Caray, Caray!

A woman with a bloodied-up arm opens an exterior door. Another woman in an animal print coat and sunglasses smiles, but then looks shocked as she sees the blood.

We're all lost souls…

Kika Edgar is Paula, Bailarina (Paula, dancer)

Isaac walks into an office, where another man is just finishing a phone call. Isaac tells the other guy "me amenazó" (he threatened me). If he doesn't get his sales figures up, he's out. He's been there for 15 years and he's had good and great years. He think he deserves support if he's not doing so hot right now. The other guy says in this company it's what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. Isaac agrees, it's the same at home too. He's tired of it. The other guy tells him to chill. He'd offer to take him out for tequilas, but he said he'd take his wife to the movies. Isaac calls his wife and tells her he's got a last-minute meeting. He asks after his son and she says he's eating without his father, just like she is (eating dinner without him).

Isaac heads for a strip club, balm to the wounded souls of businessmen everywhere, if the suits in this place are any indication. And I hear they have good steaks, but I can't vouch for that. A woman with two large feathered fans takes the stage. Isaac is instantly captivated as she does what's jut a touch closer to "exotic dancing" than some of the other girls can claim. She works the fans for a bit, then takes to the pole…now this, I hear, is a serious workout and a great way to tone the thighs. Again, not that I can vouch for that. She notices him watching her and gets a little thrown off. Her pole skills aren't really up to snuff. In fact, I can't see what's so captivating about her dancing except that the feather fans are a little different. Did anyone see that episode of Castle where they investigate an exotic-dancing-type club? That was a much better quality dance.

Isaac heads for a curtained-off alcove, where he is joined by Paula. He wants her to sit and chat and offers her a drink. She kind of remembers him, or at least pretends to. He compliments her dancing. She laughs at him. He insists that he doesn't think it's easy to dance in front of people and she does it really well. "So, you called me back here just to talk?" He says he didn’t, so she asks, "Well, then?"

Later, he sneaks into bed, but his wife hears him and tells him it's 3am. He says he had to stay for dinner and they talked a lot. She can't remember the last time the two of them talked a lot. He looks like he can't either.

Paula lifts one leg up high, then stands up and starts giving him a lap dance. He grabs her hips and she laughs again, telling him that he called her because he likes everything about her.

On another night, Paula is flirting with the bartender when Isaac walks in with roses for her. "For the prettiest one," he says. "In the world or in the club?" He says the entire world. They sit at a table together, but are interrupted by Paula's friend, Jessie. He invites her to sit down and Paula doesn't look too happy. Jessie interprets Paula's look and leaves the two of them alone together. He offers her a drink again, but she says she doesn't drink on the job. He tells her he'll go speak to the owner and she won't be working tonight, no problem. He goes to find the owner and tells her to go get changed and not worry about a thing. She looks worried and picks up the flowers.

Paula and Isaac walk down a sidewalk. She tells him that he's been coming to see her every day for two months and she wonders what he's after. He says he's never felt what he feels for her before. "Que sientes?" (what do you feel?) He says he feels like the most manly man of them all. He and Paula start kissing.

Isaac sits at the breakfast table with his son, looking at divorce papers. His wife sits down and he shoves them into a manila envelope. His wife tells him not to make promises to his son that he's not intending to keep (he had just said he'd take him to the zoo). She says he's never there for his son or for her. He gets up and leaves.

Backstage at the club, Jessie and Paula are walking in late. Paula says it's going great with Isaac. He says things that make her believe him. "He's married." "Well, he's getting separated." Yeah, they all say that. She doesn't even really care if he does get separated. She's having a good time. The friend warns her against falling in love with him. "They want us for what we are and then that's why they get rid of us." Paula says he invited her for dinner at a restaurant. They start looking for something for her to wear.

At the office, Isaac gets a call from his wife, Dora. His son is waiting for him to take him to the zoo. He gets off the phone before she can make him tell his son himself that they're not going to the zoo today.

Isaac comes to the club to pick up Paula. She's wearing a cheongsam that does nothing for her figure. It has that borrowed look and she's covered up to the neck. She's upset when they pull up in front of what looks like an apartment building, or maybe a cheap hotel. She asks what happened to the restaurant. "I changed my mind." "Te da vergüenza que te ven conmigo?" (Are you embarassed if they see you with me?) He picks her up and carries her inside the apartment we saw at the beginning, announcing that it's hers.

She asks him, after The Sex, why he did this. "Did what?" "The house." "To be with you." "For how long? In what way?" "What do you mean for how long?" "I'm not asking you for anything, but I also don't want to expect anything. Do you want me to be your lover?" "My lover, my friend, my fiancee. I'm going to get divorced, Paula. I want you to stop working--" She refuses. She needs money. "The operation is something--" He says they'll work it out together.

She does the walk of shame back into work the next day, minus any actual shame. Jessie is thrilled. Paula flashes her keys. That's not a euphemism. Paula whispers that he got her an apartment. Jessie is impressed and asks if she's happy. Paula says it was a big surprise. She asked for time, but Jessie says she should do it. Paula is afraid he won't want something serious. "Una no puedo olvidar quien es y como es el mundo." (One can never forget who one is and how the world is.) Jessie asks her who she is and reminds her that he fell in love with what she is, this divine creature…another girl busts in and says she's the only divine one in there, harshing the vibe.

Paula sits at her table, all set for a romantic dinner, complete with wine. She goes to her bag and digs out her phone. Isaac's phone goes straight to voicemail. She tells him it's 4:30 and if he's not coming home he should just say so. She says she really needed him today, blows a kiss into the phone, and hangs up. She's decorated the house really nicely. Looks classy.

She's getting ready at work, talking to Jessie. She says she went to the doctor and he told her she needs six more months of hormones. Isaac couldn't come with her to her appointment. Jessie tells Paula there's some fabulous guys out there…Paula doesn't want to be with anyone else but Isaac. He's the only one who wants her. He got her an apartment and he's getting divorced to be with her. "Sure, whenever he feels like it, so he doesn't have to pay you by the hour because it would be to expensive for him. Don't tell me you still believe in Los Reyes Magos" (the three Wise Men…because that's who brings presents in Latin America; we would say, "Don't tell me you still believe in Santa Claus). Paula gets upset and Jessie says, "Don't say I didn't warn you and hurry up because we're on in 20 minutes."

Paula and Jessie do a little number where Jessie's the bunny and Paula is the dominatrix. Jessie is still giving her a hard time, whispering to her onstage. Isaac is backstage waiting for Paula. He starts making apologies, but she says she knows he's married, and not to her. She reminds him he's paid for 10 minutes, so he'd better hurry up. Isaac says he doesn't want her to work, he wants them to be together. "Oh, so that's why you stood me up!" He proudly presents her with a fancy envelope containing his divorce papers. She gets weepy and he hugs her and kisses the top of her head.

Det. Capellan questions Dora. "Did you know about the relationship your husband was having with Paula Trevino?" "Paula? What a joke. This is supposed to be a department of investigation specializing in women, right?" Capellan says they're not there to judge anyone's identity or sexual orientation. They're there to investigate crimes. Dora says to investigate, because for her to kill him like she did, it must have been for a reason.

Paula and Isaac lie in bed. He says it's her birthday in a few days and asks what she wants to do. "It's your first birthday with me, after all." She wants something romantic, but he suggests a dinner party at the apartment. "We can invite all your friends, we'll eat, we'll celebrate, and they can all see our house." Paula agrees and giggles and kisses him.

The house is full of strippers who raise their fruity, umbrella-decorated drinks in honor of their little Paula, who found her Richard Gere, giving hope to another generation of sequin-clad women. Jessie says she'll miss her and says she's glad she was wrong about Isaac. The girls get down to business and start singing Las Mañanitas to Paula.

Meanwhile, Dora and Isaac are rushing the kid to the hospital with a high fever.

The strippers take their leave of Paula. Jessie says she's sure something bad happened. Paula hopes he didn't deceive her and once again Jessie says she hates to say "I told you so." Paula looks around at the remains of the party and pops a balloon.

Isaac comes home. The ladies didn't even bother cutting the cake. Paula is sleeping on the couch and he whispers her name and wakes her up gently. He tells her he had to take Juan to the hospital. She sits up groggily, and shakes off his touch. She says she was an idiot. She gets even more upset when he says he couldn't call because Dora was right there the whole time. "You're never going to leave her, are you?" I believe When Harry Met Sally established that no, he's never going to leave her. Paula is pissed that it was her birthday, all her friends were there, and for what? Just to see him stand her up. She starts smacking him around and he ends up hitting his head on a door frame. Paula is horrified.

Isaac wakes up in bed, with Paula sitting on a chair next to the bed. She tells him she doesn't feel well. She doesn't like what's happening. He repeats there was a problem with his son. She dislikes that she's always the one who has to understand: that he's married; that he has a kid; that she's just the mistress. He says he loves her, but she thinks he's scared of loving her. "Do you like the sea?" he asks. Paula doesn't answer.

Isaac's friend from work talks to Aranda. I know I was pretty vocal about my hair envy, but I seriously dislike that they've got it all slicked down on top and pulled to one side. Can we please have the fabulous curls back? She wants to know if his behavior had changed. He says Isaac always worked like crazy, extra hours, working weekends. "He was…hopeful."

Isaac grins when his friend picks up the brochure for Acapulco. The friend says his kid and his wife will love the vacation! "Fall in love again…in the sea!" he reads. Isaac looks uncomfortable.

The bags are packed. Paula is wearing a too-short dress, looking for her keys. She picks up the phone, but changes her mind and doesn't call anyone.

Dora comes running to Isaac laughing and kisses him. She found the reservations for the trip and she's excited. Juan brings Isaac a picture of the beach that he drew. Dora wants to celebrate.

Paula is calling Isaac and the phone keeps ringing. His voicemail picks up. She says it's her, it's the fifth time she's called, he was supposed to be home at 2:30 and it's 5. She's worried. There's a prescription bottle and a bottle of wine sitting in front of her with half a glass poured. Paula grabs a pill and downs it with the wine.

She fell asleep on the couch. When she wakes up, it's dark. She looks at her watch and gets up off the couch.

Isaac sits in a restaurant with his wife and kid, looking extremely unhappy.

Paula walks down the street and sees them through the window. She sees Dora kiss him and then they all get up from the table. Paula walks away, in shock. She stands a little ways away and watches Isaac put his wife and kid into the car. She comes up and just stands there staring at him. Dora gets back out of the car and asks who it is. "Nadie, vamos." (no one, let's go). They pull away and Paula cries…then she starts seething.

Capellan questions Jessie. "When you got there, Mr. Del Campo was alive?" Jessie tearfully says he wasn't. She describes their relationship, "She was in love, hopeful. She thought she would finally be a woman just like any other. With a life she'd always wanted. With a husband, a home, a trip. But none of that happened."

Paula starts ripping up fabric with scissors. Isaac comes back to the apartment and calls to her. She sits down at her dressing table and lights up a cigarette. Isaac walks in. "You forgot we were going on a trip?" He says it's difficult to explain. "Yes. I've been trying to explain to myself why I'm no one." He says it was an odd moment, complicated, and he couldn't do anything. "Do you want something to drink?" He just stares, then asks her to forgive him. "You can't be with someone who doesn't exist, right?" She brushes past him.

Capellan questions Paula. "Mr. Trevino…" "Paula. Paula Trevino." "We're here to investigate what happened, according to the procedure set out by the law. And according to the law, you're a man. Because of that, I should transfer you…" "Paula is the name I feel is mine, not the one the law says. Look at me. What do your eyes see? Do they see into me? That I'm a woman, like you, like any other." "You feel like a woman, but your body…" "My body isn't what I am."

Paula mixes more booze with pills. The bottle says "Sleepy" in big letters, in English. She puts some of the powder from the pills into one of the glasses of alcohol and mixes it in with her finger. She offers it to Isaac, back in the bedroom. They toast and down their shots. Paula smiles and takes his glass. Isaac asks her if they can start over, forget everything that's happened. "I can't forget what I am, Isaac." He lies down. "If we started again, I could be just Paula." Isaac calls her his princess, his love. "I would never again be this woman trapped in a body that isn't hers. Would you like that?" She pulls Isaac back up to sitting and asks him if he'd like that. She starts unbuttoning his shirt and then takes off her robe.

"You had an amorous relationship with Mr. Del Campo? And he knew you were a transexual? Mr. Trevino?" Paula insists on being called Paula and says she doesn't know. "That's why I had to break what we were and start again. To see if he could look at what I am and know that I exist."

I'm not entirely sure what happened at this point. Did Paula use the factory-issued equipment in a more traditional manner? What were the censors blurring out? (Well, that one I can pretty much guess.) She reaches over for the scissors. " Shall we start again? My love?" She reaches around and stabs him in the gut. The bloody butterfly flies away and she drops the scissors. Paula sits up in bed, looking at the blood on her arm, before turning to look at Isaac.

"Paula Trevino fue declarada culpable por homicidio simple y condenada a 21 años de prisión. A pesar de los esfuerzos del DIEM y de otras organizaciones defensoras de los derechos humanos y transgénero, fue internada en un reclusorio varonil. Por buen comportamiento quedó en libertad después de estar presa 9 años y 2 meses. Tiempo después volvió a trabajar como bailarina en un bar de provincia."

Paula Trevino was declared guilty of manslaughter and condemned to 21 years in prison. Despite the efforts of DIEM and other organizations that defend human rights and the rights of transgendered people, she was interned in a men's prison. For good behavior, she was freed after being in prison for 9 years and 2 months. Later she returned to working as a dancer in a provincial bar.

Next week: Jacqueline Bracamontes

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