Episode 54: Betrayed!

Are you a lover? My answer is absolute YES!!! I am a passionate lover. Let us put aside other sentiments, Vanessa Sotomayor touched me tonite as a lover. Her love for Carlos Eduardo may be inordinate, it may have been wrongly inspired by Augusto's lie and Heriberto's gold-digging delusion. But Vanessa scored the best cupid marks tonite when she confronted Luisa Fernanda and accused her of treachery. It was friendship calamity to have hidden your romance from your best friend, particularly when your friend nurses a delusion about the same man.

It is a forgiveable sin, but it is not acceptable. I was hurt for this Vanessa girl, I empathize with her. Carlos had gone through his own crisis when Augusto, his best friend, discovered his secret romance with L.F, the girl he (Augusto) adored with passion. Now it is the turn of L.F to carry her own cross too, after Vanessa discovered her secret romance with Carlos Eduardo, the man she (Vanessa) has grown infatuated with.

Carlos came to the rescue of L.F, but that was like rubbing salt upon injury for Vanessa. Rigoberto called and led Carlos up to Don's bedroom. Despite L.F's pleadings for mercy and forgiveness, Vanessa continued pumelling L.F. with acidic words, regretting bringing an 'enemy' to her house to work, and calling her a back-stabber. She said: "... until yesterday, you were the dearest friend I ever had since my mother died, but now, today, you've caused the worst deception I suffered my whole life..., I would never forgive you for this!" She stormed out of the house and spurned her. Luisa Fernanda broke down and began to weep.

Consuela arrived only to meet a tearful 'Luicito'. When he asked her the reason for her tears, L.F quickly cleaned her eyes and told her she was only overwhelmed by her family's problems. Alfredo called on phone to tell L.F that there was an emergency concerning Pedro at the mental hospital that required urgent attention. She took excuse and hurriedly left the house, telling Consuela what was just relayed to her.

Don Fernando wondered how a doctor that just graduated looked so sad. Carlos told him the complicated problem he had with Luisa and Vanessa. The old man promised to help him by talking to his girlfriend, if he introduced her to him. Carlos replied: "... she is here, Mr. Fernando, she is the girl you hired to take care of you." Don was pleasantly surprised about this news and recalled she was the girl he donated blood to at the hospital.

By the time Carlos came downstairs and asked for L.F. Consuela told him the news from the mental hospital relayed to L.F. He too took off in a jiffy, saying Pedro was his special patient and needed to know what has gone wrong with him.

GET RID OF LUISA FERNANDA!
Old Rigoberto came out to the living room and called Consuela. She panicked and jumped up on seeing Rigo. This drama amused Rigo and she told Consuela that: "... a person with a clear conscience would not have jumped the way you did" that was a pregnant statement by Rigo that she does not still trust the claim of Consuela, on Amelia's death and Luicito's true identity.

Don Fernando was well-dressed and 'tunshed up' for an encounter with Luicito, only to be told by Consu that Luicito had gone home because of a problem with her sick father. As soon as Heriberto arrived, Consuela told him that he wanted to discuss a crucial matter "in private" with him and they went to their room for their noxious meeting. She was insinuating that she doesn't want 'nosy' Rigoberto to eavesdrop.

Consuela told her husband of the latest complexity that emerged in their evil scheme to hijack Don Fernando's fortune. She told how she got to know that Dr. Carlos Eduardo was Pedro Physician. This was alarming to them, because according to Consuela, "... AT ANY MOMENT from now, Carlos Eduardo could tell my father that Pedro is Luisa Fernanda's father..., we must move fast, I Must Get Rid of Luisa Fernanda." Heriberto agreed with her, aying how can a 'bastard child' come into an inheritance she did not even know of. Rigoberto, as usual, eavesdropped and heard them mention the true identity of LUISA FERNANDA... and all they said behind closed doors.

The stage is now set for high-wire intrigues. Many desperate moves by the schemers in this telenovela to exterminate their imaginary opponents may be the order of the day from next week.

Consuela met with L.A. at the empty office. She told him to also get two plebeian graves dressed and ready to show to worrisome Rigoberto as Amelia and Luisa Fernanda graves, within 24 hours. As she was moving closer in the empty office, to L.A. Marissa appeared. Consuela took her leave. Marisa said she came to announce to him that Carlos Eduardo has withdrawn the case of homicide against him. L.A. begged her not to leave and pleaded, saying that he would be willing to do anything for her to forgive him and let him go on being her husband. He began to say sweet nothings to her about the last love-making they had together recently.

She told him that it was just sex, but he insisted that it was more than sex..., before she knew what hit her, she had melted again under the emotional charisma of L.A. in a deep kissing that could have led to anything on the floor of the office but for the interruption of Andreina who came in unaware and aw them passionately entangled in each other's arm. They quickly broke up, and Marissa regained her posture and decorum. She told L.A. to pack the remnants of his things from the office as her son would be taking over the place a his new office.

Andreina challenged him after Marisa left, saying: "... why are you doing this to me, you lied to me again." L.A denied it saying it was Marissa that came begging him in his office, wanting to reconcile with him and started kissing him. This emotional hiker would destroy the soul of many a foolish women in this telenovela.

Pedro's escape caused a big stir at the mental hospital. Lupe, from a taxi saw him wandering about the streets. He asked Lupe to lend him some money, that he wanted to go to Pancho's house to change dress from the hospital outfit. Lupe offered to take him to his house. I have said it many times, Pedro is not mad, he was only obsessed with a fear of Luisa Fernanda's true identity being revealed to her. His mission that drove him out of the mental home was to go and take Luisa Fernanda from "that house!" meaning, Don Alcantara's house. He met Carlos hanging around his doorstep for L.F. and roughened him up, telling him to go away from his daughter.

By the time L.F came in company of her aunt, Joaquina, Carlos told them that Pedro is inside locked up in his room. When L.F. knocked and he came out. L.F told him that hois tretment i not yet complete and need to go back. He replied with anger and audacity: "... I don't belong there, I can never go back to that hospital; just as you would never go back to that house!" meaning Alcantara's house.

Episode 53: Hunting And Haunted!

Consuela seems to be on the run, not only from the ripening harvest of her past evil seeds, that she had sown, but also after new evil deeds that she must commit. What an unusual race! It is difficult enough to walk on a tight rope, but Consuela is surprisingly running on a tight rope. When, and not if, she would fall, is a matter left for conjecture.

While the harvest of her evil schemes to prevent Luisa Fernanda from her legitimate inheritance is gradually ripening and haunting her, because, now L.F has arrived in the Alcantara 'palace'. Solozano is her next hunting target. She wants him to take the rap for the 200,000 Dollars robbery of steel workers payroll money from the Safe. So she instructed her 'ally-in-crime' tonite- Luis Alejandro Montero, to help.

Consuela Alcantara is a spectacle to behold. Scheming, to her, is like food. She lived by it, and I'm afraid, she would die by it. She thrives in contraptions. If she should be starved of strifes, she may suffer malnourishment of intrigues and die of inactivity. From the cradle, she had laid hold of an unusual vice called envy, the mother of bitterness and unforgiveness. She has never striven to be good in any other thing or vocation in life, but subtlety.

Slippery and sly, she has acquired a skill that none of her adversaries, in her forty-year sojourn in life has ever outwitted. I beg to say that she is a ruler and principality in the territory of mischief. Every molecule of her blood has been saturated with hatred that is sufficient to go round everyone that knew and ever associated with her closely. The seed of jealousy permeates every fibre of her being. She is a walking poison, seeking for every friend to permanently disable, and every enemy to utterly kill!

Having rode roughshod over every one that ever crossed her path, even if innocently or by mistake. She has acquired a confidence that dares THE LAW OF RETRIBUTION. She forgets that this irreversible law is the 'farmer' that preserves and nurture the seeds we planted yesteryears into bountiful harvest in later season of our live. It is a universal law without any exemption. From Amelia, Pedro, Rigo, Don, L.A, etc all have tasted her poisonous fangs at different times.

Consuela disarmed the suspicion of Rigo with a victim's crocodile tears, putting her head, like a baby, on Rigoberto's shoulders and accusing Rigo of never having loved her, saying: "... how could you ever thought that I would lie about Amelia's death? Perez is the most commonest name in the whole world, if Luicito were to be my dead niece, I would have been happy to adopt her a my own daughter, since I never had a child of my own. How could you think of such wickedness about me. You and my father never loved me, it was Amelia that you cuddle always." Rigo was softened, and she vowed that she loved Consuela, asking her to weep no more.

By the time L.F. resumed work the next day, Consuela called her and warned her not to trust Rigoberto. She said Rigo was not happy and is jealous of her, for taking her job in the house. That L.F. should be careful, because Rigo is very nosy, and might want to ask her about her past and background, in order to use the information to harm her. She urged her to only talk about the present with Rigo. She also warned her not to be too friendly with Rigo, because she is a psychotic i.e mad, at times.

L.A. threatened Andreina to pack her few 'rags' and leave his apartment, calling her a cheap slut. She swore to him that nothing happened between Leopoldo and her, saying, she was in sorrow throughout her stay in Cancun because, she thought he had gone back to reconcile with his wife, Marissa. They reconciled after he told her he was in police costody all that night because of being arrested and detained for attempted homicide.

Carlos Eduardo's joy of graduating as a doctor was dampened and cut short because L.F declined to go out and celebrate it with him. When he got home, he met Jennifer de la Cunning and his mom in a big festive mood, opening Champaigne bottle to fet with him. Vanessa was told about the of Carlos graduation by Rigo. She practically flew to Carlos' house to be part of the party. A warfare of words enued between Vanessa and Jennifer over who has a right of being Carlos girlfriend at the party.

Jenny threatened Vanny that it won't be difficult for her to get rid of her (Vanessa), as she did with that little school girl, Luisa Fernanda. Vanny replied that Carlos has not told her that Jenny was his girlfriend and that Jenny was the real usurper. Moreover, she said that Luisa Fernanda was her best friend, and that Jenny was only lying, using L.F's name to dissuade her from loving Carlos. Jenny warned her that she could be a very dangerous emnemy for Vanessa to contend with, and therefore she would deal viciously with Vanny more than she did with Luisa Fernanda. She told Vanessa that until a while ago, L.F was Carlos' girlfriend before she (Jenny), dealt with her.

At that point, Vanessa became unsettled, and rushed out of Carlos house and ran home crying. The next day, she was ready for battle, waiting for L.F. to resume work. When L.F eventually arrived, Vanessa pounced on her with all her anger, pouring her vituperations on her for betraying her by befriending and 'stealing' Carlos Eduardo from her. At that moment, Carlos Eduardo entered the Alcantara's house unnoticed, and listened to the bitter outpourings of Vanessa on Luisa Fernanda...

What do you think would happen? Would he carry on the pretentions or would he puncture the balloon falsehood that Vanessa has nurtured for over a year? Would he boldly come to the rescue of Luisa Fernanda and tell the TRUTH, once and for all, to Vanessa? Next episode would tell.

Meanwhile, Carlos had told his mother to cancel any graduation party because he was in a miserable emotional shape due to his problems with L.F. Marissa too agreed with him because of her own personal sorrow of booting out L.A from her life. She pleaded once again with Carlos to withdraw the case of attempted homicide against L.A. because she felt the man has been sufficiently humiliated by her throwing him out of the house, evicting him from his office accommodation and canceling his credit cards. Carlos reasoned with her, and agreed to withdraw the case.

Pedro was regretful and sorrowful to learn from L.F's mouth that she had to suspend her schooling till next semester and find work now to raise money for his hospital bill. He aid he won't allow her to drop out of school to pay for a shrink. He was further depressed when she told him that she had gotten a good job of taking care of "Vanessa's grandfather" Mr. Fernando Alcantara.

As soon as food was brought to him to eat after L.F and other visitors left, he escaped through the bathroom from the mental hospital.