Caray, Caray!

In yesterday’s dismal installment, dim bulb Paloma lacked the mental acuity to 1. Remember that Auntie Maim is evil and hates her, 2. Realize that letting the doctors use the paddles might be a better way to revive Mac than jumping on her and shaking her shattered head, 3. Keep evil auntie from suspecting her relationship with Emiliano. Thus, Mac went off to the sweet shop in the sky, and Emo had better watch his back.

Cristóbal confides to Orlando he and Mac had planned to marry. Orlando, always a source of solace, says too bad, so sad. Life screwed him over (jugar chueca = to play dirty), so now he’ll just go back to being a priest; that’s that. Padre Almostnotawaste doesn’t know whether he can.

Rafael and Joel are in their office, as they were barely acquainted with Mac. Poor Joel, always unlucky in love, was supposed to have a date with Angélica but it was cancelled because she wanted to be with Camila and Paloma. Rafael wishes he could be with Camila to comfort her.

Over at the funeral, a respectable number of people are dressed in black and sobbing. Liliana, Eric, and Germán even slip in just as the service begins. Romina thinks that during the prayer is a good time to edge through the crowd, have a little chat with Aaron, and escape with him for more evile strategery.

Over at the house o’ sleezy lawyerin’, Licenciado Rosas is informed by his secretary that Mac has died. Rosas is impactado. The secretary, who needs a bigger role and a better boss, thinks it’s very strange Mac could have fallen in such a way; it’s more likely that she was pushed.

Romina and Aaron puzzle and stew in a cafeteria. They figure Paloma and Emo must have a little something going on. But how? Our dastardly duo needs a plan to split them up. Fortunately, they are not very good at scheming, and Emoo is good at avoiding Romina and not falling for her whining. Romina thinks she can use the fact that all Paloma’s loved ones die. Oh, this should be good.

The mourners are sitting around comforting Paloma. Lili gives her an angel figurine. Angélica offers anything she needs, including professional counseling. Eric and Emo sit by looking vaguely supportive while Paloma draws on her eternal spring of tears. Romina drifts back in, and Germy hassles her about leaving. They agree Paloma’s situation is salada (means salted, but also ruined, having bad luck). Germy hides his face and slides out when Camila comes around the corner, ha. Cami tells Romina this all shows them that life is short and unpredictable and they should patch up their disagreements. Romina is unmoved and just whines about hating funeral parlors and leaves.

Rodolfo walks up behind Camila and the music is so menacing I think he is going to stab her in the back. He does not. He offers a handkerchief. With chloroform?! No, the music changes, and he plays the part of the grieving widower, blubbering about how he was going to marry Mac and adopt Paloma (who is weeks shy of 18 by now, surely) and have a beautiful family life, EVEN THOUGH Mac told him pretty clearly she didn’t love him and wasn’t really into the idea of marrying him. No matter, she’s gone now and he can delude himself into believing anything he wanted would have happened, had she lived. Cami and Rodolfo comment that bad romantic luck seems to be in the air in Real del Monte.

Everyone looks ghoulish in bad light at the graveside service. Cruelota thought-bubblingly wonders where Cris is. Doesn’t he want to be here to see that hindrance who was keeping them apart put in the ground? Everyone has good memories of Macarena as they put roses on the casket, except for Carlota, who remembers the excellent time that Mac slapped her really hard. Okay, that’s a good memory for us, at least. Romina drops her rose in dramatic slow motion for some reason.

Over in the D.F., Cris is wearing non-priestly clothes and conferring with Padre Benito. PB thinks all this happened to make Cris a better person and a better priest. None of my loved ones need to die to make me a better person; I’ll accept being flawed, thanks. Just throwing that out there to the universe. Cris says he is a tormented sheep. PB tells him to meditate and come to a decision.

Days later…

Paloma is lying on Mac’s bed, reminiscing in sepia tones to the melancholy strains of “Fin de Capítulo,” as she did when Iñaki died. Cruelota tells her to quit it and get on with life. Paloma doesn’t want to do anything or see anyone. “Not even Emiliano?” asks Cruel. Carlota needles Paloma about the way Emo shows up everywhere to take care of her. Paloma just stomps out of the room. It’s a start. After she goes, Cruelota snickers to Mac that the people she loved most, Pal and Cris, were with her when she died but now they’re stuck here with Cruel, bwahahahaha. Why doesn’t Paloma ever eavesdrop?

Camila returns to work at her shop. She tells Meche she’s still pretty depressed, but she wants to move on and not leave so many things undone, like Mac did. She’s worried about her relationship with her daughter. Meche is worried about her grandson, Chava. She’d hoped he would get involved with Padre Juan’s group, but they haven’t heard from PJ in awhile; he hasn’t even been giving mass. Camila says maybe he caught the flu that Padre Mateo had.

Romina calls Aaron and his over-gelled hair to say she will go visit Emiliano under the pretext of worrying about Paloma, who still hasn’t returned to school. Aaron thinks that’s brilliant.

Meche is glad Emiliano is mentoring Chava. She and Camila both think he’s such a great guy…good thing he went away to school in Monterrey, says Meche, because if Diana had raised him, who knows how awful he would be!

Rafael calls Camila to offer condolences. Their love theme plays. Rafael wants to talk to her about something very important, and they agree to meet at her house the next day.

Cruelota reads some papers and woo-hoo!s at top volume about how great her investment of Paloma’s fortune is doing. Then she remembers Rufi’s mention of important life-changing papers. She goes to search for them. Well, to grill Rufi about them. She claims Mac was going to show them to her. Rufi just says they don’t know what happened to them. Cruel demands purply that Rufi find them. Gee, why don’t any of them ask THE ONLY OTHER PERSON IN THE HOUSE? Cruelota and I do agree that the giant birdcage should not be in the kitchen.

Cris puts his vestments back on. He’s resigned to his priestly fate.

Carlota hunts high and low, making a huge mess which she’ll probably yell at Rufi about. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Rufi deduces that she probably shouldn’t give Cruel any information, or the envelope if she finds it. Ya think?!

Padre Six-Eyes Mateo is all frantic as usual. Cris says he’s back in black, and offers to take over mass. PM is thrilled.

Paloma is still not out of tears. Emiliano hugs and kisses her muchly on the sidewalk. Romina drives by and sees them. She is furious, and immediately calls Diana. Diana, freshly cured of her rash and having an uncommon fit of common sense, says that Emoo is not Romina’s novio and he can date whomever he pleases. Romi doesn’t like that answer and wants to go make a scene. Diana demands that she calm down and come over right away without talking to the lovebirds. Who is this woman, and what has she done with screechy-tantrum-loving Diana? Paloma and Emo continue to smooch through this entire conversation.

Cruel is still trashing the house. Neither she nor Rufi can find the papers. Cruel says she’s going to go through everything in Mac’s room and give it to the dispensario. Rufi thinks it’s too soon. Carlota is, shockingly, not sentimental. Rufi now doubts her own good sense, and demands that Mac intervene from beyond the grave: if she wants the papers given to Carlota, she should help Rufi find them, and if not, keep them well hidden.

Emiliano cheers up Paloma. “What would I do without you?” she asks. He says she’ll never have to find out. Seems a little anvilicious, seeing as how these writers have no qualms about killing off main characters and he’s walking around with a target on his back.

Diana tells Romina to be less ranty and more intelligent. Do as she says, not as she does, I suppose. Diana’s plan is for Romina to be Paloma’s bestest friend and control the situation through Jedi mind tricks. Ro says Paloma isn’t as easy to manipulate as she used to be. Diana thinks they can still work on her guilt, since everyone she loves dies. Romina declares there is no way Paloma will take Emo away from her, even if she has to sell her soul to the devil. Diana approves.

Paloma is wandering home in a daze and Rodolfo stops her to ask how she is. He invites her to come to him for anything she needs. He’s still trying to play the grieving widower and caring stepdaddy. He says he’s moving to the D.F. in a few months, and he’s willing to help her out with housing, tuition, whatever, so she can go to school.

Paloma stops at home just to tell Rufi she’s going to the cemetery. Rufi doesn’t think to ask about the envelope. I guess if anyone could remember something super important for more than five seconds, we would have a very short story.

Emiliano gets all teary telling Ange how much he loves Paloma.

Avances: Romina is up to no good. Paloma and Cris meet up at Mac’s grave.

Labels: amor