Caray, Caray!

Pablo has a hard time capturing the special sparkle in Esmeralda's eyes with his mere mortal drawing skills.  He agrees to let her have the picture and they awkwardly get back to the planned reading lesson for the day.  He even cardboard sleds with her.  Such is the power of her sparkly eyes.

El Silencioso hangs out in his spacious single cell and daydreams about running around with Erika Buenfil and snuggling with a little baby.  He vows revenge, for his family.

Esmeralda continues struggling to read Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" while I frown in Pablo's general direction.  She's still having trouble with the actual words…wouldn't something less abstract be easier?  I can't find the section she's reading…something about spring arriving and soft breath…anyone know what it is?



Lorenza is, predictably, upset that Pablo wasn't around earlier.  Pablo claims he was just out, walking around.  Besides, he and Monica didn't have an actual date--just a vague plan to go see a movie they were both interested in.  Mariano unhelpfully brings up the "gata salvaje" (wild cat) Pablo's hanging out with.

At Jarocha's, Esmeralda shows her the drawing and Jarocha tells her she's in love.  "In love?  With Pablo?"  She says this like she has no idea what the word love means.  Or the name Pablo.

Lorenza demands to know what Mariano's talking about, but neither brother wants to tell her.  Mariano, because it's more fun for him to make Pablo say it and Pablo, because he doesn't want her to know.  Lorenza has offered Pablo up as a human sacrifice…that is to say, she's said he'll go have dinner with Monica and her mom tomorrow, and he'd better go.  Pablo will do it, but he's not going to apologize for not standing Monica up for the date they didn't have.  The maid enjoyed listening to the argument from around the corner.  Mariano tells Pablo that Lorenza has been dreaming of Pablo marrying Monica for, like, ever, and whatever Lorenza wants, Lorenza gets.  Pablo warns Mariano not to bring Esmeralda up ever again, unless it's in a good way.

"Me?  In love with Pablo?  He's my friend.  I like him a lot."  Jarocha's more patient that I would be.  She asks her if she likes Pablo the same way she likes Damian or Centavito.  "Well, no.  Pablo is Pablo."  Jarocha warns her to be careful and not get hurt.  'Cause love hurts.  And with that, Jarocha goes off to work while Esmeralda continues to ponder the possibility of being in love with Pablo.

Mariano has a similar talk with Pablo and Pablo brushes off the possibility of being in love with Esmeralda.  He says she's so innocent and pure, he doesn't have the intentions towards her that Mariano seems to have for anyone in a skirt.  The maid continues to enjoy hearing the show.  Mariano says he can tell that Esmeralda has the hots for Pablo and Pablo had better be careful, because if anything happens it's going to bring this house down around them.  Frankly, Mariano looks amused at the possibility.

Up in his room, Pablo denies to himself that he's in love.  He just feels sorry for her is all.  Which is why he has a flashback about being close enough to her for smoochies.  "It can't be love.  No, it's not love."  Ay, Pablo.  He's one of those old-fashioned poets who needs his muse to be pure and untouched and untouchable up on her pedestal.  Damnit, Pablo, we're women!  We have needs!

Rita visits the Italian guy.  She owes him money, but he's not collecting.  Because why would he want money from Rita when he could have Gata instead.  Rita tells him that Gata may be from the dump, but she's got…quality.  "Don Italiano" proposes they do some business.  Tonight.

Rita is reading Esmeralda's cards again and seeing the same man in her cards, the man who's going to change her life.  Esmeralda is ready to hit the sack early.  She tells Rita she didn't beg today and she didn't bring anything home, so is Rita going to scold her or what?  Rita fakes affection for Esmeralda and says she loves her and Gata is right…Rita is the one who has to go begging now.  Esmeralda, Centavito, and Inesita are all shocked and suspicious about Rita's sudden change of heart.

Don Italiano's business is going well and he's decided that he's going to celebrate his birthday tonight.  "But, your birthday was three months ago!"  Well, Don Italiano is going to celebrate again, with the "best" present.  I'd be skeeved, but I'm too angry.

Inesita insists that Gata is the one who should be begging, but Rita says no.  It's her turn…assuming she can even walk, with all these horrible aches and pains and her perpetually empty stomach.  She begs Esmeralda to just get her some money to buy something to put on her poor aching joints and then asks Inesita to help her to bed.  Esmeralda looks at Centavito and asks him where the heck she's supposed to get the money.  I suggest a "Help Me Buy Doña Rita Some Icy Hot So She Won't Sell Me Into Sexual Slavery" campaign on Kickstarter.  She could offer Pablo's drawings as rewards.

Don Italiano's employee, Lupe, is alarmed at Don Italiano's intentions.  He watches Don Italiano drape a couple of tables with a cloth and set them for a romantic dinner.  Lupe says that Gata may be a woman on the outside, but she's still a girl.  Like Don Italiano cares.  He continues happily laying out place settings while Lupe gapes.

Centavito is going out to work tonight, but Inesita says her poor grandmother can't wait until Centavito gets back in the morning--she needs some medicine now.  Rita says it's no big…Gata can just go to the Italiano and he'll give her money.  Centavito says he's probably closed and it's WAY too late for Esmeralda to be out there alone.  Rita just moans and groans and begs Gata to go.  Esmeralda says she doesn't want to go to his business, or his house…he's always saying stuff to her.  "If they're compliments, you should be grateful!" snipes Inesita.  Rita whines about how she's always taken care of Esmeralda but no one cares about her and she's going to die and Esmeralda gets guilted into going.  Rita makes sure to tell Centavito not to go with her.

Esmeralda and Principe head for Pizzeria Domenico, where Don Italiano is waiting, along with Lupe and a bottle of wine.  Esmeralda tries to get Don Italiano to come outside, but he sends Lupe to open the security gate.  Lupe tries to get her to go away, but she won't listen.  Don Italiano throws the security gate up and tells Esmeralda that she's his special guest and he wants her to help him celebrate his birthday.  Lupe keeps giving her frantic "RUN!" hand signals.   Don Italiano won't listen to her if she doesn't come in and toast with him.  Esmeralda wishes him a happy birthday, but she can't come in.  She just needs to borrow some money to get some medicine for Rita.  He says he'll give her money for the medicine, and then some, but only if she comes inside to "celebrate" with him.  Lupe tries to block her from coming in, but Esmeralda insists she's got to get the money for Rita's medicine and she has no other way to do it.

Damian comes over to Rita's shack with a book for Gata.  Rita is surprised to hear from him that Esmeralda can read and write.

Don Italiano tells Lupe to get some good wine from storage and take Principe out and give him some milk.  Don Italiano babbles about how Esmeralda is a queen tonight, and he's her slave.  He fondles the table.  I'm going to need bleach for my brain.

Rita is pissed that Esmeralda has been wasting her time instead of begging for money.  For the same unknown reason that Damian spilled Gata's secret, Rita now tells him that Gata is out right now with a "real" man.  No, she's not, Rita.

Don Italiano offers her food, but Esmeralda won't accept.  She asks how old he is today and he goes off on a spiel about how he's in the prime of his life and men get better with age.  He finally gets close enough to alarm her, but instead of getting away, she just ends up getting backed into the cold storage unit behind her while Don Italiano skeeves about how he can give her more than that "sinvergüenza" (a woman with no shame, no morals, no scruples) Doña Rita.  Calling Doña Rita a sinvergüenza actually gets her angry enough to shove him away.

Rita fumes about Esmeralda's literacy and plans to find out who taught her, even if she has to beat it out of her.

Don Italiano tries to grab Esmeralda and as Lupe shows up and sees them struggling, she bites Don Italiano on the ear, thus saving Lupe's job and keeping him from actually having to pluck up the courage to do the right thing.  Sorry, Lupe, I'm sure you're an otherwise decent guy, and I know jobs are hard to come by, but no job is worth being an accomplice to rape.  Esmeralda runs off after telling him he'd better not EVER come near her again.  Oddly, Don Italiano tells Lupe to go after her and give her the money and the cat--because he promised and he has to keep his word.  He vows he'll get his money's worth out of her later.

Lupe goes running after Gata, with Principe.  He gives her the money, but she doesn't want it.  She knows if she takes it, he'll think he has rights over her. Lupe thinks he's realized he can't get away with it and encourages her to take the money and stay out of trouble with Rita.  Gata says she'll take it, but only because of Rita.  Lupe tells her to make a run for it.

Back at the shack, Rita demands that Gata tell her who taught her how to read and write.

A drunken Don Italiano tells Lupe that Rita's going to help him.  Lupe says they've known Gata all her life, and they've watched her grow up.  To Don Italiano that means something entirely different and between his inherent skeeviness and all the wine he's had to drink on account of his fake birthday, he's getting gross about how he wants her and she's going to be his.

Rita gripes at Gata about reading and when Gata says it's never interfered with her bringing home money--including tonight, when she had to put up with Don Italiano's advances--Rita says if Gata were "smarter" they'd have more money.  She slaps Gata for daring to say that Rita and Inesita have been living off of her and Centavito and then orders Gata to be Don Italiano's "girlfriend."

Don Italiano is sure the power of his money will work on Gata.  Or on Rita, at least.  "Everyone has their price."

Gata says she'd rather be dead.  Rita goes on and on about how he's not so bad and besides…money.  Gata says Rita can have him.

The next morning, she notices a bunch of people picking on some woman and defends her.  When the woman and Esmeralda look at each other, the music of special significance plays.

Monica and her mom came over for breakfast.  I guess dinner was too long to wait.  Pablo has to run off to "uni," Virginia's ride shows up, and the kids' dad runs off to work.  The moms head for the patio to have coffee, leaving Mariano alone with Monica.  Mariano is jealous that Monica only has eyes for Pablo.

Nobody knows who the mystery woman is, but Gata decides she should stay in someone's hut who took off for Chiapas.  The mystery woman doesn't actually know who she is, but she says everyone calls her Fela.  She shows Esmeralda her baby doll.  "One, two, three, run!" says Fela and runs over to her new hovel.  Centavito tells Gata that Fela is just like her.

Pablo makes it back downstairs to find Monica waiting for him.  He says he'll see her at her house later, but wonders why she seems upset.  Pablo says he wants to talk to her and she gets her hopes up, but he only wanted to ask her about the clothes.  "For your girlfriend?"

The moms are sure Monica and Pablo are a done deal.  Although…Monica's mom doesn't care for her future son-in-law's chosen profession.  Artists don't make money.

Pablo tries the whole "I like her, but not like that." line on Monica and she gets so happy she says she'll start cleaning out her closets.

Monica joins the moms out on the patio as they cackle over their plans for total world domination.

This time, Gata does seem to be reading from "Song of Myself," though the Spanish translation doesn’t quite follow the English words…

"Loafe with me on the grass—loose the stop from your throat;
Not words, not music or rhyme I want—not custom or lecture, not even the best;
Only the lull I like, the hum of your valved voice."

She tells Pablo she loves coming there.  He agrees he does too, but he tells her to keep reading.  She's worried that he's very serious and wants to know why.  He tells her he doesn't think he can keep coming there and he doesn't want her to ask him why.  She sleds down the hill and asks if he got grounded.  "No!  I'm too old for that!"  He says people always think the worst and everyone's going to think they're dating if they keep getting together.  He says it's the last time he's going to meet her there.

The director tells Silencioso that he's working on getting his pardon yet again, but he doesn't know how long it will take.

Pablo and Esmeralda hug and she cries.  She doesn't believe he's doing it so people won't think badly of her.  Pablo walks off and Esmeralda twists her ankle chasing him up the hill.  She tells him to leave her alone, but it appears that her twisted ankle finally gave him enough motivation to admit that he's in love with her.

Tomorrow: Pablo loves, Mariano plots, Lorenza forbids.

Previous: Episode 3
Next: Episode 5

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