Caray, Caray!

(Hi, all.  Lila here subbing.  Please feel free to fill in any blanks or correct/add dialogue I missed or messed up.  My respect for all recappers goes up each time I attempt this.  What troopers you all are.  I don’t have the snark and snap of some but I hope you can figure out what happened!)


We are back at the joyless gala to announce the engagement of Pablo and Esmerlda and Pablo’s refusal to rescue Esme from the cruel barbs hurled down from the ornate wrought-iron catwalk.  The invited guests murmur in shock as Augustine addresses the press, waves in Esme’s direction and lifts his glass in a mock toast to her.   Esme stands and tells Fer it’s no use, they will never accept her.  Fer hisses to Esme that the MN’s have signed their death sentence.  Pablo finally appears with his Mom taking up the rear.

“Why?”  Pablo asks, “because my parents have shown at the last minute that they are not afraid of you?”  “No, “Fer fires back, because they’re dirty rats.”  Pablo demands that Fer respects his Parents.  Esme tries to head off an argument and in the first show of “courage” during this whole fiasco he puts his hands on his hips and challenges Esme:  “What?  You know about this humiliation he has planned for my family?”  “As aware as you were of what they did to me, kidnapping me and sending compromising photos so you would think the worst of me!”  “But I didn’t believe them.  I believe in you.”  Esme and Fer attempt to leave, Pablo asks her to stay.  The hate and rancor is stronger than the both of them she says.  Above everything else, Pablo declares, I love you.  And I love you Esme answers, but it’s clear love isn’t enough.  The reporters want to know if the engagement is still on.  Esme hesitates and Pablo asks her to answer the question before she goes.  She stares at him.  Fer throws the ball back into Pablo’s court:  do you really want to marry Esmerelda, the Mother of your children?  We await your response.  Fernando actually thanks the Lorenza for the party as he, Esme and Blanca take their leave.




They return home, Esmerelda is at once dejected and angry, she accepts Blanca’s comfort but reproaches Fernando  and runs up the stares.  Fer vows to Meche that he will avenge his daughter for the humiliation she suffered tonight.

Lorenza and Mariano debrief about the nights events.  She gloats over the humiliation Fer and Esme received but Mariano counters that Pablo and Esme defended their love and the ones humiliated were the Martinez Negretes.  Lorenza remarks more to herself that she has a bad feeling that their misfortunes are not over and she fears the impact of tonight on Augustine:  she’s afraid for his very life.

Cut to Augustine lying in bed, he’s eye clenched tightly but it’s not the shame of welcoming “La Gata” into his home that he bemoans, it’s the shocking reappearance his long lost love,  Blanca.  He hears her calling him the devil as he recounts all the unselfish acts of love he performed for her:  putting her husband in prison and disappearing their baby and now she has the ingratitude to be with Fernando again. . .he can’t stand it!

Esme is furious she fumes to Jarocha their common cowardice for defending their love against the bitter rejection she feels from the high society folks and the divisive force of their families mutual hatred.  Oh, they’re just jealous now that you’re a beautiful princess Jarocha offers.  Esme doesn’t even know if they’re engaged.  She was so happy but now happiness seems impossible.

Pablo is thinking similar desperate thoughts at his parents home as Monica enters asking if he feels bad.  How do you expect me to feel Pablo asks.  Everything your parents did was for your good she offers.  You can’t abandon your parents now.  No says Pablo, I gotta think about ME and my happiness is Esmerelda and my children.  Monica looks stricken.

Back to Esme and Jarocha who is arguing Fernando’s case for pressing on with the venganza.   Esme is not willing to sacrifice her love for Pablo for gratitude to El Silensioso.  She does not want to see Pablo hurt and is willing to leave his house and give up everything for the love of Pablo!

In their darkened room Augustine lies on the bed feigning sleep while Lorenza begs him to talk to her, to listen.  He silently whines that he doesn’t want to listen to anyone, least of all her . . .nobody knows how he aches for his secret love, Blanca. . .she is his, only his.  Lorenza rises from the foot of the bed:  okay, tomorrow we talk. . .rest. . .I’m undone. . .As soon as she leaves Augustine opens his tear-filled eyes.

Back at Fernando’s Meche tries to plead the case that everything would be easier if he would tell Esme that he and Blanca are her parents.  No, he wants to clear his name and he must press on with his plan to punish the MN for he can pass over what they did to him but he can never forgive the harm they did to her.  And Pablo must come to him and ask for Esme’s hand or (and he swears by Dios) he’ll not have her nor his children.

Lorenza has turned in for the night and lies next to a seemingly feverish Augustine who is still tormented by the sound of Blanca’s voice calling him the devil.  He opens his eyes, gets out of bed and panting, falls back, gasping and then is still.  Lorenza does not stir.  Morning finds Augustine in the same position.  Lorenza, unable to rouse him begins to scream.  Mariano and Virginia wake up.  Lorenza calls Pablo on the phone.  Your Father is dead! she cries to Pablo.  Pablo rushes over but he has found a faint pulse.  Virginia and Lorenza cries as Mariano lets the Doctor in who examines him and calls an ambulance:  Augustine appears to have had a stroke.

Fernando and Damian have a confab in the study which serves simply to confirm that Augustine will not escape the wrath of Fernando, the venganza will continue!

Pablo is at Augustine’s bedside when Lorenza flies into the room, throws down her purse and rips into him.  Are you satisfied, she asks.  Between you and that woman you’ve almost killed your Father!  You would prefer he die!”  Mariano is ineffective in squelching her rant and a Doctor has to come in to demand the yelling stop, that Augustine’s health comes first and if they can’t respect that they can all leave!

Fela/Blanca in a beautiful purple dress, her hair cascading in loose dark curls like Esme’s wails that she’s afraid of the devil.  Esme helps to calm her and reassure her that if she sees a Doctor he can help her regain her memory and be happy again.  Fela/Blanca is afraid, she doesn’t want Esme to go.  Esme tells her she will always look after her and be in touch with her, even though she may have to leave the home.  They lock eyes, smiling through their tears.  They embrace.

Rita and her boyfriend provide a break from the high drama with his usual teasing and flirting and her half-hearted protests.

Back at Fer’s house, Esme holds Principe and talks to Meche who tries to get Esme to understand Fernando.  Esme is just wondering where is Pablo and if he will hate her if Fernando presses the case against the MN.  She and her children have been hanging in a torturous limbo.

The Dr. confirms the results of the tests on Augustine:  he has had a stroke and will suffer a partial paralysis, he will be an invalid.  There’s nothing they can do now but wait.  He could have some improvement once the inflammation in his brain abates.  The MN boys surround and tenderly embrace Lorenza.  Later alone with Augustine at his hospital bedside she wonders how long this vengeance will go on:  until his grave?

Carlos is with Virginia at the MN mansion, comforting her as she cries and frets over her father.  They embrace and profess their love to one another.

Back at Fernando’s Esme is holding her beautiful babies when the phone rings.  It’s for her.  Lorenza has called and told her about Augustine’s stroke.  Esme goes immediately to talk to Fernando, to ask him to call off his plans.  The answer is predictable:  Absolutely no.  Esme puts her head in her hands.

Back to Rita and her boyfriend where she claims to have met Rudolf Valentino who fell in love with her.  Boyfriend is not impressed.

Fela/Blanca is about the go to the Doctor, she pushes the you’re my daughter thing with Esme and Fernando takes her away.  In the car Fernando appeals to her to wait, the time is not right to tell her.  Blanca seems to be getting more clear all the time.

Now we are at Augustine’s bedside.  Pablo talks to him tenderly and smiles tearfully as his Dad wakes up for the first time.  Augustine opens one eye and tells Pablo with a twisted mouth to get out, he doesn’t want to see him, get out he weakly shouts.  Pablo retreats, crying and goes to get his mother, telling her that Papa needs her.

Days Later.  Augustine returns home in motorized wheelchair and is greeted warmly by the household staff.  Augustine chews them out then turns to Pablo and asks him to leave, to get out of his sight!  Lorenza tries to takes up for Pablo and encourage him to change his attitude as he’s going to need all of their help, all of his children.   Augustine is having none of it:  I’d rather be dead he growls through his mangled mouth as he rolls away.  I can’t stand this punishment from God!   Augustine wants to know where the action is against him and they try to dissuade him from thinking about it.   He roundly insults each of the children:  spoiled, blind and lazy.  Veronica tries to bring the flowers they offered earlier, he slings them away and slobbers loudly:  put them on my grave!  Virginia kneels at his chair side, says they love him and don’t want to lose him, he needs to rest.  He doesn’t reject her.

Down the street Fernando comes home with results on Fela’s exam.  Fela has no irreversible brain damage, no tumors, etc.  What she has is the product of pain, she has been taking refuge in fantasy world and in the past after the kidnapping of her baby and his own imprisonment.  They have to wait. . .she could get memory back anytime or never.  She is at the mercy of destiny.

Meche comes with a call for Esme.   She happily answers.  It’s Pablo.

Garabato and Ines in dingy afterglow in a filthy room.  She uses this opportunity to encourage her man to stretch the reach of his grubby grasp, to think of stealing things of greater value.

Pablo is back in their special open air love shack.  Esme arrives and runs into his arms.  I’m so happy you called!  Pablo is distraught:  I’m bad, worried, sad, there are only shouts in my house.  Pablo says Fernando won’t retire the complaint against my Father.  Esme says she knows and is not in agreement with it.  Pablo appears shocked and lays into her that she must do something.  She is the only one who has influence over this guy.  She’s got to do something!  She’s got to help them.  He glares at her darkly and she stares back, stunned.

Avances:  Augustine cusses Pablo again, Monica kisses Pablo again in view of Esme across the street and she shouts back “Hasta Nunca” to him.

Previous: Episode 39
Next: Episode 41

Labels: gata