Caray, Caray!

Repeat: Padre Juan Cris begins his new class at the convent school in the way of many an optimistic teacher on the first day. This class won’t be like other classes! It will be fun! We will learn together! Carpe diem! He wants to start out by talking about being closer to God, which hardly seems like it should be new curriculum in a school run by nuns, but Paloma obliges by asking a question common among young children: isn’t it hard to have faith when bad things happen to us? PJC says challenges can give us new opportunities and make us stronger. Paloma agrees. Good lesson, Padre!

Camila and Rafael compare matching black eyes. Oh, no, wait, she just has too much eye makeup on. She’s still upset about Romina’s pregnancy, but Rafael says regardless of the circumstances, a child is a blessing and he will love it and be supportive. Also, now he and Cami have even more in common! He kisses her. I wasn’t aware of this custom of the grandparents hooking up, but I sure hope Cami likes Germán’s dad. He seems like a nice enough guy.

New: Diana calls Emiliano, first to yell at him because she didn’t hear about the pregnancy from him, but then to squeal about how excited she is! Woo-hooo! A grandchild AND that fabulous perfect RoMEna for a daughter-in-law! Emo says he’ll do his best for his child but there is no way he is marrying Romememena. Di says he has to. He hangs up and looks moony.

Romena drags herself into her house and tells the nameless maid to bring her water and alcohol to settle her stomach. Any child of hers is bound to take to drink sooner rather than later, I guess. May as well start now. She says the pregnancy is going to be hell.

Suddenly perky rock music makes me think I’ve accidentally changed the channel. No, there is Emiliano, doing his best 007. He leaps the school fence, spins and ducks around corners, makes a pit stop in the ladies’ to avoid a nun, slips into hallway nooks, and eventually hides in a closet. The editors even get in on the action with some split screens and instant replays. Zingy! Those clueless nuns continue to walk piously about. But that is one creepy peeping-tom nun lurking outside the seniors’ classroom. Liliana, daydreaming, looks out the window and sees him. She flings her pen to the floor for an excuse to go after it and alert Paloma. Pal is confundida.

Class ends and the teacher leaves. Emo slips on in and all the schoolgirls gather around, delighted by the diversion. “Trick or treat?” Paloma has no candy, so is tricked into listening to him. “I love you,” he says, caressing her face. His lacy sleeves add a nice touch. The other girls all oooohhh and giggle. The teacher nun comes back. “What is going on here?” Emo turns around and removes his wimple. She does not approve. Paloma and Emo both get hauled off to the MS’s office. Two unnamed mean girls gossip about Paloma dating Romina’s novio, and Liliana tells them to find something better to do.

Meche wonders why Camila tries to avoid Rafael when she seems to like him so much more than Orlando. Cami says Diana won’t divorce him, and is one of her friends. Metiche says Di is not anyone’s friend. Speak of the devil and she appears.

Over in renaissance France or something, the Marquis de Emo tells Paloma she is the only woman for them. He doesn’t get any further before the madre superiora arrives to yell at them. Ever the gentleman, he won’t let her blame Paloma. She says she’s going to call the police. MS thinks wearing a nun’s habit as a costume is an allanamiento de morada (the literal meanings aren’t helping me much with this idiom. Flattening of the house? Anyone?).

Lili finds PJC in the courtyard and drags him in high haste to the MS’s office. He takes the MS away to talk. Paloma tells Emo she wants nothing more to do with him.

Diana has cornered Cami into having coffee with her. She wants to get their strategy straight regarding the wedding planning. Qué? Not so fast, says Cami. Diana is shocked at the mere suggestion that their kids might not marry. After all, a single mother is the worst thing imaginable. Camila somehow doesn’t knock her into the next county.

PJC has talked the MS out of punishing Paloma and calling the police. But if anything like this ever happens again…

PJC takes charge and the MS leaves. He wants an explanation. Emiliano’s face smirks us lewdly into commercials. I really wish they would replace that bumper.

Diana says kids these days just don’t know what they want, so they have to make them get married. Cami’s getting fed up. Even moreso when Di tells her that she and Rafael are still close and he said he’d always be with her. “All righty then, buh-bye,” says Camila, trying not to get violent. “Orlando!” she exclaims as he walks up behind Diana. Di is momentarily stunned motionless and speechless. People should go around saying “Orlando!” near her all the time. She slowly turns as he glares at her. Di runs off and Cami comments that it’s weird she seems so intimidated by him; he’s just her son’s boss.

Paloma and Emiliano continue their argument with a priestly referee. PJC tells Emo to ditch the bad habit. Emo tries to kiss Paloma and gets an elbow in the side instead. When he leaves to return the habit, the padre gives Paloma a lot of advice, the gist of which is that Emo didn’t know Romememena was pregnant either, he didn’t deceive anyone, and she should at least talk with him before she dumps him forever. Even if he looks ugly in a habit. Paloma giggles.

Camila and Orlando compare their matching black eyes. He apologizes for not being more sympathetic earlier.

Liliana tells Paloma to stop making such a fuss; she loves Emoony so she should just marry him. She’ll have a stepchild, so what? Paloma says Carlota will shriek to high heaven. It’s your life, not hers, says Lili.

PJC tells Emiliano that Paloma agreed to meet him in the park later. Emo is ever so grateful.

Back at the rectory, Carloca is waiting for Padre JC. He greets her very coldly. She tries flirting, but when she gets an arctic response she says she’s there because Paloma needs some fatherly care.

Out in the plaza, Emo steels his nerves and calls Romena. She gets him to agree to go to the doctor with her. They make plans to meet to talk about their future. After they hang up, Romi leaps and twirls with joy. The maid plays along.

Crueloca wants PJC to help her separate Paloma and Emiliano, since that filthy dude is just playing with Pal’s feelings the way Cris did with Macarena’s. Cris starts to walk out on her but the phone rings. She won’t move so he has to brush past her to answer it. You can see that in her mind that was a long torrid love affair right there. Cruel looks conniving as she listens to him confirm that Natalia is coming to visit. “You sure are modern,” she says. “Yep, sure am, tell Paloma I’m here for her,” he says, dismissing her. Carloca clings to his hand and kisses it with purple passion. She finally leaves as he looks at his hand with repulsion, wondering whether bleaching and boiling it will be enough, or if he should just cut it off.

Paloma and Emo meet in the park too close to the fountain. Breaking news! He doesn’t love Romina, and still wants to marry Paloma, if she’ll accept him in a package deal with a child. She says she still wants to marry him, but he has to work things out with Romina first. So, yeah, it’ll be awhile.

Lili storms into Germy’s office and gives him hell about letting his best friend take on HIS child. He weakly tries to protest that she’s just jealous, but she is adamant that he should claim what’s his and stop the lies.

Paloma tells Rufi that thanks to Padre Juan’s excellent counsel, she and Emiliano are back on track and everything is peachy. Crueloca eavesdrops, shaking with fury.

Cruel calls Romina and threatens her. She is to give Emiliano no way out!

Lili has taken her crusade to Paloma’s bedroom, to tell her that Germs was very nervous and worried when she talked to him about Romina’s pregnancy. Paloma stutters that Romina swears the baby is Emiliano’s. “Honey. You should never believe what Romina says. You have to tell Emiliano the kid may not be his. He has a right to know for sure,” says my hero Lili.

Angélica and Joel stroll and munch. Either Ange is exceptionally skilled or she just doesn’t care; I suspect most ladies would avoid eating corn on the cob on a second date. They gossip about their friends. Ange is pro-Orlando; Joel is pro-Rafael. Things get a little heated and Joel wants to know why she’s defending Orly so strenuously.

Cruel is “helping out” in the kitchen, meaning she sits at the table making Rufi fetch her the stuff to make cake as she tries to fill Mac’s position. She gets Rufi to tell her that it was Cris who left Natalia at the altar, but Rufi doesn’t know what happened after that to make him become a priest, even when Cruel tries to wheedle it out of her with flattery.

Romina lights candles and looks flirty and hopeful. Emiliano says he’s proposing that he will be responsible and take care of his child and he won’t abandon her. “So we will marry?” she asks. No. Not that. She says if he doesn’t marry her, he will never meet his child.

Labels: amor