Caray, Caray!

Carlota goes to church, not to seek inspiration or forgiveness, but to inform the powers that be in “prayer” that what she did was right. That task completed, she slips into the very nonprivate confessional, but we don’t get to find out what exactly she intended to confess, because when she hears the very familiar voice of Padre Juan/Cris her eyes go all high-speed ping-pong match and she flees the church. Padre JC steps out of the booth and looks perplexed.

Good boy/suckup Aron is mopping the kitchen floor when Angélica comes along, talking about a meeting she has with the editor for the book she’s written. Why is she always there? She must live with them. Aron mentions the scholarship Paloma is trying to get (Angie says Paloma is such a great student, she’d have to REALLY screw up to not get it…hmmmm, I wonder what she’ll do?) and says he’d like to get a scholarship and go to college himself. She seems amenable to helping him.

Inés leaves the church with some giggly friends and tells them she met the new priest, and what a hottie. One friend says they aren’t supposed to see priests that way, but Inés says God made the handsomeness and surely wouldn’t mind having his fine work admired. They decide to get right to work planning a welcome party, which they want to have at Mac and Carlota’s house.

Paloma and Macarena talk with Clara. Paloma decides to resume her art classes. After Clara leaves them, Paloma says that now the only thing left on her to-do list is to return the heirloom ring to Carmen. She isn’t sure Emiliano will get the address or phone number for her. Mac suggests that if Emiliano doesn’t have it, she could ask Natalia, but Paloma doesn’t like that idea because Alonso hates her so much and she doesn’t want to cause problems between him and Nat. Paloma suggests that Carmen’s housekeeper must know where to find her, but Mac informs her that Arcadia was run over and killed. Paloma is shocked at the rash of sudden deaths. Mac tells her not to take it personally and sends her off to talk to Emiliano.

Diana comes home to find Rafael packing his suitcase and, like her hair has already done, flips out. She thinks getting on her knees and wailing will help. It does not. He tells her it’s over, and no, there isn’t anyone else. She indulges in a little ugly crying.

Mac tells Inés she’d be happy to host the welcome party, but she’ll have to check with Carlota. Inés says when she meets that handsome Padre Juan, she must look at him very carefully. Inés thinks he seems really familiar, but she doesn’t know why, and she wants Mac to help her figure it out.

Chava is in Emiliano’s office, spinning and zooming around in a wheeled chair like I used to do when I was his age. Okay, I still do that. It really bugs Grandma. Emiliano says they can talk about whatever is bothering him, even if it’s something he wouldn’t be comfortable talking to his grandmother about. They agree to go out for tacos after their soccer match the next day. As Emiliano escorts Chava out, they find Paloma waiting. Chava and Paloma are fast friends, as Paloma says if she were a boy, she would have been a fútbol player, and Chava says girls can play; in fact the girl he’d like to be his novia is great at it. Title IX never found its way to the Espinoza de los Monteros household, however. Chava privately tells Emiliano that Paloma is nice and he should make her his girlfriend instead of Romina. Emiliano, as ever, looks moony and frustrated.

Romina prances into Germán’s place and says, “let’s get it on.” They do.

Emiliano gives Paloma Carmen’s information, barely looking at her. She asks whether he’s mad at her, because he’s acting very cold and it seems like he doesn’t want to be friends anymore. He says that’s true, he doesn’t want to be friends. She looks hurt. He says it’s hard to be friends, because he’s so in love with her, like he never thought he’d love anyone.

Well, Romina is just a tease, and she leaves Germy high and dry after a little argument in which she denies that she dumped Emil so that she could date him openly. After she flounces out, Germs swears that she’ll get addicted to being with him.

Paloma tells Emiliano he’s nuts; he can’t have just fallen in love with her all of a sudden. He says he’s felt this way for a long time, and his life has been hellish seeing her with someone else, but he did everything he could to help her be with Iñaki because he wanted her to be happy. She’s impressed by that display of devotion, but still says no way, because he is the novio of her best friend. Not anymore, says he. Paloma knows the wrath of Romina, however, and says it’s not happening, and Romina must never find out how he feels. Well, that didn’t go exactly as he planned.

Camila vaguely chats with Orlando on the phone and blames Romina’s emotional difficulties for her lukewarm response to Orly’s wooing.

Emiliano says he tried to fall in love with Romina, but couldn’t. Paloma doesn’t think they can be friends anymore. He says he knew that was a possibility, but he had to take the chance and tell her how he feels. She says she would rather not have known, and adios. He looks…that’s right, moony and frustrated.

Camila calls Orly regarding the weird-looking thing wrapped in cellophane he sent to her. He asks her to let him be near her. She smiles. I don’t get what’s going on with them. Does she like him or doesn’t she?

Paloma walks around town all upset.

Mac tells Carlota that Inés wants to have the party at their house. Carlota gripes about Inés and her plans to always stick other people with the work, but says they can’t refuse. Dr. Bermúdez drops by, and Carlota glowers and glows purple.

The doc came to bring Mac a rose and again suggest that she accept his offer of marriage. She thanks him but says she doesn’t think they should see each other; she doesn’t want him to get his hopes up for something that will probably never happen. He says he can handle the risk. Carlota eavesdrops and looks evil.

Paloma is in the church, praying about what to do about Emiliano and Romina, totally out loud, which I’m sure doesn’t at all bother the other people who are trying to pray. Padre Cris and the other priest walk into the front of the church while Cris talks about the albergue (shelter) for alcoholics he ran in the D.F., and says he’d like to run a similar program here. The other priest says that’s a good idea, then segues awkwardly into gossip by saying that people don’t only suffer from addictions, but also from loss, like that girl there. She lost her parents and then her fiancé. The priest says he wants to introduce Cris to Paloma; maybe he can help her. Cris wonders how he can avoid this.

Carlota makes fun of Macarena, repeating in a nasty singsong voice doc’s offer to make her a queen. She says really he just wants her to be his servant. “Well, that wouldn’t be worse than living here, plus I wouldn’t have to put up with you,” Mac smiles sweetly. Cruel thinks Mac is acting ridiculous; Mac thinks Cruel is just jealous because Mac inspires passion despite her age and feebleness, and Carlota does not. Carl gets all indignant and says she is too desirable; she just doesn’t end up sleeping with men because she has principles. Mac says Carlota hasn’t been in bed with anyone because no one’s asked. Mac, on the other hand, slept with a man out of love. Carlota argues that it wasn’t love, it was trampiness (golfería), and she’s besmirched the name of the whole family. Mac says she’d do it again for just one second of that love. Carlota gives up and stomps away.

She marches straight to her office and calls her lawyer for an immediate appointment.

Orlando sympathizes with Emiliano about Paloma’s rejection, but says he also understands that Paloma wouldn’t want to betray her friend (um, and also her fiancé just died, guys). Emiliano says he’s sad but also relieved that he said something and doesn’t have that hanging over him, and maybe he should just move far away. Orlando knows that good employees, even moony ones who have to squeeze work in around their courting of high school girls, are hard to find, so he talks Emil out of that and says to just give Paloma time to process everything.

Angélica sees Paloma on the street and notices that she’s upset and offers to chat.

Diana calls Emiliano at work to report the latest bad news.

Paloma tells Angie about the murky situation with Emiliano. Angie asks how she feels about him and Paloma responds with a list of social complications. Angie says those are thoughts, not feelings, and she needs to figure out how she actually feels about him deep down, as if he hadn’t been dating Romina or friends with Iñaki. Angie seems strangely overinvested in Paloma’s romantic life. Paloma says it would do no good to find out how she feels if being in love with him would cause such chaos, and besides it seems weird since she’d be married to Iñaki if he were still alive. Angie says he’s gone, so it’s not relevant, love will find a way, la la la. Good grief, everyone lay off the poor girl.

Inés tries to discourage Aron from seeing Paloma, and tells him Carlota will change her current welcoming act toward him if she finds out he wants to be Paloma’s novio and not just her friend.

Romina stops Paloma on the sidewalk to inform her that she’s broken up with Emiliano, and also to get in a thinly-veiled threat that no one snags Emiliano away from her and gets away with it.

Diana cries all over Emiliano about Rafael’s leaving and claims she is more in love with him than ever. She’s sure he has another woman; that is the only reason a man leaves his wife. Emiliano looks doubtful. Diana begs him to go talk to his dad and find out.

Padre JuanCris and Padre Otherguy continue their gossip about Paloma. Padre O says her faith is faltering because she thinks everyone she loves dies tragically, and he wants Padre JC to help her. He says she’s so lucky to have her aunt Carlota to take care of her, because Carlota is so devout and beneficent. “Oh, reeeeaaally?,” says Cris. I can’t believe he doesn’t even mention Mac. Well, okay, I can believe it; we have a lot of episodes to fill.

Paloma has finally made it home after everyone in town has harassed her. She phones someone and says she needs to see that unidentified person.

The lawyer says he’s found a way to keep Paloma from her inheritance, but it isn’t exactly legal and they’d have to convince a lot of people. Carlota likes it and makes a Grinch face.

Rafael stops by Camila’s shop for a friendly platonic chat about his divorce and how Emiliano might take it. Camila thinks it won’t be nearly as bad as it was for Romina, because St. Emil is a lot older, and Rafael is sticking around and being upfront about things rather than running away like a coward and never seeing his kid again the way Samuel did.

Paloma meets Emiliano at a café. He looks hopeful. She asks him to stay away from her forever. He asks why. She says it’s because Romina loves him. He says that’s crazy, and he was willing to step aside while she was with Iñaki because they were in love, but it makes no sense to give up because of Romina, as he doesn’t love her and never will. Is that really why she wants him to go away? No, she says. She does feel something for him. He must have read Angie’s book, because he repeats her lines about Paloma needing to identify what she really feels for him. He gets to hold her hand as he says this, so already his day is looking up.

The lawyer tells Carlota they’ll need to go to México to talk to some people, and they need to do it soon since Paloma’s birthday is coming up. She agrees and swears him to silence.

Paloma walks through town crying and looking confused yet again.

Diana and Romina commiserate on the phone about their respective ditching and how they can’t live without their men. Diana swears she’ll help Romina get Emiliano back. I don’t know why she hates her own son so much.

Emiliano drinks beers with Rafael and sympathizes completely about his desire for a divorce. Then he tells Rafa he’s broken up with Romina because he’s in love with Paloma. Oy, thinks Rafael.

Paloma sits in her room looking at her engagement ring and thinking about what Emiliano said.

Avances: Paloma tells Carmen she needs her address to send the ring back. Carlota tells Paloma that Macarena once had a gentleman caller, and after he gave her the necklace she never saw him again. Diana and Romina plot. Paloma hugs Aron, and Emiliano sees. He looks…no! Not moony! Offended!

Labels: amor