Caray, Caray!

Capítulo 162: In which Marisa keeps Alejandro and Natalia apart, intensifying the suffering of both; Lucas spends the day in a jealous snit; the Naz enjoys her taste of power; and Latifa fails to understand that to pull a Rania, you don’t ask permission.

Lucas is so upset when he hears Natalia tell Daniel that she likes her young father better than her old one that he goes to Marisa (Marisa!) for comfort. I can’t take it anymore, he tells her. (Ya no aguanto más!) If he moves in, let me know. I won’t be coming back!

At the front door he tells Rosa: ¡Esta casa es demasiado pequeña para los dos! (This house is too small for the two of us!)

Alej phones from the gym. He wants to stop by to see Natalia. Do you think Marisa will mind? Not at all, says Rosa, and it will do Nati so much good to see you. Ay, pobre muchacho, remarks Rosa to Marina as she hangs up the phone, ¡Marisa no lo puede ver ni en pintura! (Marisa can’t stand him, lit: can’t even see him in a painting.)

Daniel and Natalia come down the stairs saying their teasing, affectionate good-byes. Hija, he says, eat your fruits and vegetables!

Zein goes to Cris’s apartment asking for some help. He knows Jade is back in Miami and she and Said aren’t married. He wants a chance to talk to her. Cris has an idea…

The Naz is spinning another of her Just Naz stories for Jadiya and her friends: La princesa Nazira y sus cuñadas educatitas. Erase una vez … Once upon a time a beautiful princess lived with her sisters-in-law, a bunch of useless, exhibitionist odaliques…. The kids have a glazed expression on their faces.

Albieri is on his way out the door – Luisa has just called from the office with some news about Silvia – when Daniel arrives unexpectedly. He wants to know if Albieri gave Jade her necklace. He did, Albieri assures him. What did she say? Daniel wants to know. Nothing, says Albieri. Then, looking carefully at him, he asks: Daniel, are you in love with this girl? No, says Daniel. She likes the other one. The original.

Albieri invites him to come along to the clinic, but Daniel doesn’t want the people there looking at him. He’s going home. Albieri tells him he has no reason to hide, he’s no different from anyone else.

Jade smiles as she looks down at the necklace in her hands.

Albieri’s words must have softened his feelings, because Daniel tells Dora that, as far as testifying goes, he won’t be part of a conspiracy (complot) to put Albieri in jail. Dora tells him that if Leo proceeds with his plan to sue for paternity, Daniel will have to testify. And he’ll have to say very firmly that he isn’t a clone. [Neither Dora nor Daniel seem to understand that their legal counteraction would protect Albieri; it’s Leo’s suit – and Lucas’s too – which would expose Albieri to legal jeopardy.]

Would they write about the trial in the papers? Daniel asks. Because if they do, he won’t go out where people might recognize him and call him a clone.

Silvia is at Albieri’s clinic. No hard feelings, she says. I did what I felt ethically bound to do. Villegas just didn’t believe the clone story. Qué buenas noticias! (what good news!) exclaims Padre Andres, who has been hanging around the clinic a lot lately [And why not? There are certainly souls there needing saving – and has he met Escobar yet?].

Samira tries to comfort her mother but Latifa is inconsolable. She is convinced she has lost Mohamed forever. Then she has a brainstorm: She’ll pull a Rania! She’ll go to Fez and bring her man back home!

But in Fez, Latifa’s man is more determined than ever to take a second wife. He is unimpressed when Alí points out how much turmoil a second wife brought to Said’s home. That won’t happen to him because he, Mohamed, isn’t marrying an odalisca! [Yeah, like Said found Jade and Rania in the “odaliscas” section of Craig’s list, Fez.]

Abdul says Yaser and his daughter Zuleica are good to go. They need Mohamed’s answer. Me caso, affirms Mohamed. I’m getting married.

Alí tries to dissuade him from rushing into marriage out of anger or in reaction to a rebellious child. He is exaggerating the importance of Samira's refusal to wear a veil. He reminds him that: No es obligatorio usar el velo en nuestra religión (It isn’t obligatory to wear a veil in our religion.)

Back in Miami, Ramón tells Gloria about Nati’s miscarriage. ¡Ay, qué tristeza, qué tristeza que Natalia haya perdido a mi nieto! (Oh, how sad, how sad that Natalia has lost my grandchild!)

The sKanks are still out there walking. Hilda has heard that Lucia asked Consuelo to come back to work for her. Consuelo didn’t want to but Rosario made her do it.

And indeed, Consuelo and Rosario are standing in Lucia’s house while that lady tells Consuelo how much she missed her; she had to put up with a parade (desfile) of inept maids after she left. Andrea walks in and is obviously disgusted to see Consuelo. She says: You used to clean my parents’ bedroom every day and every day, you would leave carrying an envelope. What was in the envelope?
Consuelo looks a bit flustered, feigns confusion. She says: ¡Yo sería incapaz de llevar algo de esta casa! (I would be incapable of taking anything from this house!)

Alej is walking up the stairs to Natalia’s room when his path is blocked by Marisa. My daughter needs to rest, Marisa tells him. If you really care about her, you’ll leave her alone. I think you believe I’m responsible for everything that happened to Natalia, he says. I don’t care what you think, she answers, my only interest is my daughter’s well-being. And the overly educado hijo de Gloria, instead of calling out ‘Nataliaaaaa’ at the top of his lungs, turns around and leaves. [And then it hits me: He looks like a young Brando! Stellaaaaaa!] We see him drive away in Pablo’s red pick-up.

Cris calls Jade and tells her Zein is dying to see her. She will swing by later and pick her up. Jade smiles and reflects: Mi suerte volvió! (My luck is back!)

Enrique convinces Lucas that the two of them need a night out. And of all the gin joints in all of Miami – they’ll go to Salamandra!

Said’s servant tries to stop Jade from leaving. Lala Nazira wouldn’t like it! I’m not Nazira’s slave, answers Jade tartly and continues out the door.

When Cris and Jade arrive at Salamandra, Cris goes off to find Zein. Enrique and Lucas are already there. In the crowd, Jade and Lucas see one another. Lucas is filled with joy and hope and visions of Jade dancing: first in Alí’s house while he watched secretly and later in the ruins, when she danced just for him. Jade, he pensado mucho en ti! (Jade, I thought about you so much!) he says happily. Her answer stings:
Yo también he pensado mucho en ti. Cada vez que me acuerdo que no tengo casa, de lo mal que me ha ido en la vida, me acuerdo de ti, Lucas!
(I’ve also thought a lot about you. Every time I remember I have no home, of how badly my life has turned out, I remember you, Lucas!)
She goes on: Do you know how it feels to live like a servant in the house where you were once the owner just for the sake of being close to your child?
He tries to explain things to her but she refuses to listen. Then he tells her he knows she met his ‘copy’ in the ruins. How did that feel? he asks bitterly. She runs out and he follows her, just a beat too late. She has vanished in a cab.

Cris and Zein come onto the dance floor. While they are looking for Jade, they spot Enrique. Did you come with Carolina? they ask. No, he says, with Lucas… And all three realize that Lucas and Jade are gone.

Daniel is looking through a box of memorabilia for a photo of him and little Natalia. He tells Dora and Estela that he went to visit Rosa and met Leonardo’s granddaughter, Natalia, and that got him thinking of his childhood friend. ¡Mira! ¡La encontré! (Look! I found it!)

Lucas returns to Casa Ferrer as grouchy as he left it that morning. It has truly been a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day for our hero. Is he still here? he asks Rosa. If you all like him so much, why don’t you keep him and I’ll leave!

Jade’s homecoming is no more pleasant. She runs upstairs to escape the interrogation of the imperious Naz. She finds Jadiya, Rania and Amina huddled together. The Naz turned out the lights and Rania is afraid of the dark. The Naz sent Jadiya’s friends away. They all seem to be looking to Jade for guidance.

Downstairs the Naz is gloating about how the odaliscas are finally getting along with each other -- even if it’s only for the sake of conspiring against her.

At Gloria’s place, Alej tells Pablo that Marisa wouldn’t let him see Nati. But what he doesn’t get is why she hasn’t called him… unless someone is manipulating her.

That’s not exactly right. Natalia tells Rosa what is really going on:
Es que Alej quería tanto tener este bebé, y yo también.. Eso fue por mi culpa y nunca me va a perdonar.
It’s just that Alej wanted to have this baby so much -- and I did too. This was my fault and he’ll never forgive me.

Gloria is consoling her son but when he says:
Tenía tanta esperanza de que este niño cambiara a Natalia, de que le hiciera bien...
(I had so much hope that this child would change Natalia, that it would do her good...)
…she reminds him that a child doesn’t solve problems.
Sea como sea, yo quería tanto a ese niño, says Alej sadly.
(Be that as it may, I wanted this baby so much.)

Latifa is desperate. She decides to ask cousin Farid – he’s the one minding the store so Mohamed can be in Fez destroying his family’s happiness -- for money so she can go to Fez and surprise Mohamed. He turns her down flat. No es bueno darles sorpresas a los maridos (It’s not good to surprise husbands). When she breaks down and appeals to his pity, he remains a stone. A humorless stone who refers to himself in the third person. Next to this guy, even Mohamed looks like a party animal. [Seriously, Latifa. Go sell some gold and buy yourself a ticket.]

In the final scene, Alí does his best to keep Mohamed from taking a second wife. He is making much too much of the veil issue, he tells him. He reminds him that when a woman is forced to wear a veil, it has no spiritual value.

Abdul bustles in smiling. You’re a lucky man! he tells Mohamed. Yaser is willing to accept you and his daughter Zuleica is happy about the arrangement. Let’s go buy gold for the bride and then we can go to her family’s home and you can ask for her hand!

Credits roll

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