Capitulo
11: La Dolce Vita?
Lascuráin
Manor: Sebastián and Luz are
hip-hopping it on the patio with a little direction from Ana, who
collapses in fatigue on the couch. She gets the kids to go inside,
then collapses on the couch in the parlor, next to Luz.
Bruno comes
down the stairs to remind her that it's time for her to check the
kids' homework. The twins are asking for her. He notes her fatigue
and she explains it, but begs him to not tell the boss, who won't
approve. He tells her he's not going into that wolves' den. He
escorts the two kids upstairs. Fanny runs in all excited. Before
they can talk the phone rings and Alicia comes running down the
stairs with a pair of major-league yabos that don't belong to her.
She is a little miffed at their comments about how she should be
looking forward to being sixteen for this.
Upstairs
Sebastián continues practicing until he does a spin and knocks over
a large vase, which breaks on the hard wood floor. The flowers in it
must be faux, as there is no water spilled in the process. He backs
off in fear.
Bruno
comes back into the parlor and notices the difference in Alicia. He
backs off in cartoonish shock before going upstairs. Ana answers the
phone.
Sebastián
heads into the nursery and hides behind furniture, telling his
younger hermanos not to say he's there. They extract a promise in
exchange as Sebas puts a file of notebooks on the desk so he can hide
behind it.
Bruno
finds the broken vase and almost panics. His instincts and long
experience with this family serve him and he heads for the nursery,
where he eliminates the suspects and declares that Sebastián did it.
He asks if he's there, the younger kids deny it.
In
the study, Fernando is busy sketching something when Ana enters,
telling him that parent-teacher day is on Wednesday at the twins'
school and he should go. Wednesday? He has an important meeting at
the office. [Now, is
that meeting really more important than your kids?]
He suggests that Ana go in his place to represent him. She likes
that he trusts her to do that, but tells him this isn't the same as
him going since he is the boys' father. He hasn't budged on this yet
and tells her he has a lot of calls to make [Don't
tell us Mexico has 900-Fono-Sexo lines!]
and dismisses her. She asks if he is alright, saying she has a free
night and asks if he will watch the children. He tells she'll have
to ask Bruno because he has an engagement. She assumes it's
Isabella, catches herself, and leaves, taking one slightly furtive
glance back.
Fernando
picks up a fresh pencil and continues sketching Ana's alter-ego. He
remembers the night before when he asked her to take off the mask and
she got away. Bruno comes in to ask whether he will be needing the
chauffeur that evening. Fernando tells him that he will drive
tonight. Bruno answers the phone and it's our favorite gold-digger,
Isabella. At the sound of her name Fernando indicates he doesn't
want to speak with her. It looks like he's done this before. He
finally tells her he will deliver the message. When he ends the call
Fernando graciously thanks him. He tells him he will be a bit late
that evening and Bruno exits just as Nicolas enters.
Nicolas
asks him what he's doing and then takes the drawing out of his hands.
Fernando tries to tell him it's just a drawing, but Nicolas knows
better. Especially between the florist call and the lie to Isabella.
Fernando finally takes the sketch back, crumples it, and drops it in
the wastebasket. Nicolas is getting more curious about what Fernando
might be up to, but Fernando isn't having it. He walks out.
Chicago
Club: Ana is on the platform
doing her thing from a chair. Not a huge crowd tonight, but an
attentive one. Johnny leans against the bar, watching, as some new
arrivals enter the room. Ana looks up and sees Fernando at the back
of the crowd. She makes a fast exit while the music is still
playing. Johnny is not a happy man at the moment, especially because
Doroteo isn't either.
[Doroteo really needs to be sleeping with the fishes].
He motions for Johnny to follow him. Fernando walks in near the
platform with the chorus girls in the boots made for walkin' just as
Ana gets back to the dressing room. That was a close call. Jennifer
is already in the dressing room and Ana barely finishes telling her
that Fernando is in the club when Doroteo barges in.
He demands to
know what she was up to and she tells him she felt faint. He freaks
out at the idea she might be pregnant and she reassures him she
isn't. Johnny enters behind him and tries to tell Ana that Fernando
is just outside. He finally says something about someone asking for
Lola. Ana distracts Doroteo by saying she'll be back on stage in a
few minutes. He walks out, satisfied that his bully-boy stuff worked
(or so he thinks). Once he's out, Ana tells Johnny to tell Fernando
that Lola has gone back to Tuscany. Jennifer teases that Mr Iceberg
is chasing Lola. Once Johnny's out the door on his mission, Jennifer
continues to tease Ana about Fernando.
She finally points out the
flowers he sent. Ana opens the note attached to them. It's in
Italian but she doesn't recognize that. Jennifer is sure that
Fernando has fallen for “Lola” big time. As Ana tucks the note
into her bra Jennifer reminds her she might like to change before
going back out to perform again.
Lascuráin
Manor: Outside the house in a
youth version of a great Italian film, Fanny and Leon are hanging out
in a reflecting pool. She tries to feed him sushi while they talk
about the differences between their worlds.
They don't realize that
Alicia is spying on them with binoculars, even when she accidentally
knocks over a glass. They hear this, but don't see anything. They
get back to business as Alicia comes out form behind the huge stone
flowerpot to watch.
Chicago
Club: Fernando is trying to
get Johnny to give him information about Lola. He claims to be her
agent and refuses to tell him what he wants to know. Ana and
Jennifer see this from the curtain and rush back into the dressing
room. Fernando doesn't persist, but instead hands him his business
card, telling him to call him if he changes his mind. He then walks
out, leaving Johnny to stew. He looks at the business card.
Lascuráin
Manor: More of the same with
Fanny and Leon, although we find out that his last name is Gonzales.
They're both in the water which doesn't go above their ankles. They
start finally to kiss while Alicia watches. Fanny pulls away and
they splash insufficient water at each other to ruin their clothes.
Chicago
Club: Johnny barges into the
dressing room to demand to know why Fernando is pursuing Ana.
Jennifer said that it was Lola whom he was looking for, but Johnny
still doesn't like this. Ana doesn't want to talk about this but he
goes on about how Fernando is pursing “the woman I love.” [Note
to Johnny: We're not too sure about that one.]
Ana tells him Fernando
was asking for “Lola, not for me,” and asked whether he left.
Johnny said he made him leave. She earns him not to be rude or say
other wrong things to him; he's her boss. Is he coming back? Johnny
thinks not; this was a slap in the face. Ana almost takes this
literally, but realizes it's not the case. Johnny claims to have
told Fernando that Lola left for Italy. Jennifer doesn't like his
attitude either, but Ana stops this from becoming a full-blown
argument. She finally says that nothing has happened between Lola
and Fernando, although we see from her face that she wishes this were
otherwise. He asks “Are you sure?” She tells him yes. Jennifer
says “Not for lack of effort on his part.”
The
Next Day
Lascuráin
Manor, Kitchen: At the
breakfast table, Alicia twists the twins' ears for offending a good
friend of hers, who now won't come to her birthday party. [I think]
Ana tells the boys to apologise, Alicia yells at them once more, and
one of them throws something at her. Ana tries to call them out on
their behavior, but Alicia throws back. Nando tries to pull rank as
the oldest boy, telling them not to act so immature.
Fanny teases
him, he throws something, and it turns into a food fight that ends
when Fernando enters and gets hit with a banana. “What is this
about, Ana?” he asks. Everything stops dead, even Bruno gulps in
anticipation of a conniption from the boss.
However,
Fernando surprises them – and us – by smiling and saying “There's
never a dull moment at breakfast around here. It's always amusing.”
Despite a protest from him, Ana orders the children to apologise to
him for their behavior. They do. She makes them promise never to do
this again.
Fernando insists they set a place for him at the table,
and he asks only for coffee and toast. He does ask who started it;
Alicia and the twins fess up. Nando considers it a miracle that
Fernando would eat with them. He says he wants to have a better
relationship with them. This makes Luz very happy and she gets up to
go over to him to sit on his lap. When he asks Sebas about his
lacrosse practice he tells him it's great, but we see that he's
crossed his fingers behind his back. [How
long has this been going on?]
Alicia doesn't want to go to school because she feels ugly. Fernando
tries to tell her she is a beautiful girl. Bruno makes side comments
to Ana about what changes are happening in the house and she is also
pleased.
She does follow Fernando out on his way to the car to talk
to him about this. It ends with her saying that the kids want him to
be home with them more and he agrees. He will have breakfast with
the kids every day from now on. This pleases her and she promises
that there will be no more food fights. They give each other the
thumbs-up and Fernando leaves for work.
La
Costeña; Fernando's Office:
Isabella spins her web asking him where he was the night before.
She's miffed when told it was a business dinner with the company's
lawyer. “Why didn't you call me?” is answered by “Because I
didn't want to bother you.” She is wondering whether he is
planning to hire someone else and why she wasn't able to reach him on
his cell phone and he isn't liking the direction of this
conversation.
He asks her if she's seen the stock market activity
yet, directing her attention to the screens on his wall. Their stock
has declined a little. She says she's a little nervous about it, but
she is clearly [to us]
nervous
her own stock plummeting with Fernando.
Lascuráin
Manor, Study: Bruno found the
drawing in Fernando's wastebasket and he asks Ana if their boss has a
lover. Ana scolds him for spying on Fernando and he denies having
done that. He just thinks this is a bit strange. They talk about
the changes in him since her arrival and he brings up the subject of
Isabella. He concludes that the drawing has nothing to do with her.
She teases Bruno about the possibility.
La
Costeña; Reception: Isabella
is sure something is up and she's sure it's the nana
naca. She asks Beatriz
when Senor Cardona, the lawyer, is expected in. Beatriz replies that
he is in Guadalajara and is expected back tomorrow. Isabella is not
amused.
University
Campus: Nando walks around
with an open book and bumps into Ximena, who obviously did this
deliberately. He falls down, losing his specs, but picks them up and
looks up at her. She asks if she can see him at his place. Si! She
asks if six o'clock is okay, and another si. He's grinning like a
fool when she briefly flirts with him and walks away. Poor kid.
At
an outside table Fanny is sitting with the Diana Bracho clone [I
think her name is Laura, but I'm not sure],
whom she tells that Leon works for her dad, finally admitting he's a
messenger. Mean Girl is shocked, saying that Fanny could have anyone
and she settles for a wage-earner [asalariado]. This doesn't seem to
bother Fanny, but she is concerned about how her dad will react.
La
Costeña: Johnny arrives and
scopes out the building. He admits to a little jealousy. He flirts
with a passing female, sprays on some scent [Axe,
anyone?], and heads for
the front door.
In
Fernando's office, he admires what he sees and Fernando asks him
whether he's given any more thought to what they talked about the
night before.
But of course, he has! Fernando picks up the phone
and asks if he'd like something. He asks for whiskey, but Fernando
tells him it's coffee or water. He declines while making a lame joke
and they get down to business. He'll give up Lola's phone number for
ten grand [That's about $758 US]. Fernando takes out his
checkbook and writes it up.
He hands him a post-it for the phone
number. Johnny writes down the number and requests that Fernando not
return to the club; Fernando asks in return that Johnny not come back
to the office or his house. Done deal, and Johnny departs.
Isabella
is still fuming. She is now sure that the nana naca is trying to
snag her boss. She turns back to Beatriz and tells her that Fernando
is having problems with his nanny. A disaster [hecatombe]. She asks
how frequently Ana calls the office. Beatriz tells her that's it's
usually two or three times per week. Isabella speculates to herself
that Ana would more likely call Fernando's cell phone.
Little
does she realize that Fernando is using that very cell phone to call
“Lola” at that very moment.
Lascuráin
Manor: Ana is descending the
stairs when her cell phone rings. She answers “Bueno?” only to
hear Fernando's voice asking “Lola?” She defaults to the Italian
“Pronto?”
Bruno
and Manuela have a difference of opinion during this, loud enough for
Ana to be concerned about what Fernando will hear. She gets rid of
Bruno by saying she's talking to an Italian gentleman.
She tries to
tell Fernando that she's very busy and doesn't have time to talk as
she tries to avoid first Bruno and Manuela, then Nicolas.
Johnny's
Place: Jennifer comes in to talk to him about helping Ana pay
off the repairs on the house. Then Ana herself arrives to tell him
off about leaking her cell phone number to Fernando.
He's the only
person who had that number who would have given it out. He tries
saying that Fernando was very insistent. Jennifer tries teasing her
about the call. Ana sees no humor in any of this. She had managed
the pretense of being Lola, but was caught unawares. She asks Johnny
if he wants her to lose her nanny job and he insists that it's her
fault for flirting with this rich guy. She denies having done that
and he accuses her of being as interested in Fernando as Isabella is.
Jennifer says it's partly her fault because of meeting Nicolas there
and provoking the visit from Fernando, but Ana isn't accepting this.
She's assigning the blame where it belongs. She asks the ultimate
rhetorical question, “How am I supposed to get out of this mess?”
Lascuráin
Manor: Nando is obviously suffering from sweaty palms as he
waits for Ximena. He prays to not make a mess of this. He sprays
himself with scent, something more expensive than anything Johnny
would have. Downstairs, Ximena arrives just as Ana returns.
Ana
immediately assumes that Ximena is there to see Fanny, but is pleased
to hear that it's Nando. She sends Fanny upstairs just as her cell
phone rings.
The screen shows Fernando's number. She answers and
learns that he wants to see her. She tells him that is impossible
and he tells her she doesn't know him; he's very insistent.
She
comments on the truth of that in her accent as Nicolas comes in
behind her from another room. She quickly mutes the phone before
Nicolas teases her about her Italian lover. He goes up the stairs
saying “Amore, amore!” in a cheerful mood. Fernando heard this
and asks who that was. She says that was her father and she has to
go. “Arrivederci.” She ends the call and breaths a shallow sigh
of relief, knowing that there is likely to be a next time.
Upstairs
in Nando's room, Ximena strides in and looks around. He asks if she
likes it and she says something about it not showing excess [as in
Nothing succeeds like....]. She then turns around and asks if
it's true he's good in math.
Of course he is; it's his major. She
needs to have a few things explained. He's happy to do that. And
what about literature? Of course, he likes it. Well, she needs a
book report. And she hands him the monster of a book: Don Quixote.
It's big enough to be the doorstop for the vault at Fort Knox. The
paper is due the day after tomorrow. Twenty chapters. Nando's jaw
drops and she shrugs. Like she didn't know what an imposition this
is. [Of course she does.]
Ana
confirms from Bruno that Ximena is still upstairs. He tries to start
a conversation with her when Fernando comes home saying “Buena
notte” (but not in Sparafucile's voice). Bruno asks him whether
he speaks Italian.
He goes on in Italian with phrases like “Bella
Italia” and “La dolce vita,” as he repairs to the study. Bruno
asks Ana what's with all this Italian lately. Could it be that the
boss has an Italian amante, like Ana's gentleman?
It's a little to
close for comfort and she makes her exit upstairs joking about it.
Nando
looks through the tome as Ana enters. She asks how things went with
Ximena and he tells her he has to re-read this entire book by day
after tomorrow. Or rather, that's when the report is due. She knows
that procrastination isn't his style so she asks him what's up. He
admits that the report isn't his. It's for Ximena. Ana gets it.
She knows this kind of female. But now is not the time to deliver
that lesson. She exits and her cell phone begins ringing just as she
closes the door.
Of course, it's Fernando. She tries to tell him
she's very busy. He wants a date whenever it's good for her.
He
walks out of the study just in time to see her come down the stairs
and breaks into a conversation with Ana about the children. She
updates him, then does a big, fake, yawn to indicate she's tired. He
wishes her goodnight and goes back to the study.
He calls “Lola”
again and she tells him she needs to go to bed. Ana picks up the
feather duster and pretends to dust the banister while going up the
stairs. He steps out of the study again and sees this.
He asks why
she is doing this and she says “Just trying to be efficient” and
he wishes her goodnight as he returns to the study.
Once there, Ana
comments upon hearing a princess' voice. Is that your wife? He says
to “Lola” no, that's it's Ana, the nanny." “So is she a
beautiful princess?” Ana asks in her disguise.
“No, not like
you. She is pretty, but not like you.” “Is she efficient?”
“Of course! Very much so.” By now Ana is leaning against the
piano, which holds some family photos. On her next line she realizes
he's coming back out of the study, so she ducks down under the piano
just as he is closing the doors.
He goes back to the phone “Lola?”
and realizes that she has ended the call. “Buena notte” he says
as he closes off the phone and stands there for a minute. He doesn't
realize that Ana is staring from under the piano.
Now
here's a little ditty that sums up Fernando's relationships with both
women.
Labels: mcet
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@ 9:00 PM
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