Snippet 8: After The First Kiss

When José Armando learnt that He was the first man to ever kiss Esmeralda, he was moved with tender affection for her, but all hell broke loose because of this. Graciela noticed the sudden change of attitude and affection towards her by José Armando. Even, Lucio was mad when he learnt that Esmeralda went to dinner and dancing party in Casa Grande.

Fermín was not only a bosom friend of Esmeralda, he was also her confidant, whom she shared the few known secrets of her life with. When she told him about her romantic encounter with José Armando, he was happy for her. He however told her that he as a person was not cut out for it because it carried a component called suffering, which he could not handle.

Lucio told Juana the root cause of his disfigured facial looks. It was several years ago when Dominga's hut caught fire, Domnga ran out leaving poor baby Esmeralda in the inferno. Lucio went into the fire to save Esmeralda from being burnt. That was how he got burnt and his face disfigured. Since then, he had held Dominga to ransom and blackmail. He demanded as compensation that Dominga pay him back with Esmeralda as his wife, for saving the poor girl. That is why he boasts every time that Esmeralda is his property.

Graciela would not mount nor learn how to ride horses. Her trip to the village was a disaster, their was no iota of affection from José Armando towards her. It was a dry vacation for her. She was exceedingly unhappy by the new twist of strange attitude exhibited by José Armando.

Crisanta inquired from Dionisio about where Dominga lives. When Crisanta got there and asked for the gr4ave of Blanca's 'dead' daughter of 23 years ago, Dominga lied by saying that she buried her in some unknown mountains in the suburb of the village.

Lucio forbade Esmeralda from seeing José Armando again, because he was jealous when she told him of her romantic encounter with him.

Snippet 7: Cloaked & Crooked

While the merry, dancing and feasting continued. Lucio (Right), the masked one, was in deep sorrow for his disfigured facial look. He remembered how Esmeralda sought to touch his face and how he forbade her. It was an expression of kindness that touched him, even in his crookedness. Juana advised him to do something to treat his face, so that he could live a normal life like any other person.

Esmeralda was exceedingly happy at the party. Adrián and Graciela were aggrieved with the closeness of José Armando and Esmeralda at the party. Graciela felt threatened by Esmeralda's disarming beauty, knowing that José Armando may easily fall in love with her. Adrián was secretly in love with Esmeralda and he was uncomfortable throughout the duration of the party because of the closeness and dancing together of Esmeralda and José Armando. Oblivious Esmeralda later shared her joy with Fermín and Dominga.

Graciela developed a great inferiority complex after the party, next day she demanded that reluctant José Armando should let them leave for the city, away from the beautiful peasant usurper. Rodolfo saved the tensed atmosphere by proposing to Graciela to spend some more time with them in the countryside. When it seems Graciela was not convinced, Fátima had to intervene to advise her to stick by her man. She also counseled her to use the opportunity of her stay to learn how to ride horses, and also never let Armando out of her sight for one second.

As old Melesio came to decorate Esmeralda with flowers, at that moment Armando arrived and the old strawberry thief, Melesio took to his heels. Armando asked her to dance again with him, just like before, she agreed. While they were dancing, he became raptured with her beauty, and impulsively opened his mouth to swallow her yielding lips, in what was destined to be Esmeralda's first kiss.

Snippet 6: Captured on the Dancing Floor

The love thunderbolt that struck Armando in the church propelled him into the beginning of friendships with Esmeralda. He promised not to pursue her, or call her a strawberry thief again. As a sign of reconciliation, he invited her to his mansion, Casa Grande, for a dinner to seal their friendship. When Esmeralda got home and in excitement, announced her new friendship with José Armando, Dominga smiled because of the success of phase one of her patiently planned emotional coup de tat.

The scheming desperadoes Fátima and her daughter, Graciela arrived from the city unto Casa Grande. The first anxious question Fátima threw at Blanca was about the peasant village girl that seems to have captured the heart of Armando. Blanca told her that she did not know anything about her.

The marriage proposal and the impending preparations for it, was a news of pride for both Fátima and Rodolfo, though for different reasons. Because of the constant romantic harassment of Esmeralda by that old fox called Lucio, she tried to investigate how he looked physically, but Lucio forbade her from touching his disfigured face.

Florecita and her friend went to watch the traditional cock-fight in the village center. Esmeralda dragged her friend from the scene because, she felt it was an abuse of the birds. They both went to savor the waterfall.

Later in the night, she dressed up for the dinner at Casa Grande, Dominga did not permit her to wear the controversial and historic emerald earrings. She knew that it would be the tell tale sign that could abort her coup against Blanca and José Armando. During the dancing session, musician Adrián sang a song that pissed off Graciela, so she went to sit down.

The floor was left for José Armando to invite, and dance with Esmeralda. While dancing, blind Esmeralda tripped and would have fallen, but for the waiting and supportive arms of José Armando. He caught her and drew her close to him, savouring her stunning natural beauty which already sent his heart racing. This also provoked the envy of Graciela and Fátima.

Snippet 5: Emotional Coup de tat

Blanca's quest to seek her 'dead' daughter of 23 years ago refused to be satisfied even by Fermín's message that her daughter's grave does not exist in the cemetery. The only one who holds the the answer to the mystery question surrounding Blanca's supposedly dead daughter of 23 years ago is Dominga. She launched out under the cover of the night, into the Casa Grande, in search of Crisanta. She too was troubled by the two encounters between Esmeralda and José Armando. As she landed in the mansion, Blanca recognized her and fled in terror.

Dominga refused to be discouraged by Blanca's fear, she went into the main house, where she found an equally terrified Crisanta. Desperate efforts by Crisanta to dismiss Dominga and distanced herself from her sin of 23 years ago failed. Rodolfo and his 'son' saw her. Rodolfgo was happy and excited, he gave a chunk of money as appreciation for helping to deliver his 'son' 23 years ago. He also assured her not to cease coming regularly to visit the family.

Lucio took advantage of Dominga's absence to visit Esmeralda at home. He tried unsuccessfully to seduce her. Later when Dominga came back from the Casa Grande, she gave Esmeralda some money to go and buy a beautiful dress to wear during the vacation period of Rodolfo's family in the village.

José Armando was worried by the obsessive concern and care that Adrián had for Esmeralda. Dionisio tried to quench his worry by telling him that Adrián affection for Esmeralda was just brotherly love and not sensual love.

Blanca's heart pumped rapidly when Florecita, the daughter of Dionisio related the story of her best friend, Esmeralda, to her.

Trouble was stirred up in the city when Graciela received a fax msg from José Armando, that he met a beautiful lady in the village. Fátima warned her to pack her luggage and go straight to the village, if she is not prepared to lose Armando, to another lady before he returned from the countryside.

Dominga planned an emotional coup, by making Esmeralda to wear her new dress to church on Sunday. Armando was stricken by love thunderbolt when he saw Esmeralda arrayed in her new dress in church.

Amor sin Condiciones (Introduction)

There is only ONE WAY to Love! That is what María Clara (Mariana Ochoa) seem to prove to us in the episodes of this novela. Amor sin Condiciones (Love without Conditions).

From today I would begin posting snippets from this novela for all lovers and lovers-to-be of this telenovela.

Why I am personally excited about it wasd because of the two main actresses involved. Mariana Ochoa of the gardener's daughter fame and "Berenice" of Cuando Seas Mia (When You are Mine) fame. It was an epic battle between the two of them for the love of one man.

Carlos Raúl and María Clara practiced an undiluted and perfect love. They were confronted with the reality of their poverty. He was a humble mechanic and had to find money for the impending marriage to his heart-throb, María Clara. A marriage that had to be painfully postponed until he could gather enough money to go ahead.

It was the search for money in another city that first tore them apart, then Carlos Raúl landed in the hands of Ximena ('Berenice'), a single and stupendously rich lady, who employed his mechanic skill, but later fell in love with him, and discovered that he was also a skilled lover...

From there, ... the intrigues began. Please, Go with me as, I begin posting the snippets from today. Esmeralda too will go in-pari- pasu with this until we complete the 60 episodes of Esmeralda.