Caray, Caray!

DB and Meléndez-
M: You killed them. You killed Chepo. You killed Tancredo Madura. Where is he? What did you do with him, Barbara?
DB: Me? I didn't kill him. I swear to you that I didn't kill him. Just like I didn't kill any of your... friends.
M: Don't swear falsely, Barbarita. That's a sin. You killed Chepo. I'm sure of it.
DB: And how can you be so sure of that?
M: Chepo was working for me in the Capital, Bárbara, and I was told that a beautiful woman and an Indian went into his room with a trunk (baúl).
DB: So?
M: And you took Chepo out in that trunk. I'm sure of it.
DB: Is that so? That's a very interesting story. It's just that you can't prove it, Nicolás.
M: That's what you think, Bárbara. If it's necessary, I will take you to the Capital or bring the witnesses here so that they can identify you and the Indian. I've got you, Barbarita. I've got you!

Santos tells Guerrero that his aunt Cecilia is ill with a cold and that the medicines are for her. Guerrero tells the pharmacist (boticario) that the army is searching for a wounded rebel and they are sure he is hiding around here. He tells the pharmacist to let him know as soon as possible if anyone comes in and asks for medicines for a gunshot wound. The pharmacist says that he understands.

DB and Meléndez-
M: You see, Barbarita? You life hangs by a thread. It depends on me, Barbarita. Your life and that of that imbecile Santos Luzardo. It would be very sad if you were left without a lover again, Barbarita and my prisoners die in jail.
DB: Listen carefully to me. You won't touch Santos Luzardo. Because if you do, I will immediately publish the documents that incriminate you. And then you'll end up much worse than your friends. Did Tancredo tell you how Perro de Agua and Julián died? No? They had ugly deaths, very ugly. They died crying, scared to death and suffering. How the poor guys suffered. For the record, I don't know this but that's what I was told. And as for Chepo, that bastard nearly killed my but he escaped and I don't know any more about him.
M: That's a lie, Bárbara.
DB: Believe what you like.

Santos comes in and DB invites him to have a beer with her and Meléndez. Santos asks what this means. DB says that she and the Colonel have had an amicable conversation and resolved their differences. She says that Meléndez has promised not to bother them anymore. "What's more," DB says to Meléndez, "I invite you to have chicken with rice for dinner at my house. Eustaquia seasons it divinely. We would be enchanted if you joined us one night. Isn't that so, my love?"

In response to Lucía's question about whether he likes her, Antonio first says that she is pretty and when Lucía points out that isn't an answer, he says that he can't court her out of respect for her father, his boss. Lucía says that she will worry about her father. She leans over to him and says that she will wait for him in the 'galeria' tonight and not to let her down.

Meléndez tells DB that he isn't here for public relations but to catch murderers and rebels and he will catch them. He leaves and we can see what a runt he is.
Santos is furious and asks what DB was thinking to invite Meléndez to El Miedo. DB says that this is the best way to deal with Meléndez - show him that she isn't afraid of him. Santos doesn't agree. He says that once again DB has acted on her own without asking his opinion. He says that they should leave.

The terneras try to guess where the rebels are hiding but they can't. They decide to dunk Marisela in the river as punishment for refusing to tell them.

DB and Santos-
DB: Silent once again, my love.
S: You think I'm an idiot. You are hiding something very serious from me, Bárbara Guaimarán and I'm fed up with all your lies. You said you were going to change and I believed you because I love you. Listen carefully: I love you! I decided to gamble everything on you but I am more and more convinced that I was wrong. You continue the same as always, Bárbara. You do what you what you please and don't speak the truth. Things between us won't last very long that way.
DB: Are you saying this because I invited Meléndez to the house? I told you. It's to make him believe that we aren't afraid of him.
S: I don't believe you. There's something else behind this.
DB: Believe me (Créemelo)! I made this reconciliation for your friends and for you.
S: You don't do anything for me, Bárbara.
DB: Santos, don't talk to me that way. Please, my love.
S: Oh really? Do something for me, then. Tell the the truth. For once in your life, tell the truth.
Santos leaves.

Melquíades comes in. DB tells him to bring Pernalete to El Miedo as quickly as possible.

Santos brings the new medicine to the cellar. He tells them that he can't bring the doctor. He is being watched. Gonzalo thanks him for all he has done for them. Santos replies that he believes in their cause and they are friends.

Meléndez pays no attention while Pernalete is blathering on. He thinks to himself that that DB was planning something with her chicken and rice invitation. He says that as soon as he gets the paper she left with the notary, he will destroy her. He has to be alert. He doesn't like the look of that Indian. He asks Pernalete about the Indian that goes around with DB who has a face like the devil. "Not just the face," says Pernalete, "He's the devil in person." Meléndez says that he wants to know all about the Indian, about how DB got so rich and about DB's daughter, Marisela.

The terneras and Marisela walk out of the river
(did Marisela wear those boots into the water?) while two soldiers are going by. They approach the girls, start to unbutton their uniforms and ask if the girls want to play with them for a while. Led by Marisela, the girls pick up stones on the riverbank and drive the soldiers off.

Pernalete gives Meléndez a sanitized version of DB's history at El Miedo. He says that she became the boss at El Miedo when Marisela's father left and she made the hacienda grow because she is good at business. Melendez isn't satisfied. He wants to know how DB made the hacienda grow. What did she invest in? Meléndez says that he thinks that Pernalete and DB had something going on together. This makes Mujiquita start to cough and he asks to leave. As he leaves, Melquíades comes in and tells Pernalete that DB wants him to come to El Miedo. Pernalete tells Meléndez not to misunderstand. DB is like that. She thinks that she can give orders to everyone in the world but that is far from being true ('pero de ahí a que eso sea verdad hay mucho camino,' literally, 'but from there to that being true there is a long road'). Pernalete says that he only does what is customary to keep the peace ('sigo la corrriente para tener la fiesta en paz') but he doesn't have business with DB or much less take her orders. Meléndez tells Pernalete that he doth protest too much. "You have to choose between La Doña and the government," says Meléndez, "and I am the government."

Santos comes to Altamira and tells Cecilia that if the soldiers return, she should say that she has been ill. Cecilia asks why but Santos says that he will tell her later. The terneras and Marisela come in all wet and Santos collides with Marisela and gets an excellent view of her assets.
The terneras laugh and tell Cecilia and Lorenzo about their encounter with the soldiers. When they go to dry off, Lorenzo says their laughter is like an injection of youth. Cecilia says that she's happy to see Lorenzo smiling and Lorenzo say that he has his reasons: his daughter is laughing and he has Cecilia with him.

Santos talks to his horse, (I can just hear Mauricio saying, 'Does your horse give you advice on your love life, Santos?')
"But what is happening to me? Ok. I am going to do something because otherwise my head will explode."

Federica is bored and hot. Josefa suggests that she do her nails. She says that she saw Federica's toenails the other day and they were horrible. They look like an eagle's talons. "Because they are so long?" asks Federica. "No," says Josefa, "because they are so dirty!" Federica and Josefa start by insulting one another and then go to cat fighting.

DB scolds Pernalete for taking so long to come to El Miedo. She has to talk to him before Santos comes back. DB tells Pernalete that she wants to know everything about what Meléndez does, who he talks to, etc. She says that he has to keep her informed at all times. Pernalete doesn't look at DB and says that will be difficult because Meléndez will realize what is going on. Already he has been asking about her and Pernalete thinks that Meléndez didn't believe him when he said that he and DB didn't have any business together and right then Melquíades came in. DB tells Pernalete that when people talk to her, they have to look her in the eye so she can see if they are lying. "Look at me. You're not thinking about betraying me, are you?" she says to Pernalete. Pernalete says that of course he would never betray her. "You had better not (más te vale)," says DB. Pernalete says that she should have a little more confidence in him. He stammers out that he thinks that DB has met Meléndez before and asks where. DB asks why Pernalete thinks such a thing. Pernalete replies that Meléndez asked a lot of questions about her. DB says that is because he is attracted to her. She asks if Pernalete thinks that she isn't attractive to men. Pernalete hastens to agree that DB is attractive but he says that Meléndez is seems to really like her daughter. Meléndez is crazy for Marisela. DB asks what Meléndez told him. Pernalete replies that Meléndez is going after Marisela but it's really Santos that he is after. Pernalete tells DB that Meléndez won't rest until he crushes Santos.

Meléndez asks Guerrero what he has found out about the Indian from Mujiquita. Guerrero replies that nothing is known about Melquíades. He simply showed up in town one day and once he met DB, he never left her. His loyalty to her is total and he would do anything for her. At this moment, Josefa comes to complain about Federica to Pernalete. She puts the moves on him and says that she loves men in uniform.

Leon and Tigre are visiting Danger and BP. BP tells the Mondragon brothers that the army is offering a large reward for information on the rebels. BP suggests that they keep an eye on Santos. If he is involved with the rebels, they could kill two birds with one stone - get rid of Santos and get a lot of money. Danger warns them that Santos isn't stupid and he is protected by DB.

Melesio brags to the Altamira vaqueros that his granddaughters are going to be readers and writers while the vaqueros are going to be a bunch of morons (burros). That's what Melesio will call them, "the little morons (burritos) of Altamira. The terneras come in and tell about their encounter at the river with the soldiers. María Nieves jumps up and asks how dare the soldiers mess with..(he looks at Altagracia but then says) any of them.

Meléndez brings Josefa back to the hotel with him. Mujiquita protests that this is a decent establishment but Meléndez orders him to back off.

Santos returns to El Miedo. DB says that they need to talk.
DB: I haven't been able to calm down since you left here so angry and convinced that I only do what I want to. Forgive me if I act without consulting you. You were right to be annoyed. But believe me, it's hard to change. Since I was very young, I have had to do everything alone and I got used to making decisions without consulting anyone. But now you are here with me and I swear to you that I will learn to walk with you at my side. I really want our love to survive.
S: Then why do you do everything so that it doesn't?
DB: Because I don't know how to do it any other way. It's stronger than I am. But please, my love, don't say that you were wrong to believe in me. I really want to be different for you. Please, my love, help me change.
S: How, Bárbara? At every turn you are unwilling to speak the truth.
DB: I will tell you my truth. This truth that you asked me about, that I told you a few minutes ago: I love you Santos Luzardo. I love you more than myself. I love your integrity (entereza), your honesty, your noble heart. I love the man that you are and the woman that am when I am with you.
S: And I love you, Bárbara. In spite of everything, I love you. But you have to trust me and demonstrate what you will be. Tell me what happened between Nicolás Meléndez and you.

We don't know how DB would have responded because Eustaquia comes up at that moment and says that the rebel Andrés is in very bad shape.

Meléndez rolls off Josefa and it appears that he is a 'slam bam thank you ma'm' lover. Josefa feigns satisfaction with his performance. Then Meléndez says that it is her turn. He wants to know everything she knows about DB.

Santos and DB go to the cellar and see that Andrés is in bad shape. Gonzalo thinks he may be having an allergic reaction to the medication. Santos says that he is going for the doctor. DB says that it is risky and she wants to go with him. Santos says no and DB sends Melquíades with him.

Josefa tells Melendez that after DB threw Lorenzo Barquero out like an old rag, she became the boss of El Miedo. She stole land from all her neighbors and became what she is today - the richest and most powerful landowner in the Arauca. When Meléndez asks about Marisela, Josefa tells him that she and DB hate each other. DB never cared for her daughter and threw her out with her father. She grew up like an animal in the forest until recently.

Marisela is taking the terneras into town to see a movie. María Nieves says that the vaqueros should go along and Josefina points out to Altagracia that MN actually spoke.

DB insists on going into town to protect Santos even though he has forbidden her to do that.

Dr. Arias agrees that it is likely that Andrés is having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. He agrees to go with Santos since he swore an oath not to deny medical attention to anyone.

At the movie, a soldier slaps Marisela on the bottom and chaos ensues.

Antonio meets Lucía near a waterfall. She tells him that she is in love with him and she kisses him.

The whole Altamira party gets arrested except Marisela.

Antonio pulls away from Lucía's kiss. "No, no, no," he says, "not again. Not another crazy woman in my life. This ends right now. Do you understand Lucía Matute?"

DB seems to have gotten Marisela away from the fight at the movie to talk to her. She says, "We are in a very dangerous time for everyone - for me, for Santos, for your family, for your friends and you know who I am referring to. I'm not exaggerating when I say that things aren't going well. I need to ask you to do me a favor. Ok, not for me, for your Santitos. Stay away from town, away from problems. This man, this Colonel Meléndez, has his eye on you. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. He likes you in the worst way that you could imagine. Marisela, I don't want him to harm you. Do you understand?

Santos drives Dr. Arias to the tunnel entrance to the cellar. Danger sees them.

DB and Marisela-
M: How do you know that this man is interested in me?
DB: Because you look a lot like me. That's why he is interested in you. I can't explain now but Meléndez is a sadist, a killer and a torturer. He hates me. He is my enemy. I am going to confess something to you that even Santos doesn't know. I trust you, Marisela. You hate me but I know that you are loyal. I know that you won't use what I am going to tell you against me. Santos must not know what I am saying for anything in the world. That man hates him. You and I are going to protect him, isn't that right? Do you agree" (Marisela nods) You and I know that he cares about you a lot and that he always watches out for you. You don't want Santos to have an altercation because of you.
M: Santos always comes first for you, always.
DB: Don't say that. I'm not going to ask you to forgive me for being a bad mother. It would be stupid after all we've been through. But listen to me, Marisela, I am very serious when I say that I want your happiness. I don't want my life or my misfortunes for you. I don't want you to experience the bitterness of being another Bárbara Guaimarán. You deserve hope and happiness. You deserve it, daughter. Do you believe me? Do you believe that this time there are no tricks?
Marisela nods. DB puts her hand to Marisela's cheek and Meléndez comes into the doorway and watches them.
He says to himself that DB and the little doll (la muñequita) are pretty together. He says that it seems that Josefa was wrong. They don't hate each other like she said. "I've found your weakness (el lado flaco), Barbarita," says Meléndez.

Labels: barbara