Caray, Caray!

Scenes have been combined or rearranged for better flow. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

We begin in the middle of a forest, looks like early morning. Zoom in on a box, it has a cover, it looks like what a DIY coffin would turn out. The box is rather small, small enough that only a child could fit in. And someone IS inside, because we see the cover slightly move and we hear a little girl’s voice:

« Mom! Mommy! Help! » She is not completely alone, a small, ruffled dog is standing close.

6 years before

We are in a barrio looking like every other telenovela barrio we’re ever seen. A pregnant girl named Paz is walking next to her bike, while holding her pregnant belly and speaking to her unborn daughter. She can’t wait to meet her and hold her in her arms. They are going to be so happy together. Her sister joins her, she is riding a bike, also (the kind that has like a small carriage in the back), looks a bit worried that Paz is working too hard, she should take it easy now that the baby is about to be born. But no, Paz was so thankful to God for giving her a child, she’d promised to work extra hard, to give her baby a better life than the one they have. We realize the girls are taco vendors and the street workers are good customers. A child asks for a taco, too, but the mom can’t pay for it, so Paz offers it to them.

Everyone is happy in the barrio.

We change to a different setting. A woman is about to give birth in a bathtub. Her brother Mauro is with her. Unfortunately, the baby, a girl, is stillborn. The mom, Ginebra, gets mad, but not with grief – she’s upset with the doctors, demanding they resuscitate the child, she only did this to make Elias happy.

Paz is walking in her barrio, still talking to her daughter, when she sees a money exchange between two guys. She doesn’t like it!

She gest home to find one of the men from the transaction. It’s Fermin, her husband, she wants to know what he’s up to, did he find a job yet? It takes us 3 seconds straight to realize the guy is a deadbeat and Paz is carrying all the weight in their family. They start arguing and the guy actually slaps his pregnant wife so hard she falls.

Father of the year material… not (fun fact: the guy playing Fermin is Hugo Catalan, Claudia Martin’s real-life boyfriend).

Paz throws Fermin out, she’s sick of him, he’ll never change. Her family arrives so they stop arguing, but Paz’s mom realizes Fermin hit her. So her sister slaps him back. I already love her.

All the women throw him out. Paz is sad but her family is promising to stand by her. Always together. There are also two teens around, two boys who are Paz’s nephews.

And now we’re on the beach. A loving father, Esteban, is playing with his three kids in the water. Two of them are older, almost teens, the third one is a toddler (Daniel Elbittar’s real-life younger son, Alex). They look like a loving bunch.

They arrive home where they are joined by the mom, Berenice (Daniel’s real-life wife, Sabrina Seara and also the toddler's real-life mom). Her mom is supposed to arrive too, but some work is delaying her.

Esteban and the kids have a surprise for mom. The couple kiss, they are obviously happy. They all start playing in the water.

Mauro is taking care of the tiny stillborn, while his sister Ginebra is having a shower. She looks pissed, NOT grieving, just pissed. She looks at the tiny coffin held by her brother. She is frustrated because she tried to do everything right to have a healthy child, and still it was a waste of time. The doctor couldn’t tell for sure why this happened, but he was paid not to say a word about the outcome. Mauro asks Ginebra if she wants to say goodbye to her baby daughter, but she doesn’t seem to care.

They keep mentioning an Elias guy, it becomes obvious the siblings wanted this baby to get their hands on the money that they need for whatever. Ginebra demands her brother to do whatever it takes but find her a solution! What about some help with the “other” plan, he asks. No, she says, while breaking some furniture, obey HER order and do what you’re told, Mauro!

As he leaves, Ginebra gets a call from Elias. He’s her husband, he’s on his way to the airport. He asks if she’s doing OK, everything should be good, especially since a water birth is more relaxing (mansplaining much?). She plays along, their baby girl won’t be long. When will he be back? Tomorrow morning, he can’t wait to meet their daughter. Ginebra is panicked!

A perfect life shattered...

Daniel Elbittar and his wife are getting paid to make out on camera. Ehhh, I mean, Esteban and Berenice are in their room, kissing, flirting, joking. They are interrupted by a message from Berenice’s mom. She’s arriving at the hotel, but she sent her daughter some work files she needs to revise before. Seeing Esteban’s face, we realize there is not much love lost between the two of them. He doesn’t understand why the suegra is always checking on them, he’s done everything in his power to prove himself. Berenice agrees, they are partners, and they are working so well together. Esteban says he’s having a shower, reminds Berenice to check her sugar levels before going to dinner. They do it together and everything looks good. As he leaves, she looks a bit pensive.

Later she’s almost ready to leave, when she hears a voice. She thinks it’s her husband, but nobody is around, checks out the house, the front door is ajar, she closes it and goes back inside.

Esteban and the kids greet Dona Elvira, the kids’ grandma. A quick exchange between the grown-ups makes it obvious she likes him even less than he likes her. Esteban would like to talk to her, but not in front of the bigger kids. She has no secrets, though, so what is it that he needs to say?

He explains that he’s always loved Berenice for herself and they’ve both worked together really well for Elvira’s company. The old lady calls him a simple assistant, he must never forget SHE is the owner of the company.

Esteban doesn’t cave, he respects her, but he demands the same respect in return. Berenice and himself are partners, they will be together until death, he also has rights. He goes to fetch his wife.

The older kids have been listening in and asks why doesn’t she like their dad. Ah, well, grown up stuff – that YOU made them witness.

Esteban goes searching for Berenice. He finds her on the floor, passed out, he starts screaming, calling for an ambulance. I can see a bunch of syringes around her.

He carries his wife outside, the kids start crying, some paramedics are there trying to resuscitate her. The daughter, Gala, remembers a sweet moment with her mom. The boy does the same and also Esteban remembers a loving moment with his wife.

Back to the present everyone is crying and looking miserable. The doctor says there are no signs of life, Berenice is dead. More crying and the baby is breaking my heart, because he’s only two and he doesn’t know this is pretend, all he sees is his actual mom on the ground, not responding. I hope this was a quick scene for the poor kid.

Esteban begs for his wife to wake up, Elvira asks him to compose himself for the kids’ sake.

Much later Esteban and the kids are on the beach. He promises them their mother’s love will never go away. They will stick together, remember her, manage to move on by trying to keep her proud. The toddler makes me smile, he's munching on an apple, looking very serene, I guess he understood mom is OK.

Elvira arrives and asks the older kids to go pack their bags. She asks Esteban if he and Berenice fought before she arrived. He doesn’t have the time to answer because the cop investigating Bere’s death arrives with some questions. He gets confirmation that the deceased had diabetes, Esteban says they’d just checked her sugar levels, and everything was OK. The cop says they found some used insulin shots in the house and shows them a letter supposedly from Berenice. Esteban refuses to believe Berenice would commit suicide, but Elvira says it’s her handwriting, what happened between them??

Later they talk alone and Esteban refuses to believe Berenice would kill herself, since they were happy together. He will get to the bottom of this, he swears it!

At night, Esteban is with his kids, promising to always stand by their side, always together. Their mom’s love will always accompany them. Elvira listens to them, she looks heartbroken, too.

Once the kids are asleep, Esteban is alone, crying. Elvira thinks he’s very calm, he says he’s destroyed. He simply can’t understand what happened. Elvira accuses him of killing his daughter. Was it jealousy, vengeance against her? Esteban understands she hates him and is looking for someone to blame, but never dare accuse him ever again. Elvira insists Berenice died for him and she will find out why.

She storms out leaving Esteban to sob alone, on the floor.

Two mothers, one child - not quite a Solomon's tale

Ginebra has decided to burn her stillborn daughter in her tiny coffin. She’s crying, but I feel it has nothing to do with the child. She’s sending Mauro messages, pressuring him to find a solution, their time is running out.

Fermin is running, some guys are chasing him.

Paz is with her family, they have a surprise for her, a barrio baby shower. She tries to play along but she’s a bit sad. How could Fermin have changed so much without her realizing it? Her mom tries to comfort her. Fermin shows up, gets down on his knees asking for forgiveness.

Paz can’t accept that not even having a child has changed him. And now he’s even hitting her. He keeps begging, Paz’s sister pushes him out. He looks frantic, the men following him are not far behind. He tries to hide in the crowd, but he is cornered. He owes some nasty men a lot of money, so he gets a good beating.

Then one of the guys starts shooting, pushes Paz to the ground and the bastards starts ruining the party. Good for nothing Fermin manages to drag his sorry ass next to his wife, who has fainted.

Paz is taken to the hospital; the doctors must do an emergency C-section. Outside the OR, Fermin is trying to play the victim, he’s worried for his wife and kid, too. As if! A cop is telling him and Paz’s mom that they will try to find the men who attacked them. She wonders how he plans to repay all the money those men pretend he owes them.

Paz’s baby is born and is in perfect health. She is taken to an incubator, while the doctors still work on the mother.

Using telenovela dark magic, Mauro has found a healthy baby (guess who!). The mom had an accident and is not doing too great. Ginebra wants the kid, no matter how much it costs. Mauro explains it will be hard, but he will take care of it.

Fermin is talking to his baby, saying he will step up and take care of her. He almost looks like he believes what he says. Mauro arrives carrying a bag, making sleazy Fermin an offer. He wants to buy his daughter. For whatever reason Mauro knows Fermin owes money, those men won’t give up so easily, they already attacked his wife, next they will come for him.

Fermin almost protests, Mauro says they can always have another child, the money he’s offering could help him get rid of all his problems. Fermin wants to see the cash; Mauro increases the pressure, he needs an answer in 10 seconds.

How about the cops going around?

Mauro will handle those, all Fermin needs to do is go inside that room and get his daughter, hand her to him. What about Paz, Fermin asks, what will he tell her?

Mom and sister are with a sleeping Paz, they almost lost her, but thank God, she will be OK. The baby is a cutie, they are keeping her under observation for now. They are both worried about Fermin’s money debt.

Paz wakes up and her mom tells her baby girl is doing great, she will soon get to see her.  

Fermin is in the hospital bathroom, throwing up (must be his stinky conscience). He looks at his mirror image, says he disgusts himself. But his daughter is better off and one day they will be reunited (my God, this guy, I’ve met him 10 minutes ago and already I can’t stand to look at him). He throws a phone in the toilet.

Ginebra is at home when Mauro arrives with a baby girl. She finally looks happy. This girl will be their salvation. She holds her for a second, then places her in a crib, in a perfectly decorated room.

Fermin arrives to see Paz just as some nurses get to the room, too, to say the baby has gone missing. Paz gets frantic, manages to get out of bed with her sister’s help and gets to the room where her baby had been until moments before. She sees the empty incubator and starts sobbing.

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