Caray, Caray!

The board meeting breaks up and Katia watches as Raquel and Roberto stalk out. She comments almost gleefully to Mari about how upset they seem. Before Mari can answer Katia notices Bruno leaving and skips after him calling his name. Bruno ignores her, but Mari gives her a what-exactly-is-going-on look, which Katia answers with a pout.

Raquel and Roberto are walking around the lake and clever Roberto tells Raquel why he doesn’t like what is going on: If Bruno contests the will everything will change and Raquel will no longer get her monthly payment from Alex. Greedy Raquel, who doesn’t seem to think further ahead than a four year old, says that it won’t matter because she will have her share of the stock. Roberto gives a kind of scornful laugh at that and points out that the stock can fall for a variety of reasons: the scandal surrounding the will, the scandal surrounding her mother’s past, and Bruno’s general status as a good for nothing who could ruin the company. Raquel is astounded and asks quietly “do you think so?” Her civil demeanor doesn’t last for long, though, and she follows it up by asking Roberto accusingly why he didn’t tell her that earlier, and then stomps off yet again.

Victoria and Ezequiel meet just inside the house; he is carrying a large bouquet of roses for MariaJose. He’s not sure who they are from but is pretty sure they must be from Alex. Vicki checks the card and instructs Ezequiel to throw them out and not to tell anyone that they were delivered. Felipa approaches Victoria and, seeing her face, says it doesn’t look like things went well (she must be referring to the board meeting); Vicki brushes her off and asks her to bring her some tea. Felipa tries to pump Ezequiel for more information but he is delighted to refuse her any per his orders from The Senora.

Paula is helping MariaJose, who is tired of being in bed, to get up and walk to a chair. Paula points out that MariaJose needs someone like her around to help her out – not just a servant, but someone she trusts and who loves her. MariaJose knows her little sister and so asks her what she’s up to; it turns out Paula doesn’t want to go back to San Pedro. MariaJose explains that she doesn’t want her father to be alone and that he, too, needs someone around who loves him. Paula lays her head on MariaJose’s lap and says please, please, but MariaJose won’t budge. Paula has a true conniption fit (one of my old dad’s favorite expressions) and says that the real problem is that MariaJose can’t forgive her for having the accident, that she thinks Paula is always getting into fights and is a disaster that MariaJose is ashamed of now that MariaJose has joined high society. MariaJose responds that she could never be ashamed of her family but wants to make a life with her husband and the child they are expecting. As Paula stomps out in a fury she shouts to MariaJose to call one of the servants to help her get back to the bed from the chair, because she, Paula, is not her maid.

As annoying as Paula is I think she does a really good job at playing the frustrated younger sister who has lived a pretty hard life of poverty and unfulfilled hope. For a moment it looked like she has everything she wants almost within her grasp and now it’s all being snatched away. I might pitch a fit myself in those circumstances.

Victoria is in her studio musing over an old saying of her father’s: ‘raise your children up right or endure them’ (a little stronger in Spanish - edúquelos o padécelos). She recognizes that she has not done a good job raising them. Felipa brings her tea and asks why she ordered the flowers to be thrown out. Victoria shows her the card signed “Mario” that came with the flowers and explains that she doesn’t want Alex to have any more to worry about, and that she doesn’t think Mario Aguirre is the one who sent the flowers. Felipa asks who, then, and Victoria says she doesn’t know who but thinks its someone who wants to harm MariaJose and Alex. She taps the card against her chin in deep cogitation: hmmmm- who could it be, who could it be? Felipa pipes up with, “Bruno, of course” (she actually says ‘pues Bruno” but her tone is one of “duh.”) and then immediately covers her mouth and says sorry. Victoria claims if he did send the card it was out of pure evilness and that she thinks he demanded the presidency from Alex in payment for having donated his blood to save MariaJose.

Fer is telling Alex that if he were Alex he would neither give up the presidency nor divorce MariaJose, and that having given his word to Bruno doesn’t really count because Bruno is a criminal. Alex points out that they have not yet been able to prove that one way or the other. Fer, who is annoying as a devil’s advocate, is turning out to be a pretty good sleuth. He’s tracked down the judge who performed MariaJose’s wedding and sent him a message through his photo safari website. (His screen name is Cyclops, though I don’t know why they devote so much time to this detail – will it be important later maybe?) He hasn’t received a response yet, but he’s massaged the judge’s ego by telling him what a good photographer he is and letting him know he’d like to go with him on the next photo safari. Now he’s just waiting for a response.

Alex is depressed because his father put him in charge of the family, especially Victoria, the love of his life, and he’s letting him down. Fer reminds him that he’s not a superhero, and reassures him that Bruno also must have an Achilles heel. (Maybe the Cyclops emphasis above was just to make this a Greek-themed conversation? Maybe I’m trying to find a connection where none exists?)

Near the lake, Erik is confirming to Bruno that he ordered the flowers and included the message card, and says that the flowers must have arrived by now. Erik asks him if it’s OK to go see his cousin Gregorio and Bruno, in a foul mood, tells him to go do whatever he wants but make sure he’s available in case Bruno needs him.

Back at Lombard Construction, Mari, in a burst of optimism, asks Katia to deliver some folders. Just at that moment Katia receives a phone call from Bruno. Katia requests that Mari take the folders herself so that she can answer her phone and then arranges with Bruno to meet at the same hotel as before. Mari is watching her as she talks but it’s hard to tell if she can hear the conversation or not. (In telenovelandia, if character A surreptitiously views character B in conversation with character C, does it always mean that character A also overhears the conversation? Can we assume that Mari can hear Katia arrange this meeting because she can see her?)

As they walk out of Lombard Construction Fer is asking Alex if he doesn’t think it’s quite a coincidence that the person Paula hit with the car lives so close to Gregorio Díaz. Alex doesn’t appear to be listening at first but then is then drawn into Fer’s description of what happened when he went to the neighborhood where Gregorio lives: He saw an ambulance bringing Gabriel home and overheard someone mention Alex’s name and comment that Alex was paying for all the hospital expenses. Fer explains that this Gregorio is a semi driver and Alex points out to Fer that he was hit by a semi!!!!

Back at the White Palace, Maura is ranting that just when she had an open field with Alex that damn hypocrite MariaJose goes and gets pregnant. That scheming little tramp – getting preggers by her own husband! Lisette suggests that maybe the baby is Bruno’s but Maura doesn’t think so because the reason for Bruno’s fury was his inability to make any time at all with MariaJose. Maura is desperate at the thought of never getting that beggar MJ out of the picture and Lisette suggests that they call on their old friend Mario Aguirre again to make Alex suspicious about MJ’s pregnancy. The usually-clever Maura says they can’t because they don’t know where Mateo is, but Lisette rightly points out that anyone could pretend to be Mario Aguirre. Maura wants to think about it a little more and damns her bad luck at MJ getting pregnant.

Alex is jogging up the steps of the Lombardo family mansion and goes to find MariaJose in their suite. She’s is sitting on a love seat in the dining room/sitting area and Alex doesn’t immediately see her. However, in a sign that the marriage is maturing, he doesn’t get that semi-alarmed look he always had when he didn’t immediately find her in the bedroom, as if he was afraid she had escaped. This is a good sign in a relationship, I think, when one partner feels confident on a day-to-day basis that the other partner hasn’t run away.

He joins her on the love seat and they exchange confidences and kisses and declarations of love. He reassures her (again) that whatever happens he will never be separated from her, which are, of course absolutely fatal words in a telenovela and you’d think Alex would know better than to utter them. What fury from the gods is he drawing on their heads by saying that he will never be separated from her? She asks him why he says that and he gives her that gorgeous smile of his and says it’s just a manner of speaking, but we see him rest his head pensively on MariaJose’s as the scene cuts out.

Chucho come to Don Pedro’s apartment with some “rebuenas” sandwiches for both of them. Don Pedro, clutching a figure of an angel, tells him in a pitiful little voice that he’s not hungry and starts his I’m-valiantly-struggling-to-be-strong whine that makes me want to eat ground glass (or feed it to him). As is only natural, he explains, he’s lost his daughter MariaJose, who she has moved on to make her own life. But still – he’s so sad. Fortunately, Chucho gives an impatient click of his tongue and reminds him that there’s a way he can be close to his daughter in Mérida, and that is the business that he proposed they start together. Don Pedro perks right up and stops whining and they agree to take the bus to Mérida the next day to surprise MJ with the good news. I love Chucho, not just because of his enthusiasm for food and drink and good times, but because he can snap DP right out of his whining. Don Pedro regains his appetite and they sit down to eat their sandwiches.

Alex gives MariaJose a kiss and says he’s going to take a shower (I can’t wait) before the lawyers arrive. MariaJose tells him that her father has asked her to ask Alex if Alex could help out a friend of his (Don Pedro’s). Alex wonders if Don Pedro, sly dog that he is, might be courting, but she explains that it’s only to help the woman who tried to help him out the night he and Chucho were busted in the bar, and who subsequently lost her job because of it. Her name is Meche and she has a brother who isn’t well, but if Alex doesn’t want to it’s totally OK. Alex assures her he’s happy to help, and she gives him a slip of paper with Meche’s address on it. When Alex sees it his face gets tight, but when MariaJose asks if anything is wrong he says no and goes to take a shower.

Now Alex is getting out of the shower all gleaming wet and sculpted muscles. He slings a towel low on his hips and muses about the address he read on the slip of paper: “That’s the same boy that Paula ran down, and the old man knew him.” DUM da DUM (special musical effect).

Vicky and Fer are discussing the court case. Victoria knows it’s not going to be easy and acknowledges how hard it has been to accept the kind of person her son is. Fer is worried about her and wants to see her that night but she refuses because she has a date with Hernán. Fer pitches a jealous fit (not a conniption, though) and asks her to please not get any crazy ideas like accepting Hernán’s attentions just to hide the true nature of their relationship from the children. Victoria’s face shows pretty clearly that she thinks the crazy idea is going out with one of her son’s friends, but she doesn’t say it and then she has to go because the lawyers have arrived.

Gregorio accuses Erik of having kept the money instead of returning it. Is there no honor among thieves? Erik tries to laugh it off but Gregorio knows his cousin (si te conozco mosco) and insists. Erik finally admits he kept it but says it was only fair because he acted as the middleman and put Meche in touch with Bruno. Gregorio says he played a part – something to do with Gabriel that I couldn’t catch - and he WANTS HIS SHARE! Erik agrees to give him half but warns him that his boss can’t know about it or he’ll cut both of their heads off. Gregorio thinks they should somehow get some benefit out of the information they have about Bruno and brushes off Erik’s worries about what Bruno might do, telling him it wouldn’t be that easy to kill off all three of them (i.e. Gregorio, his wife and Erik). In the background Gregorio’s wife looks alarmed at the very thought, but Erik agrees that it would be hard to knock off the three of them. He adds that, besides, he can’t stand the bastard (me cae bien gordo ese desgraciado), who treats him worse than a dog. They laugh.

Back at the compound, Raquel overhears that Alex and Victoria are meeting with the lawyers. She’s upset that she’s been left out and crashes the meeting. Victoria says she can stay, and they all go back to talking about the scandal that is about to break loose. Raquel is working herself up into hysteria, but Alex tells her to be quiet and sit down. For a moment it seems like she will, but in the next scene she’s again loudly and insistently trying to convince her mother not to expose them all to public humiliation. Victoria wastes her breath trying to explain: it’s what your father wanted, Bruno’s not the right man to run company, etc. Alex chimes in to agree with Raquel about the scandal, but Victoria stands firm. She asks the lawyers what Bruno’s chances of winning are if he contests the will. Not good, says one of the lawyers. Even though DNA tests may prove they are all his children, unless there is a competent, trusted witness who knew Samuel and who will testify that he was not in his right mind when he made the will, Bruno probably won’t be successful. Victoria, satisfied, says that Hernán will never do it.

While Raquel is crashing the meeting Bruno runs upstairs to talk to MariaJose. Paula and MJ (who have made up, apparently, but we didn’t see it) are talking about MariaJose’s condition when there is a knock on the door. Didn’t those girls ever read Little Red Riding Hood? They open the door right up and it’s Bruno, of course. He brushes past Paula and comments that MariaJose’s husband didn’t even send her any flowers. MJ thanks him for donating blood and tries to get him out, but Bruno is Bruno and won’t be budged. He snuggles up against her neck and asks when she’s getting a divorce, but MariaJose denies that she and Alex will divorce. Half lustful and half menacing, Bruno says that Alex has told him they will be getting a divorce. MJ cringes away but can’t get far – she’s stuck on the divan thingy at the end of their bed - and Paula creeps up behind him with a candle (?) ready to brain him. Just in time he backs off and saunters out. MJ says he’s just trying to be annoying, and that’s why she hopes she and Alex can find a house and move out quickly. Paula is surprised that they are moving.

Bruno is lambasting Erik because there were no flowers in MariaJoses’s room. Erik doesn’t understand what happened – he paid for them himself – and Bruno tells him to go find out what happened. As Erik is going to check out what happened, Raquel approaches Bruno insisting that he abandon his attempt to contest the will. He shrugs, gets into his car and slowly begins to drive away. She puts a hand on the car, haranguing him as he speeds up until she’s finally forced to drop back and let him go or be dragged along by the car. A bit further down the drive Erik stops the car to tell Bruno what happened with the flowers. He’s explaining that they were delivered when Raquel sees the car slow down and starts after Bruno again, shrieking. Bruno, in a rush to get away, tells him to go talk to Ezequiel and speeds off, Raquel now screeching and running after him in the background. He gets away, though.

Ezequiel is telling Erik that no flowers were ever delivered, but Erik insists: Tomás says they were. Ezequiel asks him why he cares anyway, and Erik makes up a feeble story about having made a bet with Tomás about who sent them. Ezequiel shakes his head in disgust at Erik’s idiocy: “Que respuesta tan estúpida” and tells him to get back to work before he reports him to Alex. Erik scurries off.

Victoria is preparing for her date with Hernán and Felipa, who was in the kitchen when Erik came to ask what happened to the flowers, is reporting the conversation to her. Victoria wonders what Erik has to do with it. Felipa points out that Erik is Bruno’s “alcahuete”, which is a go-between but with very strong negative overtones – it can also be a pimp. Victoria says this proves that Bruno was the one who sent the flowers to create problems between Alex and MariaJose and that nothing he does can surprise her. She wonders if he does these things because he’s in love with MariaJose. Felipa says maybe, or maybe it’s because he just wants to bother them, or maybe even because he had MariaJose first and now thinks she still belongs to him. Victoria gasps and covers her hand with her month – do you really think they had sex? Felipa says MJ doesn’t seem like that kind of a girl, but who can tell with the young people today? Victoria wonders who the baby’s father is, and Felipa says that Alex must know if MJ was a virgin or not – Victoria should ask him. Victoria doesn’t want to ask him such a personal question, or plant any doubts in his mind, and Felipa throws up her hands, seemingly at the idea of figuring out who the baby’s father is.

Erik is reporting to Bruno on the phone that Tomás says Ezequiel got the flowers even though Ezequiel denies it, and he thinks they must have thrown them away but don’t want to admit it. Bruno speculates that it must have been his mother who had them thrown away, since she got home before Alex. They’re not sure what their next step should be and hang up with the issue unresolved. Bruno’s cell rings again immediately, and it’s Katia, who’s just calling him to tell him she’s on her way and she loves him. Fer walks in as Katia is leaving and offers to drop her off at her friend’s (where she says she is going) but she insists on going by taxi. Fer looks a little perplexed but not suspicious.

Chucho and Don Pedro are discussing their move to Mérida. They need an apartment with two bedrooms, one for the two of them and one for Paula. In a really sweet exchange, Don Pedro asks Chucho if he has enough money for all this, because he, DP surely doesn’t. Chucho reminds him that Alex gave him some money, and even told him to let him know if he found a market stall. DP wonders why and Chucho thinks it’s because Alex must know the manager of the market and can ask him for a little discount on the rent they will pay for the stall. Don Pedro agrees that that’s probably it. When he’s not whining he makes me laugh:) They agree to bring the furniture – the sofa, the television, the fridge, the beds – so that Paula has someplace decent to live after the mansion she’s been living in. Don Pedro starts to think better of the move but just as Chucho is telling him not to back out MJ calls and asks if Paula can stay with her a couple more days. Don Pedro is OK with it as long as Alex is, but the conversation seems to have gotten him back on track with the idea of moving to Merida.

Alex is sitting pensively in his darkened office when Fer calls. Fer is feeling blue because Victoria is out with Hernán and he asks if he can go talk with Alex. “Claro, hombre.”

Victoria and Hernán are in the restaurant discussing the upcoming trial. Hernán proposes a way to stop the gossip: they can say they are engaged, and his good name and reputation will lessen the impact of her past. He is so presuntuoso! When Victoria refuses he asks if it’s because of Fernando, but Vicki says that Fer is just a dear friend and always has been. Hernán flat out declares himself and Victoria pats him on the hand. Hernán proposes that they spend more time together and get to know each other in a different way, even though he is aware that she doesn’t feel the same about him as he does about her. She says, “of course” but without much enthusiasm. He asks her to give him the opportunity to convince her, and she pats him on the hand again. If I were him I’d be worried about that non-committal smile and those tepid little pats. This is not the stuff of passion, here.

Alex and Fer are having a drink in the Lombardo mansion. Alex tells Fer about Don Pedro recommending the waitress who worked in the bar that Don Pedro and Chucho were arrested in. It turns out that the waitress is Meche, the sister of the man Paula ran over and a friend of Gregorio, the semi driver. They wonder if Don Pedro is part of the whole plot to kill Alex but just don’t know. Fer asks Alex if he thinks MariaJose is involved but he doesn’t, otherwise she wouldn’t have asked him for this favor for her father. Fer wonders why Don Pedro would help the woman and Alex wonders if maybe she’s blackmailing him. Fer doesn’t believe it – if that were the case she would ask for money and not a job. Fer recommends that Alex hire her so as to keep the enemy close at hand and under scrutiny.

Hernán drives Victoria home and notices that Fer’s car is in the drive. Victoria says he must be visiting Alex, but also tells Hernán not to bother seeing her to the door. She tries to sneak into the house but is discovered by Alex and Fer, who are in the living room having their drink. She avoids talking to them and goes up to her room, where she refuses to talk about it to Felipa. Alone in front of her mirror she smoothes out her wrinkles and says to her reflection that Hernan is a much better man for her.

Labels: sortilegio