Capitulo
163: Winners, Losers, and Psychopaths
Bruja
Central: Hissabimbo seemed to be going into heat, which will
ultimately be bad news for some unfortunate man. She started to
blame this on global warming and decided to look that up online.
She
saw what looked like a Personals ad for an attractive man, clicked on
it, and it looked like she was directed to a gay match-up site, which
she couldn't click out of.
“Why
doesn't she just do 'Cntl/Alt/Delete' to get out of that?” asked
Hermes. “It's so easy.”
“For
someone with a Masters in Finance, her IQ is subnormal,” said
Athena.
Lascuráin
Mansion: Fernando decided that Pablo's visit should end and he
said so. Alicia tried to convince him to allow Pablo to stay an hour
longer, which Pablo negotiated down to 45 minutes. In addition to
that, he addressed Fernando as “Suegro,” which caught him
off-guard.
He agreed and told Fanny she was in charge. He then
retired to the library. Once the doors were closed Alicia told Fanny
she didn't need to be so vigilant, especially if she wanted to get
busy with Lenin. However, Lenin announced he had to leave and Fanny
saw him out.
This gave Pablo a chance to kiss Alicia, and to be
caught by Bruno, who didn't hesitate to remind her she was being
watched. He asked for Fernando and Alicia directed him to the
library. Teen kisses [eyerolls].
Lenin
sensed that Fanny had stuff on her mind and she confessed that
Jenny's wedding made her think of León's proposal. Lenin wasn't
pleased to hear this, but didn't rant. Fanny tried to explain that
all young women dream of their wedding day and all it entails. He
asked whether she felt guilty but she did not. He finally decided
he'd better go home. He said he loved her.
The goodbye kiss and
embrace looked uncomfortable for both of them and as Fanny went
inside Lenin told himself he was losing her.
Fanny
sneaked inside and surprised Alicia and Pablo, who jumped out of the
kiss and off the sofa. She laughed and told them she was going
upstairs to change clothes and would be back down. They sat back
down and kissed briefly.
In
the library Fernando was shouting at the security firm over the phone
saying “I don't want excuses, I want results!” When he hung up
he told Bruno that it's been a month and they're saying things to him
like “We were on the point of catching him but – oops! – he got
away!” and he is at the end of his patience with them.
He then
apologized to Bruno for his outburst and Bruno was asking for his
advice on his love life. Fernando was surprised considering his own
heart has been destroyed. “As Ana says, from every tree...” and
Bruno noted “At least you're quoting her again.”
Upstairs
in her room, Ana got sick and ran into the bathroom, leaving little
Diego Nicolás on the bed. Fanny entered and sat on the bed, picking
up the baby as Ana came out of the bathroom. She commented on Ana's
symptoms and asked if she had thought about this. How long since the
beach weekend?
Ana realized her period was late. Luz entered at
that moment asking “Late?” Before Ana could think of an answer
she got nauseous again and ran into the bathroom. Luz asked Fanny
about this and Fanny said that the food from the wedding reception
probably didn't agree with her. “She's just a little sick to her
stomach,” she said, repeating this when Ana came out. When Ana
caught her breath, Luz asked what was late. Fanny had a panicked
expression behind her little sister's back but then quickly talked
about how their father was late to the wedding and they had been
worried. Ana then realized that Luz probably had trouble sleeping so
she told her she could get in bed with her. She asked Fanny to take
the dirty diaper out and it was evident Ana got nauseous at the odor.
Fanny obliged her, saying they need to talk about this (making the
pregnancy belly gesture) and Ana told her that needed to be in
another room.
Luz looked as though she had fallen asleep and Ana
asked the baby how his diapers could stink so when he was so
adorable.
Angel's
Apartment: He poured himself a glass of red wine, telling
himself he's lost and he knew it. He mused on Fernando's luck to
have a woman like Ana love him.
Lascuráin
Mansion: Luz woke up, reached to the nightstand, and knocked the
book off. The envelope fell out and she recognized her father's name
on it. She picked it up, grabbed her plush turtle, and walked out of
the room, yawning.
“That's
my little girl,” said Estefania, proudly. “She always had a way
with her father.”
“She
will have a very special life,” Aphrodite said, reassuringly. “You
have done well by your children.”
Bruno
had just told Fernando about Manuela dating the chauffeur. “How
could he compare himself to me?” was the tenure of his
conversation.
Fernando asked “Well, didn't you say you [and
Manuela] were too different?” He went on about looking for her and
finding her on another planet, and he doesn't want to regret
anything. He commented on how Fernando could be regretting losing
the woman he loved. Right on cue, Luz came into the library with the
envelope.
Fernando picked her up, asking if she was unable to sleep.
She told him no, that she came down to give him something. She
handed him the envelope, saying she had found it in Ana's room. She
then told him that Ana was sick to her stomach and said she was late.
That got his instant and very shocked attention.
Ana
was in Fanny's room, explaining that she was never more than a day or
two late and now it's been eight and a half days. Fanny got excited,
saying that now she should resolve the situation with her dad. Ana
stopped her, saying that this is not the reason for it. She will
have the baby because she wants a baby and Fanny went on about how
this came about because of love and as soon as Ana said the word
“embarazada” they heard childish laughter from the other side of
the door. “The twins, the twins!” and both got up and ran to the
door.
The twins ran from the door just before it opened and ran down
the hall. Ana whistled at them, but they didn't stop and Fanny
observed “They're going to squeal.”
Bruja
Central: Hissabela opened the door to a techie more nerdy than
Nando ever could be. He walked in saying “I'm from the Computer
Hospital. Where's the patient?” and she showed him to the table.
She told him she had landed on that page by accident.
He actually
put on rubber gloves as he explained that pages like that often carry
viruses and told her not to worry. She was clearly turned off at the
sight of him as she left him to do his work.
Lascuráin
Mansion: Everyone was in Ana's room as Bruno
bounded up the stairs with a white box in hand, which he handed to
Fanny. Ana explained to Luz that it was a pregnancy test.
Sebastian asked how long this would take and Fanny read off the label
“Three minutes.” The twins said “Three minutes?” as though
it would be three hours. Alicia asked what she had to do and Soledad
said “It's better you don't know.” At “Why?” Nando said it
was... scatological.
Fanny handed the box to Ana, who started
opening it. Manuela wished her luck, Ana went into the bathroom, and
everyone sat or stood around waiting.
“Oh,
this is too much!” said Hera. “This is a close family, but
really!”
“I'm
a little shocked, too. Poor Ana,” said Estefania. “I never had
to deal with this. When I thought I was pregnant I waited until the
kids were in school to do the tests.”
“Hey,
if he got it on the first shot maybe Fernando is one of us after
all,” said Hermes.
“Fernando
is a wonderful man, but he's not perfect,” said Estefania.
“I
know. But neither are we.”
Alicia
asked her dad if he was emotional about this. He replied with all
the usual words, emotional, confounded, nervous, everything, all with
no hint of negativity.
“How curious life is,” said Fanny. Even
Ximena was excited at this. Bruno teased, saying something about the
evil eye, but Fernando wasn't listening. He was thinking to himself
“A baby... with Ana.” And he looked hopeful.
When
the clock had ticked off what was presumably three minutes, Ana came
out of the bathroom with the device. Fernando asked her whether she
was pregnant and everyone -- even Siete -- looked up, hoping for a “yes.” She
looked a bit shocked, saying “I don't know.” Everyone closed in,
Fanny asked whether she had followed the instructions and she said
yes. Fanny retrieved the box, finally telling her that it was
supposed to turn pink. It had not.
The
twins simultaneously expressed their disappointment. In fact, all
were disappointed, including Fernando, who hung his head and left the
room. Everyone felt bad for Ana, Sebastian commenting that it was
her dream to have children. Alicia said it would have made her dad
very happy. Ana said that under the circumstances... then shooed
them off to bed. All the kids left except Luz, who wanted to stay.
Ana told her to get into bed and she went into the bathroom.
She
threw the device into the garbage can, it landed with a sound, and
she leaned against the sink and thought about the nights at the
beach. She started to cry.
Bruja
Central: Hissabruja watched as her techie backed up her hard
drive and asked about her operating system.
Lascuráin
Mansion / León' House: Fanny looked at León's Facebook page
and saw the selfies of León and his family. She clicked the “like”
button. León got a notification about that and he smiled.
Bruja
Central: Techie wrote out his fee on a post-it and handed it to
Hissabruja, who was surprised at how low it was. Initially he
worried that she thought it too much and was prepared to give her a
discount.
She asked if he had a business card, and he took one out
while she got her purse and paid him what looked like twice his
fee... in cash. He told her to call his cell number because the
other was disconnected, thanked her, and left.
She gloated to her
imaginary audience how it was always good to have a computer expert
on hand because you never know when you might need one.
“I
don't like this,” said Hermes. “This advancing technology is
just one more thing we have to keep up with.”
“It's
all Prometheus' fault,” said Hera. “He gave them fire.”
“Ni
modo,” said Aphrodite. “You have to keep an eye on her and that
geek. He won't have the vaguest idea of what she's really up to.”
“She'll
definitely want him to do something horrible that he won't
understand. But you and your son have to take the blame for not
making him attractive enough so he could learn more easily about
females.”
“Like
I said before, we're not perfect.”
Lascuráin
Mansion: Fernando sat down and remembered proposing to Ana on
the beach in the presence of his children as he also contemplated
having a baby with her. “You are the love of my life, Ana,” he
finally said.
He took out the envelope and pulled out her letter.
“Fernando,
before anything else I have to tell you that I love you. I have no
excuse for concealing that I danced at Chicago; it's true. You
didn't give me the opportunity to explain this to you up to now while
working as the nanny in your home. Nando said he explained but I
wanted to tell you myself, looking you in the eye. After all, I
wanted to do – in captial letters [mayúsculas]
– EVERYTHING
to win your pardon.
When I arrived at your house I never imagined that my life would
change like this. I found a family, Fernando. I found my happiness
in the family, in the family I always dreamed of. I fell hopelessly
in love with you and theh fear of telling you the truth about my life
was because of you feeling deceived about me.
I was afraid of losing
you and lacked the courage to tell you that I was working in that
place and I'm repenting my cowardice and repenting the lies but the
one thing I don't repent is loving you. Fernando, forgive me. I
love you like nobody else. I love you.”
He
cried.
The
Next Day
As
the older kids came downstairs Luz asked Ana if she was sad about not
being pregnant. Ana told her that there will be another time for
that. Luz asked “With my dad?” “If God wants it,” Ana
answered her. She then urged the kids to go off to school, getting
hugs from them all before they left.
After the kids were out the
door, she picked up Siete to hug him and Jenny entered. Ana
complimented her outfit and quoted Nando saying she was like a
supernova. Jenny asked what that was and she explained that it was
an expanding star.
She put Siete on the floor and started escorting
Jenny to the kitchen as she asked about the wedding night. “You
can't imagine,” said Jenny.
“Egad,
I guess she never learned anything about privacy in the orphanage,”
said Aphrodite.
“Probably
not,” said Eros. “Usually you don't get any in places like that.
And anyway, wouldn't she know something – or everything – about
Juan's.... abilities?”
Aphrodite
cuffed him gently against the head.
“I'm
sure she's forgotten all that now that she loves Fernando.”
Estefania
smiled. “Fernando wasn't very experienced when I met him, but he
made up for it very fast. You both were generous to him.”
La
Costeña / University Classroom:
León walked into his new office, which looked almost bigger than
Fernando's. He was dressed like Fernando, too, in a dark grey suit,
white shirt, and red necktie.
He polished the nameplate and sat down
at his desk to take a selfie of himself with the nameplate and post
it to his FB page.
Fanny saw it and read it to herself on her cell.
Just as Lenin entered and caught her.
Lascuráin
Mansion: Jenny and Ana sat in
the kitchen, where Jenny told her that she and Juan were going to the
charity house to adopt baby Aurora. Ana congratulated her, but Jenny
asked her what was wrong. Ana said “Nothing,” but Jenny knew
that was not the case.
University
Classroom: Lenin skirted
around the current issue by trying to comment on social media
as
the professor entered and noted she had seen Fanny's exam grades.
Lenin left and Fanny was obviously thinking about something – or
someone – else.
La
Costeña: León noted that
Fanny had clicked the “Like” button when a former peer came to
his desk with a layout for his comments. He told David he didn't
have to call him “boss” and said that the layout needed more than
a product sell. It needed to express the concept of food shared with
family, the love on one's children, and the smiles of loved ones.
“You have to tell our customers that our product will give them all
of that.”
“Spoken
like a true ad man,” said Hermes, raising his goblet. “I drink
to you, León.”
Lascuráin
Mansion: Ana had looked at the
schedule and asked Jenny if she wanted her to begin that morning at
the pole workshop. Jenny told her yes and took out the keys so she
could get in and told her to lock up when she was done. Jenny's cell
rang, she noted that it was Juan, and took her leave. Fernando
arrived before she was out the door, but there was no unpleasantness.
Ana wished him good morning without looking up and said he looked
like he was running late.
He said he would be working in the library
that day, so she asked if he wanted coffee. He replied that he did
and sat down.
Ana
washed her hands and the engagement ring came off. It fell in the
sink and she retrieved it.
“At
last,” she said, picking it up.
“What?”
he asked.
“It
came off, she said, holding it out to him. “It's been a month
since you found out about Chicago. I believe that during this month
I've tried to ask forgiveness in every way I can think of but nothing
penetrated Don Piedra's skull. Since during this month you have
practically never looked me in the face, and I believe you have
called it quits over the lie.”
She tried to hold back her tears.
“In truth, I'm very sorry and I was wrong. Last night I wasn't
able to sleep and I've been thinking and thinking and thinking and I
came to the conclusion that there is no solution.”
“Me
neither, I couldn't sleep,” he said.
She
was crying harder. “Let me finish. I, I.... It hurts to ask your
forgiveness but I have to resign myself to the reality that you are
my boss, I'm your employee, and that will be it for the rest of our
days or at least until the children grow up or don't need me and I
will leave.”
He
got up. “Ana, Ana...”
She
took his hand and put the ring in it. “I won't bother you again.
I have to stop and be clear. I can't stop loving you. You are the
love of my life and I know this is my punishment for hiding the
truth. I love you with my whole heart and I wanted you to return
that. I know that my error and the consequences of my actions were
such that I can't expect you to forgive me. I understand that our
story is over.”
She
released his hand and walked out of the kitchen, leaving him in a
state of shock.
He closed the small opening in the sliding doors and
took the envelope out of his pocket. He stood for a second with the
envelope in one hand, the ring in the other, and quietly asked “How
could I not forgive you, Ana? How could I not forgive you?”
“Fernando,
you better forgive her!” said Estefania. “You will regret this
the rest of your life if you don't.”
“Don't
worry,” said Eros. “He will. He has to. We will decree it.”
Charity
House: Jennifer and Johnny
spoke with the directress, who told them they would be great parents
for Aurora.
Street:
Ana hailed a cab and got in,
unaware that Enrique had been hiding nearby and watching her.
He
hailed the next cab and told the driver “Follow that cab.”
“Really,
shouldn't cab drivers know better?” asked Apollo. “There are too
many movies where nothing good comes of this.”
“Mortals
don't learn easily,” said Hera. “And sometimes that's to our
advantage.”
“True,
but this isn't one of those situations.”
Lascuráin
Mansion: Fernando paced
briefly in the library, then looked up at the photo of himself and
Estefania. He then looked at the ring and said “You told me,
Estefania, not to let her get away.”
He thought back at telling
Ana she would never be alone, and the other times he told her he
loved her. And that she had told him of her love. “Ana, I love
you,” he said, and headed for the door.
He
went up to Ana's room to find Soledad caring for the baby. When he
asked for Ana she said she had gone out to Johnny's workshop. He
asked for the address, but she didn't know it. He called her cell
and realized she had forgotten it, so he Juan's cell phone.
Johnny
picked it up as soon as he saw Fernando's name. When Fernando asked
for the address of the workshop and told him he needed to talk to
Ana, Johnny asked if there was a problem with the kids. He told him
“No, no; it's personal.”
Johnny covered the phone and told
Jenny, who was thrilled to pieces. Johnny said he would text the
address to him and Fernando ended the call and headed out.
Johnny's
Workshop: Ana arrived and
unlocked the door. As she went inside she did not notice that
another cab had stopped at the curb and Enrique got out of it.
As
Enrique got out he looked around to make sure he was unobserved while
he thought about the time Ana protected Fanny from him. She had told
him he would not touch Fanny or he would have her to deal with. She
told him off and whisked Fanny out of his reach and he had said to
himself she had no idea whom she was dealing with.
He walked toward
the door, again looking around to make sure he was unseen and slipped
inside, taking a weapon out of his pocket.
Ana
turned on the lights and placed elastic training bands on two poles.
As she buffed them she did not hear or see Enrique enter the room.
Nor did she hear the sound of the switchblade being opened.
He
quickly grabbed her from behind, held the knife to her throat, and
made sure she saw his face.
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