A CABIN SOMEWHERE IN
THE MOUNTAIN: Mauricio told Juana he thinks pregnant women are very beautiful and wonders
what she would look like when she is big (with his child). She can’t help thinking
about how handsome he is and how he cared about her dietary needs. She asked him how many
rooms are there and he showed her one with his index finger. She started to get nervous as
the dinner comes to and end. He prepared the bed for her and told her if she is cold, he
can give her more blankets. She leaned forward to yank the blanket but he told her to let
him do it and she shouldn’t be doing it in her condition. She was touched by his
caring and smiled happily. She asked him where he is going to sleep as there is only one
pillow. He asked her if she needed more pillows but when she said no. He told her he will
sleep on the sofa. She looked a bit disappointed and asked him if he wants to sleep on the
hard sofa when there is a perfectly nice bed available. He told her he has done it before
and he is used to it. He took out a white nightgown belonging to his aunt and gave it to
her. Before he left the room, he told her if she needs anything she can ask him for it,
and nothing is going to happen to her and told her not to worry and left. She said to
herself that of course nothing is going to happen because he is sleeping in the other
room. She changed into the nightgown and looked very innocent and pretty in it. She asked
herself if she should say goodnight to Mauricio but changed her mind because she doesn’t
want him to see her in the nightgown. Then she decided to do it by hiding behind the door
and just opened it a few inches and said good night. Mauricio in the next room tried to
look at her but couldn’t see anything and so he returned her greeting and she closed
the door. She went to sleep and in the other room Mauricio wonders if she is cold and told
himself there are two ways to get warm. One is using blankets and the other is body heat
and if he should lie beside her so she wouldn’t be cold. Then he told himself to
forget it.
Juana dreamed she was back in the past ( may be a few decade or a century) she was being
prepared to see her beau for the first time and asked the servant who is tying her corset
if he like thin woman or fat woman. Then she strolls around the hasienda with him and they
stopped to look at each other. Mauricio looked very dashing in his traditional attire as
is Juana. They looked like a pair made for each other. Then suddenly he took out a knife
and raises his hand to stab her. Juana woke up sweating. She told herself she was just
dreaming. She looked outside and saw that it wasn’t morning yet. She wonders if
Mauricio would mind if she spends the night with him. She opened the connecting door
slowly and found that he was asleep. She went to the side of the bed and looked down at
him. She looked at him with affection and the helplessness she feels because of her love
for him. She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed and asked herself why he treated her very
kindly and why he looked so good. She lies halfway on the bed and touched his hair with
her fingers. She asked him why he smelled so good. She moved closer and suddenly Mauricio
turned towards her and hugged her in his sleep. His hand was on her belly where his child
was growing inside her. She was nervous as she doesn’t know what to do and afraid to
move lest she woke him up. At the same time she‘s very happy to be in his embrace and
feel safe, protected and nurtured. She slowly slides down so that she is lying next to him
on the sofa. She looked contented and happy as she loves him so much and right now she is
with him all alone on a beautiful night in an isolated cabin. She got him all to herself.
She stared at his face and looked at each feature on his face. She told herself if she
doesn’t kiss him now, she is going to drown in her feelings for him. She told herself
not to go to sleep as he might wake up and saw her. She told herself to think about her
mother or grandmother or her tio but she couldn’t stay awake and fall asleep in his
arms. Later Mauricio wakes up to find her in his arm and disentangled himself from her
slowly. He told himself he has to finish his work as he has to present to the people from
Miami but he keep losing his concentration and keep looking at her. He told himself she
must have been cold or scared to come in and sleep beside him. He said to himself that
there is nothing between them and she is just a kid, therefore there couldn’t be
anything between them. But he still went to lie next to her to finish his job and later
falls asleep. There was a noise coming from outside which woke Juana. She looked around
and found that she was hugging Mauricio and he was holding her hand. She saw the laptop
and told herself he must have waked up sometime during the night and wonders if he is
angry with her for coming to him. She realized that the noise she heard was their rescue
and wakes Mauricio by leaning forward and calling his name. When he woke up they looked at
each other and smiled contentedly.
JUANA’S HOUSE: Ana and Mano were having some drink in the living room when she told
her brother not to tell their mother what they know about Juana and with whom she is
spending the night with. Manolito totally agreed with her and they plan to keep it among
themselves as the abuela will go totally bonkers if she knew about it. She asked him where
is Mauricio’s home and asked him to take her there. She told him, he must have known
where the house is as he went there to fix Juana’s bike when she went there as a
photographer and met Maurico for the first time. He thinks for a while and agreed to take
her there. On their way out the door, she made some noise and he told her to be quite so
that their mother won’t be alerted. Before going out the door he made her promise him
to be cool and let him do the talking. She agreed without much thinking just to get him
going.
LA ABUELA’S ROOM: Azucena was alone in her room bemoaning the fate of her family. She
asked herself why Juana is in so much trouble when her life was going very well before and
she could have been anything she has ever wanted. Now look at her, her life was changed so
drastically, going from an honorary student to having expelled from the school because of
her pregnancy. She took out the picture of her husband Ramon Perez who left her and her
children for another woman and have another family. She blamed all the things that
happened in their family on him. She told the photo that by looking at him you wouldn’t
know that he is a bad man. But he is the worst man among the worst. Leaving her to raise
their family without worrying whether they have enough to eat or whether their basic
necessities were met. She heard the front door opened and closed and went to the window to
have a look see. She saw both of her children sneaking off into the night and wonders
where they are going at such a late hour. She made the crossing sign and implored God to
protect her children.
ROGELIO’S APARTMENT: In ‘her’ apartment, Desiree was walking around in her
slinky blood red, sexy and clinging silk robe. There was a knock on the door and when she
opened it, there stood Rogelio (old man no shame – sofia - direct translation of
orang tua tak tau malu) he looked besotted when he stared at her like a young school boy
with his first love. She asked him what he is doing here in her apartment. He told her
that there would be consequences when he fought with his wife because of her ( desiree)
and that he has left his house. She asked him where he intended to stay and whether he is
going to stay with her. He said yes and that is what he intended to do. She looked
disgruntled because she only wanted to use him and once in a while satisfy him to keep him
from knowing the real reason which is Mauricio and all the things he could give her. He
sensed that she wasn’t very happy with it and asked her why she doesn’t want to
stay with him. He told her she owed him a lot and she should be grateful that he was
willing to help her out when her husband left her penniless. She asked him why he was so
sure that her husband will never return. He asked her if she wanted to fight for her
inheritance if he is indeed dead. She turned her back to him and thinks very quickly and
replied that as she signed a prenuptial agreement with him, she couldn’t get his
money before they were married but she could fight for the wealth that he gained after
they were married. He told her he knew why she is playing games with him and that is the
reason she doesn’t want to stay with him. He told her not to mess with him and
repeated how she should be thankful to him for all the things he has done for her. Her
facial expressions showed him her feelings were hurt by his insensitive words. She told
him she was deeply hurt that he would think her capable of such deceit. (oh peleeeeeasse!
–sofia) She went to pack her bags and leave. As she planned, Rogelio intervened
before she could do anything. She turned her back on him. He hugged her from behind and
told her of his undying love for her and the insecurities he has about her feelings for
him. She smirked and looked satisfied at his confession of love for her and told him that
if he doesn’t believe she has feelings for him, then it is his problem. To satisfy
him she told him that she was hurt by his words. It’s not that she doesn’t want
to stay with him, but they have to think about what other people might think if they stay
in the same place. What would Carlota, his daughter say when she knew about it. Not only
her, but the people at the office, and Mauricio who doesn’t like people mixing
business with pleasure. He looked satisfied with her answer for now.
ENRIQUETA’S HOUSE: She was sitting on the sofa and smiling to herself. She looks like
a little girl who just got what she wanted. She asked herself the reason for her feelings
soaring high in the clouds. She answered herself by saying that it must have been because
of Manolito. Then she denied it and told herself she couldn’t afford to feel this
way. She said there is no need to lie to herself and there is no one around to hear it.
She put both of her palms on the side of her face and leaned back on the sofa, relaxed her
body and finally admitted to herself with a smile that of course it was Manolito because
he is the only man who can make her feel this way. She remembers the very romantic moment
full of chemistry in the car when she sends Mano to his house. He asked her how he could
repay her and she told him with a smile not to worry because there will be a way he could
repay her. Still looking at her eyes, he slowly leaned forward to kiss her but she moved.
She remembers it very fondly and told herself to be careful, very careful. Her musings
were disturbed by the door bell. It was Armando, looking very confident when he entered,
thinking that as she lives alone and with no boyfriend, she would be very grateful for his
company. He asked her if there is some takeout food left and he invited himself to dinner.
While eating, he realized that she wasn’t eating and asked her why she wasn’t
eating. She told him she wasn’t hungry. He told her she doesn’t have to sit so
far at the opposite end of the table and dragged the chair next to his and told her to sit
beside him and put his arm on the backrest. She told him the only relationship they are
going to have from now on is that of a professional and nothing more. He looked surprised
and wasn’t aware that she looked happier than usual.
MAURICIO’S HOUSE: Carlota told Humberto that she is nothing like their mother. He
told her she might react the same way if her husband was stolen by another woman. She told
him this would not happen to her as she and her husband and the relationship between them
is very different from that of her parents. She also said that even though they are going
through a rough time in their marriage, they are going to be as they were before. They
love each other and nothing is going to happen. It sounded as if she is trying to convince
herself rather than Humberto. He asked her where Mauricio is and she told him he is away
at a mountain cabin because he needed to be alone for a while. You know he likes to drive
when he is stressed and he’s there alone. He asked her if she knew where it is and
she told him ‘no’. He said ‘you should know these things’ she said she
is a 100% city girl and she doesn’t care about these things. He asked her if she is
really sure he is out there all alone because the more she told him about Mauricio the
more he is suspicious of him. She said that she is not going to feel jealous and she will
trust him. They sat together on the sofa and she praised him because she said in their
family, he is the only one who shows any feeling at all. May be that is the reason why she
married Mauricio, he is willing to show how he feels. She told him she is proud of the way
he stood up to their father and if he remembers a similar incident while they were little,
when he stood up to his father and defended their mother when Rogelio abused Amparito
verbally. He told her he defied his father so that he can defend his mother and he still
remembers what Amparito told him. ‘At least, there is still someone who sided with me’
He has been at her side ever since. The door bell rang and he went to open the door. Came
in Ana Maria and Manuel, they stared at each other awkwardly for a while. Manuel asked if
she is de la Vega’s wife and Carlota asks who they are and if they are friends of her
husband. Mano told her not really and she looked confused. She asked him how he came
through the gate and Mano told her they are not thugs and they just wanted to talk to her.
Humberto excused himself. Mano bushed around the real reason for their visit. Carlota
looses her temper and told them to get out of her house and this made Ana see red and she
told Carlota this is not her house but her husband’s and they shouldn’t be
treated that way. They told her they are Juana’s mother and uncle. Carlota asked
where Juana is and if she asked them to come see her but and they told her she is at home
in her photography room processing some pictures. Then Carlota started to spew
unflattering things about Juana and Ana lost it. She went for Carlota’s throat but
Mano was able to intervene. Ana asked in return where Mauricio is and hinted that she knew
something Carlota doesn’t. She also told her that her husband is the one after her
daughter and not the other way around. She was asked again where her husband is but
Carlota couldn’t answer as she was filled with doubt as to whether Mauricio is alone
at the mountain cabin. 
Posted on May 14, 2003, 11:35 PM