Episode 67: The Fools Paradise

Like I said yesterday, Marissa began her journey to the grave by giving the trickster, L.A another chance to prove that he 'loves' her and she can trust him again. Tonite, two things happened simultaneously. While Marissa was busy churning out orders to Ordonez to stop the divorce proceedings in court against L.A, the bum was busy revealing and reviewing with his lover, Andreina, his plans to murder Marissa, if she gives him the second chance to come into her life again.

With her own hands, she signed her death warrant with a pen flowing with the ink of the fool's paradise. Marissa is a lesson in emotional weakness. In any society, the most shrewd set of people or profession are the money lenders or Bankers. Remember the fable of the 'Merchant of Venice'? Marissa has put the impeccable reputation of the banking profession into a huge shame. To allow an emotional robber toy with your life is one weakness too much.

For 18 years, this bum has played the gigolo, toying with her money, and she did not know this, until recently when she caught him cheating on her with a concubine called Andreina. That was sufficient evidence to break completely with emotional folly. To open again the door of her heart for a grand reception for this emotional thief, is something incomprehensible and, I believe the generation to come from that family lineage (the Alcantaras and the Gomez Ruiz), would never forgive the memory of this woman who opened the door of calamity, for tragedy to invade the family fortunes.

Every chain breaks at its weakest link. Marissa in this hour, represents the worst and weakest link in the love-chain of Luisa Fernanda and Carlos Eduardo. I am afraid she would bring incalculable disaster unto these two youngsters for the next two years, by her ungodly decision of emotional weakness, to bring Luis Alejandro back into her home and life. She is a message for every rich old lady that have hot pants for very young men. They are courting disasters! That is the message!

Touch Not Luicito!
Rigoberto, the no-nonsense old maid of the Alcantara's house is truly a guardian Angel. She heard L.F telling Don Fernando how L.A threatened her with imprisonment, because of loosing a case to her in court sometime ago. She stormed L.A's office to warn him that, not a single strand of hair from that young girl's hair must be plucked by L.A. She counter-threatened L.A that, she would expose him as a trickster and liar to Don Fernando. She promised him that, if he touches L.F, she would tell Don that he was the bast**d that impregnated Amelia 20 years ago. A word they say, is enough for the wise, or in this case, a trickster.

Forget About Your Father
Armando stormed the office of L.A with his girlfriend Carol, after they have excused Carol. Armando challenged L.A to tell him if he was his father. L.A told him that he must be crazy to jump to such conclusions and that, their coincidental resemblance was not biological, but one of those rare but possible cases of life. When he mentioned his mother's name, Armando was shocked, he asked him how he knew his mother and yet claimed he never met her? L.A lied to him that Jenny was concerned because he (Armando), was going out with her sister, Carol, and requested him to investigate Armando Perreira. He told him all the data, that Medina gave him, about his high grades in the University, his best friend's name etc. These additional facts calmed down his suspicions.

L.A offered him immediately the job of a Personal Assistant. Armando was overwhelmed with gratitude by this surprised and unsolicited employment. Armando said he would call his mother to tell her that he has gotten a new job. L.A became afraid, and told him not to tell his mom yet so that the woman would not be too anxious. He also told him to forget about his father, because he is already a grown-up man. L.A promised that he would teach him the tricks of the legal business, saying law thrives on tricks. What a heritage!

After Armando left, L.A said to himself: "... life is funny, I did not have any child with Marissa, now I have two, a boy and a girl..., now I must find who the girl is..."

He is Not My Father!
L.F was worried the way Carlos treated L.A shabbily, saying, how could he treat his father like that. Carlos said: "...C'mmon my love, that st*pid bast**d isn't my father. He married my mother when I was young, My father died when I was four years old, my mother married him a few years after, despite all our objections to the marriage. I have never called him a father. He married my mother because of her money."

Your Mouth Is Filthy
Don Fernando dealt another blow on Consuela tonite by asking her to shut her filthy mouth. Consuela was surprised that Don came back from Marissa's house alone, so she asked him saying: "...so, that servant left you alone to come home by yourself?" Don was offended by her statement, and he called her to order, saying, "... that girl girl is not just a simple servant, neither is she an idiot as you called her... you have a filthy mouth, and only filthy things come out of it. Keep quiet if you have nothing clean to say about that girl." L.F entered at that moment, Don just grabbed her and told her that he had something private he wanted to tell her, so, he took her, in spite of the boiling jealousy of Consuela, to his study.

When they got there, he gave her the envelope containing a bulk money, and told her that was her salary for several months, paid in advance. She was surprised and grateful, and never suspected that the money was from Carlos Eduardo. Consuela was waiting for her when she came out of Don's study. She demanded from her, what was the private talks that Don was having with her. To my annoyance, L.F foolishly sat down to tell Consuela that Don gave a lot of monies to cover several month's salary.

What else does L.F needs to acknowledge this red snake as her enemy? Was it when she called her father, Pedro a lunatic; or when she fired her before Don rescued her; or when she lied to her and incited her against Rigo, but she later found out that Rigo was a sweet angel; or when Don openly accuse her(Consuela), of acting strangely and being jealous of L.F? Why would she have to open her mouth to tell the secret of what Don did for her in the open, to this poisonous snake? This grave error would cost her, her freedom very soon, as Consuela would use that information to accuse her later of stealing money from her house.

Jennifer lost her balance for the rest of the day because of the acidic tongue of Don Fernando. She felt very low to discover that, a complete stranger like Don, knew her phony pregnancy secrets.

Episode 66: What Marissa Forgot!

They said he had Alzheimer disease, that he has memory loss and suffers from amnesia. Don Fernando, the multi Billionaire steel magnate, who has been turned into a domestic mockery by his daughter, Consuelo, is the one who showed Marissa the inconvenient truth that Marissa chose to forget in tonite's episode.

Don Came into Marissa's bedroom and cheered her up, also telling her that he could not but come with his personal companion, the girlfriend of Carlos Eduardo, when he heard that she was a little under the weather. Jennifer was offended by Don's statement, so she mocked his statement, saying, "... Personal Companion??? you mean, your personal servant!" Don was pissed off by this mocker, and he challenged her saying: "who are you, young lady to teach me what I know?" Marissa quickly intervened by introducing her as her good friend, Jennifer de la Vega.

The old man smiled and said: "... Ok, now I understand your attitude, so you are the lady who made up that phony pregnancy story to keep Carlos Eduardo and Luicita apart!" It was as if a bucket of frozen water was poured on Jenny, she sank into silence and disappeared from the room. Marissa too was uncomfortable with the bitter reminder that Don brought to the fore. She tried to change the subject by telling Don that her son loved him like a father, he too said he loved him like a son, and he thanked Marissa for the unexpected loan her bank wanted to give to his steel factory. He also expressed his happiness for the reunion of Carlos and Luicito. Marissa could not tolerate any, more of the L.F promo that the old man is indulging in, so, she quickly found excuse to dispatch the old man to help her look for Carlos to come and take care of her.

Those who refused to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And when history repeats itself, it does so, first as a FARCE, like the phony pregnancy case, and later as a TRAGEDY. Marissa holds the key to the good fortune of this telenovela, if she looses that key to the wicked, to rule and ruin her life, a tragedy of incomparable dimension cannot be averted. Marissa unwittingly, is preparing herself for a tragic manipulation that would send her to "hell" for two years, and consequently send Carlos and Luisa Fernanda (the prime lovers), into a life of misery, sorrow and public disgrace, for the same period. What a shame, What a folly! and What a Lesson for us to learn about the kind of friends that surround us often.

Tonite's episode was all-round victory for Don Fernando. Earlier in the drama at home, Consuela fired L.F partly because she was asking for advance salary to pay for her her father's (Pedro) medical expenses. Consuela told her that the money shall be her terminal salary because her services were no longer needed, simply because she accused L.F of upsetting the nerves of her father, with her emotional cries for pity. Don overheard her hysteric shouts and came asking what the matter was. Rigo told him that Consuela wanted to sack Luicito because she asked for salary advance.

Don responded marvelously by saying: "... the one who really upset my nerves in this house is you, Consuela. In this house, I give the orders, because it me that pays all the workers and not you... Instead of accusing Luicito of being a stranger, it's you who have lately become a stranger here, you have grown jealous of this young girl, whereas she has been tender towards me, she did not upset my nerves like you did." Defeated Consuela angrily left the house with Heriberto.

Don told L.F to take him to Marissa's house to cheer her up. L.F was reluctant because of L.A who has been a nuisance to her recently at the hospital before Marissa was discharged. Don understood, but assured her that L.A is just one of his employees in his steel factory, and if the man should insult her again, he would simply fire him. So, she took him to Marissa's house. On getting there, Carlos took Don to his room for private talks. L.F insisted that she would just wait for them inside the garden with Clarita.

Jenny appeared with flowers for Marissa and saw L.F in the garden, and with blazing eyes, she said to her: "... so, the little girl is waiting outside, well, excuse me, because, in this house, I don't need to wait or hang around". L.F told her that she came with Mr. Fernando and does not have time for her tantrums, saying she could go inside, if she wanted because it is her boyfriend's house. Jenny disagreed, saying this house belongs to Marissa and not Carlos Eduardo. She assured L.F that she should go look for another boyfriend in her gardener's class, saying that Marissa would never allow her son to marry a gardener's daughter. She told L.F that she is beneath her class and that L.A would soon come out and make sure she is behind bars as he had promised her.

Jenny went in to tell L.A who was already toasting Marissa with fake promises that she should give him another opportunity to prove to her that she could, once again trust him by asking him to return and live with her as her husband. Marissa was on the verge of agreement because when Carlos told Marissa at the hospital, just before she was discharged, to sent him out. She disagreed with him, saying, "He has a right to be with me, because he is still my husband".

L.A. ran out of the room threatening to chase L.F out of the compound, saying get house of my house now. Carlos appeared and came to her rescue saying: "... the one who is going out of here now is You!". He told L.A to apologize to his girlfriend and wife-to-be for insulting her he refused. Then, Carlos threaten to beat him up if he did not get out of the compound immediately. L.A was humiliated out of the house. But he left a memorable word for Carlos that he would soon return to live as the head of the house.

That Man Is Clever
Odonez inspected the steel factory and promise Consuelo and Heriberto to write a report to the credit department bank to facilitate a speedy conclusion of the loan requested for. He later told Lupe at the office that L.A is now the legal adviser, with an office and a secretary, at the steel factory. Lupe was surprised and said that the man is very clever. Ordonez said he was not only clever, but also sneaky and a cheat. He suspected that he was rewarded by Consuelo, who paid a detective so that Amelia would not be brought back home. He swore with the memory of Amelia, that he would get to the root of this fraud scheme to deprive Luisa Fernanda from getting her inheritance. He even suggested going to Don to reveal all this truth.

L.A returne to the office to meet Rigo and Detective Medina. He took Medina in, and the detective reported back to him that Armando Perreira was the son of Elvira Perreira of Vera Cruz. She is still alive but the father could not be traced! L.A mused aloud in his heart at the revelation, saying in his heart: "Elvira Perreira was my girlfriend!"

Pedro was so obsessed with L.F-Carlos renewal of relationship that He began to insult his elder sister, Joaquina for always defending and protecting Carlos. Joaquina explained to him that his hatred was unfounded, because Montero is not the father of carlos. His father's name was Gomez. But Pedro was blinded with his obsession that he described L.F and her late mother, Amelia as ungrateful. Joaquina was offended by this categorizatioin and she told him so. he bacame so furious with Joaquina that he called her a traitor and little witch, commanding her to get him out of the mental prison that L.F locked her into so that she can go around with that 'bast**d' as he characteristically described Carlos. Joaquina broke into tears for her brother that had gone bonkers.