Caray, Caray!

Thursday-

Cecilia has to tell Marisela that Lorenzo is dead. She is devastated. She calls him over and over asking him to wake up and not leave her alone. Melesio is bidding farewell to the two terneras who are leaving with the rebels when Casilda comes running up with the news about Lorenzo.

At El Miedo, Santos, DB and the rebels are waiting impatiently for Antonio to come so that they can leave. Pajarote arrives with the news. All Santos can say is, "My God, Marisela." He leaves immediately telling the rebels to stay at El Miedo.

DB tells the ghost of Lorenzo that he had no power over her living and has none now when he is dead. Eustaquia thinks that Lorenzo came to say goodbye to DB. DB replies that Lorenzo's ghost came to threaten her. She won't tell Eustaquia what Lorenzo said, however, because she says that she doesn't believe a word of it. She won't suffer more than she already has and she won't lose what she wants so much. Eustaquia says that poor Marisela is alone now - what will she do? DB says that only one road is open to Marisela now and she will help her take it.

At El Miedo, Gonzalo wants to go to Marisela but the other rebels are in agreement that they should follow Santos' instructions. DB comes in and holds out a big wad of money to Gonzalo and tells him to take it. She says that it will make life easier for Marisela when he takes her away from here.

"You knew, right?" says Marisela to Lorenzo's body, "You knew you were going to die, Papa. That's why you wanted me to have my birthday. You waited for me to have my birthday before you left. Now what is going to become of me? You wanted me to be a woman before leaving me but it seems that I am not one yet because I still need you. I don't want you to leave, Papa. I don't want you to leave." Santos comes in. "He is gone," says Marisela, "He is gone and I am alone in the world.
"Don't say that, Sunshine," says Santos, "Listen to me. You will never be alone. You will always have me. I will always be here for you."
"That's a lie," says Marisela, "because you are with her and not with me. I'm not important to you."
"Yes you are," says Santos, "Marisela, don't you realize that you are the most important thing in my life. I think about you all the time. You are in my heart and mind every second."
M: Is that true?
S: Yes, I swear to you that right now I feel your pain as if it were my own. I am so sorry about your father, Marisela.
M: He loved me, Santos. He loved me a lot.
S: A lot, a lot and I love you too. I love you very much, Sunshine.

Gonzalo tells DB that he won't need the money because Marisela won't go away with him. DB says that she will make sure that Marisela does leave with him.

Santos leaves Marisela with Cecilia while he goes to make the arrangements for Lorenzo's funeral. Santos tells the Altamira vaqueros and Antonio that he thinks a wake (velorio) would be too hard on Marisela with everyone coming and payting their condolences. He decides that Lorenzo will be buried today. He sends Antonio to town for the priest, a coffin and a gravestone. He tells the other vaqueros to dig a grave next to where his father and brother Felix are buried. Antonio asks Santos how he is doing. Santos says that he is reliving the deaths of his father and brother. Lorenzo's death has affected him and Marisela greatly.

Casilda tells Cecilia that Lorenzo had a hard life and suffered a lot. She replies that is true but he died surrounded with love from everyone at Altamira and respect from the rebels. Casilda notes how handsome he is and Cecilia remembers how she fell in love with him the minute that she first saw him.

Cecilia has left Marisela alone to get Lorenzo ready to be buried and who should come in but DB.
DB: Daughter, I am very sorry.
M: Don't be a hypocrite. I know that you wished for the death of my father many times.
DB: Don't say that at this moment.
M: That is the truth. Now it has happened. What you wished for has come true. Why are you here? To make fun of him or me?
DB: No, I haven't come for that. I've come to give you some that advice that you should take. You don't want to take my advice or even listen to it.
M: What I want is for you to leave me in peace. Respect my grief and let me bury my father in peace.
DB: That's exactly what I want. My advice will let you have a tranquil life without more problems. Go with Gonzalo. Go. There is nothing tying you here. You are as free as the wind and can go where you want. I'm saying this for your own good.
M: The only 'good' you are interested in is yours. You're not doing this for me but for you. You want me away from here. I just lost my father and you want to separate me from my family and everyone. Don't you have any compassion? I just lost the only person who really cared about me in this world. Here you are pushing me to leave. What is inside you - a heart or something dirty, disgusting and rotting? Get out and leave me in peace!
DB leaves and ends up in Lorenzo's room where she hears him tell her that he forgives her.

Santos comes in and tells Marisela about the arrangements he has made. She agrees to whatever he says. She says that it doesn't matter. Lorenzo isn't in his body anymore; he is resting in a nice place. She asks Santos to confirm that Lorenzo can still hear her because she needs to talk to him every day. Santos replies that of course he can hear her and will guide her steps from heaven.

Preparing for the funeral, everybody in Altamira remembers Lorenzo's last words to him or her. DB comes to the funeral. Marisela tells Santos to tell DB to leave immediately.
S: Bárbara, I think it would be better if you left.
DB: I have the right to be here.
Cecilia: Excuse me, you don't have any rights here.
Eustaquia: Barbarita, child, Marisela is suffering terribly. Don't make her pain any worse. You know that she doesn't like you.
DB: (to Santos) You should defend me instead of taking her side.
S: Respect Marisela's pain. Her father just died. I will defend you when you are in the right. You aren't now. Leave, please.
DB leaves.

Marisela says goodbye to her father saying that he was the best of all fathers and the most loving. Antonio notices that Pernalete has arrived and signals to the rebels, who are at the funeral to leave.

DB tries some witchcraft to get rid of Lorenzo's ghost.

Sobbing, Cecilia asks Lorenzo to forgive her for not loving him like he deserved. Antonio comes in behind her. She continues to speak to Lorenzo asking him to forgive the ugly things she said to him.
"You loved him," says Antonio, "Now I realized how much you loved him."
"I cared about him a lot," replies Cecilia, "and I loved him a lot before I met you. I loved him now, too."
"So I see," says Antonio.
"No, my love, you don't see," says Cecilia, "because you only know of one kind of love. What I felt for Lorenzo is very different. It's a pure love that is mixed with many years of pain, solitude and hope. And the happiness of finding him again. Lorenzo was the best and the saddest of men." Antonio holds her.

Alone at Lorenzo's grave after the funeral, Marisela says, "Papa, I tried not to hurt you but you left me anyway. I know that you wanted me to have accepted La Barquereña and it would have made made you a little happy but I couldn't. Now I can tell you why I refused it. It was because of her. It was because of Bárbara Guaimarán. You remember when she came to talk to me. That day, she came to collect a debt."
Marisela flashes back to her conversation with DB. DB tells her that when she is offered the hacienda, she will refuse it in front of everyone, especially Santos. Marisela tells DB that she should accept the hacienda, it belongs to her and her father. DB says that Marisela doesn't want to go to jail for killing Colonel Meléndez. Marisela replies that she killed him without intending to do so to save DB's life. DB says that she still killed a Colonel of the Republic, an important functionary and would have to serve at least 20 years in jail. Marisela says that she is willing to pay for her crime. DB says that Marisela might be willing to go to jail but that her being arrested would kill Lorenzo and she would be responsible for two deaths.

"I did it for you, Papa," says Marisela, "I did it so that you wouldn't have a killer for a daughter. But my own mother blackmailed me. She made me give up the hacienda. Forgive me, Papa. Forgive me for not telling you. I didn't want, I couldn't let you suffer for me because of that woman. It's always that woman. That woman was capable of mocking me, pretending that she was doing it for my own good.
(flashback) DB: Let's consider things without sentimentality. Your father was a terrible administrator. If he got La Barquereña back, he would start drinking again and lose it. And you, you still have a lot to learn about managing land and men. Who knows, if I leave it to you when I die, I am just increasing your profits.
Marisela: I have never wanted anything of yours and I don't want it now.
DB: How nice. The girl is dignified and you know the saying, "You can't eat dignity" ("Con dignidad, no se come.")
Marisela tells DB not to mock her. DB says that this is only a little sacrifice for her happiness and that of her mother.
"That's the woman you gave me for a mother, Papa. I don't understand her. Sometimes it seems like she cares about me and that she is going to make sacrifices for me and then it's the same as always. I don't want anything to do with her. Help me, Papa, not to hate her because I don't want to be bad.

A ghostly wind blows out the candles DB lit at El Miedo. Lorenzo appears to DB and says that he will appear to her day and night. She tells him to be quiet, that he is dead. Lorenzo says that she is dead too, dead in life (muerta en vida), which is worse. She tells him to leave but he says that this is his house and it is she who will leave. Again, he says that she will die alone.

At Lorenzo's grave, Marisela says that she doesn't know how she will be able to live without this sky and landscape but she will go far away. She doesn't want to stay here when Santos marries DB. It hurts her to see them together. She can't keep living like this way. It will make her bad and envious because she doesn't want to see them happy and even less does she want to see DB destroy Santos' life and make him suffer. She says that the only thing that tied her to this place, this life was him. Now she alone and she is leaving.
"I don't matter to you?" says Santos from behind her, "Didn't you say that you cared about me? Don't I don't tie you to this place? Marisela, wouldn't you stay for me?"

Friday-

Marisela tells Santos that it is DB or her and he won't leave DB so Marisela will leave Altamira.

DB tells Lorenzo's ghost that she will never be alone because Santos is hers. Lorenzo says that she will pay for what she has done. He will torment her day and night. He says that it's his turn. He will take vengeance for the living and the dead. DB screams at him to be quiet and go away.

Santos tries to tell Marisela that she is confused but she says that it is he who is confused. He is confused and afraid. She says that she knows that he feels the same for her as she does for him but he doesn't have the courage to accept it. Santos says that some times he is stupid and egotistical [You got that right, Santos!] but he says that she shouldn't leave. Marisela says that tomorrow she is leaving with Gonzalo and he can't stop her. Santos says that he will go too. "Don't you dare follow me," says Marisela, "I just buried my father who I loved more than anyone in this world. Now leave me because I am going to bury the love I have for you."

Cecilia tells Gonzalo that Lorenzo was her first love and he abandoned her. But the hate that she had for him was transformed into a pure love. Gonzalo is not really interested in Cecilia's feelings. He wants her to do him a favor and convince Marisela to leave with him. He is sure that he can make her happy and that Lorenzo wanted this too. Cecilia tells Gonzalo that when she was a little younger than Marisela, her family convinced her to leave Altamira and it was the worst decision she made in her life. She asks him to let Marisela make her own decisions without pressure so that she doesn't have anything to regret like Cecilia does.

Marisela goes to the pozo and recalls seeing Santos for the first time there and seeing him make love to DB for the first time. She is going to bury her love in the place she first recognized it. She throws some pebbles into the water and says, "Goodbye, goodbye forever, my love."

Santos tries to get Cecilia to convince Marisela to stay but Cecilia says that Marisela deserves to be happy and her chance of happiness is far from Altamira.

Marisela goes to La Chusmita and has more memories. She says that she is leaving behind her two loves: her father and Santos. She will never forget them.

DB wants Eustaquia to go to Altamira and find out what is going on. Sarcastically, she says that Marisela will take advantage of the situation to be play the victim because Santos loves to comfort women. Eustaquia refuses saying that she is too old to play the spy.

Juan Primito comes into La Chusmita. Marisela tells him to hug her. She is leaving tomorrow. When she tells him that she is leaving forever, he is upset. First the rebullones left, then Lorenzo and now her. Marisela asks him to take care of Santos.

María Nieves tells Altagracia that he is going away forever. She is impactada.

Marisela tells Gonzalo that she will go away with him.

JP tells DB that Marisela is leaving with Gonzalo.

MN tells Antonio that he will go away with him.

Santos tells Gonzalo that Marisela has had a hard life and he doesn't want her to suffer any more. Gonzalo replies that he will make sure that doen't happen. Santos says that he needs money to do that. He offers Gonzalo money. Gonzalo says that everyone is offering him money. He doesn't need it. Santos ask who else offered him money.

DB tells Melquíades to follow the rebels and Altamira folks like he did before but this time to make sure that Marisela and Gonzalo cross the frontier. She says that they have to get away from here.

Gonzalo won't tell Santos who offered him money. He tells Santos that even though his father has disinherited him because of his political activities, when he calls his family, they will help him and he and Marisela can live well wherever they are. Santos shouldn't worry about their economic status. "Gonzalo," says Santos, "You know that she doesn't love you." "I know," replies Gonzalo, "but she will love me when she has gone away from here and forgotten about what she went through, she will begin to love me. And I will make her happy. Santos, I am the man for her, not you because only I can love her freely so get out of my way once and for all." Santos replies that he won't stand aside just because Gonzalo asks him to. He needs to be sure that Marisela will be happy. Gonzalo says that Santos can't make her happy because he is sleeping with Marisela's mother. Santos has chosen his road; he should go down it and leave Marisela to be happy with Gonzalo. If he wants her to be happy, he should let her go. Finally Santos agrees. He tells Gonzalo to take care of her.

Marisela tells Cecilia that she is the mother she never had and they will always be best friends. She tells Genoveva that she will miss her.

Lucía tells Antonio that she will miss him and she is sure that they will meet again.

Genoveva tells Antonio that he should take all of them with him - the terneras, Melesio, the rebels becuase she doesn't want to stay in the house with the family separated.

Cecilia comes to speak to Antonio. Cecilia tells Antonio that she never thought they would be separated this way. Antonio says that he never thought it would hurt so much to leave. Cecilia says that they are paying for their mistakes. She knows that Antonio will never forgive her mistake. Antonio replies that she hurt him and he has to put some distance between them and see if they should be together. She says that she wants him to know that she never will stop loving him. Antonio asks her to let his family know when the baby is born and if he can, he will come and embrace it. He says that he doesn't want her to write to him. He needs to have his wounds heal.

DB is furious that Santos hasn't come back to El Miedo for dinner.

Santos has flashbacks to Lorenzo telling that he will never be happy with DB.

Cecilia tells Marisela that she and Lorenzo were such good friends and now Marisela is leaving too.

DB is alone in bed imagining that Santos is trying to persuade Marisela not to leave.

Cecilia asks Marisela to be her baby's godmother. She also asks Marisela to write her long letters. Marisela says that she will but asks Cecilia not to say anything about where she is to Santos. She needs to break completely with Santos. Cecilia agrees.

Santos finds Marisela sleeping in Cecilia's bed. He says that she looks so sweet and fragile when she is asleep.
C: But she is strong, Santos. More than you imagine. Try not to worry. She will be fine without us.
S: True, but what will we do without her?
C: Go sleep, Santos. You're tired.
He leaves.
C: God works in mysterious ways, my child. Your absence will open his eyes once and for all.

DB comes to Altamira looking for Santos. He says that had to take care of his own. DB says that she is 'his own' now. She is his woman. He says that he will return to El Miedo tomorrow when the rebels have crossed the frontier.

Sad leave taking the next day. MN tells Altagracia to say one word and he will stay. She tells him to say something but he says that this is the way he is. If she doesn't like it, he will leave. She doesn't like it and he leaves.

Cecilia asks if Antonio will return. He says that he will return for the baby. "I love you," says Cecilia.

Gonzalo tells Santos that he has learned a lot here: prudence; unconditional friendship. He thanks Santos for all his generostiy and bravery. He says that he will return for the the country they love.

Santos tells Marisela that they don't have much to say. Marisela says that she wants to thank him because what she is and how much she has learned is his work. She is his creation. He says that she is the Marisela Barquero that he dreamed of: his sunshine, resplendant and loyal. "But now my sunshine is leaving. What am I going to do without your happiness, Marisela? Without my morning sunshine and the heat that bothers you so much at midday? Are you going to be happy?"
"I will try to be with all my heart. Are you going to be happy?"
"I don't know but I will try to be also. Aren't you even going give me a hug?"
"No," says Marisela, "she is watching us."
"She knows how much I care about you. I've never hidden it from her."
"Me either. But can you hug me without giving me a goodbye kiss? The kiss I have always waited for - my first kiss of love? "
"I suppose that if I hugged you, I couldn't help myself."
"Then, goodbye Santos, Santitos."

"She is gone," exults DB, watching with binoculars as the boat pulls away, "The danger is gone. I won boys! I won! Now, it's all mine: Santos is mine; Altamira is mine; the world is mine! Mine, it's all mine."

Santos runs along the river bank calling Marisela's name but it's too late. The boat keeps on going.

Labels: barbara