Caray, Caray!

Before Fernando can launch into his sales pitch, Jarocha tells him Gata's in desperate need of his help.  Gata apologizes for having caused a scene, but Fernando thinks she needs understanding and affection.  Jarocha decides to leave them alone.

Garabato hits on some other girl and gets caught by Ines.  She, of course, takes it out on the other girl.

Fernando sees Gata's inner light…she gives his life meaning.  He tells her about the pain in his life since he lost his wife and daughter.  He figures guys are always into her for sexual reasons (he doesn't say it like that, though) but he's interested in being her daddy, minus the sugar.  He wants to give her and the kids everything they need, so she can show Pablo that she doesn't need him.  He wants to humiliate the Negretes and raise Esme up like a queen.  She keeps resisting.  Fernando tells her that Agustin took everything from him and his revenge will be her revenge.



Garabato finally pulls Ines off his latest conquest.  Who is content to walk away and not be conquered after all.  Garabato breaks it off with Ines for being all crazyjealous.

Esme has calmed down and decided that really, it's Pablo's loss.  He's missing out on the babies and when he's finally sorry, it's going to be too late.  She'll wait for divine justice.  Whether she likes it or not, Pablo's her baby daddy and she's not going to do anything to hurt him, because he's doing a fabulous job of that all on his own.  So, thanks, but no thanks.

Lorenza is thrilled she's finally getting Monica as the daughter-in-law she always wanted.  They'll start the wedding planning tomorrow.

The babies are out with Jarocha and Maria when Mercedes comes to visit.  She wanted to warn Esme off about Silencioso.  She's cool with Damian helping Esme, but she doesn't think it's appropriate for Esme to move into the house.  Esme lets her know she's already turned him down and he seems to have understood.  Mercedes says that "generalmente, en una venganza, uno sale vengado, pero dos salen lastimados."  Generally, in a revenge, one person is avenged, but two are hurt.

Mariano is getting ready to go see Esme and flashes back to a conversation with Lorenza.  She wants him to offer Esme money to stay away from Pablo.  Mariano, unbeknownst to Lorenza, doesn't want to go humiliate and insult her, but he does plan to offer her money in recompense for all the crap his family has put her through.  He realizes she's been a victim in all this, and not the victimizer.

Esme talks to Fela about maybe being Damian's secretary, so he's not just giving her money for nothing.  She and Fela are at an outdoor market shopping for groceries.

Rita has to answer her own door now that Gata is gone.  Mariano asks for her and Rita finally says Gata hightailed it out of there with her babies and is now living in Damian's house, where she's being maintained by a rich guy, just like Damian and his mother.  Mariano is slapping the flies away and gets directions to Damian's house from Rita, who then tries to scream after him as he's leaving that she can't just give out information to anyone.  A little late for that, huh, Rita?

The nopalero (guy who's selling nopales…cactus) is refusing to sell nopales to a woman because his prices went up and she can't pay him.  Gata steps in and give him the last of her money.  Fela says Gata is as good as her daughter, Renata.

Rita hears about this later from some other gossipy hag.  The other gossipy hag thinks Rita needs to demand her share from Gata.  They both think Jarocha is taking advantage of her.  The other gossipy hag thinks Rita deserves it more.  They can both fall down a hill of garbage and disappear forever, for all I care.

Ines is suffering her first major boy drama and has no one to go to, so she hangs out alone feeling sorry for herself.  Garabato shows up to whine in Ines' general direction about how this girl threw herself at him, so what was he to do?  "A quién le dan pan que llore?"  (Who cries when being given bread?)  As many guys on telenovelas get caught in lip-locks with random chicks who just fell on their lips, I'm surprised I haven't heard this one before.  When Ines doesn't fall for his whining, Garabato tries to claim dominance on the grounds of being a dude when she's just a measly chick who has no business trying to manage him.

Pablo takes a call from Monica, but doesn't seem overly thrilled.  She's ready to shop for wedding dresses.  Again…confused Pablo.  He didn't think they were going to marry in the church, but of course, that's been her lifelong dream.  Pablo sighs and agrees.  They'll be a normal couple where the bride picks out her wedding dress with her mother-in-law.  (Since when is that normal?)  He, on the other hand, will head to a gallery to try his luck at getting hired as a curator.  Monica doesn't think he needs to because both their families are loaded, but Pablo is adamant about making his own money.  "OK, you don't have to agree with me…as long as you love me that's enough for me."  Pablo hangs up without responding to that and then goes to the window to whine about how stupid he was to fall for Esme.  And now he's going to vow to love Monica in front of God, so he's going to try to forget about Gata, even if it takes his whole life.  You're doomed, Monica…DOOOOOOOMED!  Learn to read the warning signs, girlfriend.

Garabato whines about his manly needs and sure, he loves Ines above everything else, but hey, the flesh is weak. He says he doesn't know about all this respect crap, since he's a street kid, but maybe Ines can show him…'cause she's so nice and all.  He just needs a little patience.  Ines says she'll teach him to love...as Garabato thought bubbles that chicks are soooooo stupid.

Mariano gets to Damian's house and says he wants to talk to Gata as a friend, or at least not as a stranger.  He explains he's there of his own accord to offer her help…a little bit of money.  She tells him to go back to Pablo and tell him all his kids need is a father.  All her yelling wakes up the babies and Mariano's uncle-ly instincts kick in.  He thinks Leti looks like Esme and agrees that Pablo Jr. looks like Pablo Sr.  Gata insists he pick up little PJ, but Mariano resists.  She tells him these are Pablo's babies, but they're her babies too, and they're going to learn to hate him.  She won't accept his money and throws him out, saying all his family knows how to do is insult her and she's sorry her kids carry Martinez Negrete blood.

Pablo is obsessed with wondering who Gata lives with.  Lorenza interrupts his pondering to bleat about wedding dress shopping.  He rolls his eyes and says he's going to marry Monica, but yes, he was affected by seeing Esmeralda.  He refuses to go out to the ranch or it will look like he's running away from her.  He vows she'll be sorry for cheating on him and not only agrees that Monica's parents should come over for an official asking of Monica's hand, but that she should broadcast the news far and wide so everyone will know.  Lorenza will have the jewelers send over some rings and Pablo should just pick the one he wants, money is no object.  Pablo whines about how he tried to get a job but they gave it to someone else before he got there.  "Oh, you don't need a job…."  Pablo tells her that his dad is his hero and he wants to follow his example and get a job and be a virtuous pillar of the community, blah, blah, blah.  Lorenza's smile starts to look like The Joker's.

Fernando and Damian meet with Osorio.  He's going accuse Augie of being a "falseario, ladrón, perjurio y falsificador" (falsifier, thief, perjurer, and forger).  Fernando is thrilled Augie has such a high position to fall from.  Damian can't wait for the axe to fall.  Osorio is going to make sure Fernando will get all his money back and make Augie pay with being discredited and ruined.

Augie is feeling like a mouse being played with by a cat before being eaten.  He feels like there's nothing he can do but wait while he's hunted down.  He gets angry at whoever calls him to tell him the house across the street is owned by Damian and Mercedes Reyes.  It bothers him that he can't figure out who the mystery man is.  He's so furious he throws his snifter of snooty liquor instead of drinking it

Fernando hasn't given up on getting Esme to move in with him and Damian.  He jokes with Damian that he's as stubborn as she is.  While Damian is in class, he'll go visit Esme.  He'll visit her every day until she accepts and then they'll all have a front row seat to the show.

Once again, Fernando gives Esme his sales pitch and she refuses.  Jarocha distracts him with babies, upsetting Esme, who thinks he'll be bothered by them.  Fernando talks about how he never thought he'd get that New Baby Feeling again.  Rita shows up and asks if Gata's trying to reel in this big fish, and whether he's the guy who had Damian and Mercedes move in with him.  Fernando's alarms go off when Esme calls her "Doña Rita."  An oblivious Rita tries to warn him off because Esme and Jarocha are such "vividoras" (leeches).  Seriously, Rita?

Mariano ponders the dignity of Gata and how stupid Pablo was to lose her. He thinks Gata is the best woman he's ever met.

Rita keeps spewing nonsense and Jarocha fights back by telling Fernando the truth about how Rita was using Gata to beg for money.  Fernando tells Gata not to worry and he'll be back to talk another time.  He nods significantly in Rita's direction.  Rita's whole motive in doing this appears to be so that Gata doesn't get away from her so easily and Jarocha doesn't benefit.  Gata tells Rita to leave her alone already.

Back at the house, Fernando asks Damian about Rita and tells him that the woman who was with his wife when she died and took his daughter was named Rita.  He wants to know everything Damian knows.  He thinks Esme could be his daughter.  Damian says he doesn't know much, but there were rumors in the 'hood…like that Rita stole Esme.  Rita has been using Esme to beg since Esme could talk.  Damian wants to help, but he doesn't know how.  Rita has always said Esme's mother died when she was born and was an "artist"…maybe a singer?  He's sure that's what Rita said.  "Like my Blanca!  It must be her!  I need to be sure she's my daughter!"

Mariano tells Lorenza that the girl she thinks is so crappy not only refused their money, but she made Mariano feel bad.  "Fine, Mom, she's not better than us…but she's not worse, either!"  He screams at his mother to stop talking smack about her because they've hurt her more than she's hurt them.  Them's fightin' words!

Mercedes demands to know what Damian and Fernando are up to and what Fernando wants with Esme.  Damian says it's none of their business, but Mercedes still thinks Fernando wants to get in her pants.  "It's not what you think, mom!"  Mercedes thinks Fernando has fallen in love with Esme.  Damian tells her please not to think that because she's committing a sin.

"We're the ones who have hurt her and left her babies without a father.  If you could only see them, you'd see how wrong you are.  The girl looks just like Pablo."  Lorenza curses her.  "It doesn't change the story…the story in which we're the bad guys.  She's not what you want everyone to think.  She's the ideal woman for any man."  Lorenza demands the truth…did Mariano fall in love with her, too?  Pablo hears this and asks who Mariano is in love with.  Mariano leaves the room without answering.

Fernando does a slow-mo walk across the field in the opening credits.  He barges into Rita's hut and demands to know the truth..no, not about Gata's relationship status…who is she?  Rita says Gata's mother entrusted her to Rita.  Blanca, an artist who sang like an angel…but some Marques, Fernando de la Santa Cruz, seduced her and left her!  And that love cost Blanca her life.  Cara de impactado de Fernando!  He asks her if Esme is Fernando de la Santa Cruz's daughter and asks her if there's nothing about him that reminds her of Fernando.  "No puede ser!" says Rita, because he's rotting in jail.  He asks what Rita has done with his daughter.  He demands she tell him the truth or he'll strangle her.

Lorenza refuses to tell Pablo about her conversation with Mariano.  She changes the conversation to wedding crap and when he should officially pop the question.  She's annoyed that he doesn't seem enthusiastic.  "Look, I'm going to marry her, because it's best, but I haven't forgotten--"  "DON'T SAY HER NAME!  SHUT UP!  I'M TIRED OF Y'ALL SAYING HER NAME!  ENOUGH OF LA GATA!"  I watched that a few times just to make sure I was getting everything down…and because it's really satisfying watching her freak out!

Mariano wonders how he can know if it's love…it's not like he's ever been in love with anyone before.  He decides he has to rip her out of his heart because he's not a backstabbing creep who goes out with his brother's ex.

Rita tells Fernando "everything" and swears on the Virgen.  He says her rheumatism is no excuse for mistreating Esme all these years.  "Well, I just don't know how to raise a princess like Esmeralda…or Renata, as you called her…I changed her name because the man who gave her to me told me to make her disappear."  She swears she doesn't know who that man was, and tries to say that she was fulfilling Blanca's wishes, but Fernando says that's BS.  She kept Esme around to exploit her.  He demands her obedience and Rita readily agrees.

Tomorrow: Fernando claims; Pablo engages.
Previous: Episode 20
Next: Episode 22

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