Caray, Caray!

In Which Santos Learns the Truth, Tues. March 3

Santos studies the photo that was in the envelope of the five men. There’s also a letter enclosed. The letter says that the photo is of four men killed without pity by Doña Bárbara. Yes, that woman that you have been defending. They are listed:
1. The man she fed to the piranhas
2. Julian Barretto dismembered by four horses and the rest fed to crocodiles
3. Jose Tancredo Maduro (Chepo) buried alive but escaped only to return for
revenge. Recaptured and died of terror.
4. Melendez whom she let bleed to death and then cooked him for his own troops.

Santos is amazed.

Marisela asks what is the matter with Eustaquia. She says her chest hurts and that she’s tired, without any strength. After Marisela leaves Eustaquia asks DB to stop her revenge. DB responds that she has to defend herself because her enemies pursue her.

Santos in his office has a flashback to when he met Julian Barretto. He has another flashback of seeing the burned bodies, one of them bearing a colonel’s insignia. He says to himself: She killed them. Why? Of course, they were the rapists and she finished them off. Antonio comes in just then and he tells him DB is a monster.

Melquiades escapes the prison dressed in the guard’s uniform.

Sapo tells Fausto that DB is dangerous and we have to remove from her side anyone who might help her. I’m the only one left, and since the best defense is to attack, I have to let this perra know that I am the powerful one.

DB wakes up frightened and remembers the visit of Lorenzo’s ghost when he told her that she’d die alone.

Antonio tells Santos to calm down. But he gets more and more agitated, blaming himself for loving her and believing her lies. He says he even doubted some of the things in Danger’s diary. Pointing to the photo: Look at these men. I met them. She did this while we were living together. Perhaps she made love to me the same night. He runs out, telling Antonio he has to get the venom out of his system.

DB hears a noise and goes to the bedroom door, gun in hand. When she sees Santos she assumes he’s come to make love to her and tries to cling to him. He says, “Don’t ever touch me again. I know what you’re capable of.” He shows her the photo. “I met some of these men, but you killed them, isn’t that true?” She asks where he got it and he replies that her enemies sent it.

DB: It’s a lie.
S: Enough lies. I never met the man eaten by piranhas, but I saw Barretto on his knees in front of you.
DB: You can’t understand.
S: Of course not. You’re inhuman, and I was the biggest fool because I fell in love
with a monster.
DB: Please don’t say this. (very pitifully)

Antonio and Marisela are discussing why Santos left and what happened. M says she saw a photo like that in DB’s house. Antonio says that Santos is really upset because of the barbarous way she killed them.

Santos: Did you kill them or not?
DB: Please don’t do this; don’t judge me.
S: For once in your life be brave enough to tell me the truth and only the truth.
The woman who said she loved me like crazy and swore to change lied to me
constantly.
DB: I never lied; I loved you. You are my life.
S: (Screams) Did you kill them or not?
DB: Yes, yes. I killed them. I did it.

Pajarote tries to go into the bunkhouse, but Maria Nieves and Altagracia are getting busy again in the hammock, so he leaves in disgust.

DB: Yes, I killed everyone. Is that what you wish to hear? I saw them die in terrible
pain. I don’t repent of it. If they were alive, I’d do it again with the same viciousness. Why? Because these degenerates turned me into this monster.
You want me to have told you my crimes before. Why? So you’d look at
me as you are now doing? What do you know of my suffering?
S: Don’t try to hide behind your suffering. No excuses. You could have turned them
in for justice.
DB: What justice? Paper? Ink? And as to the justice of God, forget it. Your God is
deaf. He listens to goody goodys like you, but he has never heard me. Those dogs
deserved to die as they did because they continued to kill, rob and abuse innocent
women. I got my own justice because no one ever defended me, including you who
once said you loved me. No, you’re not God. You’re a man, full of defects, proud.
You think you know how to love, but you don’t.
S: I waited more than a year for you too change.
DB: Why the hell do I have to change? I am what I am. Why couldn’t you love me as I
am? Don’t lie to yourself or to me. You are using this photo as an excuse for
your dirty act. You were my man and now you want to put yourself in bed with my
own daughter. THIS is monstrous.
S: What do you know? My own father was like you, cruel, bloodthirsty, capable of
cold-bloodedly murdering his own brother-in-law. Later he killed his son and then
himself. I hated him for what he did to me and to my mother. In my veins is
the same violent blood, but I fought it. As for whether I loved you, this bed is
a witness to what we had. Ah, I’m speaking with someone I don’t even know.
Why am I wasting my breath? Sorry, go ahead with your life. Your furies have
beaten me. I won’t bother you again, Bárbara.

Marisela is worrying because Santos did not come home. Antonio and Pajarote bring him in, dead drunk.

DB and Eustaquia are talking and she tells her about the photo and letter. E says that he always knew, but love is blind and he didn’t want to see. DB says she knows how to console him and appears ready to go to Altamira. Eustaquia says that DB is the blind one who can’t see that she’s lost him. DB still says he’s mine.

Melquiades returns. He’s gasping and doesn’t look too good. He says he’s loyal unto death.

Pernalete and Mujica come to try to smooth things over. DB says, ironically, look who we have here: fear and scared. She does the same thing as she did with Tigre and Leon, pretends to forgive them, but says she’ll get even when they leave.

There is another scene with El Sapo and Fausto where Sapo gets bad news. He comes unglued again hearing that Melquiades escaped. He says that with the next slipup, Fausto will be the one eliminated.

The two terneras (names forgotten, sorry) wives of the Poet and the other rebelde both go into labor at the same time.

DB sends for Dr. Arias to tend to Eustaquia. He says she’s very weak and she needs absolute peace and lack of stress.

Santos wakes up with a major hangover. Marisela cares for him without recriminations. He says he doesn’t deserve her. He goes on some more about how could he have been so blind. Marisela asks to see the photo. She says that she saw it in DB’s “dark room”, and that it had two faces scratched out. She wonders why only four faces can be seen. Santos replies it’s because the one who sent the photo is the last rapist. Marisela says: Sapo? Santos agrees and says that he sent me this so I’d stop defending her. Marisela tells Santos that she knows Melendez raped DB because he himself told her.

All hell is breaking loose at the Sandoval house. Both terneras are in full labor. Melesio says that this is all he needs, to be old and a midwife to boot.

Santos tells Marisela that she must think he’s pathetic. Everyone knew she was fooling him.
Marisela said that when DB was on the point of death, Santos gave her another opportunity. Santos says: and I broke your heart. Marisela agrees.

There’s a very tender scene with DB and Eustaquia where she blames herself for not letting the old woman rest. E replies that she’ll get her rest when her hour comes. She tells DB she has to face it; there’s not much time left. She says she doesn’t fear death, but she fears leaving DB so alone. DB, with tears in her eyes, says that E is her brújula (compass) and the mother she never had.

Melquiades sees DB getting ready to go somewhere. He tells her not to go to Santos. He wants her to again become the fierce, dominating Doña again.