Caray, Caray!

This novela bolted out of the starting gate but it stalled tonight while Alejandro was mulling incessantly over this strange situation: he now remembers almost everything, EXCEPT his sister-in-law Paula and his wife MJ whom he's supposedly known for months. And why did he hide his supposed marriage from everybody, even his best friend Fernando? And why did he tell MJ so many lies?

I am not, readers, going to repeat this conversation, but he did, many times.

Paula tells MJ again and again: (1) he's very pretty; (2) we'll go to jail if you don't string him along; (3) it's not fair I should suffer for the mess you've gotten us into; (4) life here is a dream and (5) he's very pretty. MJ points out that Alejandro is no idiot and she fears he has figured out that something's rotten in the state of Denmark.

Ezekiel the servant keeps seeing Bruno and MJ together.

Bruno confirms the marriage is legit: he met the witnesses and MJ's father, the signature on the marriage certificat is indeed Alejandro's, there is a picture of the loving couple at the girls' hovel.

Bruno yells at his henchman because Alejandro is so alive instead of being dead at the bottom of a ravine. The henchman thoughtbubbles: if it weren't for the good pay I'd be out of here, I'm tired of this guy.

Bruno's sis Raquel rehashes to Maura (Alejandro's erstwhile girlfriend), who is chagrined to hear Alejandro has not been asking for her. "Give up on him," counsels Raquel, "find another one, and find me one too."

Bruno tells Alejandro he should divorce MJ. "But I'm not inclined to give her half my inheritance. And anyway, I'm not going to divorce her until I remember what happened. If she didn't know I was wealthy, then she didn't marry me for money - she must have loved me. What's bothering you, anyway?"

Mother Victoria is puzzled that MJ has shown her supposed husband so little affection and shown so little joy.

Paula scolds MJ for making the bed - what will the servant think? Paula goes down to breakfast while MJ hides in their bedroom.

Meanwhile, over bagels Raquel has been insulting the country girls to mom. "That sister is an idiot, everybody will ridicule her." "If Alejandro married MJ, she must have good qualities." "Well, I don't see them." "Shut up. MJ is your brother's wife and you must treat her as such."

Paula comes in. "Where's your sister?" "She's not coming." "Maybe she'd be more comfortable eating in the kitchen with the servants" snipes Raquel.

MJ should have gone down with sis, because now Bruno comes in and bullies her some more in her bedroom. He tells her to trust him and gives her creepy caresses. She is having none. She says she's only putting up with this for the sake of her sister and her father, and that Bruno must promise to get her out of this, get her far away, or she's squealing. He promises, but that promise is worth the paper it's written on I'd say...

His shirt is unbuttoned like Damian's, it's a characteristic of villains I guess. They both leave the room. Ezekiel is watching.

Alejandro tries to draw her out. He says she's treating him like a stranger, and while he may have lost her memory, surely she hasn't, so nu?

She doesn't know how he takes his coffee.

She again says she's mortified because he lied to her about having money. He interrogates her about the wedding, why were there no friends there? "You didn't want them, you said we'd have a party after the church wedding." "Were you pressured into it? Are you pregnant?" "No, I told you there's been no congress between us."

Again she says she wants a divorce, she runs away and cries.

Raquel's hubby takes Paula for a spin through the city, and to an expensive restaurant for lunch, she likes that. The doctor comes and gives Alejandro a clean bill of health, but Alejandro says he wants to go to the hospital next day and get some studies anyway because of not remembering his wife.

MJ is outside and Bruno sneaks up behind her again. They watch Maura arrive and Bruno says she's one of Alejandro's many lovers, and that the flow of amantes won't slow down now merely because of the marriage. Ezekiel is watching.

Maura, dressed to kill, flirts with Alejandro and asks about the marriage. "I thought WE ..." "Our relationship was agreeable but we never talked about marriage." "I thought it was obvious, I thought our intimacy implied..." "If 'intimacy' always led to marriage you'd have been married long ago." She is huffy.

MJ comes in, doesn't need to be introduced to Maura, is also huffy. There'll be a party to celebrate the marriage. Alex accompanies Maura to her car. She says, "You better buy your wife some clothes if you want our social world to treat her well."

Ezekiel tells Alex he saw Bruno and MJ together in the garden.

Alejandro comes into MJ's room, tells her she's very odd. He moves in for a kiss, she evades it, he gets real close and keeps asking what's going on, he kisses her shoulder, he tells her she's pretty and has a sweet face, she gets up, he says he can see her soul in her eyes, KISS! It's hot! She pulls away, he is very convincing, KISS AGAIN! They're down on the bed! Mmmm, but then -

Bruno busts in! He didn't knock! On the bed, MJ is fearful and mortified. Alex is very annoyed. Bruno says, Fernando's downstairs to see you. Alex says, you could have sent a servant, and never come in here without knocking - and I forbid you to enter my wife's room!

Alex goes downstairs saying "we'll talk later." MJ cries.

Bruno lurks, then goes in and yells at her. "What were you doing in the bed with him?" "Mind your own beeswax." He shakes her and shouts, "You liked it, you whore!"

Talking the situation through with Fernando, Alex remembers the tractor trailer coming right at him, trying to kill him, and reasons that somebody wants him dead, and now he's sure he never married MJ, the marriage scam is connected to the attempted murder. Somebody wanted the widow to inherit. "There must have been an accomplice who knows my movements very well!"

Fernando tells Victoria about his conversation with Alejandro and asks her not to tell that he told her! They have a sweetie-pie moment.

MJ's dad's sleazy friend fishes keys out of the grass and goes into the hovel where the contraband goods are kept. There's MJ's dad, he's been waiting for his sleazy friend for two days. "Are you really smuggling drugs and weapons?" "Jeez no, what are you thinking, well, did you find any?" "Well, no."

Alejandro meets MJ and Paula downstairs. MJ was about to call her dad and catch him up on things, but she asks Paula to do it instead. "Why didn't you want to talk to your father in front of me?" "Paula can do it just as well."

MJ is hesitant to enter Alejandro's room with him. "I'm not in the habit of violating women, don't worry." "You wouldn't have to, they put themselves on the rug for you, especially Maura."

He grins and sends for breakfast for the two of them. He asks if she's a virgin, well yes she is.

"Why do you want a divorce?" "Because you lied and you live in this big house." "Hah, that's the first time I've heard of a woman wanting a divorce because her husband is rich." "I don't love you." "Well, that's not very flattering (halagador). But you did before. Was I bad to you?" "Yes, that's it." "Well, I offer a thousand apologies, because I'm not usually like that. You intrigue me."

"Well, we were in love, but now we're not!" "Don't speak for me! I want to get to the bottom of this. And what about Bruno, how did he convince you to come back for my burial?" He's closing in on the truth, loud and angry and in her face, when, Bruno busts in again!

Tomorrow: MJ tells Bruno it would serve him right if she and Alejandro come to know each other carnally.

Labels: sortilegio