Caray, Caray!

I missed the repeats from yesterday and came in as Barbara - after having hauled the decrepit paterfamilias ashes most thoroughly - whimpered: she's fearful for her old age because his children don't care for her. He says he'll take care of it and she makes him promise not to tell the kids what she said. Her thoughtbubble: "I'll use all your dough to destroy you and your odious family, and then I'll make sure the biz with Franco putrifies."

"What does it matter what I think, if you've already accepted Franco's proposal?" asks Fer (on the phone to Errika). Err: "What girl would turn down being presented as the fiancee of a guy as cute as Franco? I'll be the envy of everybody." Fer changes the subject and asks about Err's parents. She hears the pregnancy of Err's ma is actually menopause, well DUH, and they agree the mom needs to be coddled a bit. Err goes back to blabbing about Fr/Ed but suddenly the police are at Fer's door so she hangs up with some relief.

No police - it's actually Santiago, they embrace happily, he pulls Aurora into the room and they're all three happy. "Lazarus, risen from the dead!" Fer exclaims.

Margarita is reading about the artisan's fair that will be under the aegis of the new community center (I think). Jacinto enters, in his jammies, and they are all cozy and cuddly. Stupidly - since he was about to get lucky - he brings up the awkward situation at Fr/Ed's - Gardenia's righteous rage against that gum-popping Mary Magdalene aka Venus that Martina has dragged in from the ashes of the Bad Love Bar.

Margarita is very jealous because Venus is so good-looking and a lady of easy virtue to boot. Jacinto has to exert himself to get back in her good graces.

During the whole hour, Fr/Ed and Esteve kill a lot of time wondering what to do about Venus. They want to find work for her as a favor to Martina, but Venus cheerfully admits she has no skills other than mud-wrestling and whatever happens when she is alone with her clients at night. And there's the problem of Gardenia and her righteous rage.

Fr/Ed interviews the gum-popping Jezebel. Steve has an idea of what to do for/with her - but we don't find out what it is. We just know Fr/Ed is adamantly opposed, even though it is not the opening of a new "mud shop + little house of love." Maybe tomorrow we'll find out. The lads agree Venus is the most honest women they've ever known. Hmm.

Santi brings breakfast to Aurora. They are cheerful canoodlers when Barbara enters, muy impactada to discover Cigarman was wrong about Aurora being dead. She tries to be friendly but is very bad at it. She interrogates Aurora about where she's been, her family, etc. and gets a bunch of lies in return. She tells Santi he is her favorite stepchild and he wants to barf.

Aurora is telling Santi she needs something to do while she's at the hacienda. Gonzo comes in, gives her a somewhat lukewarm greeting (he and Barbara think the Aurora/Santi relationship is too "relaxed"), and asks to speak with Santi alone. In the study, he fiercely complains about his other children being unfair and hard towards Barbara, and says, "I trust you Santi, you are fair. Fer is trying to separate me from my wife. Nobody messes with my honey bun."

Barbara enters, playfully ruffles Santi's hair, he leaves, she points out how her loving overtures to Santi were rebuffed. Gonzo says he's going to a lawyer to make sure Barbara is well taken care of after his death [A death which, given that very fact, might well be coming along sooner than he expects. --Ed.]

Barbara whimpers that Santi considers her an "intrusion" and says she's sorry to be breaking the happy harmony of the family with her little worries. She gives Gonzo more sugar on his way out.

Aurora asks Santi if he mentioned the Gonzo look-alike banging on Dominga's door. No, there were other things on the agenda. They agree they don't want to say anything about Aurora's family so they drop it. "But gee whiz, he sure looked a lot like your dad.". Pris is

Barbara/Rebeca calls Cigarman and asks, "How are you so sure the girl is dead?" He tells her about the fire and says, "It's the best thing that could have happened - she was very dangerous." He hangs up. Barbara thinks she knows what happened, her thought-bubble goes: "Aw, she got tired of screwing you, you decrepit old monster, and decided to go for the young handsome rich Elizalde boy instead, so you tried to 'eliminate' her."

Fer visits Prisila in bed. Pris is wearing, as Ferro has described it, 'makeup that's supposed to look like she isn't wearing makeup.' We hear again that Pris may lose the baby if she doesn't rest.

I hope you remember: Fer was in her car spying when Pris went into Vladimir's apartment, and she therefore knows Pris was lying yesterday when Fer called and asked her to lunch and Pris said, "can't, I'm at the spa."

Fer asks about the spa, gets more horse hockey, says Anibal is a beast for telling Pris: "If you lose the baby, well, that's destiny for ya." Finally she asks, "Do you know Vladimir?" She wonders about his working for Pris's family... she leaves and Pris is in anguish wondering whether Damien spilled the beans about baby's daddy. "No, we had a deal, he has to stick with it!"

Camilo and Jacinto have yet another horn-locking confrontation in the stable. Many threats. Barbara is watching from behind a tree or something. Jacinto is not intimidated and says Camilo must come back tomorrow if he wants the car back. "Jacinto, don't push me or your life is in danger!" "That's been the case since my sainted mother gave birth to me." Camilo kicks a wall.

Flor cries a lot, tells Margarita she's been fired, they go to see Fer, there is sympathy but no resolution. Meanwhile, Anibal gives the KEYS to the SPECIAL IMPORTANT SUPER SECRET ARCHIVES to VLADIMIR while the search for a new secretary goes forward. Vlad uncomfortably opines that firing was too harsh a punishment for Flor (remember, it was Vlad that did the deed and then fingered Flor for it). AB says, my decisions are not open to discussion.

Tomorrow: Fr/Ed gets the special important papers from Cero's wife.

Labels: manana