, but when she felt like she was falling in love with him she felt like she was betraying herself at the same time; that’s why she wanted to leave once before. Besides, JM must be suffering also, and needs her now more than ever. There is much more binding Marichuy to JM than to any other man, including Leo—they were married and have a son, and now they will never be separated, ever (which of course means they will). So, let’s get out of here, says Marichuy.

Onelia marches into the study with steam pouring from her ears and flames shooting from her nostrils to tell JM that she’s thought about it and she’s sure he’s just inventing the murder story to make Viv look bad. JM is like, why would I need to invent anything? You know what your daughter was like, and you know exactly what she was capable of. Onelia insists that he is just determined to mar her memory. JM assures her that he is actually working very hard to make sure no one finds out anything about Viv’s escapades, for Mayita’s sake.

Mayita is in TwinkleLand, where Abuela Mariana is telling her and Cuate the story of the little mermaid. In this version, the mermaid saves the handsome prince when he is naufragado (shipwrecked). The mermaid gets a potion from the seawitch to get legs because they’re so in luurve, and finds her prince on shore, but granny says it’s late so we have to wait for another time to find out whether they get married and live happily ever after.

JM says eventually the truth will come out, and everyone will know Blanca=good and Viv=bad. Onelia says Viv had lots of friends who will vouch for her angelic character. JM thinks the police will disagree. He gives Onelia the detectives’ phone number.

A taxi has arrived at the hacienda. Marichuy is all packed and saying goodbye to her bird. Marichuy thanks Micaela for everything and asks her to ask Omar to forgive and forget her. It’s a tearfest all around. She begs Mica not to tell Leo who she really is, and Mica agrees. Cande says they’ll write and call, and Marichuy takes a long teary look at the hacienda before getting into the taxi. They drive away. Mica cries some more.

Stef and Ceci seem to have gotten lost. Stef of course wants to give up, but Ceci sees a field wall that the farmer mentioned, and tells Stef to go that way, where the taxi is exiting. They pass the taxi taking Marichuy away.

Leo is in another taxi, excited to be arriving home because he’s getting married and they’re going to be so happy. His taxi passes the other taxi. That is a really nice section of pavered road that they all seem to be going back and forth on which makes no sense directionwise.

Ceci and Stef arrive at the hacienda and Mica tells them that Omar Contreras is not at home. We’re not actually looking for him; we’re looking for Marichuy, says Ceci. Mica is impactada. Does she know that Lirio’s real name is Marichuy? I forget.

Onelia begins to wonder whether Viviana really did kill someone. She calls the detectives.

Ceci tells Mica that she is Marichuy’s mother. Mica is impactada again. She asks whether her brother Padre Anselmo sent them. Ceci is delighted that they’ve found the right place and says she wants to see Marichuy. Mica says you’ve missed her; they just left fifteen minutes ago. And they’re not coming back ever.

Isabela calls Martirio, who reports that Stef and Ceci should have arrived at the hacienda by now, but she doesn’t know what’s happened. Isa worries that if they bring that guacha back with them it will just cause problems for her and Stef, but have no fear, she will find a way to get between Ceci and Marichuy.

Mica doesn’t know where Marichuy has gone, so Stef and Ceci leave. Leo arrives as they are getting into the car, and he asks Mica who the ladies are. She doesn’t answer, so he asks why she’s crying. Where’s Lirio?, he yells frantically, and she tells him that she’s gone. Poor Leo is muy, pero muy impactadisimo. Then he thinks it’s a mean joke, but Mica would never joke like that. Leo runs to the bedroom and sees that they really are gone, but left the bird.

Ceci cries in the car, devastated to have missed seeing Marichuy again. Stefi is totally sympathetic, all “oh well! Maybe next time!” She says she’s sorry, not bothering to sound the least bit sorry. Ceci says she’s lost all hope.

A bus with a very wide aisle, in which a guy is standing and playing guitar, ambles down the road past the cows. Marichuy, Cande, and Miguelito sit in the back and Cande worries about what is going to happen to them. Marichuy doesn’t think she’s very helpful.

Onelia is still telling herself that Viviana may not have declined to amedrentar (frighten), but she couldn’t have killed anyone. She is saying it much more quietly and with much less conviction, though.

Mica tells Leo that she doesn’t know why Liriochuy left or where she went, so will he please stop asking? He tells her to find the taxi driver.

Marichuy and Cande are dragging their numerous belongings through the old neighborhood with a great deal of difficulty. It must be very late, because no one is out and about to help them. Finally Olga sees them and welcomes them warmly and helps with the stuff. Cande is happy to be home.

The taxi driver reports that he took the ladies to the bus station in town, but he doesn’t know what bus they took. The only things he heard them say were “thank you” and “goodbye.” Why doesn’t she want me to know where she went?, Leo laments.

Olga is doubly surprised and delighted to find that Marichuy has a baby. She invites them in for dinner. Cande says they’ve already eaten, but she could eat again. They haul all the stuff up the stairs. That baby basket stand does not look sturdy. They enter the dusty old apartment, and ask Olga not to tell anyone they’ve returned, because they’re tired and don’t want to explain to everyone at this hour. Olga says she won’t say a word. Marichuy says that, being back there, it’s like no time has passed, except she left with her heart broken and her arms empty, and now she’s happy with her baby. The rosy pink lighting tells us it’s nice for them to be back.

Avances: Leo says he’s going to find Marichuy. Marichuy goes to see Juan Miguel and Mayita.

Labels: Cuidado