Esmeralda 57: Because I Love Armando!

Jose Armando went into jealous rage when he was told by Rodolfo that Alvaro is around to see him. Rodolfo assured him that Alvaro came as a specialist to examine his condition and determine if he could regain his sight.

After medically examining Armando, Alvaro revealed that the state of depression in which Armando was going through currently, has worsened his sight. He concluded that Armando needed either an urgent ventilation of refreshing joy which would make him to regain his sight or immediate surgical operation, otherwise he would go blind permanently.

Nobody is left in doubt as to the real cause of Armando's depression and the solution that can bring the so-called 'ventilation of refreshing joy'. The fingers of this medical examination points to ESMERALDA!

Armando being a medical doctor himself testily replied that he already knew the diagnosis. At that point, Alvaro got angry, he lambasted Armando and accused him of exaggerating his state, in order to obtain pity of Esmeralda and thereby abort his own wedding. Armando hotly denied the accusation, saying that if he wanted to disrupt their wedding, he would have stayed back in Mexico city,, and not have come back to the village in Casa Grande, to avoid confrontation.

Just before their hot exchanges degenerated into a brawl, Rodolfo and Blanca intervened to separate them and calm down tension. Rodolfo blamed Alvaro for taking his rivalry with Armando to ridiculous extent, of wanting to disrupt his (Alvaro's) wedding to Esmeralda.

Esmeralda was devastated to learn from Alvaro about the danger of permanent blindness facing Jose Armando. Alvaro for once summoned courage to tell her the blunt truth saying: " ... the only drug that can cure Jose Armando is You! ... " This made her to be bewildered because she lacked courage to approach Armando, having spurned and rejected him recently.

Other well wishers led by a crusading Dominga and Florecita, told and advised Esmeralda to cancel her impending church wedding with Alvaro, because she would be a sad victim and hostage in a marriage where her true heart beats cannot be found.

Melesio had the traditional job of always leading blind Armando around the village to the side of the waterfall, just like he did for Esmeralda. Melesio became his best friend and companion, just like in the case of Esmeralda in the past.

While Jose Armando languished in self-pity and sorrow in the village, bemoaning the loss of Esmeralda's love, Esmeralda too was weeping all days in the city, as she prepared for her unhappy wedding to Alvaro. Then, two days before the wedding, Alvaro caught Esmeralda inside a sea of sorrowful tears. He felt guilty because it was obvious that Esmeralda was not in love with him, but with Armando. He knew that he had lost the love battle.

When later Dominga challenged her to ask her the reasons for her tears, she confirmed to Dominga saying: " ... because I love Jose Armando! ... ".

Esmeralda 56: Two Weddings, Two Outcomes

Jose Armando regretfully returned back to Casa Grande, having lost the opportunity to win back the love of Esmeralda, he went into a sad seclusion and refused to talk with anybody. He did not want to disrupt Esmeralda's wedding plans, and he assumed that Esmeralda would find happiness with Alvaro, so, he steered clear of Mexico city, as he did not want his hanging around to remind him of his sad loss of Esmeralda's love.

Medical doctor Alvaro went on with speed, to organize his wedding ceremony to nurse Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Esmeralda's wedding day was the same as that of Adrian Lucero, with another lady (Aurora - pix above right), whom he loved dearly, after Fatima aborted his love affairs with Graciela, whom she had 'traded' off in marriage to another rich man in Mexico city. A man whom Graciela did not love.

Adrian begged and invited Jose Armando to attend his wedding in Mexico city. Jose Armando reluctantly agreed and came for the wedding. While at the church for Adrian's wedding, he got news that Esmeralda would be marrying at the same time, in another part of Mexico. He could not bear the memory of his only beloved, getting married to his best friend, while he, sitting helplessly as a spectator in another man's wedding ceremony. He rushed out in anger and disillusionment. He climbed his horse and furiously headed for his home in Mexico, to mourn.

In his reckless fury, while riding the horse, he had an accident, a head-on collision with a judge riding a car. He had severe concussion and lost consciousness, he was rushed by a good Samaritan who found him, to the hospital to save his life. The good Samaritan contacted the Peñarreal family in Casa Grande, to break the sad news to them.

Bad news spread like wild-fire, Esmeralda, who was waiting at the civil registry impatiently for the arrival of Alvaro to legally consummate their marriage, received the news of Jose Armando's tragic accident with shock and was instantly depressed. By the time Alvaro arrived, he received a phone call, that the judge also had a fatal accident on his way to the court marriage and had been hospitalized.

That was a big relief for Esmeralda, and she advised Alvaro not to desperately seek for another judge to join them, but rather call off the civil wedding. She assured him that they should work towards the success of the church wedding in a week's time.

Rodolfo rushed to the hospital to see Armando. By the time Jose Armando came out of coma, everything around him was thick darkness, he had lost the use of his eyes and gone blind. This new reality, was crushing for him. To be blind just like Esmeralda was in the past, was too much a burden for Jose Armando. He assumed that it was God that was punishing him for abandoning and divorcing blind Esmeralda, when he doubted the paternity over her pregnancy.

Esmeralda broke down and wept profusely, when she learnt that Jose Armando had gone blind as a result of the accident. Alvaro was troubled by her depression, and was not sure if she would still go ahead with their plans for church wedding next week.

After Armando was discharged, he was led to Casa Grande and was medically advised to consult with an Ophthalmologist to determine if he could gain his sight back, but he refused, willing to serve 'his punishment' to the end.

When Dominga and everybody around Esmeralda saw how she was grieving for Jose Armando, they advised her to discontinue her wedding plans with Alvaro, since she still loved and treasured Jose Armando. They even advised her to visit Armando in Casa Grande with her son Jose Rodolfo, par chance, her visit would bring succor and healing to Armando.

She told them that it would bring rather pain to Armando because she had rejected him. She even told them that her rejection of him is what drove him with rage into that unfortunate accident. She however pleaded to a reluctant Alvaro, being a specialist ophthalmologist, to go felicitate with and examine Armando's eyes, if he would see again.

Esmeralda 51-55: The Haunting Truth

The truth does not torment but it stubbornly haunts both the wicked and the ignorant. Lucio Malver sold all his properties in the village and headed for Mexico city. He used the money realized from the sale of his properties to pay for the plastic surgery of his disfigured face. He was ashamed to face Esmeralda with an ugly face.

Ironically, it was Jose Armando, being one of the best dermatologists in the hospital, who headed the plastic surgery team that operated on Lucio. After the successful surgery, Lucio went to visit Esmeralda demanding custody of his "son" and also asked her to marry him. Esmeralda tongue-lashed him and told him to leave her in peace and that she would never give up custody of her child to him.

Beautiful Georgina pleaded with Rodolfo to influence Jose Armando to marry her immediately, but Rodolfo was not persuaded, he had done enough harm to his daughter, Esmeralda, to further cause her more sorrow. He was characteristically blunt with Georgina, telling her that the only joy of Jose Armando would be to re-marry Esmeralda. She threatened that she would make her father to sack Esmeralda from the hospital, if Jose Armando would not marry her immediately.

Georgina knew this as a haunting truth because Jose Armando still lounged for, and loved Esmeralda, therefore she conspired with Lucio, telling him to kidnap 'his son' in order to force Esmeralda to marry him. Lucio confessed to Georgina that the boy was not his son, and that he had invented the lies about his paternity, hoping that his lies would separate Esmeralda from Jose Armando. He told Georgina that the boy was truly the biological son of her fiance, Jose Armando.

Georgina was shocked by this revelation, but insisted that Lucio must go on as planned by kidnapping the boy. Lucio carried out the dastardly act of kidnapping little José Rodolfo. This caused much anguish for Esmeralda, and nobody seems to know how to help her resolve the dilemma.

José Armando went to talk to his 'friend' and rival, Alvaro. He told Alvaro that he did not want Esmeralda to suffer any pain as a result of Lucio's wicked acts. He suggested that if he registered the little José Rodolfo as his son, and obtain a birth certificate for him, he could file a suit in court to strip Lucio of any custody of the little boy. Alvaro objected to José Armando's suggestion because he was insecured and afraid that, if Esmeralda knows about this suggestion, she would melt and become fond of José Armando again.

When Alvaro refused his offer, José Armando said he would go and threaten Lucio that he would make his life impossible, if he should cause sorrow for Esmeralda. Dr. Alvaro, just like Dr. Alfredo of the gardener's daughter telenovela, was in perpetual fear of losing Esmeralda, so, he hid all this offer of assistance and defense by José Armando, from the knowledge of his fiancee, Esmeralda.

In the middle of arguments between Lucio and José Armando, Malaver suffered a fresh round of cardiac arrest, and this time, he did not survive it. While on his death bed, this wicked man confessed to José Armando that, little José Rodolfo was truly his son and that he (Lucio), never sexually abused Esmeralda.

He recounted how he made Esmeralda to touch his scarred face, to show her what he had suffered for her sake, and how Esmeralda fainted as a consequence of the shock from that touch. He swore that he never touched her on that fateful night. He also revealed that it was his fiancee, Georgina, who inspired the kidnap of the little boy to clear the coast of her romantic territory, in order to marry José Armando.

On the score of this truth, José Armando broke up his engagement with Georgina. He tongue-lashed her for emotionally manipulating him and scheming to kidnap his son. He also went back to plead for forgiveness by Esmeralda.

In the similitude of stubbornness of Luisa Fernanda in the gardener's daughter soap opera, Esmeralda refused to forgive José Armando, no matter what he did to appease her, even though she still secretly harbored a great and undying love for him. She would not listen to Dominga's advise to forgive him. She banished him from coming to visit her. Having lost all hope of restoring relationship with Esmeralda, José Armando headed back for the village to spent the rest of his life in Casa Grande.