Caray, Caray!

Santos and Marisela on a windy day at her father's grave-
S: Marisela, you are here. You've returned. I can't believe it!
M: Yes, I'm back.
S: This is great! You don't know how happy it makes me that you have come to Altamira to see me, Marisela.
M: Santos, I didn't come to see you. I came to visit my father's grave and to say hi to my friends.
S: And you didn't think about meeting with me at all? I haven't stopped thinking about you, my love.
M: I'm not your love.
S: Bárbara isn't with me anymore. She has left my life forever. Marisela, to have you here is a fantastic surprise for everyone. Altamira will once again be filled with your happiness.
M: I have not come back to Altamira, Santos. Neither have I returned for you. Don't get your hopes up because it's not that way. I came back to fulfill the last wishes of my father. I've come to take back La Barquereña, the land of my grandparents. I owe him that and I will do it.
S: Good, that is the right thing to do but.. look Marisela, I want you to know that now it will be completely different between us...
M: Of course. I'm not the little girl who ran away from here. I'm a woman. I've come to fight for what is mine. And you aren't in my plans.

DB tells Fausto that his boss is Humberto Cháves (aka El Sapo). Fausto denies knowing anyone named Humberto Cháves or El Sapo. DB keeps smiling but she gets her gun out and ostentatiously plays with it. She wants to know what Fausto's 'corporation' wants in El Progresso. He gives his standard response that he is looking to buy land for cattle raising. He tells DB that he wants to visit El Miedo and make her an offer for her hacienda.

Cecilia babbles to the priest and flees.

Santos and Marisela
S: But when we were in the city, you didn't tell me any of this. Why did you change your mind, Marisela?
M: This is a letter from my father: his farewell and his last wishes. Cecilia brought it to me. (she hands the letter to Santos and he reads it).

DB asks Fausto who told him that she was interested in selling her land. Fausto says that doesn't matter. What does matter is that he is going to make her a very profitable (ventajoso) offer. DB says that her land isn't for sale. In fact, she is buying. The only one who buys around here is her. Fausto starts to says that he is free to ... DB interrupts and tells him not to tell her about his freedoms. She tells him to tell his boss to leave her alone and not to mess with her business. If he dares to do so, he will find out who DB really is. "Tell El Sapo that he is last one left," says DB, "He will know very well what I am talking about." She leaves and Fausto says that he doesn't care if she doesn't want to sell. She will lose no matter what happens.

Santos finishes reading Lorenzo's letter.
S: Those lands are yours and you have to get them back. Marisela, why did you refuse when DB offered them to you? I've never understood that.
M: That isn't the problem now, Santos.
S: But she did something, she said something to make you reject the hacienda. Did she threaten you with something?
M: What's done is done. What is important is that now I want it to belong to me.
S: Ok, I can help you. I want to help you. Marisela, let me handle it...
M: No, mind your own busieness. You are that woman's husband.
S: I told you Marisela, that is all over. DB has left here. She has left here forever. I asked her to leave after.. after I saw you in the city and I was tossing and turning and couldn't sleep.
M: I don't care! I'm not interested! It's not my problem! If you left her for me, Santos, you acted badly. This isn't a matter of love but of justice. Santos, you have nothing to do with this. I didn't come to fight for you but for my land.
(she starts to leave.) S: Look, Marisela, wait. Please, don't leave yet. Please.

Cecilia is sobbing helplessly. She tells Casilda that Antonio got married and it is her fault.

Antonio tells Lucía that it hurts him a lot to see Cecilia suffer. Lucía replies that she felt a lot of pity for Cecilia.

Santos asks Marisela to return and live at Altamira with Cecilia and Toñito. Marisela refuses, "That's exactly what I want to do," she says, "stay away from you."
"Why," asks Santos, "Are you afraid?"
"No, Santos," replies Marisela, "Not anymore."

DB demands that Mujiquita find out the name of the head of the corporation that Fausto represents.

Marisela tries to comfort Cecilia. Marisela tells Cecilia that she spoke to Santos and that he has separated from DB and wants her to come back to Altamira. Marisela says that she isn't interested. Cecilia is shocked, "Are you going to throw away your life and your happiness like I did?"

Fausto comes to see Santos. Santos says that he isn't interested in selling Altamira.

Juan Primito tells Eustaquia that Marisela has returned. She tries to get him not to tell DB.

The Altamira vaqueros discuss how 'odd' (raro) Bartolo is because he speaks nicely, likes flowers, dancing and reciting poetry. Genoveva overhears and tells them that such ordinary machistos as they have a nerve putting down Bartolo.
"Why don't you get on that broom and fly around," says Pajarote, "Don't give us lectures on morality when don't like that conceited guy either." "But I don't insult him for fun," says Genoveva, "To be a man does one have to get in fights all the time or mess around in the house of bad women (malas mujeres)?" "They're not that bad," jokes Pajarote, "There are some that are very good." "You know what, Pajarote," says Genoveva, "It's because of men like you that women like me prefer to stay single. You don't respect us. What happened to you that makes you speak so badly of us or maybe you didn't have a mother? Was that it?"

Santos comes to ask Melesio for advice.

Fausto tells El Sapo that none of the hacienda owners want to sell their properties. He thinks that they know there is oil in the area. El Sapo says that they will have to sell their properties. They can do it the easy way or the hard way.

Melesio tells Santos that that the situation with La Barquereña is going to cause a war. Santos says that he can't do anything because Marisela is very stubborn and won't let him help her. Melesio replies that she is correct. Santos is her mother's lover. Santos tells him that is all over. Melesio replies that makes the situation worse- there is nothing more dangerous than a woman who has been rejected. If Santos helps Marisela, it will drive DB crazy. Santos says that he is between a rock and hard place ('entre la espada y la pared,' literally, 'between the sword and the wall') because La Barquereña legally belongs to Marisela but if DB loses it, she loses everything.

Melesio accuses Santos of only thinking of himself. Santos denies it and says that he loves Marisela. "You picked a very bad time to figure out that you are in love, your situation is very complicated. Put your guilt aside. That woman has tons of money. Look into your heart and tell me what you want to do - protect the Doña or her daughter?" Santos chooses Marisela, of course, but says that Marisela won't let him do anything. Melesio says that there is something that Santos can do. Melesio calls his son in law, Andrés, the poet. "I present to you Marisela's lawyer," says Melesio.

Marisela tells Cecilia that she has to live for Toñito. Cecilia says that she is so happy that Marisela is there.

Melquíades tells DB that Marisela has returned to the llanos. DB asks if Marisela is with Santos. DB is sure that they are together. She is sure that he broke up with her because of Marisela but she won't permit it. No one makes fun of her. She goes out and Eustaquia tells Melquíades to follow to make sure she doesn't do anything crazy.

It turns out that Andrés is a lawyer although he has never practiced because he didn't like it. He agrees to offer his services to Marisela while Santos instructs him on what to do.

At the bar in the hotel, the Altamira vaqueros try to convince Bartolo to have a beer instead of fruit juice. Then they give him rum.

DB comes to see Santos. She runs around calling for Marisela. Santos tells her that Marisela doesn't live with him. DB accuses Santos of leaving her for Marisela. He says that isn't so. It was her lies and tricks. He tells her to leave him alone.

The Altamira vaqueros have brought a totally drunk Bartolo to Josefa's whorehouse for a diagnosis of whether he is 'raro' or not. Federica says that she will make the determination.

Marisela says that the time has come. She asks the spirit of her father for courage.

Antonio asks Don Encarnación for permission to invest in some water buffalos for milk production. DE says that he has debts but Lucía tells him to let Antonio try the project. DE says that he is happy to see the young people trying to save La Chaparal. Antonio can do what he wants with the hacienda. They have the enthusiasm and courage that he lacks right now.

Los Mondragon poison the water at DE's hacienda.

DB is pacing back and forth wondering where Marisela could be if she's not at Altamira. Melquíades suggests that she is staying with Cecilia in Progresso. DB says that they are going to the town.

Santos and Andrés have come to Cecilia's to see Marisela but Cecilia tells them that Marisela isn't there.

DB has gotten all gussied up to go to town to confront her enemy, Marisela. Juan Primito announces that Marisela is waiting to see DB at El Miedo. DB asks why she has come. "I have come to reclaim this hacienda, the inheritance from my father: La Barquereña.

Labels: barbara