Wednesday, July 05, 2017
La Candidata Martes, 7/4/17 Chapter 22: Regina Give In
Too
often in our modern lives where appearances are everything one often
loses sight of one's true feelings. Most shrinks will tell you that
this is why they get rich.
- D.D.
Chapter
Twenty-Two: Regina Gives In
Alonso
tried to tell Regina that he was the man who loved her and supported
her, but she told him that for some time their relationship has not
worked.
“All
the trouble, all the pain has been your fault,” he said.
“No;
that isn't true.”
“Is
this divorce about me or for Gerardo Martínez? That imbecile is all
over us, near my house, in my face at all hours. He's responsible
for you forgetting your values, your principles,” he said, shaking
his index finger like a scolding parent.
“No;
not at all. This is about you... or do you think this marriage is
working? I am fed up with your manipulations and the shadowing.
It's for you, about you, and I'm fed up with you.”
“It's
for your law. Because that's important to you.”
“You
did that to get me out of the way. You did it to secure your
nomination from the party.”
“No.
I did it for you... but it's obvious that nothing was enough. That's
clear. But this business is only a stupid pretext. You're hiding
your real intentions.”
“What
are my real intentions?” she asked, then turned around at
the sound of a message on her cell phone. She looked at it.
“Alright,
go answer it. If it's Gerardo Martínez he doesn't have to wait,
huh?”
“It's
your mother.”
“What's
happened?”
“She's
at the house and wants me to get in touch with her. It's urgent.”
“My
father almost killed her.”
“How?”
“He
hit her very severely. Multiple times.”
“Your
father must be arrested, Alonso.”
“That
won't happen. It wouldn't work.”
“Ah,
look at yourself. This is what you think of such things. He throws
her into the garbage after putting her under the carpet. That's how
you deal with this. It's unbelievable.”
“Now
I understand. This is what you think. You come into my office
asking for a divorce because what you really want is the power.
Absolute power. That's why you're negotiating the candidacy behind
mt back, isn't it?”
Alonso
would never admit it, but he was projecting his own desires onto her.
It wasn't so much that he needed to assign his own faults to her; it
was that he could not understand other people having different
motives from his own.
Mauro
was at Cecelia's apartment with a bottle of Merlot that he proclaimed
was the best. She looked about as bored as she might have been with
any past client. She took off her shoes reached behind her neck to
unzip her dress. Mauro's mood changed.
“What
are you doing?” he asked. He appeared to be genuinely confused.
“Would
you prefer to be in the bedroom?”
“Wait;
that's not what this is about.”
“No?
Then why did you come here?”
“Just
to see you. To see what you're capable of.”
“What
is this? Is this a joke in poor taste? You said you wanted to have
sex with me.”
“I
didn't say that. Never. Forgive me, but you imagined that.” He
touched her face. “Cecelia, I never wanted to get into your bed;
there have been too many others there.”
She
pushed his hand back.
“You
wanted to humiliate me.”
“To
the contrary, I wanted to demonstrate that you have many weapons at
your disposal. Sex is not your only one. I know you've had a
difficult life.” He maneuvered her into sitting down. “If you
want to be the governor's mistress, you have to do it well.”
“What
do you want to say?”
“From
on this point on, you belong exclusively to Alonso.”
“Are
you trying to teach a morality class?” She was moderately amused.
“Now,
this is a class in politics.”
He
took his seat and went on about the exercise of power and how sex
should be the last card she plays. She didn't quite get it.
Regina
got a call from her mother regarding Emiliano. She told her she
would be home right away and told Alonso that they needed to deal
with this immediately. He attempted to play a maternal guilt card
about how Emiliano would react upon news of any pending divorce. He
even implied that this would hurt their parents as well. Regina had
no patience for this, heading for the door to get home.
Isela
told her bartender the bad news that they would need to close the
club. It would not be permanent, but would need to be for a while.
It was because of her own error.
Gerardo
went home after failing to find Teresa at the casino, the one place
he expected her to be. According to Ximena she had not returned.
Gerardo called Ignacio who suggested that Gerardo check Teresa's
apartment. In fact, she was in a cheap establishment playing dice
with a couple of working-class men. Mario walked in with Almiro to
break up the game. Teresa recognized him. It was almost impossible
to know whether she was drunk or pretending to be when she said
“You're the father of the slut who is chasing my husband.”
“You've
drunk quite enough. We came here for you.”
“I'm
busy,” she said, picking up the dice.
“Let's
go,” Mario said.
She
threw the dice before looking at him again.
“What
is this about? I've no home; I'm alone. I'm playing.”
Mario
had no desire to draw this out any longer. He deftly picked up her
left arm and led her out. Almiro had his back, drawing his pistol to
move it to the other side, deliberately in view of the three men at
the makeshift gaming table, before backing out the door after his
boss.
Mauro
continued his brainwashing of Cecelia by sullying Regina to her. She
seemed willing to believe every stinking lie he wanted to lay on her.
However, she also studied him as he told her, “You have a decision
to make. Are you my ally or my enemy?”
“You
think you're Alonso's boss, don't you?”
“I
am the boss! I have always been. We're together to insure his
candidacy and nobody is going to get in the way. I'll ask you again,
are you with me or against me?”
“I'm
with Alonso.”
“Then,
you are with me.” He stood up. “Therefore, tomorrow you need to
be clean. You have to clean up your past. Keep your father in the
background and get rid of Isela and those prostitutes.”
“What
else do you know about me?”
“Everything.
All. My last word of advice – ” He pinched her nose slightly
and sniffed his fingers. “Clean up your nose. Never have anything in your face. Until
tomorrow.”
After
he left she touched her nose and sniffed her fingers. She was a
little annoyed, but whether that was because of her addiction or that
it was detected she did not know.
Regina
arrived home to find two brands of chaos waiting for her. After her
initial shock at seeing Natalia with her arm in a sling she tried to
get Noemi to talk about Emiliano, whose bodyguard, Hector, came in
to fill Regina in on the sordid details of which he was aware. He
had tried to get Emiliano to take a shower, but the boy went into his
room and did not admit him. Regina marched in and announced that
they were going to talk.
“I
won't talk to you. You break your word and you are a liar!” he
said.
“What
are you talking about?”
“I'm
nervous, I need to take a bath, I need to be alone. I need to wash
myself of all of this.” He tried to get away from her but she
followed him.
“Hector
just told me that you took a shower,” she said.
“I
have to shower again! You don't get that I have to get rid of it
all.” He scratched his arms frantically, looking as though he were
going through withdrawal. He began stripping off his clothes, which
sent Regina to the door calling for Hector.
Magda
arrived to find Israel pointing a pistol at his temple. He started
backing away from her, talking about being a failure and how the only
person who cared about him was his granddaughter. Magda reached for
the pistol, but that only caused him to point it at her. She begged
him to hand it to her, but all he could say was that his son was dead
and he had nothing to live for. She begged him to come home with her
or let her move in with him, saying that she loved him. She finally
embraced him. Some women have quite a fascination with broken men.
Alonso
arrived at Cecelia's apartment, knowing that Mauro had just been
there. She was a little apprehensive at what he must have been
thinking but he laughed before telling her that he trusted her,
saying he knew she couldn't do the deed with Mauro. She let him
inside and told him he didn't have to buy her a penthouse; she would
return its keys.
“What
do you want, then?” he asked.
“You.”
She
proceeded to prove this.
Sometime
the following morning Teresa got back to Gerardo's apartment more
than three sheets to the wind. She found him asleep on the sofa,
still in the clothes he had worn the previous day. She approached
him silently then attempted to kiss his lips. He woke with a start
and immediately withdrew from her. She told him she had been walking
all night as she collapsed onto his lap talking about looking for him
in all the wrong places and how she was walking dead from not having
him. He knew she was pulling her Poor Little Me act for the nth time
since their marriage and was immune to it. In fact, he had been
immune to it for a long time except as far as how it affected Ximena.
Regina
talked with Hector about the drugs Emiliano had indulged in the night
before. She charged him with investigating their origin and who had
made them available to her son. While that was happening Alonso woke
in in Cecelia's bed. She brought him something to eat and they
talked about how he was going to handle any issue about him not
having been home all night. They finally agreed that he would say he
had been working all night (which probably had been an excuse he had
made many times before). He talked about changing his image and
Cecelia could not wait to start that. They behaved almost as a
honeymoon couple.
Regina
drove Emiliano to school. He apologized to her for his behavior the
night before. She tried to get him to understand that she loved him.
She assured him that everyone makes mistakes, including herself.
She hugged him. He told her he needed her... and Alonso did, too.
Gerardo
and Ignacio were walking toward the senate house and discussing
Teresa. Ignacio told him not to worry; nothing had happened. Then
he dropped the bomb that the opposition had chosen Alonso as their
candidate. Gerardo pointed out that Alonso would be a weaker
candidate without Regina. Ignacio countered that Regina was popular
and likable and that they would make a strong team; in fact he was
taunting Gerardo.
Omar
sat in the café reading his newspaper. Nina, Mario's latest
protegée, flirted him into having a hot chocolate because it
provoked smiles. The old coot seemed to be falling for it. He even
kissed her hand when he paid the bill and overtipped her. Naturally,
Mario had never warned Nina that Omar had a long track record of
abusing women.
Daniela
told Regina that they had been receiving condolence messages upon
hearing that the party was promoting Alonso as its candidate.
Everyone knew that she would be the better candidate. However, she
was not to openly support the opposition's candidate. Regina was
expected to take a back seat.
Alonso
poured champagne for himself, Mauro, and Magda to celebrate his
pending nomination, thanking them for their work toward this.
However, they were only in the early stages. Alonso talked about
doing a door-to-door campaign to talk to the people, from housewives
to day workers, to show that he was a man of the people. Neither
Magda nor Mauro looked like they believed this. He asked Alonso
where he got this idea and Alonso said that it was from Cecelia.
“And
does your wife know about this?”
Ignacio
revealed to Gerardo that Cecelia was the daughter of Isela, who was
known for her cabaret and its brothel. He had photos taken to prove
this. Before he could go into more detail Nieves entered to tell
Gerardo that the party was holding a convocation regarding the
support for the new law. Ignacio said they would not attend. He
told Gerardo that now was not the time to support this law because it
would play into Alonso's hands.
Isela
reluctantly closed the cabaret and – per Mario's orders –
communicated to her bartender that the girls were to be told that
talking could get them their permanent resting place.
Hector
was parked at a street corner where he watched Nayeli scoring drugs
from a young dealer. He took photos, then reported this over the
phone.
Daniela
entered Regina's office to deliver some documents from Magda and the
news that the opposition didn't have a quorum to make a decision on
the law. Regina felt betrayed “We had an agreement!” She didn't
want to talk to Gerardo about this. She and Daniela had a minor
disagreement on what she should say from there.
Alonso
met with Cecelia, Mauro, and Magda to discuss allowing the press
access to his personalized campaign. Mario arrived and after Alonso
thanked him for introducing him to Cecelia they spoke alone. Alonso
told him that he had disagreed with Regina the previous evening
although he did not go into detail. Mario, however, was there to
tell him about Teresa. He said he had it all on a silver platter.
Laretta
went to Omar's mansion to see Natalia only to learn that she was not
there and that Omar would also not be attending the event he was
setting up.
Rodrigo
went to see Ignacio at his office to inform him that the cabaret had
closed. He then introduced him to Alma, who had worked there. She
was willing to talk. Ignacio gloated to himself like a comic villain
before standing up and flirting with her before inviting her to sit
down. He took his proper seat behind his desk and looked her in the
eyes.
“Tell
me, why did the cabaret close? What do you know about that?”
“They
told us it would be remodeled, but they put us out in the street.
But after everything that happened with the dead reporter and El
Cuervo nobody was coming around.”
“What
did the boss of this place tell you?”
“Isela.
I didn't get along badly with her. She's been there a long time; I
don't know anything else.”
“And
what kind of relationship did Isela have with El Cuervo?”
“She
paid him protection money.”
Ignacio
took a photo of Pacheco out of a file and showed it to her.
“Do
you recognize this subject?”
“Yes!
There was a party one night. Isela set it up. A friend and I were
with him and it was recorded.” She began laughing. Ignacio
laughed as well.
“One
more question today. Do you know Isela's daughter?”
Hector
reported his findings to Regina, saying that Nayeli had purchased the
drugs and was possibly dealing with dangerous people. He offered to
call the police because he had friends on the force but Regina told
him she would handle this. She asked Daniela to get Ignacio into her
office. She had to tell him about this but wasn't sure what to say.
Daniela suggested she talk to Gerardo, but Regina didn't like this
advice, especially when Gerardo suddenly arrived at that moment.
Mauro
and Magda became concerned over the issues between Alonso's parents.
Ignacio
thanked Alma for her information. After she left he congratulated
Rodrigo on a job well done. This was prime information and he was
handing over a check for it.
Mario
had just given Alonso the dirt on Teresa, for which Alonso was
grateful. Mario was supporting his candidacy despite any issues he
was having with Regina over it. He intended to deal with that. As
he left Alonso's office Magda came in to tell him she had to go to
see his father to try to get him to see a specialist. Alonso became
impatient with this but it only got worse when she also told him she
had been unable to communicate with Regina that day. His candidacy
was not yet official and he complained “I'm more alone than a dog.”
Gerardo
explained his position to Regina. He didn't want Alonso's candidacy
to benefit from his party's support. She initially reacted that one
had nothing to do with the other, then admitted that he was right.
“I
asked him for a divorce.”
“Regina,”
he said in a whisper. He then clasped her hands, but she withdrew
them and stood up.
“Regina,
look at me. I won't touch you. If you don't want me to, I won't do
it. I want to kiss you. I'm going to.”
He
did, and it was all he expected it to be.
Labels: candidata
Comments:
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Please note the following:
Due to the subject matter of this novela there will be strict moderation of the comments. Anything about current or past real-world political situations will be removed. Discussion will be limited to the story, the production values, and the actors' performances. Also, episode discussions will be closed once the next episode's recap is posted.
Due to the subject matter of this novela there will be strict moderation of the comments. Anything about current or past real-world political situations will be removed. Discussion will be limited to the story, the production values, and the actors' performances. Also, episode discussions will be closed once the next episode's recap is posted.
Thank you, Urban, for yet another wonderful recap to accompany my café this a.m.
Finally we find out that Emiliano goes to a University so now we know what he does when not holed up in his room.
I wonder what Mario's plan is for Teresa to ruin Gerardo's chances (she could have done it on her own without Mario's direction) and what was said after he dragged her out of the bar.
Uh oh, Regina is not planning on attending Alonso's big candidacy announcement nor is Omar. This is going to be a mess.
Another, uh, oh: Alma and her mouth may not be long for this world after talking to Ignacio.
About time for that kiss.
Finally we find out that Emiliano goes to a University so now we know what he does when not holed up in his room.
I wonder what Mario's plan is for Teresa to ruin Gerardo's chances (she could have done it on her own without Mario's direction) and what was said after he dragged her out of the bar.
Uh oh, Regina is not planning on attending Alonso's big candidacy announcement nor is Omar. This is going to be a mess.
Another, uh, oh: Alma and her mouth may not be long for this world after talking to Ignacio.
About time for that kiss.
I agree. Alma is a DWW. I doubt that leaving the country would help.
Alonso clearly does not give a flying damn for Emiliano. When Regina ended the call from her mother he should have gone home with her and listened to her on the way. Instead he goes to Cecelia's place to play house, the bastard.
Regina seems to not be aware that he is cheating on her and has been for a long time. That's a time bomb waiting to explode.
Teresa could ruin Gerardo's career and his life with nobody's help. I think Mario is smart enough to know this so I think he's trying to figure out how to kill her and frame Gerardo.
Alonso clearly does not give a flying damn for Emiliano. When Regina ended the call from her mother he should have gone home with her and listened to her on the way. Instead he goes to Cecelia's place to play house, the bastard.
Regina seems to not be aware that he is cheating on her and has been for a long time. That's a time bomb waiting to explode.
Teresa could ruin Gerardo's career and his life with nobody's help. I think Mario is smart enough to know this so I think he's trying to figure out how to kill her and frame Gerardo.
Alfredo, so true about the wardrobe for women. I actually haven't "noticed" it which is a big change from the norm.
Urban, excellent point about Regina not being aware of Alonso's cheating yet.
Urban, excellent point about Regina not being aware of Alonso's cheating yet.
Jarifa: Alma brought this on herself. The Big Mouth getting her whacked.
UA: Since UniMas moved this TN to 6:00 PM CST.
UA: Since UniMas moved this TN to 6:00 PM CST.
Thanks Urban for the detailed recap. Why did Laretta choose Alonso as the party's candidate instead of Regina? Mario is collecting dirt on Gerardo whose house is bugged. Imagine if they tape an encounter between Gerardo and Regina. Mario is a master manipulator but he has a lot to hide himself. Its amazing that he managed to keep his two families separate.
Permalink posted by 
: Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 8:58:00 AM EDT
: Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 8:58:00 AM EDT
Superb recap, Urban! Also an excellent insight into Alonso's character with your remark about his projecting his own desires--a total narcissist. Otoh, he and Cecilia actually make quite an effective political couple, although not necessarily por lo bueno. How did Mario find Teresa? Does he have her bugged, too? Followed?
Gerardo's apartment is being bugged. That serves multiple purposes for Mario in that he can keep an eye on Teresa, Ximena, and Gerardo for all things familial and political.
As to why Alonso was chosen by the party, we don't know yet. We haven't seen many of the other party members. It could be that his main supporters are determined to see him become president rather than his significantly younger wife or the handsome upstart who is making a bid for her heart. She will probably switch political parties before getting to the nomination as well.
As to why Alonso was chosen by the party, we don't know yet. We haven't seen many of the other party members. It could be that his main supporters are determined to see him become president rather than his significantly younger wife or the handsome upstart who is making a bid for her heart. She will probably switch political parties before getting to the nomination as well.
IMHO, I think they went with Alonso because Regina was too hesitant in accepting Larreta's offer and he was not willing to spend the tremendous political capital it would have taken if she wasn't going in 110%. Regina having "to think about it" was not the answer he needed to go against the Alonso machine inside the party.
As for Teresa, I would imagine that Mario would have her followed in order to get the best info to blackmail Gerardo with.
Thanks Urban for the totally awesome recap. I've been out and about the past few days so I have relied on the recaps, and I feel like I did not miss a thing.
The reason for the support from the party going to Alonso was said by Laretta. He said that Omar's supporters were supporting Alonso, so it was a combination of things. Alonso using Laretta's lover, Regina hesitating, and Omar's supporters. Plus IMOH I think the political leadership would rather have a corrupt man who will fill their pockets, than a decent woman who will work for the people.
I was shocked that Mauro knows about Cecilia's mother. What are his motives for keeping it quiet?
There are many parallels in this TN:
1)Omar, Alonso and Emiliano are very similar in the way they are toward women, how they don't accept responsibility for their actions, and how they think they are the center of the universe. Me, me, me!!!
2)Mauro and Ignacio - these two are the dirty deed doers for their parties, and they know all the dirty secrets, I expect they will both end up dead or in jail.
3)Magda and Daniela - although very different they are both very dedicated to their bosses and are willing to do anything for them.
The reason for the support from the party going to Alonso was said by Laretta. He said that Omar's supporters were supporting Alonso, so it was a combination of things. Alonso using Laretta's lover, Regina hesitating, and Omar's supporters. Plus IMOH I think the political leadership would rather have a corrupt man who will fill their pockets, than a decent woman who will work for the people.
I was shocked that Mauro knows about Cecilia's mother. What are his motives for keeping it quiet?
There are many parallels in this TN:
1)Omar, Alonso and Emiliano are very similar in the way they are toward women, how they don't accept responsibility for their actions, and how they think they are the center of the universe. Me, me, me!!!
2)Mauro and Ignacio - these two are the dirty deed doers for their parties, and they know all the dirty secrets, I expect they will both end up dead or in jail.
3)Magda and Daniela - although very different they are both very dedicated to their bosses and are willing to do anything for them.
I think Mauro is a good poker player, figuratively speaking. He holds onto the high cards until it's time to play them.
And I agree that the other men in the party -- all of whom are older than Regina -- would prefer a corrupt man who will line their pockets to an honest woman who will actually help the people.
And I agree that the other men in the party -- all of whom are older than Regina -- would prefer a corrupt man who will line their pockets to an honest woman who will actually help the people.
UA: I'm hoping when this nightmare TN ends that Regina becomes President of the United Mexican States when everything is exposed.
Steve, what do you think the body count will be? I'm going to miss Wednesdays and Fridays for a few weeks. I've retired this year and I enrolled for a 7 week Spanish II semester at a community college! Grammar isn't difficult for me as I was trained as a Latin teacher 50 years ago in another country but I'm not good at "hearing" the language which is why I watch novelas. Where I live in Michigan I don't come across many Spanish-speaking people. Well I might as well try. Thanks for the recaps. I much prefer this novela to others that are running at the moment.
Permalink posted by : Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 3:16:00 PM EDT
: Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at 3:16:00 PM EDT
I am so not sure what to expect of the final outcome. The credits show her waving to a crowd with what looks like falling ticker tape, but there was also a shot of Omar hitting Susanna and that never happened.
What needs to be addressed by Regina now is Alonso's failure to be a father. When she finds out where he went after she went home to Emiliano's issues she should hail all her wrath upon him.
What needs to be addressed by Regina now is Alonso's failure to be a father. When she finds out where he went after she went home to Emiliano's issues she should hail all her wrath upon him.
Thanks so much Urban! I love your putting in the conversation and putting it all together. While watching this part with Mauro and Cecelia, I was wondering what the point was of everything. Seemed like a test to me, because as soon as he left, Alonso shows up, so Alonso must have been behind all of this.
Didn't Regina notice that Alonso never came home last night?
Didn't Regina notice that Alonso never came home last night?
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