Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Doña Bárbara - Tues., Jan. 27 - Lots of babies except for DB
A very passive Santos let DB convince him to let her live at Altamira. He mentions the situation with Antonio and all of his business projects that have kept him busy. "I only want us to be together," she says, "Just dedicate your nights to me, let us finally get married, support me in the matter of our child. I will do all that is possible and impossible to give you the child that we both want so much." Santos says nothing and lets her lead him upstairs.
Cecilia is told that she is on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy so she can't visit Antonio. Lucía moves to the capital to take up the slack while she is ostensibly attending the university.
The election in Progresso takes place and Pernalete is reelected by fraudulent means but Santos writes to Antonio that no one could prove it.
DB asks Santos when they are going to get married like he promised. He tells her not to pressure him. He says that he isn't her marionette. He says that he is involved in the highway project and can't do two things at once. DB says that she will wait until the highway is finished.
Gervasia doesn't even make it back to the house when she goes into labor and has a six month old baby boy on the way to the river.
Federica has her baby and the paternity mystery is solved. While the vaqueros were 'eating off the same plate,' Federica had a quickie with a black guy and the baby is a 'chocolatito.' This causes Pernalete to have a stroke leaving him paralyzed in such a way that he can't talk and can only hold the baby. Mujica takes over Pernalete's job.
Josefa and Federica open their whorehouse in Pernalete's house.
Santos is busy with the highway project and the milk processing business but he is drinking a lot. 
In spite of expensive procedures, DB has no success getting pregnant. DB tells Santos that she wants him to love her like he did before, look at her like he did before, desire her like he did before. Santos tells her that all relationships cool down over time. "Look," says Santos, "I can't love you the way you love me, but I still love you in spite of all things that you hide. Yes, I know that you continue to lie to me but in spite of that, I love you."
Santos spends a lot of time talking to Juan Primito about Marisela.
DB interrupts one of these sessions and asks Santos to go with her to the pozo. He says that he is too busy. She replies that it is his fault that she isn't getting pregnant - he doesn't want her to have a baby. Santos says that is her problem. She thinks that love is having and posessing but it doesn't work that way. The more she does that, the less passion he has.
Cecilia has her baby boy and poor Antonio can't be there and has to find out about in a letter.
DB doesn't find out about Cecilia's baby until a week later. Eustaquia says that no one wants to talk to DB about babies or births. DB tells Eustaquia that Santos never talks to her any more. Eustaquia replies that DB doesn't tells Santos what she is doing with BP and Los Mondragon. She warns DB, "Santos isn't an idiot; he's acting like one, but he isn't." ("Santos no es bobo; se hace, pero no lo es.") DB says to leave her alone. She knows what she is doing.
DB says that she wants a baby with Santos to make him love her again and tie him to her. She says that she wants something to live for, someone to live for. She doesn't want to feel up in the air as if she were about to lose everything and fall into a bottomless black hole.
Seven months go by. Antonio gets a picture of the baby but writes to tell Cecilia not to bring the baby to see him. Antonio is depressed that he has been in prison a year.
Santos goes to see Guerrero. Guerrero tells him that he thinks the political climate is about to change with the elections and political prisoners will be released.
Cecilia brings the baby to see Antonio but finds him kissing Lucia.
Mujica is named to Pernalete's old job.
The highway is opened and Gonzalo, the rebels and their wives come back to Progresso but Marisela isn't there.
Labels: barbara
: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 10:21:00 AM EST
Guerrero is the very definition of an opportunist. His politics have no core value to them; he just moves toward whatever element is in power.
So frustrating that the verging-on-stalker Lucia managed to get Antonio into a compromising position at exactly the wrong time. And Maria Nieves was completely right. It was crazy proud of Antonio to refuse to have the child visit sooner. The kid would certainly not remember that!
: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 2:06:00 PM EST
This one introduces the character of Juan Primito. The first two sentences are: For stabbings: Meliquiades; for dirty tricks: Balbino; and for messages: Juan Primito. Except that some of the messages Juan Primito delivered were just like stabs.
He is described as a simpleton with a tendency towards madness. He's very unkempt and dirty and older than the actor in the telenovela. Especially interesting is the introduction of "los rebullones" - a topic which has intrigued many of us in the telenovela.
The author says that the birds are the physical manifestation of DB's evil nature. It's not exactly clear if this is literal or only the description of what JP thinks the birds represent. JP places liquids on the roof of El Miedo in jars that correspond to the sort of bad behavior she is up to. For assassinations: blood from slaughtered cows. For lawsuits: oil and vinegar. And for witchcraft: a mixture of wild honey and the bile of cows.
JP would talk to the birds: Drink, birdies! Fill up so you can leave the poor soul in peace. It appears that JP believes that, if the birds drink his liquids, they will be satiated and leave the victim alone. As in the telenovela, it's not exactly clear if these creatures really exist or are a figment of JP's imagination.
Apparently, during periods of calm the birds would disappear. When Santos arrived, JP began looking at the sky for their arrival, having already filled his jars on the roof with liquids.
The relationship with Marisela is also explained. He does call her "la niña de mis ojos". When she was very small and Lorenzo already in a drunken stupor most of the time, it was Juan Primito who brought food and drink from El Miedo to La Chusmita to keep the child alive. She is the only person he loves, and he is quite upset when Santos takes her to live at Altamira.
: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 2:27:00 PM EST
Santos is so passive about his 'love life' and I keep thinking he'll snap out of it. I suppose everyone has a different 'bottom' and he'll get to his before too long. Signing marriage docs might do it for him.
Pernalete got a good 'punishment' for his deeds. Nice touch that he can't communicate anything.
Lucia has been one aggressive gal! And trapping a man who's already in a cell...
jb
: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 4:13:00 PM EST
: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 8:39:00 PM EST
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