Caray, Caray!

Déjà vu : Padre JuanCris hems and haws around the front gate of Misery Manor until Paloma comes along. She introduces herself, and the editors have enough restraint to let the moment carry its own import rather than adding Music Of Meaning or twinkly sparkles. He notices she looks sad and asks if there’s something he can do. When she says no one can help, he gently suggests divine solace but doesn’t nose into her affairs. She goes into the house to find Carlota, oddly not inviting him even as far as the foyer to wait, which leaves him outside to notice the black mourning ribbon over the door.

Today’s news: Paloma queries Rufina as to Carlota’s dondeabouts. “How would I know?” asks Rufi. “She has to know every little thing the rest of us do, but she never says where she’s going.” They kibbutz a bit about what the new priest is like (Paloma has a favorable impression, and says he seems like someone you can talk to and it will make you feel calm) before Paloma heads back.

Padre JC is pacing and praying for fortitude at the front gate. Carlota comes walking up the sidewalk, but is detained by Inés.

Upstairs, Macarena finishes mooning over her memory box and curls up for a nap. Paloma comes in, assesses the situation, and quietly leaves. Downstairs, Rufi answers the phone and apparently someone named Rosa thinks something is urgent. Paloma goes back to Cris and asks whether he can come back another time, because Carlota is out. She starts to say her other aunt is sleeping, but of course he cuts her off and says just give them my apologies for missing the dinner. If people ever managed to finish their sentences telenovelas would be like two weeks long. Anyway, Paloma is totally gracious about the situation, a skill she surely didn’t learn from Fine Upstanding Perfect and Proper Carlota. Padre tells her he’s available to listen if she ever wants to talk about her sadness. They share a little moment that has a total daddy-and-little-girl vibe, and he leaves.

Rufi rushes out of the house and is bummed to have missed seeing the Padre. Turns out Rosa’s emergency was that she wanted to know how to make chiles en nogadas. Rosa, dear, the way to get chiles en nogadas is to invite Chef Hawt from Querida Enemiga over to make them for you. Duh. Paloma has to report to Rufi that the priest seems nice.

All this time, Carlota is griping and moaning to Inés about how rude the padre is, not to have called or anything, whine whine whine. Inés tells her this is a totally disproportionate response.

Romina wears a dress that looks like a figure skating costume and tears up pictures of Paloma, swearing she’ll never steal Emiliano.

Emiliano is still oversharing to Orlando, saying Romina was always hot to trot, but he doesn’t love her and didn’t want this to happen and he doesn’t remember a thing. Orly astutely says that whether or not he loves her, there could be consequences. Romina calls and wants to see Emiliano; they agree to meet.

Back over at Misery Manor, Carlota is putting Paloma and Macarena to sleep at the dinner table with her continued kvetching over being stood up by the priest, no belladonna necessary. Then she yells at them for not joining in the dinner conversation, then she yells at Mac for leaving the table without being excused. Then she gripes to Paloma that Mac’s not feeling well is no excuse for her bad attitude. What’s Carlota’s excuse? Carlota storms out as well, and Paloma starts crying. I bet they have antacids for dessert every night.

Emiliano is doing his dim best to piece together what happened the night before. He doesn’t get very far.

Paloma is miserable, thinking it must be horrible for Romina to be in love with a man who loves another girl. She doesn’t want them to end up like Mac and Carlota, so she thinks she has no other option than to renounce the grand love of Emiliano, even though when they kissed it was like she was in heaven (did she get to say hi to Iñaki?), because now she feels like she’s in hell. At some point in this conversation Paloma also told Rufi she knows the whole story of Carlota and Mac’s past, not suspecting that she doesn’t know the half of it.

Rafael drops by Camila’s shop. She’s busy with some customers, so he has a moment for Meche to tell us all yet again how wonderful Emiliano is. When Cami’s free, he asks her how things are going with Romina and holds her hands as their love tune plays, only to be drowned out by the sounds of menace and tension when Orlando walks in.

Rafael invites Camila to come over and see if the new ceramics line looks like she intended in her design, and leaves. Orlando pretends he came to confirm their dinner date, but finally asks whether something is going on between Rafa and Camila. The lady doth protest too much, and he looks suspicious.

Diana accosts Rafael outside the shop and tries to get him to join her for a spell, but he says he’s busy and he’ll see her later for dinner as they had arranged. She says she’s going to go to the salon and get fixed up all purdy for him, but he says don’t bother. She makes her usual cara de guácala.

Diana sticks her snout into Camila’s shop and is delighted and relieved to see Camila looking friendly with Orlando.

Liliana visits Paloma, spewing guilt and apologies over the tempest she’s stirred up. Then she says she doesn’t know what’s going on between Paloma and Emiliano, but she certainly knows that Romina is a tramp (golfa), and she’s going to tell Paloma everything she knows.

Diana meets Romina in the café and wants to know ALL the details of her son’s sex life, ugh, gross, pitooey.

Emiliano has now summoned Germán to his little personal tribunal. I hope there isn’t any pressing silver business today. He wants any details on how things may have gone down with Romina. “Did you sleep with her?!” Germy chokes out.

Romina is actually dishing, ick, and then Diana shares the hard-to-believe fact that Rafael wasn’t her first congressional term. Romina says Emiliano will be her first and last (!) and Diana agrees.

Germy is flabbergasted and asks how it could have happened; Emiliano was so drunk. Yet doesn’t seem at all hungover today, I notice. Emiliano says he doesn’t know, he just woke up and there she was, all nekkid and happy and saying it was her first time. Germy’s jaw drops, but he covers by saying he just doesn’t believe Emiliano could have made like a senator in his condition. Emiliano says he can’t doubt her word (why can’t you? Why? We know you’re no gentleman; you’ve already talked about it to like half the town). Emiliano flails and Germy fumes.

Padre Mateo is suggesting to Padre JuanCris that he should try again to find Carlota and apologize, but Cris thinks everyone is making way too big a deal out of the whole thing. “But Carlota is very important,” protests PadreM. “No more important than anyone else,” says Cris. He thinks they have much more important things to do, and PadreM finally agrees.

The phone rings, and Carlota picks it up at the same time as Mac, allowing her to eavesdrop as Mac and Dr. Rodolfo make plans to meet. Then she oh-so-casually walks into the room where Mac is and demands that she accompany her to the church to meet Padre Juan. Mac says no way, she has plans. Carlota throws another completely disproportionate fit and stomps back to her office, and Mac rolls her eyes at the mad cow act. Carlota snipes to herself that she will have to tame (domar) Mac again.

Paloma wonders whether Emiliano was only flirting with her to get even, since he knew about Romina kissing Germy. No, she decides, the kiss was for real. She looks out her window and sees Emiliano arrive at Romina’s house to a VERY warm and conniving greeting.

Paloma is very confused. She thinks back over Romina’s sneaking around with Germy and decides there must be some truth to what Liliana said, but could Romina be so bad? She doesn’t know what to think.

Emiliano is furious at Romina and says he doesn’t remember what happened, but she shouldn’t have let anything happen knowing he was blotto. She continues to spin her lies and says she doesn’t regret it at all. He says he does, then stands like a stone while she kisses him.

Rodolfo gives Mac some sugar-free chocolates. Mac is still all upset about her miserable life, but he piles on the compliments, saying she is beautiful, even when she cries. He hugs her, and Carlota sees and is Horrified.

Romina tells Emiliano she loves him. Not back at ya, toots; we’re through, he says. She yells at him for taking advantage of her.

Paloma calls Inés’s house to speak to Angélica. Aaron answers the phone and carpes diem by asking her out for coffee before looking for Ange.

Rodolfo asks Mac out for dinner but she is difficult as usual. After he leaves she yells at Carlota for acting like such a meddling brat when she had a visitor. Paloma runs through saying she has to go see Angélica and is not slowed down by Carlota’s attempts at imprisonment, but nearly tramples Camila when she opens the door. “Camila! Let’s go out!” says Mac, and they all flee, leaving Carlota looking furious.

Emiliano interrupts Orlando’s attempts at actual work and reports on the showdown with Romina. Orlando says she’s not a victim; it was her fault too, but don’t get back together with her if you don’t want to, and maybe be a little more careful what you do in the future.

Romina’s cell phone rings. She looks at the caller and flings the phone á la Sendel, but without the masterful style. The house phone starts to ring, and she completely wigs out. Germy is outside, leaving her yelly messages and giving his chest some fresh air.

Camila thinks Mac should accept Rodolfo’s invitation. She’s a little fed up with Mac’s wishy-washiness, so she pulls out her phone and insists that Mac call him immediately and arrange a double-date with Cami and Orlando.

Germán has gotten into the house, and is yelling at Romina for being a lying jerk. She tells him to stay out of it. He threatens to tell Emiliano a few choice stories. She says to go ahead, and she doesn’t know what she was thinking ever getting involved (enredarse = to get entangled) with him. That takes the wind out of his sails.

Paloma asks Angélica for advice about her latest drama. Ange feeds her some lines about doing what’s right for her, Romina is very confused, etc. Then Ange asks what it was like when Emiliano kissed her. Get your own love life, lady. Paloma indulges her, however, and says for a moment she forgot about everything. Angélica tells her she’s totally in love with Emiliano, no doubt.

Camila tells Macarena that Paloma saved Romina from expulsion at the cost of her own scholarship, so she wants to pay for Paloma to go to university. Macarena tries to protest that it’s too generous, and Camila remarks that Mac treats Paloma like she is her own daughter.

Orlando interrupts Emiliano’s personal call to try to give him some work. Orly asks why his parents are divorcing; is there a third party involved? No, just irreconcilable differences, says Emiliano. Why? Noooo reason, says Orlando, way casual-like.

Camila confides to Mac that she thinks there’s a bit of a spark between her and Rafael and she suspects that Orlando senses it; what does Mac think? Mac offers to pass a note in homeroom to ask Rodolfo whether Orly knows if Rafael likes Cami. Or, she says he probably knows because Camila definitely lights up when she talks about Rafael. Camila says she’s happy when she’s with him and that scares her.

Romina sees Aaron walking Paloma home. She storms down to the street to yell at Paloma for being a deceiving slut. Paloma and Aaron are impactados.

Avances: Emiliano wants to kiss Paloma again. Romina rages and plots.

Labels: amor