Caray, Caray!

From yesterday: Ale trash talks about Rafa to Susana. Rafa is in her office and hears her and looks very hurt by her words. “If we continue working together, one day you’d have to call an ambulance”, Ale continues. She asks Susana to reconfirm her appointment the next afternoon with the lawyer who will be looking into the hacienda embargo for her.

Ale returns to her office and finds a glum Rafa. She tells him that everything is all set for his trip to Playa Estrella and soon their association will come to an end. “Like you said, we’d be together till money do us part.” Neither one of them look like they’re excited about this, despite putting up a good front.

They start arguing over how much Rafa still owes Ale and how much will be left for Rafa after he’s paid Ale. Turns out he will pocket 290,000 (dos cientos noveta y mil) pesos. Rafa is pleasantly surprised. He then asks Ale, “How do I leave?” As in, how do I formally resign from Autos Siglo? Ale, ever the queen of sarcasm, flippantly answers him, “Through the door.” (Lol!) Rafa gives her a dirty look and clarifies what he means. Does he write a resignation letter, or what? Ale confirms that that is what he will need to do. He tells her it’s been a pleasure to meet her and shakes her hand. For a brief second it looks like she is melting, but then she hardens again and mentions the dummy incident. Rafa can’t believe she’s still going on about that, and of course she won’t let him explain what really happened.

Rafa turns to leave Ale’s office in a huff, but Ale stops him. “Medina. Buena suerte.” She gives him a big smile and a thumbs up. Rafa exits her office in deep thought and hardly hears Susana as she tells him about his trip preparations. He wanders off in a cloud of thought.

Ale is also in deep thought in her office. “Medina, Medina. Is this the end of our relationship?” She starts to remember the sweet words Rafa has said to her and tender looks he has given her on many occasions. She sighs. She remembers the first business lunch they went to, when Rafa mistook what pene (pasta) was. She laughs. She remembers the gallant words he said to her about how he would treat her if she were his girlfriend. She states out loud that, “Yes, Rafa is a gentleman.” She remembers finding him and Dandy practicing their dance moves in the showroom. She says, “And he dances so well!” (Ha! Lol!) Many more memories...the time he comforted her when she was freaking out and in a lot of pain and he told her about taking her to the hospital; singing together at the boda; the car ride and the Almost Kiss. She sighs some more. The time Rafa asked her to please not ask him to forget about the great time they had at the boda. She says, “I also won’t be able to forget.” She remembers his drunken joy at making his first large sale. She sheds a tear. She then remembers his strip tease in her office. She admits to herself, “The truth is, I’m going to miss him.” (Wow! She’s made a breakthrough!)

Meanwhile, Rafa’s at his desk and calls his family to let them know he will be flying to Playa Estrella that night to close a big deal for work. Rafa still looks really nervous about flying. Everyone (Leonora, Julieta, and Jaime) are excited for him. Rafa asks his mama to pack a suitcase for him and to put Jaime on the phone. Rafa asks Jaime to get the legal paperwork ready for the end of his debt contract with Ale. Jaime wants to know what Rafa will do after he’s closed the deal. “Leave Autos Siglo, of course.” Jaime is all for this, as Rafa will finally be free of that harpy, Ale. But, he reminds Rafa, he still has to deal with Vicky. Oops! Rafa forgot about her and the family dinner he’s supposed to attend that night. He calls Vicky, who has her usual favorite accessory in her hand- a large knife. She’s also standing over a huge chunk of raw meat. She is excited to present Rafa to her tias that evening and wants Rafa to come over a bit early to help her prep the food. Rafa informs her that not only will he NOT be able to do this, he is NOT going to make it to dinner. Needless to say, Vicky is NOT happy about this. She. Goes. Apesh!t. That’s the only way to describe it. She reaches a new level of crazy, which for her, is pretty darn crazy. She screams, “NO!!!!”, and points the knife at the phone threateningly. No amount of logic will quell her and she lets him know that if her father comes after him for this, she will not stop him from killing Rafa. He assures her it’s for business, that it will mean his debt is settled and he won’t have to work for Ale anymore, and besides, he’s going alone (uh oh!). He hangs up and just then, Beltran walks up to Rafa’s desk.

Beltran is so happy about the monster sale that Rafa’s about to close that he does a happy little jig. The expectation of all that money has miraculously cured him. He tells Rafa he is proud of him and asks him if he’s ready to close such a large, important deal. Rafa assures him he is and tries to impress him by mentioning a large sale of women’s blouses he once made. Beltran asks him if he’s been to Playa Estrella before. Nope. Beltran keeps on a happy face as he dances away, but heads straight to Ale’s office with some concerns. He tells Ale that he doesn’t think Rafa has the experience it takes to close such an important deal. He can’t risk it with the Board of Directors breathing down his neck. “You have to go with him.” Ale is left mouth open, cara impactada. “Qué? Please, not me.” “You’re the boss and it’s your responsibility. You go with Medina. It’s an order!” He leaves. “No, no, no. Con Medina? En la playa? Yo? No!”

Rafa’s in the midst of saying farewell to Susana, as he does not intend to ever return to Autos Siglo. He won’t say his farewells to everyone now, and he’ll have his things sent to him later. They are interrupted by Ale, “Medina! Come to my office!” She explains that Beltran is ordering her to go with him. He’s offended that they don’t think he’s experienced enough. He mentions his past sales of perfume and ropa intima. He then wants to know if this means he will have to split his commission with Ale (like the first time he sold a car). She assures him no (although it’s practically all going to her anyway). They are both cranky and griping at each other. She sends one of her trademark sarcastic zingers his way as he leaves her office, telling him to make sure he uses a suitcase and not a plastic bag to pack his clothes. (Why so mean Ale?)

Ale bitches and moans to Susana as she has her make all her travel arrangements. She’s not pleased she will be on the same flight as Rafa, and she nearly loses it when Susana suggests she change Rafa’s hotel so that they can be in the same hotel. She thinks she will return in time to make her afternoon appointment with the lawyer (I have some serious doubts she will), and wanders off griping some more about going on the trip with Rafa. Methinks she doth protest too much, and so does Susana by the look of the smile on her face.

Back at La Casa Loca, aka Vicky’s house, Don Gaston and his boys have returned home to a gruesome scene. No, Vicky didn’t kill herself, or anyone else….yet. But it looks like she has. There are hunks of raw meat stuck to the walls and streaks of blood where they’ve slid down. (Isn’t she the one who will have to clean this mess up?) Don G. calls for Vicky and she comes running out of the kitchen screaming, bloody knife in hand. Don G looks horrified and the boys look scared (not an easy thing to achieve). Somehow they understand her screams enough to interpret that Rafa will be a no show at dinner. They threaten to go after Rafa, but Vicky tells them she’ll do it HERSELF! Don G and the boys look really worried now and call to her as she’s heading out the door. She tells them she won’t do anything crazy (Really? They believe that?), drops the knife and runs out. (Vicky sometimes tries my patience, but this scene was hilarious and I could not stop laughing. This actress really throws herself into this role and I have to admire that kind of commitment.)

Ale has returned home to pack. Tia Rosario wants to know how Ale can travel so close to the wedding with so much left to do. Ale tells her she is sure that Rosario and Marco can take care of everything. Uh oh. “Marco!” Seems that Ale has forgotten her date that evening with the man she is about to marry. Speak of the devil, in saunters the man himself. He wants to know why she’s packing a bag. She tells him she has to travel to Playa Estrella. Cara impactada de Marco.

At Rafa’s house, another fiancé is not so pleased about this upcoming trip either. Leonor hands him the suitcase she’s prepared and lets Rafa know Vicky is waiting for him in his room. He contemplates taking off without going in to see her, but Leonor convinces him that it would not be the right thing to do. (Good moral values from a good mama. Nice to see in a telenovela as all the ones on right now seem to be filled with evil mamas.) When Rafa enters his room, Vicky actually seems relatively calm. Of course she’s turned away from him, and Rafa can’t see her hands clutching his comforter until her knuckles turn white, or the tears streaming down her face. He tries to reason with her. When that doesn’t work he uses threats- “If you make me lose this opportunity I will never forgive you. This will be the last time we see each other.” “No, no, no! I won’t stop you.”

For a while it seems that this is going to work. Vicky watches as Rafa finishes packing his suitcase. She puts up a bit of a fight when she sees him packing swim trunks, imagining all the possibilities for temptation on a beach. He assures her he won’t have time to even go to the beach and she calms down a bit. Unfortunately, Ale chooses just then to call Rafa’s cell phone, and Vicky hears Rafa say we’ll see each other there (the airport). Vicky wants to know who he was speaking to and what did he mean. Rafa explains who his travelling companion will be. This does not go over well. “I will NOT permit it! That woman is a witch!” Rafa assures Vicky that Ale hates him (meaning nothing could possibly happen between them). Rafa is saved by the bell when Vicky’s brothers call checking to see how she’s doing. “Did he hurt you?” “Sí!!!!” That’s all the Brothers Grimm need to hear before they rush out with knives drawn to take care of the bastard who’s hurting their baby sister. Rafa tries to leave his bedroom, but Vicky blocks the door, looking crazed and swearing she won’t let him leave. Rafa looks frustrated.

There was frustration of another sort in our random scene of the evening: Jimenez takes the advice of the sex therapist and has an “intimate” conversation with his wife Elvira. He wants them to go back to doing the things they did before they created their kids (hint, hint). At first Elvira is not excited about the prospect of having any more kids, but Jimenez clarifies that he means just getting the passion back. She seems game. So game in fact, that later that night she slinks into their bedroom wearing a sexy pink and black teddy with black stocking and a garter. She’s even put on lipstick! This is not quite the vision of loveliness Jimenez imagined. In fact, he seems to only get excited when he squints or closes his eyes and imagines the sex therapist in the pink and black number. Every time he opens his eyes and sees Elvira, however, his soldier cannot maintain its stance at attention. Elvira gets frustrated, slaps him and leaves. And for once, I am cheering her on. I mean, for an older woman, who’s had a few kids, I don’t think she looked bad in the outfit. She at least was making an effort, and Jimenez is no WL/EY/FC (insert your favorite telenovio here). Jimenez is happy to continue fantasizing about Dr. Feelgood after Elvira storms out.

Tomorrow: Marco is not pleased to learn Ale is travelling with Rafa. Rafa has to leave his room dragging Vicky, who is attached to his leg. The Brothers Grimm bust into Casa Medina looking for Rafa, but it looks like he escapes and makes it just in time for his flight.

Labels: dinero