Caray, Caray!

Recap by Anita


Lo de Ayer
Luci is at the funerario finishing the very emotional conversation with Pato on the phone.
L.  I’m so sorry we have all ended up hurt by this situation.  The last thing I wanted is for you (formal, plural ustedes) to be suffering. 
P.  Really, it matters to you that I am suffering?
L.  Of course.  I would never do anything that could hurt you (she used the familiar, singular tu).
P.  Nor I.  Never forget, I would give my life for you.

In this emotional moment, Pato essentially is declaring his love for her.  This sentiment is not lost on Luci and she’s not sure what to say—and is certainly glad they are not having this conversation face-to-face or on Skype, because her face says it all. 

Lo de Hoy
En Het Het—Ariche has come to see Magda and Paz, who are working on pots and talking, just as a man arrives to install a phone in Paz’s house.  She gets all discombobulated because she didn’t order the phone and hopes she isn’t expected to pay for it.  The installer says orders are orders and he has one for a phone for here.  And no, she doesn’t have to pay.  Dear, dear, where to put it.

Luci returns to find the telephone installed.  When Luci says she wasn’t the one who ordered the phone, they speculate.  It was probably her pa; it had to be a good person, a gentleman, so of course it must be Luci’s papá.  Ariche says it would be better to keep quiet about the phone or it’s likely they’ll end up as a branch of the funerario.  They laugh and try the phone.  The phone is dead.

Luci goes back to the funeraria to call Claudio.  Norma tells her that Lic. Linares is at the TL offices to make arrangements for the legal, or official signing [firma de sesión de derechos], handing over the property dictated by the verdict.  She tells her that Linares left Luci an open airline ticket and a hotel reservation in case she wants to accompany him to the meeting the next day.  Luci changes the subject to the matter of the telephone.  Yes indeed, it was her papá that ordered it to be put in.  Norma mentions again the importance of tomorrow’s meeting for her father, in case she wants to be there.  It shows in Luciana’s face that it’s the last thing she wants to do.  She says no.


En El Barrio—Violeta and Ofelia are having a some girl talk.  Vio says that Marcial wants to talk to her.  She thinks it’s about living together.  Ofelia wants to know what she’s going to do.  Of course she’s going to say no, otherwise her mother would kill her when she finds out.  She’s sure that Lic. Linares will help her get a handle on what’s happening with the divorce and asks her to come with her to his office.  Knock, knock, Who’s There? It’s Lastra wanting to talk to Ofelia.  She looks horrified.

In the TL Offices—Rod is on the phone, calling Linares’ office for an appointment.  He  wants to talk to Linares in person, privately.  Barrera tells him Claudio will be at the TL offices shortly for an appointment with Oscar.  When Claudio arrives Selena shows him into the conference room [sala de juntos] and goes off to tell Oscar.   Rod sees her and inquires after Linares.  She tells him Lic. Linares is already there.  Rod asks to be left alone with him for a little bit before she announces him to Oscar.  Rod heads for the conference room.  They greet each other cordially and shake hands.  Claudio was expecting him because Lic. Barrera had just told him Rod wanted to speak to him.

Rodrigo and Claudio know they are about to formally divide the consorcio’s businesses, but Rod wants the two of them to be able to separate the TL business matters from the personal. [Note: if he wants things to stay amicable and neutral, our Hot-Headed Rod should heed his own advice.]  CL assures him that both he and his daughter want as little as possible to do with the Torreslandas. [It’s probable that CL didn’t get filled in on Rod’s heart wrenching visit to Het Het yet, though that changes nothing in either man’s statements.]

Rod says he intends to take responsibility for the child Luciana is expecting and only hopes that someday she will let him get close [acercarse] to the child.  Claudio is on his feet.  He says he hopes not.  His daughter is taking control of her life as Rodrigo is, or should be, with his wife and his family.  Rod assures him that this is so.  He leaves.  Oscar arrives.  He and Claudio go over the documents that are to be signed tomorrow.

En Het Het—The two moms are back working on pots (they have a big order to fill).  Luci tells them about the phone order being Claudio’s.  Ariche checks the phone line, but it’s still dead.  Luci tells them about the meeting at TL offices the next day, the ticket and the hotel reservation.  She doesn’t want to see the faces of any of the Torreslanda gang [and Viewerville knows who she really means].  Paz counsels her not to look at the meeting in those terms.  It’s important to her father and she should see it as a way to show her love and support when he needs it.  It doesn’t seem as though Luciana is fully convinced, but does not close the door either.

In Gala’s Office—Julie calls.  Gala tells Julie to call Frigida and basically keep her on the payroll, because they have to know what is going on up-to-the-minute in the Torreslanda household.  Fernanda and Valentina are listening to Gala’s end of the conversation.  As if she were still in 5th grade, Valentina raises her hand with a question.  Why would Gala still need a spy in the TL household?  Gala puts it to her in the form she should understand—1) Linares is La Domestica’s papá [Slurp a Frozen Margarita, a salute to all the 100 degree days we had this summer]; 2) Linares is returning to the TL businesses; and 3) Luci…and Luci…ah, the 25 Watt light bulb finally goes on in Val’s head….Luci will be back close to Rodrigo.  Brava, exactly.  Fernanda wonders what on earth Luci would do at the empresa offices with Linares since she barely knows how to write [Miaow].  Gala feels that Luci will take advantage of the situation any way she can.

In the TL House—Mati, Jana, Conny worry because Roselena has shut herself in her room and she’s been there all day.  These ladies, collectively [and two out of three are smart enough on their own] don’t know what to do when RE doesn’t respond to their knocking.  Jana runs to get Pato, who is working on his hand exercises.  Fetch Frigida, he says.  As head housekeeper, [ama de casa] she has keys to every room.  Once in the room, they find RE curled up on the floor.  She wants to be left alone; she just wants to die; her family has abandoned her.  Pato sends Frigida to get her something to eat, although RE says she wants nothing to eat (and Frigida is dying to stay around for the drama).  Jana and Conny tell RE they haven’t abandoned her.  Pato tells her to get over it—she should get herself ready to go to the doctors she had appointments for with Aunt Conny.

Julie calls the TL resident romance-writer-in-the-making, while she’s fixing a tray for RE.  They need her to continue to be on the alert to everything that is going on in the house.  Frigida tells her not to worry, she’s always on top of things and promptly tells her about RE wanting to die.

In the TL Offices—Back in the conference room, the men are starting to drift in.  Max tears in, furious about something.  Why, he says, looking directly at Rodrigo, using his best if-looks-could-kill face he normally reserves for Vicky, did it occur to you…..Oscar interrupts to let them know Linares is going over the documents for the signing and Selena lets them know the teleconference link-up with Patricio is ready.  Pato catches the last of the outburst.  Max says they’re here to talk about Linares.  Why did he, pointing at Rodrigo, need to speak to Claudio Linares?  Max wants everyone to understand, especially Rodrigo, that tomorrow, the enemy breaches the walls of the Torreslanda impregnable towers because Claudio Linares becomes part of these offices and he IS their enemigo.  Personal matters will be left out.  Pato wants to know what personal matters.  Max is referring to Luciana.  

Max says he doesn’t have anything against Luciana, personally.  Linares is the enemy, he repeats.  He’s convinced that Linares will name Luci as his heir.  And if they didn’t know already, he reminds everyone that Luci is Linares’ daughter.  Rod can’t stand it any longer and says that matters involving Luci should be left out.  Max is aware of that, since their ultimate goal is to get Linares out of their hair and out of their offices.  Pato wants to know how he proposes to do that.  Max answers that somewhere down the line he’ll make Linares an offer he can’t refuse, so, for that they need to make an assessment of their properties.  Oscar is sure that CL will want an audit of all the TL businesses.  Rod doesn’t think going to those extremes are worth it, and Linares will probably not contest the arrangements if they turn over the percentage the judge decided is due.  Max yells they don’t know what kind of man Linares is, they have to stay alert—and keep thinking ahead of him.  Max storms out reminding them—again—to keep personal matters out of the office.  [Watch out Vicky, if he calls you, he’s in a very bad mood.]

En Het Het—The two moms leave to get bread for dinner, leaving Luci and Ariche working on the piggy bank he’s going to give to Luciana’s baby—and the prototype for a new line of pottery products for children.  He’s still checking on the phone, but the line stays dead.  He thinks it worthless.  He wonders how long it will be before they can talk to the Licenciado and the mushashones.

Paz and Magda walk and talk along the streets of San Francisco de Alto about Luciana’s new status and how everything changed for her.  Paz is worried that even though Luciana has promised to ever be her daughter, the appearance of her father in her life and his living in the capital is going to make it impossible.  She’s gone from the simple country girl to heiress.  Magda doesn’t think that will change the essential Luciana.  Money and circumstances won’t make her stop being the unassuming young lady she’s always been, beloved by everyone in the pueblo.

In RE’s bedroom—Conny and Roselena are left alone.  RE doesn’t want to go to the doctor’s, she doesn’t want to go out, she doesn’t want to eat, she doesn’t want to see anyone.  Getting out will do her a lot of good, Conny tries to persuade her.  RE just doesn’t animate her self; what’s the use when she’s not important to anyone.  Not only has Luciana “returned,” but all that’s left is for Linares to have her incorporated into the empresa to work along side her precious Rodrigo.

From Gala’s Office—Gala hears about the call to Frigida and reports on RE’s state—depressed [deprimida] and acting like a drama queen.  Gala doesn’t see how this helps her with Rodrigo.  Julie reminds her that now that Luci is rich they need to know what’s going on since there’s nothing stopping her from getting close to Rod So Stuck In A Vise.  Gala just won’t have it—Maldita Domestica [Swig, Swirl around tongue, Swallow].

In the Bowels of the TL Offices—Aldo is busy in the mini-office of his mini-empresa checking into the TL corporations’ finances on his laptop.  Shoot, it’s password protected [padlocked=candado].  He starts to hack into it when Max bursts in, still in a snit after the caucus with his henchmen/er associates, almost catching Aldo and demands to know what he was doing.  It’s so hard for Aldo not to look guilty of something all the time, with his everyday hangdog, subservient face, but tells Max he was checking the market, as any would-be impresario would.  Max plays along.  What kind of impresario would he like to be?  Gastronomic.  And, so, what kind of cuisine?   Tacos de Canasta.  It’s a roll the eyes moment for Max.  He just wants Aldo to get the car and take him home.  Poor Aldo just can’t get no respect and he goes off to get the car.

At Linares Law Firm Offices—Violeta arrives by herself to talk to Lic. Barrera about Marcial’s proposed divorce.  To her overwhelming disappointment, but no surprise, Barrera tells her the document Marcial gave her is fake.  There are no stamps nor signatures on it. [Excuse me, Lic., but wouldn’t Marcial have wanted to keep the original and given Vio a copy?  Not that I’m in Lemon-Sucker’s corner by a long shot.  Just trying to keep things balanced here.]

On the Streets of Het Het—Don Aquiles surprises Magda after Paz runs off to buy the chicken she forgot.  Magda tells him off saying he is so disliked in the pueblo that the day he kicks the bucket, there’ll be a big fiesta.  When all that invective runs off his moldy linx back, he calmly asks about Magda’s daughter, the one who went off to the DF and hasn’t been heard from since.  Magda tells him to lay of her daughter.  He tells her he’s planning a trip back to DF very soon and he’d be happy to look her up, if he had her address, and report back to Magda on how she’s doing.  That really gets Magda’s dander up, but she’s speechless.  He laughs like Samuel Ramey as Mephistopheles in Faust. 

Back to the TL House—Max arrives home and gets the skinny from Pato and Jana on their mother.  They tell him about her latest dramatic crisis.  It worries him, but by way of excusing her, he tells them the following day’s meeting is going to affect her greatly (and he means in a negative way).

El Día Siguiente
The Signing Ceremony—Max signs.  Claudio gets ready to sign but states that he wants all the percentages coming to him to be in his daughter Luci’s name.  He gets up to escort Luci into the room.  She’s a little bewildered by all the male testosterone swirling around, filling the room.  Everyone has a cara de impactado, except Pato.  He’s smiling broadly as Luci enters the room.  CL directs the notary to put everything that is coming to him in Luciana’s name.

The official says that there is the problem with the last names.  They don’t match.  Linares assures all assembled (and clearly to Max) that through the fault of a third party, Luciana does not carry his name, but carries his blood.  Nobody objects.  She signs.  Luci and Rodrigo look at each other.  Claudio and Maximinio glare at each other.

TL Living Room—Gala and Julie visit Roselena [careful, curiosity kills Gatas].  She says she’s not doing well and won’t be until Luci is six feet under [tres metros debajo tierra].  Gala agrees to “help” with that.  Julie tells them calm down, both of them.  The three be-witches all hate Luciana, but they have to plan intelligently.  First of all, Gala is already Rodrigo’s wife, so that is to their advantage [ventaja] in facing the ‘chacha [Got Milk?].  RE says it’s futile, now that Luciana will be rich, as rich as the TLs or richer—when Linares gets half of everything they own, plus the ten percent surcharge.

Gala and Julie are morally outraged, outraged, and indignant.  Linares can’t come out ahead.  RE should have done more to sink him and La Domestica [burp, too many margaritas and now I have brain freeze].  RE says she tried, Max tried.  It was a legal verdict, understand.  They couldn’t do “anything” more [such as bribery, accidental incapacitation, assassination] without risking a higher penalty [ya think].  So, to recap: 1) Luciana is getting over half the TL fortune; 2) she’s going to be part of the TL offices and work close to Rodrigo; and 3) Luciana’s bebé will actually be the first-born heir and if by some misfortune [por desgracia] it’s a boy, he will carry the Torreslanda name [Gagme mentally makes a note to have a boy and not a girl].

The Signing Ceremony—The documents are signed and the notario closes his notebook and announces that everything has been done according to the law and the TL folks have 12 hours to provide Linares and Jacinto-Flores with suitable [another definition for corresponder] offices. 
Barrera, Linares and Jacinto-Flores get up and leave quickly, not giving any of the TL folks an opportunity to engage them in conversation.  Max is furious that the Linares gang are getting offices in their own building and so close to his own.  Oscar the Brave mentions that from now on, Claudio is also officially permitted to have a say in all their business decisions.  [BTW, I wasn’t able to take my eyes off Pato and that sharp-looking, deep salmon shirt and the complementing striped tie he wore today.] 


Elsewhere in the bowels of the empresa, Aldo is talking to Vicky on the phone.  He’s trying to perfect his aim in the Toilet Paper Roll Throw. [Aldo, at this rate you’ll never get on the Olympic team.]  Vicky complains that Osito hasn’t called her.  Aldo explains that there is a big meeting going on where they are going to take away half his fortune.  Cara de impactada de Vicky, who actually hasn’t benefitted from any of it anyway.

As Team Linares walks down the hallway discussing their new position, Luci doesn’t look too happy about it.  CL realizes this is all new to her, but it’s hers by right.  It was just seeing Patricio & Rodrigo again, says Luci.  He doesn’t want her to think about them—they are also victims of the actions of Max and RE.  But they didn’t deserve to suffer.  He suggests they go somewhere quieter to talk.  Rodrigo sees them and follows, but merely watches as they go down the elevator, then returns to the junta.

Pato says he understands Max’s anger, but nothing else can be done except to give Claudio office space.  Oscar posits that there’s an advantage to having Claudio close, but what of Luciana, she will need an office, too.  Max says there’s no problem, she can have Oscar’s office.  Before he can react, Max tells him that he’ll be moved into the one they just finished remodeling with all the latest technological advances.  He won’t be as close physically to Max, but as he said, one has to have the enemy very close.  Oscar doesn’t have a problem with that.  The boys don’t have a problem either.

En El Barrio—Violeta rips up the fake divorce papers in front of Ofelia and Serena.  Marcial fooled her again.  This is the last time.  Ofelia wonders why, if he truly loves her, would he do this.  Vio never wants to see that miserable so and so [infeliz] again in her life.  Se acabó.  No one will make a fool of her again.  Not only that, she’s done with them all.  No more noviecitos.

En Het Het—Don A talks to Procopio.  He’s in search of “a” gal he left in the DF and it’s urgent he get back there because he doesn’t want the same thing to happen that happened here with his Palomita.  He needs someone to mind the store while he’s gone and who better knows the business than Procopio, eh?  True, Copio fits the bill, but he wants to impose some conditions: how much will he be paid, to be made general manager [gerente general], and only stop by off and on daily, since he’ll have to be split his time between the funeraria and this place.  Don A sputters that he’s nothing but an opportunist [aprovechado].  Copio reminds him that he had a good teacher and he was a good student.

At Paz’ place, Magda checks the phone line again.  Still dead.  Paz is anxious to hear from Luciana to hear how things went.  Magda tells her not to worry.

At a Local DF restaurant—Claudio and Luciana are having a meal.  He tells her how grateful he is she came for the signing.  She knew it was important to him and she realizes she was being selfish [egoista].  He knows she was exposing her heart to more hurt; it was not selfishness.  Luci says she wants him to know she does want to share everything with him, happy or sad, the way he has with her.  He tells her how grateful he is to hear that.  It’s not gratitude, it’s love and caring, she replies.  CL compliments her on what she is wearing (which he picked out) and tells her how lovely she looks.  Luci thanks him, but really would rather be in her own clothing.  [Frankly, I couldn’t tell the difference.]  She wants to be back home with her a-ma, her pueblo, her ceramicas and as far away from Rodrigo as possible, but with the new responsibilities at the office, she knows she’ll be seeing him often.  What is she is afraid of, he chides her.  She’ll learn and he’ll be there to guide her.  He reminds her how much good she can do with the fortune she’s been handed.  He suggests giving Lorenzo a helping hand, he’s a good fellow, a hard worker.  That perks her up a bit and with great pride she says that why don’t they start by giving Lorenzo another bicicleta [or bici for short] so they can work with two baskets on two different corners.

In the TL Living Room—Roselena gets “the” call and tells the gigol-a girls that it’s a done deal.  They took away half of their fortune.  Julie remarks that Linares must be jumping [haciendo brincos] for joy.  Not only that, RE says, Linares asked the notary to put everything that was coming to him in Luciana’s name.  So, the girl who was a servant in this house is now a partner of the empresa Torreslanda. 


Avances:
We see Julie saying to Gagme that there can’t be two heirs.  If one should die or disappear, there would only be one heir--yours.  [Esto me tiene muy preocupada.]

Rod says he’ll be a padre if he can’t be a marido.  However, we see Gala telling him she is not going to let that Gata [Salud! I’m down to water now] get near him.  She’s going to stick to him like glue to make sure—she'll be so close he’ll feel her breath on him.


Some Vocabulario:

una firma de sesión de derechos = legal, or official signing session
la sala de juntos = conference room
acercarse (reflexive verb) = approach, but that doesn’t translate well here literally; in this case a better translation is <get close to> [Rod talking about getting close to his child]
la ama de casa = head housekeeper; or in older times, ama de llaves
está candado = literally, it’s padlocked; in this instance Aldo means password protected
tres metros debajo tierra = six feet under [where Roselena wants Luci]
la ventaja = advantage
por desgracia =  by some misfortune
corresponder = suitable (in this case—una oficina que le corresponda)
infeliz = either in the sense of unhappy/sad (state of being—me siento muy infeliz); or a miserable/contemptible person (es un infeliz) [Vio talking about Marcial]
un gerente general = general manager
un aprovechado = opportunist
brincar = jump, leap; un brinco = a jump; brincando de alegría, o haciendo brincos = jumping for joy
charranadas = knavish or roguish activities (illegal in contemporary English)

Labels: refugio