Caray, Caray!

Episode 118

At Raúl's, Inéz Villareal continues frantically demanding why her husband and Noel think Salma is not their granddaughter, when from down the hall Mariela approaches and stops in her tracks, spying Noel. She greets him, saying how nice it is to see him; to which he shyly turns and returns her sentiment.

Mariela remarks on the lovely day and invites Noel to stroll with her; and after the Villareals gladly excuse him, Noel approaches Mariela and pointedly takes her hand to kiss it, looking into her eyes. Noel promises Alberto to return and finish the earlier conversation, and Mariela takes his arm as they exit.

The moment they do, Inéz rounds on Alberto once again, pleading for an explanation; but Alberto can't get over the idea of Mariela and Noel together and that they're even using informal address. Inéz won't be distracted, and he must finally regretfully tell her it's true that Noel suspects Salma is not their granddaughter.

At the cottage, María del Rosario's health is much worse, and she can't eat for coughing. Regina is just praying for God's help that she doesn't suffer when a black figure creeps in through the doorway. Regina is startled to see it's her father, and he's looking for María del Rosario. Where is she? Rodrigo begs.

Back at Raul's, Alberto concedes they only have suspicions; but he's noticed some inconsistencies, like how Salma doesn't really know the town. Inéz desperately worries a deception would break Mariela's heart; while behind the wall in the hallway Salma eavesdrops -- and behind the next wall, Lulu eavesdrops on her, like a mirror looking in a mirror.

At the cottage, Regina tries to stop Rodrigo; but María del Rosario appears from her bedroom and assures Regina it's all right; she wants to talk to him alone. After Regina exits, when María del Rosario warily asks what he wants, Rodrigo lowers himself to one knee and proposes marriage!

In a carriage on a country lane, Mariela grins at Noel across the seat and asks why he's gazing at her so intently. Noel removes his Magical Mystery Tour sunglasses and observes that Mariela so reminds him of someone that he can't put his finger on.

She laughs and asks if it's a former lady friend, and he chuckles and ruefully denies he had any lady friends except Leonarda. Mariela admits she only had her husband, as well; and she was widowed at a young age. Then she lost her daughter and was consumed with finding her.

When Noel asks if she feels particularly sympathetic to Jimena, Mariela confides in a whisper that it pains her to admit she identifies more with Jimena. She hasn't seen much of her, she explains, because her parents think it would hurt Salma. Just then the carriage lurches violently and dumps Mariela into Noel's lap.

Slightly abashed face to face, Mariela seems in no hurry to jump off. Noel gentlemanly ascertains her well being and then launches out of the carriage to find out what the hell happened. As it turns out, the driver narrowly missed a young girl in the lane. When Mariela hears it was in fact Jimena, she runs to embrace her.

At the cottage, Rodrigo is still on bended knee, and María del Rosario wants to know if he's lost his mind. Rodrigo recalls he thought he had lost his mind when he saw her "dead;" when she appeared later as the black-veiled woman in his room; and when he saw her in front of the townhouse.

Rodrigo rises and rushes to her, grasping her hands; but now that he's seen her alive -- and not a ghost, he says, he's come back to his senses. And that's why he's asked her to marry him, he says earnestly; because he's never, ever, stopped loving her. María del Rosario looks at him blank faced.

He eagerly pulls a little red box out of his jacket pocket, explaining breathlessly that this is the ring from the day so long ago of his first proposal -- when that damned fisherman took her away from him! he grits out, shaking a fist. María del Rosario moves away and observes she never belonged to Rodrigo.

Looking him in the eyes, she calmly maintains that her heart always did and always will belong to Juan de Dios San Roman. Rodrigo begs her painfully to please not say that name! He still hates him. But the fisherman is dead, and they two are still alive, he points out. He urges her to take the ring and marry him.

María del Rosario reaches up, closes the ring box and lifts a hand to Rodrigo's cheek, which he gratefully covers with his hand. Poor Rodrigo, she says; he never changes. He never has understood that love doesn't obey orders. She can't marry him, María del Rosario repeats. She's a married woman; married to Juan de Dios.

Rodrigo angrily responds that it's a lie! The guards interrupted the wedding, he insists. María del Rosario observes that it's so difficult for him to understand that Juan de Dios and she swore eternal love -- and that soon she's going away with him. She astounds Rodrigo by explaining she's condemned to death.

Out on the country lane where Mariela and Jimena embrace, Noel looks on and now realizes that of course Mariela reminds him of Jimena. They look a lot like each other, and with dawning comprehension he concludes they look like mother and daughter. Is it possible Jimena is the real daughter of Mariela? he wonders.

Back at the cottage, Rodrigo cannot stomach the idea that María del Rosario might die; but it's true, she says. Rising and looking distant, she adds that she has very little time remaining. If he really does love her, she wants him to let her die in peace. She's already forgiven him. Rodrigo is devastated and exits.

Lulu and Gabriel meet in the plaza, where Lulu reports that Salma always acts preoccupied and sad when she's alone, like she's pining away for somebody. When Lulu adds she saw Salma giving money to Servando, Gabriel thinks it's hush money -- and that if money can shut him up, money could also make him reveal the real Angela.

At the cottage, Clemencia is astounded Regina left Rodrigo alone with María del Rosario, but Regina insists Rodrigo loves her and couldn't hurt her. María del Rosario emerges from the bedroom to say she is feeling much worse, can't rest and is glad they are there. She doesn't want to be alone. She collapses on the floor.

When the women return her to bed and want to call the doctor, she insists they should stay; these are her last moments, she says. María del Rosario tells Regina she must remain strong and help her son, and Regina tearfully promises to do so. Clemencia swears through tears to continue to be like a mother to Juan.

Just then Juan charges in, bearing his mother's favorite sweets; but is brought up short by the sad scene. He can't believe it when Clemencia tells him his mother is dying. He quickly sits by her side and takes her hand, as she weeps over the suffering he's had to endure.

Juan tearfully begs her not to abandon him. Please don't go! But it's not she who decides, his mother says; it's God. Juan can't accept it; he doesn't want her to leave him, he repeats. No! She says he must continue to be strong, but Juan defiantly refuses. He doesn't want to be strong! He doesn't want her to leave!

He drops his head on her chest, weeping, and she asks him not to suffer for her sake. They weep together and she entreats him not to fight it. She's going to reunite with his father, she whispers. Searching Juan's face, she marvels how much he looks like his father. He's coming for her, as he promised, she assures Juan.

This thought mollifies Juan. She seems so sure of that, he observes. Juan wipes his tears on his shirtsleeve and sits up. All right, he relents. He will take her to wait for Juan de Dios. Pulling back the covers, he lifts his mother up into his arms. They'll go and wait for his father, he says.

Juan carries his mother to the shore, where their friends and family are gathered, and explains he must take her -- his father is waiting. He carries her up the shoreline, away from them, sobbing, step by step, slowly leaving friends and family behind as they approach the rocks -- the last barrier before the eternity of the sea beyond.

Sitting on the rocks in her son's arms, María del Rosario, remembers the sea, where she met his father. The sea was always a witness to their love, she says. She knows why Juan called himself Juan de Diablo, but that's over now; no more vengeance, no more tears, no more hate. His father and she will be together.

Juan still doesn't want her to go, he says. But she wants to be happy with his father, she says, and so she gives Juan back his real name: Juan de Dios. Juan kisses her hand, relents and tearfully promises to remember all the advice she gave him and do whatever she wants. And so from now on he is Juan de Dios, he says.

God is love, his mother tells him. And now that Juan's known this feeling -- now that he loves and is loved -- he belongs to God, she says with a beatific smile. Juan promises through tears that he will remember all her words; but just don't leave yet, he pleads.

He shouldn't worry for her sake, his mother says; she leaves gladly. And she thanks heaven that she had a chance to hold him in her arms, even if it was just for a little while. As the sun progresses lower in the western sky, she tells him she endured all those years clutching a rag bundle, hoping to see Juan again.

When she tells him that not for one moment in all that time did she stop thinking about him, Juan cries "Mámi!" into the crook of her neck and is wracked with sobs. To find him, she continues, was the only thing that maintained her life. Despite the sadness, despite the suffering, he gave her the strength.

And she wants him to be strong now. Juan says he understands that she has to go, because her life has been one of martyrdom and she has completed her duty to God about him. For that she deserves heaven; but he doesn't want her to go yet, Juan pleads again, inconsolably.

My son, she says, I would never leave you alone. Placing her hand over Juan's heart, his mother assures him she will always have a place in there. She wants God to always protect him, so she gives him her blessing. Juan kisses her hand and says Amen, but calls it back. No, he can't let her go! he sobs with fresh tears.

Wait, wait, Juan says. He wants to give her something, too. Juan removes the rosary that belonged to her which Clemencia gave him long ago -- and the shark's tooth from his father; and his mother holds them, smiling. The sun progresses lower and lower in the western sky, and his mother says it's the most beautiful evening she's ever seen.

She met him in the sea and she lost him in the sea, María del Rosario says. And only the sea can return him to her. Offering the two symbols of herself and Juan de Dios in her hand together up to the setting sun, María del Rosario repeats that she met him in the sea; she lost him in the sea; and only the sea can return him to her.

"Juan..." she whispers, as her hand slowly lowers, her head drops to her son's chest, and her arm falls slowly from around his shoulders. Juan knows his mother is gone and keens No, mother, no! Still holding her and kissing her hand, he can't let her go. He still needs to tell her about himself; tell her his story.

He needs to tell her how he became Juan del Diablo, what happened during the many years of her absence. Rocking back and forth with her, he begs her not to go. Just one more moment! He needs to tell her about himself; needs his mother to get to know him. His father was a very brave man whom Juan loved so much.

Juan recounts how he met his dad, went to live with him and heard his father's story -- how he thought she was dead. He needs her to listen to him; please don't go, he asks, sobbing. Juan caresses his mother's face and kisses her cheek. Gazing at the same sunset she did, he agrees it's the most beautiful evening.

Now there won't be any more suffering, any more sorrow; because she'll be with him and be happy, Juan says. All the happiness that never could be while on this damned earth! Juan sits with her and mourns as the sun sets and into the darkness. He still sits, cradling his mother, with only the moonlight.

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