Monday, April 19, 2010
Dinero #66, 4/19/10: A volleyball game and saving lobsters from flame!
Is it Friday already?! Only in my dreams. Pata and I are trading off Mondays until we find a permanent recapper. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here's the dish for today...
Ale and Rafa share a bittersweet moment after signing the preliminary agreement with Refri Transportation.
All the Siglo employees are on the phone with friends or family members to complain about their selling woes. Isabel thinks they’re pathetic; there’s no way any of them are going to beat Rafa and win the car. Refri wouldn’t invite business associates to the beach just to say no deal.
Marino is suspicious; he thinks Ale and Rafa have something going on. Ismael is irate that Marino would insinuate such a thing about their soon-to-be-married boss. Isabel adds that if it were true, they would be violating company rules.
Ale and Rafa make their way outside and come across a backyard volleyball court. Rafa is tying to convince Ale to let him play when a stray volleyball hits Ale in the back of the head. Monica, Ledemza’s niece, runs over to apologize. She invites Rafa to join their game. He is all too eager to jump in but Ale stops him; she wants to play too. Rafa thinks Ale shouldn’t play because of her recently healed leg. Monica agrees; volleyball would be too rigorous for Ale.
Ale mocks Monica and claims to be so experienced that she could teach Monica a thing or two. “Oh, but volleyball has changed a lot since your time. This is ‘beach volley’.” Ale makes fun of Monica’s English. “I think ‘bitch’ means something quite different.” (LOL) She challenges Monica and her group to a game; Monica agrees and rallies everyone to play “veterans vs. young things”.
Ale is incredibly offended over being called old and strips off her cover up to reveal one hot black bathing suit. She throws her cover up over Rafa’s head and trots off to the court. Rafa is so captivated that he nearly loses his balance.
Beltran is anxious that Ale and Rafa haven’t called to update him on the business deal. Susana tries to calm him but he would rather take hits of oxygen than listen to reason.
The game continues and the competition is fierce; the “vets” are going down 1:9. Rafa tries to hit the ball but ends up facedown in the sand. Ale takes over as captain of the team and Rafa puts her on notice for being too snappy. “We aren’t at Autos Siglo. Stop yelling orders at everyone.” Ale is too fired up to settle down; she wants to see Monica bite the dust (morder el polvo). Game on!
Beltran storms onto the sales floor and reads everyone the riot act for their meager sales. He threatens to take away the car as a prize. The employees beg him to reconsider; he offers them three more days to get their acts together or they can forget about the car.
Vicky storms into Rafa’s house, in tears as usual, and sobs to Leonor that Rafa hasn’t called. Leonor hasn’t heard from him either but it’s no big deal. Everything is a big deal to Vicky. Leonor says that men don’t like to be smothered but Vicky is sure that if women don’t keep tabs on their men, then the men have opportunity to step out on her with another woman.
Monica’s team scores their fourteenth point to tie the game. Ale is determined to score. “Over my dead body will esa muchacha win.” Sure enough, Rafa serves the ball and scores the winning point for the team! Vets win the game! A couple guys try to lift Rafa over their heads but it doesn’t work out very well. Ale gives Rafa a big hug and he thoughtbubbles, “Licencida, what a woman. How I admire her.”
Chavez had both good and bad news for Marco. The good news? He removed the embargo on the hacienda. Marco does not think it’s good news; Chavez was supposed to talk to his contacts about delaying the removal. Chavez isn’t worried. The cows produce a lot of milk and all there debts will be squared away. The bad news is that Chavez lifted the embargo and Marco still hasn’t married Ale yet. Marco has to think of a way to keep Ale, Rosario, and Jorge from finding out about the embargo until after they get married. Everything has to be ready for when Ale returns.
Rafa, Ale, and the Refri Reps have retired to the living room for drinks and chitchat. Monica bounds in and is depressed to hear Rafa and Ale are leaving later in the night. She slinks over to Rafa and asks if there’s any way he could stay. Ale does her best sweet voice to keep his attention on her. Monica kisses Rafa’s cheek before heading off; Ale rubs it off his face and threatens to hang him from a palm tree if he keeps it up.
Ledezma says it’s getting close to dinnertime and, in their house, only the hosts and the guests cook. Rafa is thrilled; he loves to cook and goes on about how to cook various “comida tipica” foods that make Ale stick out her tongue in disgust. Ledezma tells them he has fresh lobster ready. Rafa isn’t one for seafood but can’t complain.
Rafa loses interest in dinner and wants to go out to the ocean. Ale tells him not to go. (Considering his fish-swallowing disaster, she's right to be worried). When the group asks why he can’t, Ale flutters her eyelashes and says she doesn’t want him to go without her to protect him. He agrees to stay put and, after some peer pressure, asks Ale for a kiss. She gets out of it by blowing him a kiss before going into the kitchen.
Ismael sits down with Ramiro and asks why he seems so stressed lately. Ramiro blurts out he’s been seeing a sex therapist.
Ale helps fix salads in the kitchen with “The Real Wives of Refri Transportes”. Ledezma’s wife (Patricia?) admires how caring Rafa is and wishes Francisco could be more like him. She’s sure Federico has had his eye on other women. Ale flashes back to Ledezma’s groping phase at the restaurant and gulps.
Patricia is suspicious because Francisco is supposedly doing business with an associate named Humberto Quiroga nearly everyday. Ale listens with a keen ear and pays little attention to the disaster of a salad she’s making in the process. Francisco’s meetings with Quiroga sounds a lot like Marco’s meetings with Urdiales. Ale puts an entire ocean’s worth of salt on the salad before she snaps out of it.
The Refri Reps congregate. Ledezma is worried Ale might tell his wife about his behavior when they met. His partner tells him not to worry; if she does tell, they’ll have his body shipped back to Mexico. (Ha!) Rafa serves the guys some drinks and a servant brings in a large cooler of live lobsters. Rafa is shocked they’re alive and is horrified to hear they’ll be boiled for dinner.
Rafa brings the ladies some cocktails and saves one made especially for Ale. She’s hesitantly takes a sip and pretends to like it even though its way too strong. The cooler of lobsters is nearby and Rafa takes another peak inside. Rafa tells Ale about how badly he feels that lobsters are going to be killed so violently. Ale says he’s being ridiculous. Rafa runs outside to get Ale’s shoes and sunscreen and the wives swoon at how considerate he is. A servant takes the cooler of lobsters outside.
Vicky is still weeping all over Leonor’s couch. Julieta gets home and Leonor drags her into the kitchen for a welcome break from Vicky.
Rafa, alone with the cooler, talks to the lobsters, picks them up, and starts naming them (Rosita, Petrita, Casimira, etc). He promises to save them.
Leonor is fed up after listening to Vicky whimper and wail for two hours and sends Julieta out to get rid of her. She has just as little luck in getting Vicky to leave.
Ramiro explains to Ismael he needed professional help because of the lackluster relationship he has with his wife. The problem is: he’s fallen in love with his doctor.
Rafa serves tequila to the Refi Reps and they head outside. Rafa brings cocktail refills to the ladies, along with Ale’s shoes and sunscreen. The housekeeper rushes in and tells Patricia the lobsters have gone missing. She and the wives are off to search for the crate but Ale stays behind with Rafa.
Ale gives him a look and Rafa admits he hid the lobsters. Ale wants to go get them but Rafa won’t let her. He knows it’s ridiculous but he can’t let the lobsters be killed; he’s going to set them free in the ocean. He kicks off his shoes and runs outside.
Ale and Rafa carry the crate out to the ocean and name all the lobsters as they toss them to freedom in the ocean. (Several of the lobsters are named after Siglo employees: Susana, Claudia, Generala, etc.)
Vicky is still crying to Julieta when Jaime stops by for a visit. Julieta sticks him with comforting Vicky while she joins her madre in the kitchen.
Ale and Rafa drag the empty crate back into the house and are caught red-handed by the entire household. “Can you explain what it is you’re doing?” Ale and Rafa look at each other helplessly.
Avances: Vicky shrieks into her phone to Rafa that he better be home that night or they won't be getting married; Rafa says he'll respect her decision and she screams at him.
Labels: dinero
I didn't quite get it, but when the Refri wife was envying Rafa's attentiveness--did Ale reply that sometimes it made him look crazy? Could anyone clarify?
Flores, thanks for the thorough and entertaining recap. And thanks for helping do double duty. Yes, we could only wish it was Friday. But if it was, I wouldn't have an episode of HQEDNS to watch tomorrow night.
Barbara
I liked the lobster scene as well. Rafa is such a sweetheart.
Thanks again for the recap. I am off to work so will check in later.
Barbara, my Spanish is not so good, but from what I understood, the wives were saying what a good husband Rafa is, and Ale said he could be silly and annoying at times, but the wives collectively denied it.
Pata, yes Ale's competitiveness was funny. I was glad she was able to back it up with real skill in "bitch" volleyball.
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