Amor Bravío #16 (Uni 11) Mon 8/27/12

Capitulo 16:   Minding Others' Business, As Usual

Lo de Pasado:

Camila receives a call about a posthumous honour for her Tio Daniel.  Natalia shows La Malquerida to Daniel, who tells her he hopes he can work in such a beautiful place and know such a beautiful person as she is. He isn't interested in her that way, but methinks she is not seeing that.

Lo de Nuevo:

Parlour:   That three-note high leitmotif underscores Camila and Mama Metiche talking about how Alonssso hadn't been home the night before; his car isn't outside and his bed has not been slept in.  The three high-note leitmotif leading to the violins  eavesdrops on this exchange.  As usual, Mama Metiche asks about more than she should know and is concerned about appearances and gossip.  Camila's irritation is obvious. She calls Alonssso's cell phone.

Courtyard:  Daniel asks whether there had been much change at the ranch, and Natalia answers in the affirmative. Not so much because of Camila, whom she describes as “good people” but due to her husband who thinks he is the boss.

Master Bedroom:    Camila looks into Alonssso's closet with Mama Metiche looking over her shoulder. Camila finds nothing missing and Augustina says something about hoping nothing tragic happened. Stupidstitiously she apologises for this comment, but Camila tells her tersely not to worry about it as she exits.

Bulls grazing in the field [Salud!]

Field:   Natalia approaches Leoncio to introduce Andres Duarte (Daniel). Leoncio says there is no available work for him, as we predicted he would say. Rudolfo enters and Natalia introduces the two hunks of burning love to each other, which cannot please Leoncio very much. He orders Rudolfo off, saying “la doctora” needs his assistance. Natalia comments about how Camila would not be pleased at his rude treatment of someone recommended to her.

Outside the Hacienda:   Leoncio approaches Alonssso as he exits his oversized car [his choice of a penis car is really odd] asking whether he authorized the hire of new workers, as a new one came at his wife's suggestion. Don't we all know what Alonssso will think of that when he sees Daniel! The reptile answers “no” and continues going inside.

Parlour:   Camila and her Mama Metiche come down the stairs talking as the reptile enters. Mama Metiche is relieved, saying that they were worried about him, but he asks “You or you and Camila?” Augustina sensibly exits. Alonssso gets on the offensive, telling Camila she is not the woman he married.

Alonso:    What? Aren't you going to ask where I was?
Camila:    Where were you that you didn't come home to sleep?

Alonso:    Hoping that you'd be worried, anxious about me. But obviously not. You're so cold, Camila.
Camila:      Do you think this situation can continue?

Alonso:    What situation? I don't know your attitude. (sits on couch and puts his hands behind his neck) You are not the woman I married.
Camila:    And what woman did you think you married?

Alonso:    An affectionate woman. Sweet. Who worries about her husband. One who doesn't try to demonstrate superiority.
Camila:    But I am –

Alonso:    No. You are totally the contrary, Camila. Totally the contrary –
Camila:    I don't understand what you're talking about.

Alonso:    About giving orders you aren't entitled to. Some jerk came here looking for a job. I am the administrator of this ranch. I get to decide who gets hired and who doesn't. I do, not you!
Camila:    Ah! Of course. This is how you express your manliness. [hombría] Really? You're mistaken, Alonso. You're forgetting that until my cousin gets here, I am the head of this ranch. I will hire whom I want.

He looks at though he is advancing on her, but merely takes his jacket off the back of the sofa and exits. As another wise person once said “If you have to keep saying you're in charge, you're not.” Get over it, Alonssso.

Ximena's Apartment, Monterrey:    Augustina calls, reproaching her for not calling for several weeks. She makes an excuse about traveling for monkey business and not having a long-distance-enabled cell phone. Augustina isn't buying this. She tells her that if all goes well in a month Camila will own La Malquerida. She complains [we know she has good reason] that they never hear from her and she hasn't visited. Ximena whines about Augustina preferring to be with Camila over her and then accuses her of always playing the victim and ends the call. When we hear that busy signal again Augustina shouts “Niña! Niña! Niña! Niña!” at the receiver in frustration before finally giving up. Ximena picks up two of the multiple shopping bags at the foot of her bed to contemplate her latest ramerawear.  She then  looks at her bank statement which seems to show that her assets are shrinking, shrugs, and shoves the document out of sight.

Outside the Hacienda:   Mama Dragon – clad in classic dominatrix black – arrives and exchanges greetings with Camila then gets as metiche as her own mother regarding her marital non-relationship. The musicians play a leitmotif of suspicion in a minor key while eavesdropping on the following:

Isadora:    Camila, I want to take the advantage of speaking alone with you.
Camila:    Talk.
Isadora:    I don't want you to think I'm an interfering mother-in-law – nothing would bother me more than that – but I'm very worried about the problems between you and my son. [metiche suegra]
Camila:    I don't know what Alonso told you –
Isadora:    Alonso told me nothing. But one doesn't have to be a genius to see that things between the two of you aren't going well. You? Alone with some friends in the city? And him drinking in a bar since morning?
Camila:    What?
Isadora:    Don't ask about what's obvious. I only know what I've heard.
Camila:    Look, Isadora, I'm grateful you're concerned about us, but also I think that our problems as a couple are to be kept between us. Nobody else.
Isadora:    Why have you changed so much? (crossing her arms and looking like a scolding schoolmarm) You are very different from the way my son spoke of you. I was under the impression he fell in love with a homebody, not someone who goes here and there and whom people talk about. A sweet, soft, woman of taste – (the music starts to enter the first stage of Dante's Inferno as Camila looks away briefly to roll her eyes)
Camila:    Are you saying these things because you saw me eating with friends? That wasn't anything bad; you were also –
Isadora:    That's different. I'm a black widow; you are a newlywed. I'm not saying you did anything wrong, but as they say would it not be better to be spoken of well rather than badly? Remember that a small town is a hotbed of gossip. [pueblo chico, infierno grande]
Camila:    I'm truly grateful for your concern and your comments, but I'm uncomfortable discussing my intimate problems with my husband with his mother. Do you understand?
Isadora (attempting to assume authority): Daughter, I understand. But before I'm a mother I'm a woman. I know what I'm talking about. If a man looks away, it's for what he doesn't find at home. A man wants to be a protector, making decisions... Please, why can't you be the tender, fragile woman my son fell in love with? If you want your marriage to be paradise, you have to know the man you married.

The music continues in the same minor key, as though Hitchcock's birds were flying to it.  Camila should be aware that she is being gaslighted.

Shower:  The music continues into this scene as Alonssso stands under the water, frustrated as usual. He replays his failure with the prostitute in his head, which he continues to grip in anguish. Thankfully, we barely see his shoulders.

Bulls graze on the other side of the fence [Salud!]

Outside the Fence:  Natalia and Daniel/Andres talk briefly until they are interrupted by Leoncio who says the boss (male) says there is no work. He further lies that la Señora says to do what the boss (male) says. He attempts to dismiss Daniel/Andres, then exits. Daniel tries to ask him a question, but is ignored. Natalia says to hell with him, she will introduce Daniel to la Señora. She will not have Leoncio humiliate him. He is grateful and kisses her in a way she misinterprets. As does Leoncio, who stares with an evil eye as Daniel exits. Natalia notices that.

Camila's Bedroom:  Camila lies on the bed, already looking like she needs a prescription for Zoloft. Mama Metiche enters to ask what's wrong. Camila tells her she feels confused, sad, annoyed, deceived, etc., all at once. Mama Metiche asks her why they don't just start over because Alonssso is a Good Man who loves his wife, but Camila isn't sure about that. She mentions that he insults, hurts, and offends her and she isn't willing to put up with that. She puts the pillow over her head, but Mama Metiche ignores the message that Camila doesn't want to talk. She pulls the pillow off. Unfortunately, Camila spills the frijoles out of sheer desperation.  Three months later the marriage is not consummated.

Study:  Mama Dragon calls El Diablo at Hell HQ to tell him she's at the hacienda. He wants to know much more. She gives vague evasions about a minor problem that will be shortly resolved, but he is persistent. She tries to tell him that it's a very personal and intimate problem that affects Alonssso's self-esteem [Note to Isadora: He's also got a more ginormous problem affecting that: You!] and she doesn't want to talk about it. However, like the efficient demon that he is, El Diablo's impatience doesn't affect his skills of observation. Background music from the string section begins to sound like Berlioz and Gounod.  He notes how she sounds when talking about it and when he lands on the word “impotente” he realizes he has hit the bull's eye. Mama Dragon is predictably embarrassed, but attempts to be firm. El Diablo will not let this slide, pointing out that Camila could sue for divorce at any time. Isadora says that this could be resolved shortly, but El Diablo sabe mejor de eso. He points out that this is far more serious than she is willing to recognize and he will just have to take action. She asks him what he plans to do and he tells her that she knows. [Rats, because we also want to know.]

Parlour:  Mama Metiche makes a phone call, but gets a busy signal. Piedad enters and Mama Metiche hands the phone to her, telling her that Mama Dragon is in the study. She was trying to reach Padre Baldomero, but his line is busy. She is on her way there and Piedad is to keep trying to reach him to let him know she is on the way. Horror film music as the first rat leaves the sinking ship...

Study:   The string section has a good time with this, and a few percussion punctuations that sound like storms emphasize this interesting confrontation.   Alonssso enters, asking Mama Dragon what she is doing there. He is in no mood to deal with her. She tells him she has found a specialist in Mexico City for him, but he tells her to stay out of what is not her business. He tries to threaten her and El Diablo he will reveal the scam, but she reminds him that he could end up in prison himself. Her manner is sufficiently chilly that he states he doubts her love for him. She tells him she does love him, but he seems to know better; “When it benefits you” is his response. She departs in a huff and he sits in the office chair, curls up into an inside-the-egg position and bites his claws. [Salud!]

Outside the Hacienda:   Camila comes out and Natalia calls her. At Camila's question she tells her that Isadora and her pup were in the study and gave instructions they were not to be disturbed. She asks about a job for Andres and Camila hires him as her assistant without even an interview.

Road:   Daniel/Andres walks along the side of the road and a bus approaches. He tries to flag it down but it doesn't stop. Distracted by his thoughts regarding his conversation with Natalia about Camila, he is hit (in his nice firm arse) by a car and falls onto the sloping side of the road. Mama Metiche is the driver; she had swerved to avoid hitting a burro that was crossing the road. Despite her questionable ethics in other areas of life she gets out of the car to investigate. Daniel/Andres gets up just in time to hear her panic and relief in the same breath. His only injuries appear to be a scraped arm and knee, which are bleeding through his clothes. She offers to take him to the hospital, but he refuses. He finally asks to be driven back to town and she helps him to the car.

Grazing Field (so these must not be the fighting bulls):  Camila tells Leoncio that Natalia's friend will begin work the next day. He tells her that the boss said no, and she tells him this has nothing to do with Alonssso. After she exits he gives Natalia a ration of merde about this, talking about starting trouble with the boss and finally accusing her of wanting Andres around because she's hot for him. She is not afraid of him, knowing that Alonssso doesn't entirely trust him either; he doesn't trust him with the firearms. Finally she walks off with the statement that they mind their own business from there on.

Road, Augustina's car:   Daniel/Andres appears to be alright, much to Augustina's relief. She comments that if this incident became known she would be forbidden to drive. He asks who would forbid her, her husband? She responds that she is a widow and it is her son-in-law who would try to stop her. She then introduces herself to him and the names land hard. She asks his name and he tells her it is Andres Duarte (which we should probably call him from here on).

Inn:  Natalia has called Amanda to look for Andres, finally telling her that she will have a surprise for him when she gets home. Just as Amanda hangs up the phone Andres and Augustina arrive, she helping him to the chair. He explains that he fell into a ditch [zanja] and Augustina helped him up and drove him in. Amanda gets the first aid kit and we see that Andres' knee is bleeding through his trousers, which will need to be removed. [Drat! Mama Metiche may get to see her future yerno's package before her daughter does.  That just isn't done.]

Outside the Hacienda:  Leoncio tells Alonssso that Camila hired Natalia's novio despite his orders and that he will be there tomorrow. Alonssso is displeased. “What do you want me to do?” asks Leoncio, to which Alonssso says he will take charge of this. He stalks away and Leoncio seems almost amused. [We wonder whether he knows how little power this reptile really has.]

Inn, Andres' Room:   Andres is lying on the bed, the first aid tray near his foot. As she cuts the trouser leg, Augustina observes that Andres' accent indicates he isn't a local, that he's from somewhere in South America. He tells her she's right and that he is looking for work. She comments that his accent, speech, and manners indicate that he is educated and that there is no work nearby that requires his knowledge. He tells her he came north in pursuit of a Mexican girl he was in love with only to discover that the relationship was not to be and he is looking to make enough money to go home. He asks if she could help him get a job at the ranch. She hesitates but then says she will speak with her friends, including Licenciado Becerra.

Bulls entering a pen to ranchera music [Salud!]

Other Side of Pen:   Camila gives instructions to Rudolfo as she takes bottles of medication out of a cabinet. Alonssso marches down, demanding to speak with her immediately. Despite that she finally agrees and walks back the same way he seizes her arm and almost drags her. She extricates her arm with a reproach. Minor key music builds in the background.

Alonso:  It looks like you don't think I'm important around here. Making me look small in front of the help.
Camila:    What do you talking about?
Alonso:    First being seen in public with other people and now taking my authority away in front of Leoncio. Hiring Natalia's boyfriend for the ranch.
Camila (more than tired of all this BS):      Alonso, those are two different things and I was hoping your attitude would be different.
Alonso:    You are arrogant, Camila.
Camila (incredulous):    Excuse me?
Alonso:  Yes. You are arrogant. Living it up in front of everyone, acting like you're the boss around here and I'm nothing but a rag doll or a – [pelele]
Camila:    No, no, no. You are exaggerating, Alonso, please. You and I are the bosses here and until Uncle Daniel's heir gets here I am the executrix so I get to make decisions.
Alonso (sarcastic):   You're doing very well, being the woman who wants to have everyone kneeling at her feet. Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm not that idiot Rudolfo. I am your husband, Camila.
Camila:    Don't talk to me like that in front of others.
Alonso (seizes her by the jaw, pushing her head back):  It's time you knew I am your husband.
Camila (breaks away and slaps him):   That is the last time you will put your hands on me. The last.

Music goes to a major key with a flourish as she exits, leaving him dumbfounded. [We wonder how much Rudolfo heard of this, as he was in the background the whole time.]

Grounds outside Iglesia:   Padre Baldomero comes out of the church to greet Augustina, commenting that she was expected earlier. She apologises for her delay due to a mishap [contratiempo], then asks whether Camila has come to him to talk about her marital problems. He gets her to sit down on the bench, asking why she is enquiring of this. She tells him about the marriage not being consummated and realizes from his facial expression that he knows. He reminds her that he can't discuss anything he hears in the confessional. She wants to know what they can do, but he tells her that “Alonso's problem” has to be given time. If not, the marriage is in danger. [As usual, stating the obvious.]

Viviana's Apartment:   An ominous chord sounds as Camila and Viviana take coffee together. Over some silly piano music they talk about how everyone has seen Alonssso's behavior. Camila isn't yet ready to admit that this marriage is a failure. She is still seeing the face Alonssso showed her during their courtship. Viviana has been there, done that, survived, and prospered. “If I can do that, you can, too.” Camila still can't quite accept this, but Viviana tells her she will not allow her to suffer.

Near full moon, the same one as in Episode 11.

Inn:   Natalia helps Andres down the stairs to the dinner table. She gives him the news that he will start at the ranch on the morrow. He's wondering how this happened and she explained that while Alonssso was not too bad before, he has turned nasty since his marriage and this has caused a minor upset. While he tried to say no she went to Camila instead and it's Camila he should thank for the job.

Fields:   Luzma and Camila are talking about Luzma's problem with her wealthy novio's family.   They will not accept her because her mother is the cook at La Malquerida.   She still wants to complete her studies and advance herself.   Camila tells her to count on her support.

Bulls grazing [Salud!]

Outside the Hacienda:  Alonssso and Leoncio talk about Andres' first day.  Alonssso wants Leoncio to send him into the fields and treat him in a way that makes him want to leave.  This amuses Leoncio sufficiently to try to do a buddy slap on Alonssso, who indicates his displeasure by using hand sanitizer.

Viviana's Apartment:   Rafael arrives for breakfast. He asks about Camila and Alonssso. Rafael indicates his interest in Camila, but will bide his time until Camila is available. Viviana explains that this may not happen so quickly; Alonssso will not give her up easily.

Parlour:   El Diablo arrives and Augustina invites him for coffee. He proposes that they talk business. He comments that this was a pretext, but she is willing to talk business as he closes in and takes her hands in his. He's obviously expert at a game that Alonssso can't qualify for.

Outside the Hacienda:   Alonssso tells Camila that Leoncio has been given instructions for her new hire. He tries to make nice. Natalia and Andres approach with Natalia greeting Camila first. She hasn't yet taken her eye off Alonssso, possibly because she is afraid to turn her back on him now. However, she finally does in time to see Andres in his charro uniform and tie. Que delicioco but she doesn't show that to him.

Avances

Camila confronts Andres; El Diablo confronts Alonssso.

Vocabulary y Más

contratiempo                         mishap

hombría.....                              manliness

metiche suegra....                  interfering mother-in-law (in novelas is there any other kind?)

pelele......                                  rag doll, straw man

pueblo chico, infierno grande... small town, big hell (usually means that everybody knows what is not their business)
zanja                                           ditch

The bull breed featured in this series is Miura, specifically bred for bullfights.