Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Llena de Amor #162 (Mex. 186-187) Mon 4/4/11
Capitulo 186 Axel Gets the Axe
Brandon and Mari are talking on the street when they spot the Lirio getting on his motorcycle, in broad daylight no less. Brandon wants to shoot (just his tires, I hope) but Mari shoves Brandon onto his Jeep seat and squashes him. Who knew foam was so heavy?
In the garden of the Casa de Mucho Dinero, Gladiola, who says she knows Ilitia had an affair with Brandon, is being very friendly to rude and doubting Ilitia. Gladiola explains that back in the day she was a make-up person for TV and she’d love to help Ilitia out with hair and makeup since she’s on rest now. I wonder if she’s up to date on how to make those little segments of hair stick together at the ends – I’ve been riveted by that. Ilitia, who obviously can’t believe Gladiola ever had any kind of life, says she knows poor people like Gladiola like to figure out ways to weasel money from rich folks like her.
Gladiola says it’s all for free – and she could help with her pregnancy. Ilitia, who doesn’t believe anybody ever does anything without expecting something in return, wonders what Gladiola knows. Gladiola plays dumb. Ilitia dismisses her.
Consuelo, at the Pension de Poco Dinero with pasty-faced Javier, is gushing over the money the Lirio left for his surgery when in come Brandon and Mari. When Brandon hears where the money came from, he snatches it away, saying he can’t let her use dirty money, he has to hand it over to the police. Mari appeals to him, and though he’s torn, he’s the Representative of The Law. You’d think The Law would pick somebody along the lines of young, snarling Arnold Schwarzenegger, maybe bristling with heavy artillery, as a rep, but our petite Brandon is feisty and muscled, and we know his heart is pure, and that’s what matters. Consuela implores that it’s Javier’s chance to live.
Kristel is seductively lounging on a couch, purring to Lorenzo that she feels like the hottest woman in the world, a queen. He snaps out of it, and – poof! - it’s actually Fedra filling out the exact same dress with some flesh to spare, mainly in front. He thoughtbubbles that he has to get Kristel out of his mind. Fedra can tell something’s on his mind, so he lies that he’s worried about Emil. Fedra tells him to relax, Bernardo’s planning a nice accident.
Netty’s eyes pop – she can’t believe all the zeros in Emil’s account, and she thinks that if he wants to protect all that money, he ought to put it in his kids’ names. He knows Fedra and her tricks, and Netty and her honesty, and he knows his money is safe with Netty, that she can be trusted to give it back to his kids.
Meantime, Lorenzo is all worried about what he’s going to do for money, while Fedra luxuriates in the thought that she’s about to be a very rich widow. Lo doesn’t like that she’s using Bernardo to help her again. Bernardo’s in love with her!
So what? says Fedra. Lo reminds her that Bernardo has saved Jose Maria’s life more than once. She thinks Bernardo is loyal to both her and JM, but there’s one critical detail about him – he got the judge’s cell which recorded her murdering him, and Lo’s voice is very clear on the recording, so she’s got to keep Bernardo happy, and Lo’s just got to live with it.
The doorbell rings. It’s Axel who snidely remarks on Lorenzo’s love den, with his “respectable” mother in it.
Here’s how it stands at the pension: Consuelo, Gladiola and Mari for keeping the money, Brandon worried that it will make them all accessories to the crime.
Netty doesn’t like Emil talking about her giving the money to his kids – she wants him to live a long time. He figures he’s still got lots of miles on him, and he wants to travel them with her. He whips out a wedding ring and Netty’s eyes get huge.
Eman and Benigno high-five over how excited Javier was to see his hero, and how wonderful it is that he’ll get his operation. The talk turns to Vicky, who Eman feels he’ll be spending the rest of his days with. On the other hand, he still loves Mari, so his heart is divided exactly at 50/50. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, say Benigno. (No me gustaría estar en sus zapatos. I know that’s not new vocab or even a dicho, but I’m a sucker for these nifty little phrases.) Still, he thinks Vicky is la mujer de su vida. Anyway, Mari’s married and Vicky wants to start up with Brandon. Benigno thinks she’s really interested in the Lirio.
Poor Brandon, near tears, assailed by the ladies (and the sight of a sick little boy) on one side and his principles on the other. Mari snatches the briefcase of money away, but Javier returns it to him, saying Brandon’s right, then, wouldn’t you know, on right cue clutches his head and passes out. Weeping and wailing, and Brandon picks him up and leaves with everyone but Gladiola for the hospital. Gladiola hugs the briefcase and proclaims that if the Lirio left it for the operation, then that’s what it’s going to be for.
Back to Lorenzo’s love nest, where things are much more fun. Axel tells them that Kristel gave him the address and he wanted to pop in and see the place with his own eyes. He tells Fedra that she said Delicia was a slut, but maybe she ought to look in the mirror to see one. Lorenzo tries to shut him up, but Axel hopes his mother was telling the truth that none of them were Lorenzo’s spawn. Oh yeah? says Lorenzo, well I wouldn’t want to have a big nothing like for a son either.
So there. Anyway, when Axel tells Fedra she cost him what he loved most in the world, Fedra just pours herself a nice stiff one and tells him no big deal, she was just a servant. He holds up her bottle then drops it. It’s in shards, like his heart, and he grabs her by the shoulders. He knows everything! She protests that she did it to save him from marrying a servant. Lorenzo sides with Fedra. Axel tells his mother it’s his life and she should just butt out.
Netty is overcome by Emil’s proposal, protests and flops in a chair and fans herself. Emil is all sweet charm, and she accepts. Get her a pen and she’ll sign the papers! The papers can wait, Emil tells her, slipping the ring on her finger. Closeup of the ring – whooeee! It’s a honker. They kiss.
Fedra haughtily sniffs to Axel that he was about to marry a savage, somebody without culture or education. You’re describing yourself, zings Axel. Delicia is dignified, decent, yes, very poor, but honest, with a heart that’s worth all the gold in the world.
Lorenzo opines that Axel needs to get out in the world, you know, sample some women, some wine, get some experience. Axel sneers, and asks Lorenzo to do everybody a favor and take his lover here and get her out of their lives. Off Axek goes.
Fedra throws back the last of her hooch and trots out after him.
At the hospital, the doctor rushes little Javier off while Consuelo wails then passes out in Brandon’s arms.
Netty has signed all the papers, and Pacheco graciously but ruefully congratulates her. He leaves, and Emil remarks that she’s leaving a lot of broken hearts: Pacheco, the doctor, Jose Maria. She says that she has always been head over heels in love with Emil, and they kiss again.
Consuelo has come to, and wails about her son being about to die and how Brandon doesn’t care. Brandon protests that he would give his life for Javier. Mari understands Brandon’s dilemma, but she tells him it’ll be on his conscience for the rest of his life. She leaves. Enough already! We know how it’ll come out anyway.
Presto change-o, Doris has morphed Mari back into Vicky, who fusses about switching back and forth all he time, and now Ilitia wants to talk to both Mari and Vicky together. But, actually moving on from the all-engrossing topic of herself – why does Doris look so down? It’s Andre – she’s in love with him, says Doris, and she understands him, but he’s hurting her, he’s not for her. Pity me that the heart that is slow to learn what the swift mind beholds at every turn, she says. Well, actually Edna St. Vincent Millay said that, but not in Spanish, which saves me a bit of translation.
Mari gets some roses she figures are from Eman, and she and Doris decide to forget guys and go to a movie. Then Mari reads the card: I need you more than ever (signed) El Lirio de Plata. Awesome! She hugs the roses.
Fedra has followed Axel home, right into his bedroom. She tells him she had the right to interfere because she’s his mama. She didn’t want him to throw his life in the dumpster, to dishonor the family’s good name. He tells her she’s the one dishonoring it by being Lorenzo’s lover.
Water off a duck’s back to Fedra. She agrees with Lorenzo, Axel needs more experience with women. He’ll thank her later.
Delicia walks in with Pacheco. She wants her divorce now.
Vicky sits on her bed and exults over her roses. The card further tells her to take the piece of cloth from the roses and to cover her eyes with it. We’re going to be alone just you and I.
She makes herself a blindfold with the swatch of cloth and sure enough, the Lirio is suddenly in the room, thoughtbubbling that he’s not going to lose her, even if he has to hide his face. It’s just you and me, he says to thrilled Vicky, and he pulls the mask up a little and gets right to kissing her. I know this is supposed to be a romantic scene, but it’s a hoot watching blindfolded Vicky and Leatherman kiss through a small space in his mask. He sweeps her up in his arms and carries her to the window.
Doris comes down the hall, goes into Vicky’s room and finds her gone, but the roses and a silver lirio remain on the bed. Doris thinks it’s all terribly exciting.
Pacheco announces that he’s helping Delicia for free because she’s Vicky and Mari’s friend. Fedra calls him a barrio lawyer and spits that Delicia isn’t going to get a single peso. Delicia says she didn’t marry for money, but for love. Now she wants out of this nightmare. Fedra keeps on, and Axel tells her to butt out, then tells Delicia he’s not signing any divorce papers.
Oliver and Gretel show up at the hospital where weepy waily Consuelo tells them there’s no money for the operation. The Lirio boo hoo but Brandon boo hoo. Oliver kinda understands him.
A doctor comes out and says they have to operate now and Consuelo weepily wails about no money. But here comes Gladiola, saying everything is paid and look! There’s still some left over. She gives the mostly empty briefcase to Brandon. The doctor, satisfied that he’s going to be paid, announces that there’s no time to lose.
Consuelo tells Brandon to go ahead and handcuff her. He struggles saying that he believes in the law, in justice. Finally he cracks and hands over the briefcase, telling them he never saw the money. He takes off.
Emil, with a spring in his step, comes home and finds gloomy Axel on the steps. Axel explains how Fedra set Delicia up. Emil is sympathetic, but notes that everyone believed Delicia was innocent, except Axel. Axel doesn’t want to lose her. Emil sadly tells him that he lost her the moment he quit believing in her.
Axel begs his father to help him convince Delicia. Emil just shakes his head and tells him he’s a man now and he has to take responsibility for his actions and accept the consequences. Behind Emil I see ghostly legions of viewers, arms folded, glaring at Axel, but maybe that’s just my imagination.
Jose Maria is out of his hospital bed and has put on his street clothes. In comes Netty, and he admires how she’s glowing. She exults over how happy she is, and he takes it to be because of his improvement. He says she’s never known anyone who fills him with life like she does. She tries to tell him she wasn’t referring to his health, but he interrupts, taking her hands (somehow not noticing the ring) and tells her Destiny planted her right in front of him.
Destiny, he says, is like a dark cloudy day at sea, and suddenly the sun appears. Bit of a mixed metaphor if you look at what he just said, but hey, I don’t write this stuff. She is his sunlight, and he wants her to be his wife.
Delicia has signed some papers, and Pacheco tells her that it’s not all over that fast. Axel comes in and begs her to give him a chance and don’t do this to him (to him??? Grrrrr.). She tells him she loved him, she faced his family for him, but he threw it all away. Pacheco warns them that is just the first step, and it’ll take a while, particularly if the marriage was consummated, which it was, right? It was, says Delicia, in a nightmare I’ll never forget.
She hands Axel the papers and asks him, if he has even a little respect for her, to sign them. Reluctantly, he does, telling her he hopes she doesn’t regret it tomorrow, because no other man will ever love her as much as he does. Off he goes.
It’s nighttime and Brandon has come to see Ilitia who demands to know what he’s doing there. He in turn demands to know about what she told Consuelo, that he’d gotten somebody pregnant.
El Lirio has brought blindfolded Vicky to a cabin in the woods lit by burning candles. He removes her blindfold and she admires the room. He tells her they’re at a cabin in the woods where he comes when he wants to be alone, a refuge. He puts the blindfold back on and says from now on, he wants her kisses to be his refuge.
He removes his mask, so we see his face, and he kisses her.
Capitulo 187 Love is Blind (rated R)
Netty apparently hasn’t told Jose Maria that she’s engaged, because they’ve arrived back at the pension where he pays her some courtly compliments, and she says she doesn’t want to hurt him. She figured she’d be single all her life, and then wouldn’t you know it, today…
Emil walks in, because maybe actually there is no front door to even lock, and finishes Netty’s sentence for her – Today he asked her to marry him, and she said yes.
Vicky is having a candlelight dinner with El Lirio, and you’d think the romantic atmosphere would be lost on her, since she’s still blindfolded, but no, she says she tastes everything so much more intensely. He, unmasked still, pops another tasty morsel into her mouth.
In his low rumbly Lirio voice, Eman talks sensually of the wine, then kisses her. More nuzzling and slow kissing on his part, while he seductively murmurs that time doesn’t exist for them.
Brandon is grilling Ilitia about who this woman could be that she says is carrying his bairn. She laughs that they way he slept around, who knows. He tells her no way – if a woman was expecting his child, it would be the most important thing in his life, and he’d never leave her. Really? says Ilitia, brightening. They used protection, so he’s sure the her baby isn’t his – or is it? She just looks at him.
Back to the kissing – Vicky is breathless, afraid she’ll do something foolish, they ought to stop. Go for, it says El Lirio, kissing her some more. She wants to take the blindfold off. In a little bit, he says, more kissing, more flickering candles, swelling music. El Lirio turns and puts his mask back on, then slowly removes her blindfold. She turns to look at him, then says she wants to see who he is before it goes further.
You really don’t know who I am? Look into my eyes, he says. She doesn’t need to tell him his name, just who he is. You are the love of my life, she states. He partially lifts his mask and kisses her. The musicians are really working up a sweat. They sit on the bed, still kissing. The Lirio and Vicky, I mean.
Ilitia tells Brandon that the kid is Eman’s. He thinks she really deep down wishes it was his. She snorts. She admits that she started the rumor, but she did it to bug Consuelo. Brandon is sad, and wonders if she actually wished it were his. She snorts again. He wishes it were, and he wipes his eyes. He strokes her cheek and she softens.
Enter Fedra, coming down the stairs, and that’s the end of our sweet little scene.
Netty tells Emil off for dropping a bomb like that on poor Jose Maria, who could catch another heart attack right there in her living room. She was going to break the news slowly.
JM points out that Emil isn’t divorced, and Fedra’s not going down without one helluva fight. Why, it could takes months… years! Why take something on backorder, when JM is right on the shelf, assembled, and ready to take home? Emil is furious, but JM, wagging a finger in front of him, says he’s not going to steal his life again. Off he goes.
What does that mean? Emil wonders. Netty sympathizes that he doesn’t have long to live and he ought to have a little happiness before he goes. With somebody else! storms Emil. First he’s cozying up to Eman, and now he’s dropping to one knee for Netty. Netty swears he’s a good man. Emil’s cell rings and it’s Gretel, telling him about Javier.
Fedra just knows something’s going on between Brandon and Ilitia. She flies at them. Brandon stops her, reminding her of Ilitia’s delicate state. He leaves, and as soon as he’s out of sight, Fedra grabs Ilitia by the hair, warning her that he’s off limits, and if she doesn’t obey, Fedra will be glad to murder them both.
Things have progressed in the candle-lit getaway. Vicky and the masked Lirio are now horizontal and she swears he’s el hombre de su vida. He calls her his woman, his love, his friend, his lover. He doesn’t want to rush her, though. She tells him to put her blindfold back on and have at it. He warns that he won’t be able to hold back.
Wow, my TV is fogging over. He puts the blindfold back on her, then takes off his mask and starts kissing her, saying hot seductive lines. Steamy stuff! Candles, theme song, and the next thing we know, they’re both nekkid, except for her blindfold and he’s on top of her. Fadeout.
Fedra asks Ilitia if she knows where her husband is. Ilitia asks if she knows where hers is. Fedra tells her that she’s pathetic, taking up with that policeman, just to feel loved. Angry, Ilitia wants to go to her room, but Fedra orders her to stay, then says she’s been wondering how it is that a fellow would prefer sleeping with a disgusting fatty over caressing someone like Ilitia, huh?
Ask my father, says Ilitia, a tear running down her cheek, after all, he slept with you. Good one! says Fedra. I like you better this way, unsheathing your claws.
Jorge wanders in and says there was a meeting at the agency, and Eman and Mari didn’t show up all day. He plops himself on the couch by Ilitia, who is upset to hear that Mari wasn’t with him. Fedra figures that Ilitia’s husband and Jorge’s wife are probably cheating on them at this very moment. Jorge and Ilitia go looking for them.
Bernardo is the next to wander in. He tells Fedra he just found out that none of the money or the agency shares are in Emil’s name.. they’re all in Netty’s. Fedra does some deep breathing.
Jorge calls Doris on her cell to see if Mari’s at the pension, but he gets her at the hospital. He was unaware that Javier was in surgery there, or in fact who Javier is. Anyway, he wants her to put Mari on. Doris says she doesn’t know where she is, but she does know that she’s fine, better than ever in fact. She can’t say who Mari is with, but he’s making her very happy, and she deserves that, she’s sure he will agree. She’s gotta run.
Jorge snaps his phone shut. Both he and Ilitia Suspect.
It’s getting even hotter in the hideaway, many kisses, much lovetalk. Isn’t this private? Should we actually be seeing this stuff? I hope y’all locked up the kiddies, because this isn’t for their innocent eyes.
The Jorge/Ilitia alliance is unraveling. They are both steamed about Mari and Eman. Ilitia says it’s probably her fault – she told Mari that Jorge and Vicki were lovers, which makes Jorge even more steamed. Ilitia tells him that Mari was crying, and if he were man enough, neither Mari nor Vicky would be chasing after Eman. Zing! Ilitia thinks he should beg Mari’s forgiveness. Zing! Jorge tells her Eman thinks she’s pregnant with someone else’s child and he’s definitely going to leave her no matter what. Zing zing! You’re on your own, says Jorge. She slams out.
More kissing in the love nest. Kissing is actually an understatement, but Edna St. V. Millay isn’t helping me this time. Eman thoughtbubbles that he’s sorry, but it was the only way to love (read: make love to) her. To himself, he remembers the first time. Out loud, she marvels that it’s like they were together before.
Fedra absorbs the news about Netty and Emil’s fortune like a body blow. Bernardo reckons Eva must be doing somersaults in her grave. Fedra is amazed that Netty is smarter than she thought – she wasn’t happy with just Emil, she had her eyes all over Chema too. Looks like Netty wins, says Bernardo, smiling wryly. It’s all Bernardo’s fault! None of this would have happened if he had just killed her like she ordered. And now she has her hands on Fedra’s machos and her money too. Bernardo helpfully points out that Netty has Fedra’s children too, because they respect her much more than they do Fedra.
Fedra swears she’s going to take her limb from limb because nobody – nobody! – takes what’s hers. Bernardo just shakes his head.
Netty and Emil show up at the hospital waiting room where Consuelo is – surprise! - weepy and waily and fills them in. Oliver explains that the Lirio paid for the operation. Whadda guy, says Emil.
Ilitia gets a call and thinks it’s her baby, but it’s Mauricio wanting to talk to her. Frightened, she tells him to leave her alone.
The doctor comes out from the operating room and tells them it went great, referring I guess to the operation, not the deposit to his account. Jubilation! Gretel thinks Brandon should stop chasing the Lirio, and Emil mentions his noble mission. Doris says she’s sure el Lirio is happy right now, and there are some wondering looks.
It’s post-amooor time at the hideaway, and Vicky’s is lying tenderly on Eman’s chest. She guesses she’ll find out some other time who he is. He apologies, but said it was the only way for them to be together. More lovetalk, more kisses, more swelling…music.
In Brandon’s office he and Oliver are having a big laugh. Oliver tells Tejeda that he made up with the Love of His Life. Manolo comes in and plants a big one on him. Tejeda congratulates them and tells them that a same-sex marriage will set a great example for everyone, in fact, he wants to be padrino. Some joking about Manolo living as a girl that I didn’t catch, and Tejada thinks he’s going to have an operation. More laughs, and everyone leaves Tejeda confused.
Javier is in his hospital bed, unconscious still, and Consuelo, Netty and Gladiola are overjoyed that the Lirio helped. The two ladies suspect that Netty actually knows him, but fortunately the doctor comes in just then.
Tejeda wonders how money for Javier’s surgery appeared magically. Brandon fumbles around and says he thinks some family member sent it. Tejeda thinks he’s hiding something.
Brandon changes the subject to El Lirio. Tejeda thinks Brandon should watch Vicky, since he has an inside track with her, but Brandon thinks Jose Maria is of more interest.
Javier opens his eyes to see the Lirio, who apparently has made his way from the hospital parking lot, through the lobby, up the elevator and down the halls full of staff. Or maybe he climbed in the window. Or maybe he just changed in the bathroom. Anyway, I’m as amazed as Javier, and I’m not even coming off heavy drugs.
El Lirio tells Javier to go to school, have fun, and be a good fellow. Javier promises, and says he wants to grow up to be like the Lirio. Because El Lirio didn’t think to lock the door, in comes Mari who is stunned to see him. El Lirio! She thoughtbubbles. Mi Gordita Hermosa, he thoughtbubbles.
Nereida brings Ilitia and some coffee and gossips about something, though I couldn’t make it out, maybe something about Jorge being cheated on. Ilitia suddenly has an appetite and orders up a big breakfast. She gives herself a pep talk about needing to keep her fabulous figure. Behind her, Mauricio is approaching. He kisses her cheek, scaring her. He has come to inquire after the paternity of the little tadpole in her abdomen (which, if it has been listening through the walls of the womb all this time, must’ve decided it’s going to cling for all it’s worth to some handy organ and not be squeezed out into a world full of lunatics).
Javier, though fresh off surgery, has more sense than most of the adults in the novela, because he thinks Mari should lock the door. She stares at El Lirio while Javier tells her that his head hurts, but he’s going to be strong because El Lirio is with him. El Lirio pretends not to know who Mari is. Javier introduces them and she smiles and says she’s heard so much about him. Gosh, there are actually 5 people here when you think about it. Javier of course, then there’s Mari and Vicky and Eman and El Lirio. He gallantly kisses her hand.
Delicia is struggling comically with a test in school, and we see lots of cute guys in the room. We can always hope. The teacher gathers up the tests.
Mari thanks El Lirio for all he does, and when Javier tells him how Mari convinced Brandon to let them use the money, El Lirio thanks her. Javier thanks them both, and Mari says it was all the Lirio. She plants a kiss right on his leather mask, and doesn’t stop. This girl is really into leather, I’m telling you. She wraps an arm around his neck.
Avances: Emil tells Jose Maria that if he can win Netty’s love, Emil will back off. But if Emil wins, JM has to disappear. They shake on it. Mauricio gets rough with Ilitia and says they have to talk about how they’re going to raise their child. He covers her mouth and drags her out.
Some different avances on TV, which may be for the last weeks. Kristel sees Mau attacking Ilitia, and pulls a gun on him. The doctor tells Mari she’s pregnant. Etc.
Gran Final: Monday, April 18th.
Brandon and Mari are talking on the street when they spot the Lirio getting on his motorcycle, in broad daylight no less. Brandon wants to shoot (just his tires, I hope) but Mari shoves Brandon onto his Jeep seat and squashes him. Who knew foam was so heavy?
In the garden of the Casa de Mucho Dinero, Gladiola, who says she knows Ilitia had an affair with Brandon, is being very friendly to rude and doubting Ilitia. Gladiola explains that back in the day she was a make-up person for TV and she’d love to help Ilitia out with hair and makeup since she’s on rest now. I wonder if she’s up to date on how to make those little segments of hair stick together at the ends – I’ve been riveted by that. Ilitia, who obviously can’t believe Gladiola ever had any kind of life, says she knows poor people like Gladiola like to figure out ways to weasel money from rich folks like her.
Gladiola says it’s all for free – and she could help with her pregnancy. Ilitia, who doesn’t believe anybody ever does anything without expecting something in return, wonders what Gladiola knows. Gladiola plays dumb. Ilitia dismisses her.
Consuelo, at the Pension de Poco Dinero with pasty-faced Javier, is gushing over the money the Lirio left for his surgery when in come Brandon and Mari. When Brandon hears where the money came from, he snatches it away, saying he can’t let her use dirty money, he has to hand it over to the police. Mari appeals to him, and though he’s torn, he’s the Representative of The Law. You’d think The Law would pick somebody along the lines of young, snarling Arnold Schwarzenegger, maybe bristling with heavy artillery, as a rep, but our petite Brandon is feisty and muscled, and we know his heart is pure, and that’s what matters. Consuela implores that it’s Javier’s chance to live.
Kristel is seductively lounging on a couch, purring to Lorenzo that she feels like the hottest woman in the world, a queen. He snaps out of it, and – poof! - it’s actually Fedra filling out the exact same dress with some flesh to spare, mainly in front. He thoughtbubbles that he has to get Kristel out of his mind. Fedra can tell something’s on his mind, so he lies that he’s worried about Emil. Fedra tells him to relax, Bernardo’s planning a nice accident.
Netty’s eyes pop – she can’t believe all the zeros in Emil’s account, and she thinks that if he wants to protect all that money, he ought to put it in his kids’ names. He knows Fedra and her tricks, and Netty and her honesty, and he knows his money is safe with Netty, that she can be trusted to give it back to his kids.
Meantime, Lorenzo is all worried about what he’s going to do for money, while Fedra luxuriates in the thought that she’s about to be a very rich widow. Lo doesn’t like that she’s using Bernardo to help her again. Bernardo’s in love with her!
So what? says Fedra. Lo reminds her that Bernardo has saved Jose Maria’s life more than once. She thinks Bernardo is loyal to both her and JM, but there’s one critical detail about him – he got the judge’s cell which recorded her murdering him, and Lo’s voice is very clear on the recording, so she’s got to keep Bernardo happy, and Lo’s just got to live with it.
The doorbell rings. It’s Axel who snidely remarks on Lorenzo’s love den, with his “respectable” mother in it.
Here’s how it stands at the pension: Consuelo, Gladiola and Mari for keeping the money, Brandon worried that it will make them all accessories to the crime.
Netty doesn’t like Emil talking about her giving the money to his kids – she wants him to live a long time. He figures he’s still got lots of miles on him, and he wants to travel them with her. He whips out a wedding ring and Netty’s eyes get huge.
Eman and Benigno high-five over how excited Javier was to see his hero, and how wonderful it is that he’ll get his operation. The talk turns to Vicky, who Eman feels he’ll be spending the rest of his days with. On the other hand, he still loves Mari, so his heart is divided exactly at 50/50. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, say Benigno. (No me gustaría estar en sus zapatos. I know that’s not new vocab or even a dicho, but I’m a sucker for these nifty little phrases.) Still, he thinks Vicky is la mujer de su vida. Anyway, Mari’s married and Vicky wants to start up with Brandon. Benigno thinks she’s really interested in the Lirio.
Poor Brandon, near tears, assailed by the ladies (and the sight of a sick little boy) on one side and his principles on the other. Mari snatches the briefcase of money away, but Javier returns it to him, saying Brandon’s right, then, wouldn’t you know, on right cue clutches his head and passes out. Weeping and wailing, and Brandon picks him up and leaves with everyone but Gladiola for the hospital. Gladiola hugs the briefcase and proclaims that if the Lirio left it for the operation, then that’s what it’s going to be for.
Back to Lorenzo’s love nest, where things are much more fun. Axel tells them that Kristel gave him the address and he wanted to pop in and see the place with his own eyes. He tells Fedra that she said Delicia was a slut, but maybe she ought to look in the mirror to see one. Lorenzo tries to shut him up, but Axel hopes his mother was telling the truth that none of them were Lorenzo’s spawn. Oh yeah? says Lorenzo, well I wouldn’t want to have a big nothing like for a son either.
So there. Anyway, when Axel tells Fedra she cost him what he loved most in the world, Fedra just pours herself a nice stiff one and tells him no big deal, she was just a servant. He holds up her bottle then drops it. It’s in shards, like his heart, and he grabs her by the shoulders. He knows everything! She protests that she did it to save him from marrying a servant. Lorenzo sides with Fedra. Axel tells his mother it’s his life and she should just butt out.
Netty is overcome by Emil’s proposal, protests and flops in a chair and fans herself. Emil is all sweet charm, and she accepts. Get her a pen and she’ll sign the papers! The papers can wait, Emil tells her, slipping the ring on her finger. Closeup of the ring – whooeee! It’s a honker. They kiss.
Fedra haughtily sniffs to Axel that he was about to marry a savage, somebody without culture or education. You’re describing yourself, zings Axel. Delicia is dignified, decent, yes, very poor, but honest, with a heart that’s worth all the gold in the world.
Lorenzo opines that Axel needs to get out in the world, you know, sample some women, some wine, get some experience. Axel sneers, and asks Lorenzo to do everybody a favor and take his lover here and get her out of their lives. Off Axek goes.
Fedra throws back the last of her hooch and trots out after him.
At the hospital, the doctor rushes little Javier off while Consuelo wails then passes out in Brandon’s arms.
Netty has signed all the papers, and Pacheco graciously but ruefully congratulates her. He leaves, and Emil remarks that she’s leaving a lot of broken hearts: Pacheco, the doctor, Jose Maria. She says that she has always been head over heels in love with Emil, and they kiss again.
Consuelo has come to, and wails about her son being about to die and how Brandon doesn’t care. Brandon protests that he would give his life for Javier. Mari understands Brandon’s dilemma, but she tells him it’ll be on his conscience for the rest of his life. She leaves. Enough already! We know how it’ll come out anyway.
Presto change-o, Doris has morphed Mari back into Vicky, who fusses about switching back and forth all he time, and now Ilitia wants to talk to both Mari and Vicky together. But, actually moving on from the all-engrossing topic of herself – why does Doris look so down? It’s Andre – she’s in love with him, says Doris, and she understands him, but he’s hurting her, he’s not for her. Pity me that the heart that is slow to learn what the swift mind beholds at every turn, she says. Well, actually Edna St. Vincent Millay said that, but not in Spanish, which saves me a bit of translation.
Mari gets some roses she figures are from Eman, and she and Doris decide to forget guys and go to a movie. Then Mari reads the card: I need you more than ever (signed) El Lirio de Plata. Awesome! She hugs the roses.
Fedra has followed Axel home, right into his bedroom. She tells him she had the right to interfere because she’s his mama. She didn’t want him to throw his life in the dumpster, to dishonor the family’s good name. He tells her she’s the one dishonoring it by being Lorenzo’s lover.
Water off a duck’s back to Fedra. She agrees with Lorenzo, Axel needs more experience with women. He’ll thank her later.
Delicia walks in with Pacheco. She wants her divorce now.
Vicky sits on her bed and exults over her roses. The card further tells her to take the piece of cloth from the roses and to cover her eyes with it. We’re going to be alone just you and I.
She makes herself a blindfold with the swatch of cloth and sure enough, the Lirio is suddenly in the room, thoughtbubbling that he’s not going to lose her, even if he has to hide his face. It’s just you and me, he says to thrilled Vicky, and he pulls the mask up a little and gets right to kissing her. I know this is supposed to be a romantic scene, but it’s a hoot watching blindfolded Vicky and Leatherman kiss through a small space in his mask. He sweeps her up in his arms and carries her to the window.
Doris comes down the hall, goes into Vicky’s room and finds her gone, but the roses and a silver lirio remain on the bed. Doris thinks it’s all terribly exciting.
Pacheco announces that he’s helping Delicia for free because she’s Vicky and Mari’s friend. Fedra calls him a barrio lawyer and spits that Delicia isn’t going to get a single peso. Delicia says she didn’t marry for money, but for love. Now she wants out of this nightmare. Fedra keeps on, and Axel tells her to butt out, then tells Delicia he’s not signing any divorce papers.
Oliver and Gretel show up at the hospital where weepy waily Consuelo tells them there’s no money for the operation. The Lirio boo hoo but Brandon boo hoo. Oliver kinda understands him.
A doctor comes out and says they have to operate now and Consuelo weepily wails about no money. But here comes Gladiola, saying everything is paid and look! There’s still some left over. She gives the mostly empty briefcase to Brandon. The doctor, satisfied that he’s going to be paid, announces that there’s no time to lose.
Consuelo tells Brandon to go ahead and handcuff her. He struggles saying that he believes in the law, in justice. Finally he cracks and hands over the briefcase, telling them he never saw the money. He takes off.
Emil, with a spring in his step, comes home and finds gloomy Axel on the steps. Axel explains how Fedra set Delicia up. Emil is sympathetic, but notes that everyone believed Delicia was innocent, except Axel. Axel doesn’t want to lose her. Emil sadly tells him that he lost her the moment he quit believing in her.
Axel begs his father to help him convince Delicia. Emil just shakes his head and tells him he’s a man now and he has to take responsibility for his actions and accept the consequences. Behind Emil I see ghostly legions of viewers, arms folded, glaring at Axel, but maybe that’s just my imagination.
Jose Maria is out of his hospital bed and has put on his street clothes. In comes Netty, and he admires how she’s glowing. She exults over how happy she is, and he takes it to be because of his improvement. He says she’s never known anyone who fills him with life like she does. She tries to tell him she wasn’t referring to his health, but he interrupts, taking her hands (somehow not noticing the ring) and tells her Destiny planted her right in front of him.
Destiny, he says, is like a dark cloudy day at sea, and suddenly the sun appears. Bit of a mixed metaphor if you look at what he just said, but hey, I don’t write this stuff. She is his sunlight, and he wants her to be his wife.
Delicia has signed some papers, and Pacheco tells her that it’s not all over that fast. Axel comes in and begs her to give him a chance and don’t do this to him (to him??? Grrrrr.). She tells him she loved him, she faced his family for him, but he threw it all away. Pacheco warns them that is just the first step, and it’ll take a while, particularly if the marriage was consummated, which it was, right? It was, says Delicia, in a nightmare I’ll never forget.
She hands Axel the papers and asks him, if he has even a little respect for her, to sign them. Reluctantly, he does, telling her he hopes she doesn’t regret it tomorrow, because no other man will ever love her as much as he does. Off he goes.
It’s nighttime and Brandon has come to see Ilitia who demands to know what he’s doing there. He in turn demands to know about what she told Consuelo, that he’d gotten somebody pregnant.
El Lirio has brought blindfolded Vicky to a cabin in the woods lit by burning candles. He removes her blindfold and she admires the room. He tells her they’re at a cabin in the woods where he comes when he wants to be alone, a refuge. He puts the blindfold back on and says from now on, he wants her kisses to be his refuge.
He removes his mask, so we see his face, and he kisses her.
Capitulo 187 Love is Blind (rated R)
Netty apparently hasn’t told Jose Maria that she’s engaged, because they’ve arrived back at the pension where he pays her some courtly compliments, and she says she doesn’t want to hurt him. She figured she’d be single all her life, and then wouldn’t you know it, today…
Emil walks in, because maybe actually there is no front door to even lock, and finishes Netty’s sentence for her – Today he asked her to marry him, and she said yes.
Vicky is having a candlelight dinner with El Lirio, and you’d think the romantic atmosphere would be lost on her, since she’s still blindfolded, but no, she says she tastes everything so much more intensely. He, unmasked still, pops another tasty morsel into her mouth.
In his low rumbly Lirio voice, Eman talks sensually of the wine, then kisses her. More nuzzling and slow kissing on his part, while he seductively murmurs that time doesn’t exist for them.
Brandon is grilling Ilitia about who this woman could be that she says is carrying his bairn. She laughs that they way he slept around, who knows. He tells her no way – if a woman was expecting his child, it would be the most important thing in his life, and he’d never leave her. Really? says Ilitia, brightening. They used protection, so he’s sure the her baby isn’t his – or is it? She just looks at him.
Back to the kissing – Vicky is breathless, afraid she’ll do something foolish, they ought to stop. Go for, it says El Lirio, kissing her some more. She wants to take the blindfold off. In a little bit, he says, more kissing, more flickering candles, swelling music. El Lirio turns and puts his mask back on, then slowly removes her blindfold. She turns to look at him, then says she wants to see who he is before it goes further.
You really don’t know who I am? Look into my eyes, he says. She doesn’t need to tell him his name, just who he is. You are the love of my life, she states. He partially lifts his mask and kisses her. The musicians are really working up a sweat. They sit on the bed, still kissing. The Lirio and Vicky, I mean.
Ilitia tells Brandon that the kid is Eman’s. He thinks she really deep down wishes it was his. She snorts. She admits that she started the rumor, but she did it to bug Consuelo. Brandon is sad, and wonders if she actually wished it were his. She snorts again. He wishes it were, and he wipes his eyes. He strokes her cheek and she softens.
Enter Fedra, coming down the stairs, and that’s the end of our sweet little scene.
Netty tells Emil off for dropping a bomb like that on poor Jose Maria, who could catch another heart attack right there in her living room. She was going to break the news slowly.
JM points out that Emil isn’t divorced, and Fedra’s not going down without one helluva fight. Why, it could takes months… years! Why take something on backorder, when JM is right on the shelf, assembled, and ready to take home? Emil is furious, but JM, wagging a finger in front of him, says he’s not going to steal his life again. Off he goes.
What does that mean? Emil wonders. Netty sympathizes that he doesn’t have long to live and he ought to have a little happiness before he goes. With somebody else! storms Emil. First he’s cozying up to Eman, and now he’s dropping to one knee for Netty. Netty swears he’s a good man. Emil’s cell rings and it’s Gretel, telling him about Javier.
Fedra just knows something’s going on between Brandon and Ilitia. She flies at them. Brandon stops her, reminding her of Ilitia’s delicate state. He leaves, and as soon as he’s out of sight, Fedra grabs Ilitia by the hair, warning her that he’s off limits, and if she doesn’t obey, Fedra will be glad to murder them both.
Things have progressed in the candle-lit getaway. Vicky and the masked Lirio are now horizontal and she swears he’s el hombre de su vida. He calls her his woman, his love, his friend, his lover. He doesn’t want to rush her, though. She tells him to put her blindfold back on and have at it. He warns that he won’t be able to hold back.
Wow, my TV is fogging over. He puts the blindfold back on her, then takes off his mask and starts kissing her, saying hot seductive lines. Steamy stuff! Candles, theme song, and the next thing we know, they’re both nekkid, except for her blindfold and he’s on top of her. Fadeout.
Fedra asks Ilitia if she knows where her husband is. Ilitia asks if she knows where hers is. Fedra tells her that she’s pathetic, taking up with that policeman, just to feel loved. Angry, Ilitia wants to go to her room, but Fedra orders her to stay, then says she’s been wondering how it is that a fellow would prefer sleeping with a disgusting fatty over caressing someone like Ilitia, huh?
Ask my father, says Ilitia, a tear running down her cheek, after all, he slept with you. Good one! says Fedra. I like you better this way, unsheathing your claws.
Jorge wanders in and says there was a meeting at the agency, and Eman and Mari didn’t show up all day. He plops himself on the couch by Ilitia, who is upset to hear that Mari wasn’t with him. Fedra figures that Ilitia’s husband and Jorge’s wife are probably cheating on them at this very moment. Jorge and Ilitia go looking for them.
Bernardo is the next to wander in. He tells Fedra he just found out that none of the money or the agency shares are in Emil’s name.. they’re all in Netty’s. Fedra does some deep breathing.
Jorge calls Doris on her cell to see if Mari’s at the pension, but he gets her at the hospital. He was unaware that Javier was in surgery there, or in fact who Javier is. Anyway, he wants her to put Mari on. Doris says she doesn’t know where she is, but she does know that she’s fine, better than ever in fact. She can’t say who Mari is with, but he’s making her very happy, and she deserves that, she’s sure he will agree. She’s gotta run.
Jorge snaps his phone shut. Both he and Ilitia Suspect.
It’s getting even hotter in the hideaway, many kisses, much lovetalk.
The Jorge/Ilitia alliance is unraveling. They are both steamed about Mari and Eman. Ilitia says it’s probably her fault – she told Mari that Jorge and Vicki were lovers, which makes Jorge even more steamed. Ilitia tells him that Mari was crying, and if he were man enough, neither Mari nor Vicky would be chasing after Eman. Zing! Ilitia thinks he should beg Mari’s forgiveness. Zing! Jorge tells her Eman thinks she’s pregnant with someone else’s child and he’s definitely going to leave her no matter what. Zing zing! You’re on your own, says Jorge. She slams out.
More kissing in the love nest. Kissing is actually an understatement, but Edna St. V. Millay isn’t helping me this time. Eman thoughtbubbles that he’s sorry, but it was the only way to love (read: make love to) her. To himself, he remembers the first time. Out loud, she marvels that it’s like they were together before.
Fedra absorbs the news about Netty and Emil’s fortune like a body blow. Bernardo reckons Eva must be doing somersaults in her grave. Fedra is amazed that Netty is smarter than she thought – she wasn’t happy with just Emil, she had her eyes all over Chema too. Looks like Netty wins, says Bernardo, smiling wryly. It’s all Bernardo’s fault! None of this would have happened if he had just killed her like she ordered. And now she has her hands on Fedra’s machos and her money too. Bernardo helpfully points out that Netty has Fedra’s children too, because they respect her much more than they do Fedra.
Fedra swears she’s going to take her limb from limb because nobody – nobody! – takes what’s hers. Bernardo just shakes his head.
Netty and Emil show up at the hospital waiting room where Consuelo is – surprise! - weepy and waily and fills them in. Oliver explains that the Lirio paid for the operation. Whadda guy, says Emil.
Ilitia gets a call and thinks it’s her baby, but it’s Mauricio wanting to talk to her. Frightened, she tells him to leave her alone.
The doctor comes out from the operating room and tells them it went great, referring I guess to the operation, not the deposit to his account. Jubilation! Gretel thinks Brandon should stop chasing the Lirio, and Emil mentions his noble mission. Doris says she’s sure el Lirio is happy right now, and there are some wondering looks.
It’s post-amooor time at the hideaway, and Vicky’s is lying tenderly on Eman’s chest. She guesses she’ll find out some other time who he is. He apologies, but said it was the only way for them to be together. More lovetalk, more kisses, more swelling…music.
In Brandon’s office he and Oliver are having a big laugh. Oliver tells Tejeda that he made up with the Love of His Life. Manolo comes in and plants a big one on him. Tejeda congratulates them and tells them that a same-sex marriage will set a great example for everyone, in fact, he wants to be padrino. Some joking about Manolo living as a girl that I didn’t catch, and Tejada thinks he’s going to have an operation. More laughs, and everyone leaves Tejeda confused.
Javier is in his hospital bed, unconscious still, and Consuelo, Netty and Gladiola are overjoyed that the Lirio helped. The two ladies suspect that Netty actually knows him, but fortunately the doctor comes in just then.
Tejeda wonders how money for Javier’s surgery appeared magically. Brandon fumbles around and says he thinks some family member sent it. Tejeda thinks he’s hiding something.
Brandon changes the subject to El Lirio. Tejeda thinks Brandon should watch Vicky, since he has an inside track with her, but Brandon thinks Jose Maria is of more interest.
Javier opens his eyes to see the Lirio, who apparently has made his way from the hospital parking lot, through the lobby, up the elevator and down the halls full of staff. Or maybe he climbed in the window. Or maybe he just changed in the bathroom. Anyway, I’m as amazed as Javier, and I’m not even coming off heavy drugs.
El Lirio tells Javier to go to school, have fun, and be a good fellow. Javier promises, and says he wants to grow up to be like the Lirio. Because El Lirio didn’t think to lock the door, in comes Mari who is stunned to see him. El Lirio! She thoughtbubbles. Mi Gordita Hermosa, he thoughtbubbles.
Nereida brings Ilitia and some coffee and gossips about something, though I couldn’t make it out, maybe something about Jorge being cheated on. Ilitia suddenly has an appetite and orders up a big breakfast. She gives herself a pep talk about needing to keep her fabulous figure. Behind her, Mauricio is approaching. He kisses her cheek, scaring her. He has come to inquire after the paternity of the little tadpole in her abdomen (which, if it has been listening through the walls of the womb all this time, must’ve decided it’s going to cling for all it’s worth to some handy organ and not be squeezed out into a world full of lunatics).
Javier, though fresh off surgery, has more sense than most of the adults in the novela, because he thinks Mari should lock the door. She stares at El Lirio while Javier tells her that his head hurts, but he’s going to be strong because El Lirio is with him. El Lirio pretends not to know who Mari is. Javier introduces them and she smiles and says she’s heard so much about him. Gosh, there are actually 5 people here when you think about it. Javier of course, then there’s Mari and Vicky and Eman and El Lirio. He gallantly kisses her hand.
Delicia is struggling comically with a test in school, and we see lots of cute guys in the room. We can always hope. The teacher gathers up the tests.
Mari thanks El Lirio for all he does, and when Javier tells him how Mari convinced Brandon to let them use the money, El Lirio thanks her. Javier thanks them both, and Mari says it was all the Lirio. She plants a kiss right on his leather mask, and doesn’t stop. This girl is really into leather, I’m telling you. She wraps an arm around his neck.
Avances: Emil tells Jose Maria that if he can win Netty’s love, Emil will back off. But if Emil wins, JM has to disappear. They shake on it. Mauricio gets rough with Ilitia and says they have to talk about how they’re going to raise their child. He covers her mouth and drags her out.
Some different avances on TV, which may be for the last weeks. Kristel sees Mau attacking Ilitia, and pulls a gun on him. The doctor tells Mari she’s pregnant. Etc.
Gran Final: Monday, April 18th.
Labels: llena
Monday, April 04, 2011
Triunfo del Amor #84 4/4/11 A Makeover and A Takeover
A Bloodless Coup
The camera pans upward from trousers to matching suit jacket, and sideswept chignon. Tailored beige silk replaces the standup ruffled collars, the ecclesiastical purple and funereal black. In lieu of the heavy crucifix and rosary, we see a white pearl necklace and matching earrings. “Buenos días” says Doña Demente with smug triumph.
The executives of Casa Victoria gape in horror. Because for all the cosmetic changes – and even Demente’s mouth is different, no longer the color of venous blood, but rather a soft pink, much kinder to the aging complexion -- they know they are staring at the face of Evil. Bernarda in Beige is no less appalling than Bernarda in Black.
The gentlemen rise with reflex courtesy. Demente swaggers to the head of the table where Victoria is seated:
Yo soy la dueña de 51% de las acciones de esta empresa; por lo tanto creo que ese es mi lugar.
(I own 51% of the shares in this company; so I believe that is my seat.)
Victoria yields her place without argument and all take their seats again.
And You Thought She Traveled by Broom…
Ximena is driving in the city when her car’s engine makes a sickening whine. She pulls over, gulps down a handful of pills, and pounds on the steering wheel. Engine still not turning over? Xi can’t understand it -- The old Stop, Gulp and Pound method always works on Max! Then she gets out of the car and props up the hood.
Her attention span is limited, poor thing, and her mind begins to wander -- now that Os knows that Gui is a lying slimeball, she has to get her murder kit back right away, the black wig, the gloves and shades …
If You Knew Bernie Like I Know Bernie…
Fabián doesn’t get it. Bernarda is the mother of a priest. How bad could she be? Max explains that mother and son couldn’t be more different – they’re like water and oil, he says. And Bernarda hates his mother more than anyone in the world. They should never have sold her the shares! They should have looked for another option! Fabián remains maddeningly reasonable. (No wonder Fer – and Nathy! – find him so resistible. The guy is the Neville Chamberlain of the Casa de Modas!) There were no other options, he tells Max.
Max rages on with impotent fury: And then on top of everything -- to think of losing María Desamparada forever, to think of her with another man….
We Gotta Get Outa’ This Place
In their hovel in the vecindad, María and Nathy discuss Osvaldo’s visit. Realizing that Max will soon know about her pregnancy and convinced that Ximena will never leave her alone, María feels the best option is to leave the city and start a new life somewhere else. Nathy won’t let her go alone! The friends hug. Enough tears, says Nathy.
Nathy steps out to talk to Juanjo about little Israel’s baptism tomorrow. Left alone, María cradles her belly and says to her baby within: I would have liked you to grow up with a family, your father at your side, but it wasn’t possible.
El Mundo es un Pañuelo
(Small world! The world is a handkerchief.)
Ximena is standing outside her stalled car trying to call someone on her cell when who should walk up but Alonso del Angel – Angelboy, the hunky photographer guy. Problems again? he asks. It seems life has put us in each other’s path once more – asesina! (murderer!)
I never expected to see you again, says Xi to Angelboy. What are you doing in México? I’m a photographer, he reminds her: I travel all over the world, wherever I feel like going. [Maybe, Angelboy. But your paisley/plaid scarf combo looks like it came straight out of Nathy’s pre-fire closet.]
He feigns surprise that she even remembers him -- the father of her baby, or rather, the father of the baby she killed! Xi persuades him to go somewhere they can talk – she deserves a chance to be heard -- although he warns her that nothing she has to say will change his opinion or make him forgive her for what she did.
At Casa Victoria: The New General Reviews her Troops
Roxana, nose turning browner by the second, happily obliges Demente by removing Victoria’s photos from the wall. Then she marches behind her new leader while Oscar, Pip, Toni and Luci bring up the rear.
In her office, Victoria remarks to Max with ironic resignation:
¿Quién iba a creer que la gran diseñadora Victoria Sandoval se iba a caer de su pedestal para obedecer las ordenes de Bernarda de Iturbide?
(Who would have believed that the great designer, Victoria Sandoval, was going to fall from her pedestal to obey Bernarde de Iturbide’s orders?)
Meanwhile Dementa gets a feel for the runway.
And the Deposed Leader Reassesses her Priorities
Max understands perfectly how his mother feels. He offers to resign – they can all leave and start a new firm. If she started an empire from scratch once, she can do it again! But Victoria has other priorities:
Ojala que fuera tan fácil. Yo ya estoy cansada de lidiar con los problemas. Tengo que aceptar que perdí esta batalla. Ahora, lo que menos me importa es la empresa.
(I wish it were that easy. I’m tired of struggling against problems/fighting. I have to accept that I lost this battle. And right now, the company is the least important thing in my life.)
The fundamental thing is Fer. She needs the best medical care, the best surgical treatment. And that costs a lot of money:
Así que para salvar a Fer, no me importa aceptar los desplantes de Bernarda. Porque mi hija -- mi hija -- va a volver a caminar – al precio que sea!
(So to save Fer, it doesn’t matter if I have to accept Bernarda’s rude behavior – because my daughter – my daughter – is going to walk again, no matter what the cost!)
She continues: For your sister’s sake, I’ll do whatever I have to, even allow Bernarda to humilliate me.
Let’s Call it: “Styles by Savonarola”
The Demente Parade reaches the design studio where Bernarda announces her intention to change the company name. Pipino, at her behest, shows her his most important designs.
Cruz Climbs the Walls
Cruz is pacing outside la Casa Sandoval. He is climbing the walls. No, literally, up he goes, slippery, pointy-toed cowboy boots and all. And he tumbles clumsily and painfully over the windowsill into Fer’s room.
¿Qué quieres, Cruz? asks the thorny little flower, stonily.
¿No te dije que no te quería volver a ver?
(Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want to see you again?
But he finally manages to coax a small smile out of her and gets her to listen to his song:
♫Florecita de mi vida
Eres dueña de mi amor…
Don Napo Defends His Honor
Cut to another singing galán, this one in the vecindad. Don Napo is doing his laundry when Poly and Triny, the coquettish Jarochas (ladies from Veracruz) from the vecindad come by to flirt.
The ladies cross the line when they try to mess with Napo’s undies:
¡No se metan con mis prendas íntimas!
He grabs his drawers and runs.
Rewarded with a Smile
♫Yo no voy a resignarme
Este amor sabrá esperarte
Mientras me de vida Dios!
A tear rolls down Fer’s cheek. Cruz leans in as if to kiss her and then pulls back playfully, eliciting a laugh and an equally playful slap on her part. Baboso! For a moment, her lovely smile eclipses the bruises on her face.
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Pipino isn’t smiling though. Demente doesn’t like his designs or his fabric choices. As Rox smirks in the background, Demente announces:
Esta empresa va a cambiar radicalmente sus diseños.
(This company is going to make radical changes in its designs!)
Demente is scandalized by what she sees: this one is too low-cut in front (escotado); this one shows too much leg; this one has the model’s bellybutton (el ombligo) on display; this one is cut too low in back!
Toni’s attempt to explain that their designs are innovative – indeed, award-winning! -- falls on deaf ears. Demente will decide what is acceptable and what is not; if Pipino doesn’t like it, she’ll find another designer. Me, me, pick me! volunteers Rox eagerly. We’ll see, says Demente. Meanwhile, she’ll bring her own people to supervise, including an immediate supervisor (un jefe inmediato) for Victoria.
El Hábito no Hace al Monje
(The habit doesn’t make the monk. Don’t judge by appearances.)
Osvaldo comes to visit Juan Pablo in his cell-like room in the vecindad. Is it true you’re no longer a priest? he asks. JP explains about the temporary leave.
Os is there looking for the truth. Doña Bernarda said some terrible things about Victoria, he tells JP. Now tell me once and for all:
Is Rodolfo Padilla the father of the child Victoria abandoned in the streets so she wouldn’t get in her way of her ambition? Is it true, father? Who is the father of Victoria’s first daughter?
There Comes a Knock at the Door
Guillermo’s bookish repose is interrupted by an insistent knocking. He makes his painful way to the door, leaning on a cane. It’s the cops! Relax Gui! No corpse-sniffing dogs! No forensic accountants! Just a couple of middle-aged public servants doing their duty.
They seize his unregistered gun (but it’s not mine, he protests – I’m just holding it for a friend, and, you know, in case I need to shoot somebody), hand him a citation (he still has some official explaining to do, they tell him), and warn him not to leave the city.
Ximena, Angelboy and the Politics of Abortion
Xi is the spokesdemon for choice. In a coffee shop in the city, she tells Angelboy that he has no right to reproach her for what she did: It’s her body! And besides -- their relationship wasn’t serious.
The Angel doesn’t see it that way. She had no right to get rid of his child. He would have done anything for that baby. He would have married Ximena and they could have made a home, a family together. (Angel, honey, you might want to ask Max how that’s working out for him.)
Xi thinks he is being ridiculous – why does he keep rehashing something that’s over and done with? Besides, she tells him, what’s the big deal? She’s pregnant again right now.
The Angelboy is impactado. She insisted on talking to him, she hasn’t shown any remorse at all, and now she tells him she’s having a child! Apparently not even another pregnancy has sensitized her or awakened a sense of conscience.
No hay nada más importante en la vida para ti – que primero tú y luego tú y al final tú.
(In your life, there is nothing more important than first you, then you, and finally you.)
I never want to see you again, he says, throwing down money on the table. Ximena rolls her eyes.
Beige Bernarda in the Pink Throne
¡No hay nada como ser dueña y jefa! ¿No lo crees, Victoria?
(There’s nothing like being the owner and the boss! Don’t you agree, Vic?)
With these words, the beige Bernarda sweeps into what was Victoria’s office, assumes the pink throne, and tells Vic to remove all her personal belongings from the desk. Vic humbly obeys. As she is going about picking up her things, Bernarda repeats: Victoria will have a boss that she will answer to directly.
When she is gone, Demente holds up a white porcelain angel and vows:
Ahora sí, ya nadie podrá detenerme. Voy a terminar con Victoria!
(Now no one will be able to stop me. I’m going to finish off Victoria!)
Lies My Mother Told You
Osvaldo’s question is still hanging in the air. Finally Juan Pablo replies. Victoria would never have abandoned her daughter; she was a victim of an accident – she was run over and that’s how she was separated from her child:
Todo lo que te haya contado mi madre -- con un gran dolor, te pido que no le creas porque mi madre odia a Victoria desde hace muchos años.
(Whatever my mother may have told you – and it pains me to say this – I beg you not to believe her because my mother has hated Victoria for many years.)
And, continues Juan Pablo, Rodolfo Padilla is a liar – he is NOT the father of her child. Please, don’t believe the lies they tell you about Victoria. She is a wonderful woman – you didn’t appreciate her. (Y tú no la supiste apreciar.)
The Big Guy’s Humility Evokes Naco Nobility
On his way out of the vecindad, Osvaldo meets up with Juanjo and Milagros. Juanjo asks him rather nastily if he’s come to offer him more money for saving his daughter. You know it’s not like that, Os begins. Milagros interjects: I’m sorry, Mr. Sandoval, but you couldn’t undo all the suffering you caused me and my son – not with all the money in the world.
You’re right, says Osvaldo, and I’m paying in spades (con creces)for all the harm I’ve done to others. I’ve lost my wife’s love and respect. And I have to live with the sad truth that my daughter is an invalid – the accident left her paralyzed.
Your daughter???…This news takes Juanjo and Milagros by surprise and their anger changes to empathy; they express their sorrow and offer their prayers. Os is grateful because:
Entiendo que ni tu lástima me merezco.
(I understand that I don’t even deserve your pity.)
As he walks on, Millie follows him. She assures him that, as a mother, she understands his pain. She’s not a person to hold a grudge. Let’s forget our differences, she says. She’ll pray for his family. A tear rolls down Osvaldo’s cheek as he listens to her words.
Capturing Joy
Alonso del Angel is photographing María and telling her how lovely she looks. You’re such a gentleman, she says. No, he corrects her, he’s being selfish (Lo que soy es todo un egoista):
Estoy tomando toda, toda la alegría de tu maternidad y no la pienso compartir con nadie!
(I’m taking/capturing all the joy of your motherhood – all of it -- and I have no intention of sharing it with anyone!)
Oswaldo puts an arm around Millie’s shoulder: He thanks her. He knows he doesn’t deserve her forgiveness. And Juanjo chimes in:
Mira, señor Sandoval, conmigo tampoco no hay bronca.
(Look, Mr. Sandoval, I’m not mad anymore either, lit: there’s no quarrel with me either.)
They end up shaking hands and wishing each other well.
¡Ay Cruz!
– jardinero, bombero, cantante, guapetón - and now fisioterapeuta! (gardener, firefighter, singer, hunk, physical therapist.)
He and Fer are in the pool and he is exercising her legs – flexing them and extending them in the water as she holds on to the edge. She tires quickly and asks him to get her robe. When he turns his back, she loses her grasp on the pool’s edge, her head goes under and she starts flailing desperately in the water. Cruz jumps in and takes her in his arms. She is frantic -- discouraged and frustrated with herself for being an ‘inútil’ (useless). Cruz won’t hear it: There’s a reason God spared your life!
Blond on Blonde
Max, who is looking noticeably blonder this evening – he positively glows tonight -- lays down the law to Doña Demente, who also seems to be walking on the blonde side after an encounter with the hightlight fairy. He recognizes that she is the majority shareholder but he demands respect for his mother; he won’t let anyone humilliate her.
She has no intention humilliating anyone, she says. She is just trying to figure out when the business started to go south. Well Max can tell her that – it was when Victoria was struggling with family problems. You mean when your father took a lover? says Demente. That’s personal and no one outside the family has any right to talk about it, he tells her.
You’re wrong, replies Demente, since it was because of your father’s sin that sales began to go down. And if your mother had taken refuge in her work instead of locking herself in her room and crying – well, things would have been very different. But here’s the result of her weakness and self-indulgence. She lost her business!
Max is very sure that she will recover it promptly.
Really? How? Demente doesn’t like people who waste time, she tells him. She dismisses him with instructions not to come back unless she sends for him. It’s been a pleasure talking with you, he smiles bitterly, and leaves.
No más lágrimas, Victoria tells herself. No más lágrimas. (No more tears.) And she’s not selling baby shampoo, folks.
Si Bernarda quiere guerra, por mi hija juro que guerra tendrá!
(If Bernarda wants war, then she’ll have it! I swear to it, by my daughter!)
Cue the kayak.
The camera pans upward from trousers to matching suit jacket, and sideswept chignon. Tailored beige silk replaces the standup ruffled collars, the ecclesiastical purple and funereal black. In lieu of the heavy crucifix and rosary, we see a white pearl necklace and matching earrings. “Buenos días” says Doña Demente with smug triumph.
The executives of Casa Victoria gape in horror. Because for all the cosmetic changes – and even Demente’s mouth is different, no longer the color of venous blood, but rather a soft pink, much kinder to the aging complexion -- they know they are staring at the face of Evil. Bernarda in Beige is no less appalling than Bernarda in Black.
The gentlemen rise with reflex courtesy. Demente swaggers to the head of the table where Victoria is seated:
Yo soy la dueña de 51% de las acciones de esta empresa; por lo tanto creo que ese es mi lugar.
(I own 51% of the shares in this company; so I believe that is my seat.)
Victoria yields her place without argument and all take their seats again.
And You Thought She Traveled by Broom…
Ximena is driving in the city when her car’s engine makes a sickening whine. She pulls over, gulps down a handful of pills, and pounds on the steering wheel. Engine still not turning over? Xi can’t understand it -- The old Stop, Gulp and Pound method always works on Max! Then she gets out of the car and props up the hood.
Her attention span is limited, poor thing, and her mind begins to wander -- now that Os knows that Gui is a lying slimeball, she has to get her murder kit back right away, the black wig, the gloves and shades …
If You Knew Bernie Like I Know Bernie…
Fabián doesn’t get it. Bernarda is the mother of a priest. How bad could she be? Max explains that mother and son couldn’t be more different – they’re like water and oil, he says. And Bernarda hates his mother more than anyone in the world. They should never have sold her the shares! They should have looked for another option! Fabián remains maddeningly reasonable. (No wonder Fer – and Nathy! – find him so resistible. The guy is the Neville Chamberlain of the Casa de Modas!) There were no other options, he tells Max.
Max rages on with impotent fury: And then on top of everything -- to think of losing María Desamparada forever, to think of her with another man….
We Gotta Get Outa’ This Place
In their hovel in the vecindad, María and Nathy discuss Osvaldo’s visit. Realizing that Max will soon know about her pregnancy and convinced that Ximena will never leave her alone, María feels the best option is to leave the city and start a new life somewhere else. Nathy won’t let her go alone! The friends hug. Enough tears, says Nathy.
Nathy steps out to talk to Juanjo about little Israel’s baptism tomorrow. Left alone, María cradles her belly and says to her baby within: I would have liked you to grow up with a family, your father at your side, but it wasn’t possible.
El Mundo es un Pañuelo
(Small world! The world is a handkerchief.)
Ximena is standing outside her stalled car trying to call someone on her cell when who should walk up but Alonso del Angel – Angelboy, the hunky photographer guy. Problems again? he asks. It seems life has put us in each other’s path once more – asesina! (murderer!)
I never expected to see you again, says Xi to Angelboy. What are you doing in México? I’m a photographer, he reminds her: I travel all over the world, wherever I feel like going. [Maybe, Angelboy. But your paisley/plaid scarf combo looks like it came straight out of Nathy’s pre-fire closet.]
He feigns surprise that she even remembers him -- the father of her baby, or rather, the father of the baby she killed! Xi persuades him to go somewhere they can talk – she deserves a chance to be heard -- although he warns her that nothing she has to say will change his opinion or make him forgive her for what she did.
At Casa Victoria: The New General Reviews her Troops
Roxana, nose turning browner by the second, happily obliges Demente by removing Victoria’s photos from the wall. Then she marches behind her new leader while Oscar, Pip, Toni and Luci bring up the rear.
In her office, Victoria remarks to Max with ironic resignation:
¿Quién iba a creer que la gran diseñadora Victoria Sandoval se iba a caer de su pedestal para obedecer las ordenes de Bernarda de Iturbide?
(Who would have believed that the great designer, Victoria Sandoval, was going to fall from her pedestal to obey Bernarde de Iturbide’s orders?)
Meanwhile Dementa gets a feel for the runway.
And the Deposed Leader Reassesses her Priorities
Max understands perfectly how his mother feels. He offers to resign – they can all leave and start a new firm. If she started an empire from scratch once, she can do it again! But Victoria has other priorities:
Ojala que fuera tan fácil. Yo ya estoy cansada de lidiar con los problemas. Tengo que aceptar que perdí esta batalla. Ahora, lo que menos me importa es la empresa.
(I wish it were that easy. I’m tired of struggling against problems/fighting. I have to accept that I lost this battle. And right now, the company is the least important thing in my life.)
The fundamental thing is Fer. She needs the best medical care, the best surgical treatment. And that costs a lot of money:
Así que para salvar a Fer, no me importa aceptar los desplantes de Bernarda. Porque mi hija -- mi hija -- va a volver a caminar – al precio que sea!
(So to save Fer, it doesn’t matter if I have to accept Bernarda’s rude behavior – because my daughter – my daughter – is going to walk again, no matter what the cost!)
She continues: For your sister’s sake, I’ll do whatever I have to, even allow Bernarda to humilliate me.
Let’s Call it: “Styles by Savonarola”
The Demente Parade reaches the design studio where Bernarda announces her intention to change the company name. Pipino, at her behest, shows her his most important designs.
Cruz Climbs the Walls
Cruz is pacing outside la Casa Sandoval. He is climbing the walls. No, literally, up he goes, slippery, pointy-toed cowboy boots and all. And he tumbles clumsily and painfully over the windowsill into Fer’s room.
¿Qué quieres, Cruz? asks the thorny little flower, stonily.
¿No te dije que no te quería volver a ver?
(Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want to see you again?
But he finally manages to coax a small smile out of her and gets her to listen to his song:
♫Florecita de mi vida
Eres dueña de mi amor…
Don Napo Defends His Honor
Cut to another singing galán, this one in the vecindad. Don Napo is doing his laundry when Poly and Triny, the coquettish Jarochas (ladies from Veracruz) from the vecindad come by to flirt.
The ladies cross the line when they try to mess with Napo’s undies:
¡No se metan con mis prendas íntimas!
He grabs his drawers and runs.
Rewarded with a Smile
♫Yo no voy a resignarme
Este amor sabrá esperarte
Mientras me de vida Dios!
A tear rolls down Fer’s cheek. Cruz leans in as if to kiss her and then pulls back playfully, eliciting a laugh and an equally playful slap on her part. Baboso! For a moment, her lovely smile eclipses the bruises on her face.
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Pipino isn’t smiling though. Demente doesn’t like his designs or his fabric choices. As Rox smirks in the background, Demente announces:
Esta empresa va a cambiar radicalmente sus diseños.
(This company is going to make radical changes in its designs!)
Demente is scandalized by what she sees: this one is too low-cut in front (escotado); this one shows too much leg; this one has the model’s bellybutton (el ombligo) on display; this one is cut too low in back!
Toni’s attempt to explain that their designs are innovative – indeed, award-winning! -- falls on deaf ears. Demente will decide what is acceptable and what is not; if Pipino doesn’t like it, she’ll find another designer. Me, me, pick me! volunteers Rox eagerly. We’ll see, says Demente. Meanwhile, she’ll bring her own people to supervise, including an immediate supervisor (un jefe inmediato) for Victoria.
El Hábito no Hace al Monje
(The habit doesn’t make the monk. Don’t judge by appearances.)
Osvaldo comes to visit Juan Pablo in his cell-like room in the vecindad. Is it true you’re no longer a priest? he asks. JP explains about the temporary leave.
Os is there looking for the truth. Doña Bernarda said some terrible things about Victoria, he tells JP. Now tell me once and for all:
Is Rodolfo Padilla the father of the child Victoria abandoned in the streets so she wouldn’t get in her way of her ambition? Is it true, father? Who is the father of Victoria’s first daughter?
There Comes a Knock at the Door
Guillermo’s bookish repose is interrupted by an insistent knocking. He makes his painful way to the door, leaning on a cane. It’s the cops! Relax Gui! No corpse-sniffing dogs! No forensic accountants! Just a couple of middle-aged public servants doing their duty.
They seize his unregistered gun (but it’s not mine, he protests – I’m just holding it for a friend, and, you know, in case I need to shoot somebody), hand him a citation (he still has some official explaining to do, they tell him), and warn him not to leave the city.
Ximena, Angelboy and the Politics of Abortion
Xi is the spokesdemon for choice. In a coffee shop in the city, she tells Angelboy that he has no right to reproach her for what she did: It’s her body! And besides -- their relationship wasn’t serious.
The Angel doesn’t see it that way. She had no right to get rid of his child. He would have done anything for that baby. He would have married Ximena and they could have made a home, a family together. (Angel, honey, you might want to ask Max how that’s working out for him.)
Xi thinks he is being ridiculous – why does he keep rehashing something that’s over and done with? Besides, she tells him, what’s the big deal? She’s pregnant again right now.
The Angelboy is impactado. She insisted on talking to him, she hasn’t shown any remorse at all, and now she tells him she’s having a child! Apparently not even another pregnancy has sensitized her or awakened a sense of conscience.
No hay nada más importante en la vida para ti – que primero tú y luego tú y al final tú.
(In your life, there is nothing more important than first you, then you, and finally you.)
I never want to see you again, he says, throwing down money on the table. Ximena rolls her eyes.
Beige Bernarda in the Pink Throne
¡No hay nada como ser dueña y jefa! ¿No lo crees, Victoria?
(There’s nothing like being the owner and the boss! Don’t you agree, Vic?)
With these words, the beige Bernarda sweeps into what was Victoria’s office, assumes the pink throne, and tells Vic to remove all her personal belongings from the desk. Vic humbly obeys. As she is going about picking up her things, Bernarda repeats: Victoria will have a boss that she will answer to directly.
When she is gone, Demente holds up a white porcelain angel and vows:
Ahora sí, ya nadie podrá detenerme. Voy a terminar con Victoria!
(Now no one will be able to stop me. I’m going to finish off Victoria!)
Lies My Mother Told You
Osvaldo’s question is still hanging in the air. Finally Juan Pablo replies. Victoria would never have abandoned her daughter; she was a victim of an accident – she was run over and that’s how she was separated from her child:
Todo lo que te haya contado mi madre -- con un gran dolor, te pido que no le creas porque mi madre odia a Victoria desde hace muchos años.
(Whatever my mother may have told you – and it pains me to say this – I beg you not to believe her because my mother has hated Victoria for many years.)
And, continues Juan Pablo, Rodolfo Padilla is a liar – he is NOT the father of her child. Please, don’t believe the lies they tell you about Victoria. She is a wonderful woman – you didn’t appreciate her. (Y tú no la supiste apreciar.)
The Big Guy’s Humility Evokes Naco Nobility
On his way out of the vecindad, Osvaldo meets up with Juanjo and Milagros. Juanjo asks him rather nastily if he’s come to offer him more money for saving his daughter. You know it’s not like that, Os begins. Milagros interjects: I’m sorry, Mr. Sandoval, but you couldn’t undo all the suffering you caused me and my son – not with all the money in the world.
You’re right, says Osvaldo, and I’m paying in spades (con creces)for all the harm I’ve done to others. I’ve lost my wife’s love and respect. And I have to live with the sad truth that my daughter is an invalid – the accident left her paralyzed.
Your daughter???…This news takes Juanjo and Milagros by surprise and their anger changes to empathy; they express their sorrow and offer their prayers. Os is grateful because:
Entiendo que ni tu lástima me merezco.
(I understand that I don’t even deserve your pity.)
As he walks on, Millie follows him. She assures him that, as a mother, she understands his pain. She’s not a person to hold a grudge. Let’s forget our differences, she says. She’ll pray for his family. A tear rolls down Osvaldo’s cheek as he listens to her words.
Capturing Joy
Alonso del Angel is photographing María and telling her how lovely she looks. You’re such a gentleman, she says. No, he corrects her, he’s being selfish (Lo que soy es todo un egoista):
Estoy tomando toda, toda la alegría de tu maternidad y no la pienso compartir con nadie!
(I’m taking/capturing all the joy of your motherhood – all of it -- and I have no intention of sharing it with anyone!)
Oswaldo puts an arm around Millie’s shoulder: He thanks her. He knows he doesn’t deserve her forgiveness. And Juanjo chimes in:
Mira, señor Sandoval, conmigo tampoco no hay bronca.
(Look, Mr. Sandoval, I’m not mad anymore either, lit: there’s no quarrel with me either.)
They end up shaking hands and wishing each other well.
¡Ay Cruz!
– jardinero, bombero, cantante, guapetón - and now fisioterapeuta! (gardener, firefighter, singer, hunk, physical therapist.)
He and Fer are in the pool and he is exercising her legs – flexing them and extending them in the water as she holds on to the edge. She tires quickly and asks him to get her robe. When he turns his back, she loses her grasp on the pool’s edge, her head goes under and she starts flailing desperately in the water. Cruz jumps in and takes her in his arms. She is frantic -- discouraged and frustrated with herself for being an ‘inútil’ (useless). Cruz won’t hear it: There’s a reason God spared your life!
Blond on Blonde
Max, who is looking noticeably blonder this evening – he positively glows tonight -- lays down the law to Doña Demente, who also seems to be walking on the blonde side after an encounter with the hightlight fairy. He recognizes that she is the majority shareholder but he demands respect for his mother; he won’t let anyone humilliate her.
She has no intention humilliating anyone, she says. She is just trying to figure out when the business started to go south. Well Max can tell her that – it was when Victoria was struggling with family problems. You mean when your father took a lover? says Demente. That’s personal and no one outside the family has any right to talk about it, he tells her.
You’re wrong, replies Demente, since it was because of your father’s sin that sales began to go down. And if your mother had taken refuge in her work instead of locking herself in her room and crying – well, things would have been very different. But here’s the result of her weakness and self-indulgence. She lost her business!
Max is very sure that she will recover it promptly.
Really? How? Demente doesn’t like people who waste time, she tells him. She dismisses him with instructions not to come back unless she sends for him. It’s been a pleasure talking with you, he smiles bitterly, and leaves.
No más lágrimas, Victoria tells herself. No más lágrimas. (No more tears.) And she’s not selling baby shampoo, folks.
Si Bernarda quiere guerra, por mi hija juro que guerra tendrá!
(If Bernarda wants war, then she’ll have it! I swear to it, by my daughter!)
Cue the kayak.
Labels: triunfo
Teresa Mon 4/4/11 #4 Not ashamed of being poor -- ashamed of staying poor
Caray still needs recappers for this telenovela; if you're interested, email Melinama at caray@mappamundi.com
Many thanks to Vivi for this recap!
-At the university Teresa does her best to lower Aurora’s assessment of Mariano by pointing out that he is NOT a student at the university, that he is poor, and that he’s taxi driver and flighty jack of all trades. None of this seems to matter to Aurora, she keeps staring at him with stars in her eyes. Mariano returns the starry gaze, while alternating staring daggers at Teresa. Teresa needles Aurora by bringing up her mother’s death, even though Aurora doesn’t like to talk about it (another things she and Mariano have in common). Mariano is super excited to hear Aurora is studying medicine, as it is noble work helping others. But he does not mention this is what he was studying, or that he used to be a college student at all. He gives her his taxi service card and tells her she can call him any time for anything. When he leaves, Teresa tries to twist the knife a bit more by telling Aurora that Mariano is in love with her (Teresa). So in addition to the fact that he’s a poor guy her father will never accept, he has no interest in Aurora. Teresa come out of devious mode, and is genuinely proud of her friend, when Aurora says Mariano’s enthusiasm for medicine convinced her that she must tell her father today that becoming a doctor is not for her.
-Rosita and Johnny decide to become officially (secret) novios and seal it with a kiss. Rosita has one of her fainting spells in the middle of the kiss. Johnny insists in taking her to the doctor. She refuses, not wanting anything to get in the way of her competing in the gymnastics tournament. She makes Johnny promise not to tell anyone. When her father comes upon them and becomes suspicious about them looking so cozy, Johnny spills the beans about Rosita’s fainting spells. Now Armando is determined for Rosita to go to the doctor and to cool it with the gymnastics. Rosita is ticked off at Johnny.
-Mariano interrupts Teresa’s studying at home (but she makes sure her boobs are pushed up and she is in “sexy studying” pose) to reproach Teresa for trying to make him look bad in front of Aurora. He accuses her of being jealous and points out that, unlike her, he’s proud of his humble roots.
-Ruben is determined that Esperanza remain his mistress on call. He does not want her to work, and reminds her how difficult it was for them to see each other when she used to work. Between her job, her family and her sick brother, there would be no time for him. Booh, frickin hoo! Instead he gives her more money and the name of a doctor for her brother. Esperanza convinces the nice doctor to not only do a house visit, but to also not dispel her family’s belief that he’s a friend of hers from the hospital where she supposedly works. He gives her brother a shot and says it will alleviate some of the symptoms for now, but he really should be brought in for more tests. Esperanza’s mom is happy that her daughter’s “friend” would do this “favor.” While she is out of site, Esperanza pays the doctor his fee of 600 pesos for the visit. Mariano sees this exchange.
-We find out that the favor Teresa asked Arturo was to come to her house, speak to her parents, and convince them to accept the offer. Mariano sees him and gives him a hard time. He’s shocked to hear Teresa already accepted his “offer” (these people really need to get their minds out of the gutter). Refugio is so pissed, she nearly strikes Teresa. Armando is more open to hear what the professor has to say. The professor convinces Armando, and Armando makes him swear that he doesn’t have any other intentions with his daughter. Armando accepts the deal, as silent and sullen Refugio looks on. Armando prays to the family altar for Teresa’s success. Refugio prays that Teresa continues to know her place. Teresa says she does indeed know her place—THE BEST. (You go girl!)
-Aurora goes to her father’s(Hector) office to tell him about her change in major. She manages to say she is scared of blood. He brushes that off as normal. He was the same. Time and experience will take care of that. In fact, he’ll arrange soon for her to see an actual surgery in action. Oh goody! Aurora is bowled over by his enthusiasm and chickens out of telling him. Later that evening at home, Hector sees that Aurora is pensive and asks what’s up. She explains that she likes a boy, who likes someone else. Hector sees no problem with this. The other girl has no interest in him. He’s single and Aurora is single. She should go for it! Aurora clutches Mariano’s card and looks like she’s taking dad’s advice to heart.
-The vecinidad throws an impromptu party to celebrate Teresa going to the good university. Mariano has to be practically dragged to the party by his father (Ramon). It is clear that Ramon, Juana, and just about everyone else in the vecinidad want Mariano and Teresa to get back together. Later, a very pleased with herself Teresa gets Mariano to admit he was jealous of the professor. He gets her to admit that she was jealous of Aurora. They both admit that they still love each other. And then we finally get a long, lingering, scorching KISS.
One more thing I forgot, that might be important later-- Ruben gives Esperanza a cell phone (having a cell phone is a big deal for poor people) so that she can really be his "call girl." Esperanza tells Teresa how Ruben doesn't want her to work, and about his paying for the doc to see her brother. Teresa still thinks that Esperanza needs to be able to support herself, and should work. She suggests that Esperanza get a part time job-- being a home care nurse for an old or sick person (very good idea). Esperanza likes the idea and thinks she could do it on the weekends, since that's the time Ruben spends with his family and she never sees him then.
Many thanks to Vivi for this recap!
-At the university Teresa does her best to lower Aurora’s assessment of Mariano by pointing out that he is NOT a student at the university, that he is poor, and that he’s taxi driver and flighty jack of all trades. None of this seems to matter to Aurora, she keeps staring at him with stars in her eyes. Mariano returns the starry gaze, while alternating staring daggers at Teresa. Teresa needles Aurora by bringing up her mother’s death, even though Aurora doesn’t like to talk about it (another things she and Mariano have in common). Mariano is super excited to hear Aurora is studying medicine, as it is noble work helping others. But he does not mention this is what he was studying, or that he used to be a college student at all. He gives her his taxi service card and tells her she can call him any time for anything. When he leaves, Teresa tries to twist the knife a bit more by telling Aurora that Mariano is in love with her (Teresa). So in addition to the fact that he’s a poor guy her father will never accept, he has no interest in Aurora. Teresa come out of devious mode, and is genuinely proud of her friend, when Aurora says Mariano’s enthusiasm for medicine convinced her that she must tell her father today that becoming a doctor is not for her.
-Rosita and Johnny decide to become officially (secret) novios and seal it with a kiss. Rosita has one of her fainting spells in the middle of the kiss. Johnny insists in taking her to the doctor. She refuses, not wanting anything to get in the way of her competing in the gymnastics tournament. She makes Johnny promise not to tell anyone. When her father comes upon them and becomes suspicious about them looking so cozy, Johnny spills the beans about Rosita’s fainting spells. Now Armando is determined for Rosita to go to the doctor and to cool it with the gymnastics. Rosita is ticked off at Johnny.
-Mariano interrupts Teresa’s studying at home (but she makes sure her boobs are pushed up and she is in “sexy studying” pose) to reproach Teresa for trying to make him look bad in front of Aurora. He accuses her of being jealous and points out that, unlike her, he’s proud of his humble roots.
-Ruben is determined that Esperanza remain his mistress on call. He does not want her to work, and reminds her how difficult it was for them to see each other when she used to work. Between her job, her family and her sick brother, there would be no time for him. Booh, frickin hoo! Instead he gives her more money and the name of a doctor for her brother. Esperanza convinces the nice doctor to not only do a house visit, but to also not dispel her family’s belief that he’s a friend of hers from the hospital where she supposedly works. He gives her brother a shot and says it will alleviate some of the symptoms for now, but he really should be brought in for more tests. Esperanza’s mom is happy that her daughter’s “friend” would do this “favor.” While she is out of site, Esperanza pays the doctor his fee of 600 pesos for the visit. Mariano sees this exchange.
-We find out that the favor Teresa asked Arturo was to come to her house, speak to her parents, and convince them to accept the offer. Mariano sees him and gives him a hard time. He’s shocked to hear Teresa already accepted his “offer” (these people really need to get their minds out of the gutter). Refugio is so pissed, she nearly strikes Teresa. Armando is more open to hear what the professor has to say. The professor convinces Armando, and Armando makes him swear that he doesn’t have any other intentions with his daughter. Armando accepts the deal, as silent and sullen Refugio looks on. Armando prays to the family altar for Teresa’s success. Refugio prays that Teresa continues to know her place. Teresa says she does indeed know her place—THE BEST. (You go girl!)
-Aurora goes to her father’s(Hector) office to tell him about her change in major. She manages to say she is scared of blood. He brushes that off as normal. He was the same. Time and experience will take care of that. In fact, he’ll arrange soon for her to see an actual surgery in action. Oh goody! Aurora is bowled over by his enthusiasm and chickens out of telling him. Later that evening at home, Hector sees that Aurora is pensive and asks what’s up. She explains that she likes a boy, who likes someone else. Hector sees no problem with this. The other girl has no interest in him. He’s single and Aurora is single. She should go for it! Aurora clutches Mariano’s card and looks like she’s taking dad’s advice to heart.
-The vecinidad throws an impromptu party to celebrate Teresa going to the good university. Mariano has to be practically dragged to the party by his father (Ramon). It is clear that Ramon, Juana, and just about everyone else in the vecinidad want Mariano and Teresa to get back together. Later, a very pleased with herself Teresa gets Mariano to admit he was jealous of the professor. He gets her to admit that she was jealous of Aurora. They both admit that they still love each other. And then we finally get a long, lingering, scorching KISS.
One more thing I forgot, that might be important later-- Ruben gives Esperanza a cell phone (having a cell phone is a big deal for poor people) so that she can really be his "call girl." Esperanza tells Teresa how Ruben doesn't want her to work, and about his paying for the doc to see her brother. Teresa still thinks that Esperanza needs to be able to support herself, and should work. She suggests that Esperanza get a part time job-- being a home care nurse for an old or sick person (very good idea). Esperanza likes the idea and thinks she could do it on the weekends, since that's the time Ruben spends with his family and she never sees him then.
Labels: Teresa
La Fea Más Bella #281-282 4/4/11 Lovers and Singers and Writers.
Capitulo 281.
Read k-Fuego’s original recap, then come back here to discuss it.
1. Fernando finds Lety’s house is unlocked. He remembers her birthday party and explores her bedroom. He wishes he could touch her dreams.
2. We see Omar and Caro, both pensive afterwards.
3. Alicia gets a big plasma TV. She refuses to go to Lety’s and he threatens to leave her for good. The thought of being homeless again convinces her to go with him.
4. The cuartel waits for TBLMOE at the restaurant. Irma calls Fernando because she’s worried for him. He’s at Plaza Garibaldi, but he says he’s going to move far away. She leaves the dinner to go be with him. Juana decides to join her. Paula says, “Don Fernando needs us.” The others follow.
5. Aldo, Aldad, and Lety arrive at her house for the engagement dinner. MamaJ serves Chiles en Nogada, a Puebla specialty. They talk a lot of nothing.
6. Fernando sings “Ella” with the mariachis. He serves them tequila but doesn’t drink any himself. The cuartel arrives and he thanks them for their support. He says Lety is getting married, and this is his first night of an eternity of suffering. He wants to take a serenade to show Lety he loves her more than Aldo. They get there but the cuartel convinces him to send the mariachis home, and they leave too.
7. Fern writes Lety a message on the sidewalk. He knows it’s wrong, but he just has to tell her how he feels. He gets home and is surprised to see Teresita there. He doesn’t want to tell the details of the show, nor is he in the mood to entertain, so he goes to bed.
8. Omar reluctantly leaves Caro’s house. He actually forgot about Aurora. Caro wonders if she’ll just be like all his other women.
.
.
9. Aldo and Lety find Fern’s message outside, “Lety, I desire for you to be happy.” Aldo throws a full scale tantrum, accusing Fern of blackmailing her. Lety sees nothing wrong with what Fern did, which only makes Aldo madder. Lety thinks Aldo is being petty, getting so angry at such a little thing. Lety even stands and talks like a grown woman, but only for a moment.
.
.
10. A “Just Married” car drives by and wipes out Fernando’s message, and Julieta catches the symbolism. Baby Lety returns, GSNAK.
Capitulo 282.
Read Alma’s original recap, then come back here to discuss it.
1. What a funny scene! Omar sings and dances around. Fern thinks Omar scored with Aurora. Omar does not confirm nor deny, and the men dance and sing together.
2. In her dream, Aurora tells Fern that Aurora has to disappear. She’s afraid Aldo will think that she plays Aurora so she can be with Fern. He turns and it’s actually Aldo who asks, “Isn’t that the case?” Fern confirms, “Lety dresses as Aurora to seduce me.” Lety insists she loves Aldo. Fern solves the problem – Aldo can have Lety and he’ll take Aurora. Lety wails, “No! Lety and Aurora are the same!” She wakes up and asks God, “Who am I?” I’m guessing she’s not Jean Valjean.
3. Omar passes Aurora in the lobby without noticing her. The elevator door closes in Aurora’s face. Omar looks for an excuse to go back to Caro’s house.
4. Inocencio has a huge nose and yellow crooked teeth. He says his only charge is a kiss. Aurora takes offense – doesn’t he recognize her class? Yes, she has no heart. He removes the nose and teeth and then she wants a kiss, but no. He departs from the script and says his mission is to find where love is. He tells Aurora to remove her mask too.
5. Luigi tells Aurora to portray a burning desire to kiss Inocencio. They have to lock in a passionate gaze. Lety aces that assignment! So well, that she scares herself and runs away.
6. Fern tells Omar that Lety should teach Aurora how to flirt because she’s the master. Auroralety tells Tom and Caro that she can’t act that way in front of Fernando.
7. The cuartel disputes whether to tell Aldo that Fern brought Lety a serenade. Sara thinks it will make Aldo leave, and then Fern can win Lety. Paula says Lety loves Aldo. Irma says no, Lety’s confused.
8. Aldo arranges a yacht to hold the wedding on. Heaven forbid he should let Lety decide anything.
9. Omar says he finally understands what Fern meant when he said how special it was, making love to Lety. Fern confirms, she gave herself with love, and he felt her love in every kiss and every caress. Omar says he experienced the same thing with Carolina. Caro tells Lety that it was something special with Omar. Lety says Omar didn’t even notice Aurora that morning. Caro is afraid to get her hopes up.
10. Sara tells Aldo about the serenade. Marta says, “Don’t you think Lety should end up with Fernando?” Aldo replies, “I promise that Lety will end up with the man she deserves. I promise.”
11. Luigi tells the actors, “Great! I just need one more thing. A kiss on the lips.” Both are stunned.
Preview for Tuesday
Read k-Fuego’s original recap, then come back here to discuss it.
1. Fernando finds Lety’s house is unlocked. He remembers her birthday party and explores her bedroom. He wishes he could touch her dreams.
2. We see Omar and Caro, both pensive afterwards.
3. Alicia gets a big plasma TV. She refuses to go to Lety’s and he threatens to leave her for good. The thought of being homeless again convinces her to go with him.
4. The cuartel waits for TBLMOE at the restaurant. Irma calls Fernando because she’s worried for him. He’s at Plaza Garibaldi, but he says he’s going to move far away. She leaves the dinner to go be with him. Juana decides to join her. Paula says, “Don Fernando needs us.” The others follow.
5. Aldo, Aldad, and Lety arrive at her house for the engagement dinner. MamaJ serves Chiles en Nogada, a Puebla specialty. They talk a lot of nothing.
6. Fernando sings “Ella” with the mariachis. He serves them tequila but doesn’t drink any himself. The cuartel arrives and he thanks them for their support. He says Lety is getting married, and this is his first night of an eternity of suffering. He wants to take a serenade to show Lety he loves her more than Aldo. They get there but the cuartel convinces him to send the mariachis home, and they leave too. 7. Fern writes Lety a message on the sidewalk. He knows it’s wrong, but he just has to tell her how he feels. He gets home and is surprised to see Teresita there. He doesn’t want to tell the details of the show, nor is he in the mood to entertain, so he goes to bed.
8. Omar reluctantly leaves Caro’s house. He actually forgot about Aurora. Caro wonders if she’ll just be like all his other women..
.
9. Aldo and Lety find Fern’s message outside, “Lety, I desire for you to be happy.” Aldo throws a full scale tantrum, accusing Fern of blackmailing her. Lety sees nothing wrong with what Fern did, which only makes Aldo madder. Lety thinks Aldo is being petty, getting so angry at such a little thing. Lety even stands and talks like a grown woman, but only for a moment.
.
.
10. A “Just Married” car drives by and wipes out Fernando’s message, and Julieta catches the symbolism. Baby Lety returns, GSNAK.
Capitulo 282.
Read Alma’s original recap, then come back here to discuss it.
1. What a funny scene! Omar sings and dances around. Fern thinks Omar scored with Aurora. Omar does not confirm nor deny, and the men dance and sing together.
2. In her dream, Aurora tells Fern that Aurora has to disappear. She’s afraid Aldo will think that she plays Aurora so she can be with Fern. He turns and it’s actually Aldo who asks, “Isn’t that the case?” Fern confirms, “Lety dresses as Aurora to seduce me.” Lety insists she loves Aldo. Fern solves the problem – Aldo can have Lety and he’ll take Aurora. Lety wails, “No! Lety and Aurora are the same!” She wakes up and asks God, “Who am I?” I’m guessing she’s not Jean Valjean.3. Omar passes Aurora in the lobby without noticing her. The elevator door closes in Aurora’s face. Omar looks for an excuse to go back to Caro’s house.
4. Inocencio has a huge nose and yellow crooked teeth. He says his only charge is a kiss. Aurora takes offense – doesn’t he recognize her class? Yes, she has no heart. He removes the nose and teeth and then she wants a kiss, but no. He departs from the script and says his mission is to find where love is. He tells Aurora to remove her mask too. 
5. Luigi tells Aurora to portray a burning desire to kiss Inocencio. They have to lock in a passionate gaze. Lety aces that assignment! So well, that she scares herself and runs away.6. Fern tells Omar that Lety should teach Aurora how to flirt because she’s the master. Auroralety tells Tom and Caro that she can’t act that way in front of Fernando.
7. The cuartel disputes whether to tell Aldo that Fern brought Lety a serenade. Sara thinks it will make Aldo leave, and then Fern can win Lety. Paula says Lety loves Aldo. Irma says no, Lety’s confused.
8. Aldo arranges a yacht to hold the wedding on. Heaven forbid he should let Lety decide anything.
9. Omar says he finally understands what Fern meant when he said how special it was, making love to Lety. Fern confirms, she gave herself with love, and he felt her love in every kiss and every caress. Omar says he experienced the same thing with Carolina. Caro tells Lety that it was something special with Omar. Lety says Omar didn’t even notice Aurora that morning. Caro is afraid to get her hopes up.
10. Sara tells Aldo about the serenade. Marta says, “Don’t you think Lety should end up with Fernando?” Aldo replies, “I promise that Lety will end up with the man she deserves. I promise.”
11. Luigi tells the actors, “Great! I just need one more thing. A kiss on the lips.” Both are stunned.
Preview for TuesdayLabels: fea-2010
Eva Luna #104 Fri 4/1/11
We start off with Eva being questioned by Marcella’s attorney on the stand.
A: How did you go about working for the Arismendi’s?
E: Leo offered me a job.
A: So Marcella did not interview you for the position.
E: No. But I needed her approval to stay.
A: So tell us exactly what were your job duties?
E: I took care of Don Julio.
A: you made sure he took his medicine?
E: Yes. And I noticed the medicine wasn’t helping him. It was making him worse. I told Marcella
A: are you sure you were giving him the correct dosage?
E: Of course.
A: Is it true that you left that employment and the police were looking for you because you were accused of being a thief?
E: Yes, but I was innocent.
A: Isn’t it a coincidence those days after your disappearance Julio found out his medicine contained poison.
E: Yes. It was just a coincidence. I had nothing to do with that.
Tony and Alicia talk about Marisol. Alicia tells him how much Marisol is loving doing interviews and promoting her album. Tony says sounds like she’s being treated like a queen. Yes, replies Alicia. Wouldn’t you like to be treated like one too asks Tony? Yes, but I’ve given up hope says Alicia. I can treat you like one says Tony. Take care of you and the child you’re expecting. Alicia asks how? You don’t make an honest living. Tony tells her it takes time to get out. She says he’s not a very good person. Neither are you points out Tony. When are you going to tell Eva about the baby?
The prosecutor? asks Renata if it was her responsibility to buy the medicine for Julio.
R: should have been, but Marcella insisted she do it herself.
P: Before Eva, were there other assistants?
R: Yes. They either quit or where fired if they commented that there was something wrong with the medicine.
P: How do you know that?
R: Well, I would listen to the conversations. I remember one case, Rita, was killed in an assault before she was fired.
Next up in the stand is Dr. Garcia. Julio’s friend and accompliance.
A: Is the poison easily bought.
G: I believe so.
A: So anyone present here can buy it?
G: Not in the way it was used.
A: Please explain.
G: The poison had to be chemically altered and that is not available to the public.
Up next to the stand is Daniel.
A: After the death of your parents you were left with no family is that correct?
D: Yes.
A: Who took care of you?
D: Marcella.
A: Who administered your fortune that you inherited?
D: She did.
A: Did you ever suspect anything odd in the administration of your money?
D: No.
A: I understand that she also helped you out when your first wife died.
D: Yes, that’s true.
A: Then how can you think that someone that has shown you so much love have anything to do with the death of your parents?
D: Eva told me what her mother overheard and the investigation they started into the death of my parents.
A: Interesting. The same person who gave the medicine to Julio put that idea into your head.
Up next in the stand is Marcella.
P: Did you know that Pedro Villanueva wanted to sell his stock in the company?
M: No.
P: Have you ever had in your possession the poison that killed the Villanueva’s?
M: No. Never.
P: Where were you when they died?
M: I was at a hotel resting several hours away.
P: While you were there did you rent a car?
M: Yes. I wanted to take a drive and see the sights.
P: Is it true that when you returned home, you had your hand burned?
M: Yes.
P: Did you burn it while setting fire to a car?
Marcella’s attorney objects and says the prosecutor is trying to confuse his client. Judge overrules and tells Marcella to answer the question.
M: I burned my hand at the hotel. It’s ridiculous that they don’t have records of it.
P: Who bought the medicine?
M: I did.
P: Who prescribed it?
M: Dr. Santiago Rivera.
P: Did you have confidence in the doctor’s capabilities?
M: Of course I did. He is a great friend of the family.
P: So that means you know him for many years?
M: Yes.
The prosecutor tells the judge that he’s done questioning Marcella and wants to call in another witness. Marcella’s attorney objects since he did not have advance warning, but the prosecutor says he just found out about him yesterday. Who is this witness asks the judge. Dr. Santiago Rivera replies the prosecutor. Marcella is open mouthed impactada.
Dr. Santiago Rivera is sworn in. Marcella is visibly nervous.
Laurita asks Francisco if he has told Jackie how he feels about her. He tells her no. That these things takes time. Laurita tells him to hurry up before someone else takes her. Francisco says that’s not going to happen. She’s mine and I will not allow it. He has a plan and she’s going to help him with it.
P: Dr. Rivera, are you a personal friend of the accused?
R: Yes.
P: Where did you meet her?
R: At the university.
P: Where you novios?
R: For a while.
P: Why did you break up?
R: I didn’t have money and she put her eyes on a millionaire.
P: What happened afterwards?
R: She married him and later she made a proposition to me.
P: What was it?
R: She would give me 20% if I helped her kill her husband.
Everyone in the courtroom is shocked.
Victoria is banging on the door for someone to let her out. She has completely lost it. A security guard opens the door.
Marcella erupts and calls Dr. Rivera a liar. Judge orders order in the courtroom. Marcella’s attorney tries to calm her down.
P: Did you complete what the accused ask you to do?
R: Yes.
P: How?
R: I gave her some poison and told her how to use it.
P: How many times have you given her this poison?
R: Various times.
P: Be specific.
R: I gave some to her to poison Mr. Villanueva’s parents and first wife.
Marcella’s erupts again. And calls him an idiot.
R: She also poisoned an employee by the name of Rita‘s brother. And her second husband. Leo’s father.
Marcella’s calls him a liar and tells him to shut up. Leo asks her if it’s true. She tells him that he’s lying. Judge wants order in the courtroom. Leo looks crushed. Dr. Rivera tells Leo that Marcella put poison in his dad’s coffee the morning that he died. And tells Daniel that she put poison in his wife’s coffee the night that she died. Marcella is yelling out that Dr. Rivera is lying and for everyone not to believe it. The judge wants her to stop.
The security guard asks Victoria who she is and what’s she’s doing there. He keeps asking her more questions. She just sits there looking frightened. She goes to her purse and he wants to see ID. She reaches in her purse and pulls out mace and maces him. She runs out.
The prosecutor asks Dr. Rivera to tell the court what excuse Marcella gave him for every crime/killing she committed. In Leo’s case she wanted to collect his life insurance; in Daniel’s case she wanted to avoid his parents from selling his stock in the company to strangers and his first wife was because her plan was to have her daughter marry him. And then one day to inherit his stock. And what excuse did she give you do kill Rita’s brother asks the prosecutor. She needed to silence him replies Dr. Rivera. He was going to the police and accuse her of killing his sister. Rita had confessed her suspicions to her brother that Marcella was poisoning Julio. She poisoned them all. Marcella calls him a liar again. The prosecutor presents evidence that all the dead bodies all show that they had the same poison in them. And they all had a connection to Marcella Arismendi.
Francisco has just finished telling Laurita the plan to conquer Jackie. Laurita thinks its all romantic.
Victoria is walking down the street and hails a cab.
The prosecutor is giving his closing arguments.
Eva and Tia are talking. She tells him that the jury is out and hopefully won’t take too long for them to come back. Alicia walks in when they hang up and wants to hear everything that’s going on.
Victoria finds her vehicle.
Daniel can’t believe that Marcella also killed his first wife. She has to pay for everything that she did.
Julio is trying to console Leo.
JoJo and Renata can’t believe how loyal they had been to her. Renata talks about a secret that soon everyone will know.
Liliana runs up to Daniel and lets him know that he has her full support.
Eva tries to console Leo. Leo says today was a very shocking day. Finding out my father was alive and finding out all the things that my mother has done. Eva tells Leo that she knew all along that Julio was alive. Why didn’t you tell me asks Leo? She tells him that Julio asked her not to tell anyone. Leo says she did right. Otherwise everything that happened today would never have seen the light.
Victoria is banging on Liliana’s hotel door. Except Liliana is no longer there. She has moved in with Daniel.
Laurita is unpacking. Jackie is helping her and Laurita notices her sad face. What’s up asks Laurita. Jackie says that Francisco is in love with another woman. She says not to worry. Everything will be alright. Jackie says you know something. Laurita says no, I don’t.
Jury is finally in and the judge asks Marcella to stand. Foreman says Marcella is guilty. Marcella yells no. this is not fair. She grabs the bailiff’s gun. She points the gun at Julio and tells him that she should have killed him with her bare hands. She points it at Eva and says that she gave to take everything that was hers away from her. Daniel is standing in front of Eva.
Jackie keeps asking Laurita if Francisco told her anything. No replies Laurita. What do you mean nothing asks Jackie. Why are you so sure that everything is going to be okay? I don’t know replies Laurita. I just said that so you wouldn’t be sad. That’s all. Jackie begs her to tell her if Francisco said anything.
Marcella tells Eva to stop hiding behind Daniel. Deborah tells Marcella to stop. Marcella tells her that the death of her daughter is the price for your disloyalty. Idiot. Julio tells Marcella to stop. The only one that is responsible for everything is him. Eva has nothing to do with anything. Kill him. Go on kill him. Marcella points the gun at Julio, but says no. Eva has to die first. She points it at Eva and Leo runs up and pushed her arms up and the gun goes off. Officers come and get Marcella. She yells out that she hates Eva. Daniel consoles a crying Eva.
Victoria finds out that Liliana left the hotel a couple of weeks ago. She remembers the last time she saw Liliana.
Laurita calls Adrian to let him know that she’s finally home for good. Laurita lets Adrian in on Francisco’s plan.
Daniel and Liliana talk about the trial on the way home. He hopes that the police will soon catch Victoria and that he can prove to Eva his innocence. Then stop the wedding. Liliana doesn’t like that sound of that.
Jackie is moping around and remembers Humberto. She gives him a call.
Victoria is outside Daniel’s house and sees him drive up with Liliana. She finally realizes that Liliana wanted Daniel all to herself. She tells herself that this is not going to stay like this.
Jackie is cooking and Francisco comes up to talk. He finds out that Humberto invited Jackie out.
The gang gathers at the Arismendi’s house and are relieved that Marcella was found guilty and is behind bars. Leo knew his mother had a strong character, but would never had thought she would have committed such heinous crimes. Especially killing his own father. Julio tells Leo to sit next to him. Julio says that no matter what happened between his mother and him, he will always see Leo has his own son. Leo kisses Julio.
Francisco and Jackie argue.
Leo tells Julio that his words are doing him good right now. Julio says that Leo and Victoria are not responsible for their mother’s bad deeds. Deborah asks if anyone’s heard from Victoria. No, replies Eva. Julio says that he knows she has done some crazy things and should pay for them, but understand she is his daughter. I would like to know where she is to help her. Leo excuses himself to rest and wants to speak to Eva alone.
Victoria says that Liliana will not get her way.
Daniel asks Laurita to forgive him for allowing Victoria to convince him and manipulate both of them to send her away. He should never have allowed it. Liliana butts in and says that once Victoria shows up he needs to finish up the divorce.
Leo tells Eva that without her he would be lost. Their upcoming nuptials is the only thing that is making him happy right now.
Marcella is telling herself that she will get out and seek revenge on everyone. The corrections officer tells her she has a visitor. She yells out that she doesn’t want to see anyone. In strolls Julio and tells her he won’t take too much of her time.
Liliana comes out of the bathroom and finds Victoria in the room. Hola amiga says Victoria.
Monday: Liliana and Victoria fight; Deborah asks Alicia if she’s pregnant
A: How did you go about working for the Arismendi’s?
E: Leo offered me a job.
A: So Marcella did not interview you for the position.
E: No. But I needed her approval to stay.
A: So tell us exactly what were your job duties?
E: I took care of Don Julio.
A: you made sure he took his medicine?
E: Yes. And I noticed the medicine wasn’t helping him. It was making him worse. I told Marcella
A: are you sure you were giving him the correct dosage?
E: Of course.
A: Is it true that you left that employment and the police were looking for you because you were accused of being a thief?
E: Yes, but I was innocent.
A: Isn’t it a coincidence those days after your disappearance Julio found out his medicine contained poison.
E: Yes. It was just a coincidence. I had nothing to do with that.
Tony and Alicia talk about Marisol. Alicia tells him how much Marisol is loving doing interviews and promoting her album. Tony says sounds like she’s being treated like a queen. Yes, replies Alicia. Wouldn’t you like to be treated like one too asks Tony? Yes, but I’ve given up hope says Alicia. I can treat you like one says Tony. Take care of you and the child you’re expecting. Alicia asks how? You don’t make an honest living. Tony tells her it takes time to get out. She says he’s not a very good person. Neither are you points out Tony. When are you going to tell Eva about the baby?
The prosecutor? asks Renata if it was her responsibility to buy the medicine for Julio.
R: should have been, but Marcella insisted she do it herself.
P: Before Eva, were there other assistants?
R: Yes. They either quit or where fired if they commented that there was something wrong with the medicine.
P: How do you know that?
R: Well, I would listen to the conversations. I remember one case, Rita, was killed in an assault before she was fired.
Next up in the stand is Dr. Garcia. Julio’s friend and accompliance.
A: Is the poison easily bought.
G: I believe so.
A: So anyone present here can buy it?
G: Not in the way it was used.
A: Please explain.
G: The poison had to be chemically altered and that is not available to the public.
Up next to the stand is Daniel.
A: After the death of your parents you were left with no family is that correct?
D: Yes.
A: Who took care of you?
D: Marcella.
A: Who administered your fortune that you inherited?
D: She did.
A: Did you ever suspect anything odd in the administration of your money?
D: No.
A: I understand that she also helped you out when your first wife died.
D: Yes, that’s true.
A: Then how can you think that someone that has shown you so much love have anything to do with the death of your parents?
D: Eva told me what her mother overheard and the investigation they started into the death of my parents.
A: Interesting. The same person who gave the medicine to Julio put that idea into your head.
Up next in the stand is Marcella.
P: Did you know that Pedro Villanueva wanted to sell his stock in the company?
M: No.
P: Have you ever had in your possession the poison that killed the Villanueva’s?
M: No. Never.
P: Where were you when they died?
M: I was at a hotel resting several hours away.
P: While you were there did you rent a car?
M: Yes. I wanted to take a drive and see the sights.
P: Is it true that when you returned home, you had your hand burned?
M: Yes.
P: Did you burn it while setting fire to a car?
Marcella’s attorney objects and says the prosecutor is trying to confuse his client. Judge overrules and tells Marcella to answer the question.
M: I burned my hand at the hotel. It’s ridiculous that they don’t have records of it.
P: Who bought the medicine?
M: I did.
P: Who prescribed it?
M: Dr. Santiago Rivera.
P: Did you have confidence in the doctor’s capabilities?
M: Of course I did. He is a great friend of the family.
P: So that means you know him for many years?
M: Yes.
The prosecutor tells the judge that he’s done questioning Marcella and wants to call in another witness. Marcella’s attorney objects since he did not have advance warning, but the prosecutor says he just found out about him yesterday. Who is this witness asks the judge. Dr. Santiago Rivera replies the prosecutor. Marcella is open mouthed impactada.
Dr. Santiago Rivera is sworn in. Marcella is visibly nervous.
Laurita asks Francisco if he has told Jackie how he feels about her. He tells her no. That these things takes time. Laurita tells him to hurry up before someone else takes her. Francisco says that’s not going to happen. She’s mine and I will not allow it. He has a plan and she’s going to help him with it.
P: Dr. Rivera, are you a personal friend of the accused?
R: Yes.
P: Where did you meet her?
R: At the university.
P: Where you novios?
R: For a while.
P: Why did you break up?
R: I didn’t have money and she put her eyes on a millionaire.
P: What happened afterwards?
R: She married him and later she made a proposition to me.
P: What was it?
R: She would give me 20% if I helped her kill her husband.
Everyone in the courtroom is shocked.
Victoria is banging on the door for someone to let her out. She has completely lost it. A security guard opens the door.
Marcella erupts and calls Dr. Rivera a liar. Judge orders order in the courtroom. Marcella’s attorney tries to calm her down.
P: Did you complete what the accused ask you to do?
R: Yes.
P: How?
R: I gave her some poison and told her how to use it.
P: How many times have you given her this poison?
R: Various times.
P: Be specific.
R: I gave some to her to poison Mr. Villanueva’s parents and first wife.
Marcella’s erupts again. And calls him an idiot.
R: She also poisoned an employee by the name of Rita‘s brother. And her second husband. Leo’s father.
Marcella’s calls him a liar and tells him to shut up. Leo asks her if it’s true. She tells him that he’s lying. Judge wants order in the courtroom. Leo looks crushed. Dr. Rivera tells Leo that Marcella put poison in his dad’s coffee the morning that he died. And tells Daniel that she put poison in his wife’s coffee the night that she died. Marcella is yelling out that Dr. Rivera is lying and for everyone not to believe it. The judge wants her to stop.
The security guard asks Victoria who she is and what’s she’s doing there. He keeps asking her more questions. She just sits there looking frightened. She goes to her purse and he wants to see ID. She reaches in her purse and pulls out mace and maces him. She runs out.
The prosecutor asks Dr. Rivera to tell the court what excuse Marcella gave him for every crime/killing she committed. In Leo’s case she wanted to collect his life insurance; in Daniel’s case she wanted to avoid his parents from selling his stock in the company to strangers and his first wife was because her plan was to have her daughter marry him. And then one day to inherit his stock. And what excuse did she give you do kill Rita’s brother asks the prosecutor. She needed to silence him replies Dr. Rivera. He was going to the police and accuse her of killing his sister. Rita had confessed her suspicions to her brother that Marcella was poisoning Julio. She poisoned them all. Marcella calls him a liar again. The prosecutor presents evidence that all the dead bodies all show that they had the same poison in them. And they all had a connection to Marcella Arismendi.
Francisco has just finished telling Laurita the plan to conquer Jackie. Laurita thinks its all romantic.
Victoria is walking down the street and hails a cab.
The prosecutor is giving his closing arguments.
Eva and Tia are talking. She tells him that the jury is out and hopefully won’t take too long for them to come back. Alicia walks in when they hang up and wants to hear everything that’s going on.
Victoria finds her vehicle.
Daniel can’t believe that Marcella also killed his first wife. She has to pay for everything that she did.
Julio is trying to console Leo.
JoJo and Renata can’t believe how loyal they had been to her. Renata talks about a secret that soon everyone will know.
Liliana runs up to Daniel and lets him know that he has her full support.
Eva tries to console Leo. Leo says today was a very shocking day. Finding out my father was alive and finding out all the things that my mother has done. Eva tells Leo that she knew all along that Julio was alive. Why didn’t you tell me asks Leo? She tells him that Julio asked her not to tell anyone. Leo says she did right. Otherwise everything that happened today would never have seen the light.
Victoria is banging on Liliana’s hotel door. Except Liliana is no longer there. She has moved in with Daniel.
Laurita is unpacking. Jackie is helping her and Laurita notices her sad face. What’s up asks Laurita. Jackie says that Francisco is in love with another woman. She says not to worry. Everything will be alright. Jackie says you know something. Laurita says no, I don’t.
Jury is finally in and the judge asks Marcella to stand. Foreman says Marcella is guilty. Marcella yells no. this is not fair. She grabs the bailiff’s gun. She points the gun at Julio and tells him that she should have killed him with her bare hands. She points it at Eva and says that she gave to take everything that was hers away from her. Daniel is standing in front of Eva.
Jackie keeps asking Laurita if Francisco told her anything. No replies Laurita. What do you mean nothing asks Jackie. Why are you so sure that everything is going to be okay? I don’t know replies Laurita. I just said that so you wouldn’t be sad. That’s all. Jackie begs her to tell her if Francisco said anything.
Marcella tells Eva to stop hiding behind Daniel. Deborah tells Marcella to stop. Marcella tells her that the death of her daughter is the price for your disloyalty. Idiot. Julio tells Marcella to stop. The only one that is responsible for everything is him. Eva has nothing to do with anything. Kill him. Go on kill him. Marcella points the gun at Julio, but says no. Eva has to die first. She points it at Eva and Leo runs up and pushed her arms up and the gun goes off. Officers come and get Marcella. She yells out that she hates Eva. Daniel consoles a crying Eva.
Victoria finds out that Liliana left the hotel a couple of weeks ago. She remembers the last time she saw Liliana.
Laurita calls Adrian to let him know that she’s finally home for good. Laurita lets Adrian in on Francisco’s plan.
Daniel and Liliana talk about the trial on the way home. He hopes that the police will soon catch Victoria and that he can prove to Eva his innocence. Then stop the wedding. Liliana doesn’t like that sound of that.
Jackie is moping around and remembers Humberto. She gives him a call.
Victoria is outside Daniel’s house and sees him drive up with Liliana. She finally realizes that Liliana wanted Daniel all to herself. She tells herself that this is not going to stay like this.
Jackie is cooking and Francisco comes up to talk. He finds out that Humberto invited Jackie out.
The gang gathers at the Arismendi’s house and are relieved that Marcella was found guilty and is behind bars. Leo knew his mother had a strong character, but would never had thought she would have committed such heinous crimes. Especially killing his own father. Julio tells Leo to sit next to him. Julio says that no matter what happened between his mother and him, he will always see Leo has his own son. Leo kisses Julio.
Francisco and Jackie argue.
Leo tells Julio that his words are doing him good right now. Julio says that Leo and Victoria are not responsible for their mother’s bad deeds. Deborah asks if anyone’s heard from Victoria. No, replies Eva. Julio says that he knows she has done some crazy things and should pay for them, but understand she is his daughter. I would like to know where she is to help her. Leo excuses himself to rest and wants to speak to Eva alone.
Victoria says that Liliana will not get her way.
Daniel asks Laurita to forgive him for allowing Victoria to convince him and manipulate both of them to send her away. He should never have allowed it. Liliana butts in and says that once Victoria shows up he needs to finish up the divorce.
Leo tells Eva that without her he would be lost. Their upcoming nuptials is the only thing that is making him happy right now.
Marcella is telling herself that she will get out and seek revenge on everyone. The corrections officer tells her she has a visitor. She yells out that she doesn’t want to see anyone. In strolls Julio and tells her he won’t take too much of her time.
Liliana comes out of the bathroom and finds Victoria in the room. Hola amiga says Victoria.
Monday: Liliana and Victoria fight; Deborah asks Alicia if she’s pregnant
Labels: eva
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Bloggers, phone home!
Hello my fine teams, I am sorry I've been absent. You should each have gotten an email from me this evening asking you to write me and let me know how things are going. We have 1-1/2 volunteers for Teresa - we need more. And what's happening when the other shows end? Do we have absent people who need to be replaced? Help me get things back in order. Phone home. (That is, write to me.)
Labels: announcements, recappers-needed, Teresa
Triunfo del Amor #83 4/1/11 Doña Demento’s Day of Devine Retribution
As Viewerville loads up on Kleenex, checks the battery in the remote, counts the Excedrin in the bottle, and takes stock of the available adult beverages for commercial breaks, Max has been refused a loan by the bank and Casa de Victoria now faces certain bankruptcy unless a suitable buyer for Osvaldo’s shares can be found.
Ozzie, meanwhile, has gone straight to the police to give his statement about his shooting Guillermo. The magistrate on duty assures Oz that Gui is not seriously hurt, having had the bullet barely miss a rib as it passed through the abdomen. He’s recuperating under guard at the hospital until he gives his statement, he adds. Oz gives his side of the sorry facts and swears he handed over an entire fortune to Guillermo Quintana; he thought he’d bought half that theatre! The magistrate tells him they’ll be opening an investigation and he can now have his one phone call. Oz decides to call ex-Padre Juan Pablo rather than cause more grief on the home front.
When the call comes for JP, he is giving a talk to the orphanage boys about the temptation of drugs. Domingo bears witness to the perils and pitfalls of his falling victim to drugs. He promises the group to stay on the straight and narrow from now on. JP takes the call from Oz (and the less observant of us finally note that he’s a southpaw).
Outside the new vecindad, Milagros’ new gal-pals go ape-nuts over naco Napo who immediately eats it up. Millie gets a wee bit jealous. Along comes a retired history teacher who takes a moment to introduce himself. She takes advantage of the situation to flirt with the old prof and to give Napo a taste of his own medicine. FF>>
At Scandal-val Manor, Max explains the dire financial situation to Victoria. Their only out is to sell the manse or to accept somebody’s offer to purchase stock in the company. The sticky part is the number of shares the person offering wants to buy and that it’s a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. She tells Max to accept the offer.
Back at the police station, Oscar claims self-defense for his client, Oz, since Gui pulled a gun on him and Oz was provoked due to the fraud he’d discovered. Ex-Padre JP adds that he found out that Sr. Quintana doesn’t have a permit for the gun, and that the firearm has never been registered. He suggests that they fine [multar] Gui for it. Oscar gets Oz let out on bail.
Max is heading back to the office but must first suffer through another altercation with the ever-annoyingly cloying Jimena. Max takes a moment to assure her that he’s stopped seeing Maria Desamparada so there’s no reason to continue to freak out whenever she sees him walk towards the front door. Jimeana’s smile shows just the barest hint of wicked as she feigns immense relief to hear the news. Max, though, makes it clear that even though he’s stopped seeing Maria she cannot prevent him from continuing to love her.
He walks out of the house. Ji takes a call on her cell from Gui telling her that he got shot. She sneaks out of the house to check on him.
On their way back to the car, Oscar pats Oz on the shoulder and tries to calm him down. Oz is enraged by Guillermo’s swindle and says it’s now become a personal vendetta for him. Oscar tells him he understands his rage but reminds him that he has more important things to think about--like Vicki and his family. Oz agrees and admits he knows Vicki gave up on him for good, but she is allowing him to stay in the house due to the kids’ problems. However, he says, he hasn’t given up hope that someday he’ll win Vicki’s love back again. (For now, Viewerville could give a flip if he has to eat dirt!)
At Casa de Victoria, Fabian gives Pepino, Roxana, and Antonieta the news about Vick’s sale of the stock to avoid the business going under. Roxi blames the old fashioned rags [garras anticuadas] Pepi’s been designing for the models. Another cat fight ensues, during which he calls Roxy a witch and tells her to find her broom, jump on and get out. Toni shuts them both up, finally. Fab reminds them that they’d better hope the new business partner gets along with all of them.
Os returns home and tries explaining to Vicki what happened with Gui and how the chiseler scammed him out of part ownership of the theatre. She bawls him out, angry because they’ve got enough problems as it is without having to now deal with a shooting, let alone his having lost all that money to Guillermo! Besides, it was his forcing her to sell those shares of stock that started the company’s financial woes she reminds him. Now it’s all been lost on a useless and selfish whim! Enough of that! She walks over to the desk and hands him an envelope with the divorce papers for him to sign. He’s resigned to his fate. “--Okay. Once again, Victoria, we will do things according to your wishes!” (Wait a darn tootin’ minute here! Didn’t she just tell him that the one time she did give in to him what a cuss’nflusterin’ disaster it turned out to be?) He signs the divorce papers and they agree not to upset the kids by telling them about the divorce being a done deal.
Later, alone in her bedroom, Vick tearfully bemoans the fact that it’s finally over between her and Ozzie. (Sorry, Victoria, but Viewerville is light-years beyond caring at this point.)
At the same time, Maria is tearfully thinking back to having finally broken it off with Max. Suddenly someone presents her with a rose. She smiles and turns, thinking it might be Max. It’s Alonso, the sexy Photographer Dude, wearing a hopeful smile on his face (and a t-shirt that displays his triceps to full advantage…Hubba! Hubba!). He's trying hard to make points with Maria.
Meanwhile, Max is at his desk downtown, thinking about the romantic moments shared with Maria.
Maria thanks Lon for the rose and politely introduces him to Nathy. (Like he’s really going to look twice at her?) He charmingly explains that he came back by because he was still worried about her after the business at the park that afternoon. Maria says they’re about to finish their shift and head home. He invites himself along. She says she doesn’t think he’s going to stay charmed with the likes of her, considering she’s pregnant. Lonnie seems very excited at the news. It’s a blessing, he says, and all the more reason they should all get to know each other better! The three of them head over to Maria and Nat’s little hole in the wall.
Back at Casa de Victoria, Oscar tells Max about Guillermo’s scamming his father out of joint ownership of the theatre. Max is incensed.
Outside in the garden under Fernanda’s window, Cruz worries about the love of his life. Upstairs in her bedroom, Fer gets a visit from an uber-cheery physical therapist. The Fer-beast shows her fangs and wildly attacks Cheery PT Lady, whose screams of terror bring everyone running. (Whoa! Not that uber-cheery doesn’t do a number on me, too, but that attack scene with Fer-beast was worthy of the best werewolf movie-thons!) Cheery PT Lady is now anything but as she quickly explains to Vicki and Oz that she was only doing what the doctor sent her there to do, i.e., her frickin’ job! She leaves in a grumpy huff, her PT professionalism having been ranked by one of her charges at an all time low, as Fer cries to her papi that she doesn’t want anybody seeing her like this.
At the same time, Jimeana is visiting giddy Gui in his bachelor pad and listening to him drone on about how “that damned Osvaldo” was about to kill him; bragging that he, of course, isn’t going to just take it; and that he’s going to destroy Oz since that’s always been the game plan. Ji says it was pretty moronic to have pulled a gun on the guy cuz now the police are involved, and they’re going to open an investigation which is going to show that he really isn’t the owner of that theatre at all. Gui says that’s what she thinks! He has all his paperwork in order and it points to him as the theatre’s only legitimate owner. Oz will be the one going through bad times now, and Gui won’t stop until the whole Sandoval clan is destitute!
However, Jimeana has heard enough. She slugs Gui’s wounded side with his cane and asks what he was thinking by letting her marry Max if that was his idea! She’s not going to live in poverty and neither is his baby! Gui blows her off and tells her she belongs in an asylum, and that he could care less about that frickin’ baby! It’s no skin off his nose. (That’s right. She’s definitely the one who’s got to carry it for nine months!) Cant’s she understand that he’s a playboy, always was, and always will be? “--I don’t belong to anybody, understand? Not to anybody!” Just then Max walks in on the two of them. He’s stopped-in-his-tracks impactado to see Ji standing there sheepishly. “--What are you doing here, Jimena? Well?” Ji takes a quick minute to consider a credible hedge.
Max gets impatient. Ji tells him she came there to give Guillermo grief for cheating Max’s daddy like he did and to stick up for the family! He tells her it wasn’t her place to and moves her out of the way for a better look at the grinning ghoul. Max stares Gui down and tells him what a shameless slug he is. Gui pulls a bully-style nanny-nanny-boo-boo, tauntingly asking him if he’s going to pick a fight with him like his daddy did. “--I’m not scared of you! Your daddy doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on! That theatre is mine and the paperwork is all in order!” Max tells Gui he’ll be back to square things another time, and then drags Jimeana out the door with him. Gui allows himself a gratifying gloat.
Back at the Scandal-val manse, Cruz asks Formerly-Cheery PT Lady what happened inside. She tells him Fer is in crisis and won’t take therapy. He says she’s obviously suffering right now. PT Lady warns him that if the girl doesn’t get her head on straight and refuses to accept help, she going to be suffering a lot more down the road and stomps off.
Max doesn’t believe a word Ji’s told him apparently, and once they’re in the car and speeding merrily towards home, Max asks her again why she was there at Guillermo’s house. (Viewerville crosses all their fingers and toes in hopes that finally Max might be beginning to see his way to the possibility that the future psychopath now gestating in Jimeana’s womb, this demon spawn with a double whammy of crazy gene, might not really be his.) Ji goes into deflect and redirect mode. “--Stop torturing me with questions!” She insists she was there only to defend his daddy’s honor. Max says that seems pretty lame since it has nothing to do with her.
Ji changes the direction of the conversation, complaining that he refuses to accept her--the mother of his child--as part of his family! He groans. “--Here we go again!” She kicks the rant up a couple notches. “--If you won’t love me and give me my place in this family, I don’t want to live!” Jimeana pushes open the car door and leans out at 80 mph. “--This is what happens!” Max panics and swerves. “--My life is meaningless if you don’t love me! Don’t you understand?” “--Jimena! Think about our child for gawd sakes!” Max grabs her by the arm and pulls her back in, courtesy of a major adrenaline rush. (Two more words for you, Max: padded cell.) He pulls over to the side of the road till she gets a grip.
Maria and Nat have brought Alonso home with them. He tells them he’s a professional photographer and has his own publicity agency. Nat brags about Maria having been a top fashion model. He wants to hear more. Maria demurs and says It’s too long a story to go into now. Lon figures she quit due to the pregnancy and emphasizes again what a marvelous thing pregnancy is. He considers Maria’s decision to keep the baby. “--Doing the proper thing does exist!” He weeps as he then relates his sad, sad story to the two of them regarding his fateful experience with unwanted pregnancy. Lonnie was in love with a woman once and realized only too late what an evil person she was. She was pregnant with his child, but she went to doctor and got rid of it! After he found out, his great love for her turned into enduring hatred. He never wants to see or hear from her again in his lifetime!
Scheme-ena now goes in for the coup de grace with Max. “--I only want for you to love me! Without your love my life is worthless! What I want is for you to be with me always! Don’t leave me, because otherwise I swear to you that I will kill myself! Just love me. Just love me!” Max appears to have now developed one mellovahellova major migraine.
Once Max gets back home, he has it out with his dad over the major fuster-cluck the theatre deal turned out to be. There has got to be something Oz can do about it! He simply can’t understand how Oz could have blindly signed some papers for Gui without having read them first! (Hey, Oz is only a screen-stud. He’s not expected to use his brain for anything. He’s only ever been expected to stand around posing for the camera while he pumps his pecs. It doesn’t take much in the way of smarts for that, Max!) Oz whines that he was otherwise occupied and confused with other things at the time. Vick walks in on this conversation and accuses him of confused thinking alright and not with his head! Max gripes at her for drinking and mixing in with them. She says she enjoys imbibing to help her forget and then takes the opportunity to let him know the divorce is a done deal before strutting out of the living room.
Max confirms the news with Oz who tells him that his mother will never forgive him, and if it weren’t for Fer he’d have left for sunnier climes by now. Max reminds him that Vicki is having financial problems and has had to sell a part of her business to save her company from insolvency. Oz asks if they know anything about this new business partner. He says no, not a thing. The person sent their representative in to sign the papers and to leave a deposit. They insisted on keeping the person’s identity a secret from them until the next morning.
The next day, Nat, Maria, Millie and Israel’s widow (Anita?) are having punch on the sidewalk outside the new vecindad with JP, discussing the baptism and/or how nice it was of the widow to give Maria all her maternity clothes, when Ozzie walks up and says hello. Maria is definitely showing now and Oz suddenly realizes that Maria is preggers. He mentions it to her. JP offers to discuss things with him, but Maria says she’d rather handle it and the two of them go inside to talk.
Vick and her crew, meanwhile, await the arrival of her new business partner.
In the barrio once again, Oz is all smiles at this revelation. Maria tells him she’s five months along. He says he supposes Max knows by now that she’s expecting. Maria says no and she wants to keep it that way. Oz can’t imagine why not and adds that, knowing her the way he does, he’s certain it’s Max’s child and so Max really needs to know. She explains that she had thought to tell Max, but that day he broke her heart when he came to tell her Jimena was expecting a child of his and he’d be taking responsibility by marrying her. Oz blames himself for that because he’d harangued him about how sacrificing for a child is priority numero uno. He regrets it now because he realizes that Max doesn’t love Jimena (Excuse me? He knew that from the beginning.) Besides that, Jimena isn’t right in the head.
As far as Maria is concerned, though, Max married Ji and that is the only thing that counts! She tells him how she secretly went to the wedding and saw how he was forced into marrying her like that, all because of the baby. She swore then and there that she didn’t want Max to ever feel obligated to marry her because of her pregnancy either. That’s why she decided never to tell him.
Oz says he knows that Max loves her and only her. Maria knows, but tearfully reminds Oz that Max isn’t free. “--He’s too compromised right now, and there is always some obligation that prevents the two of us from finally realizing our dream of finally being together.” Oz says he knows that Max has already told Jimena that once the baby is born they’re separating so he can be with Maria. Maria tells Oz to look her in the eye and tell her if he really thinks that Max could abandon his child once he’s held it in his arms. Oz says he guesses she’s got a point at that. So, says Maria, she’s come to the realization that she’s got to get used to the idea that it was an impossible dream. She’s wide awake now, though. She asks him to promise that he’ll never let Max know the truth, though, of course, Jimena does; but Ji would never let her husband know that her rival was also expecting a child of his. “--Ji isn’t that stupid!”
Oz still can’t understand why Maria wouldn’t tell Max the truth. Maria finally breaks down in tears and blurts out that he’s got way too many other problems to be tortured by one more! Oz finally gets it and promises not to say a word to anyone. He does ask her to at least let him continue to look in on her and his grandchild. She agrees, but asks him to make sure that no one suspects anything about his visits. He agrees.
Back at Casa de Victoria, the gang’s all there and sitting on pins and needles. The clock’s way past 10 and the new partner is still a no-show. Suddenly the phone rings. The new partner’s has arrived. A couple minute later the door to the conference room opens and the faces of everyone around the table register with shock. “--¡Buenos días!” Bernarda de Iturbe smiles broadly at them and then looks over triumphantly at Victoria.
Labels: triunfo
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