MY FAVORITE THINGS

RAQUEL'S NEW DILEMMA

The following morning, Raquel found her sister looking miserable and frightened. When asked what was bothering her, Martha muttered, 'I killed a man.'
Very shocked, Raquel demanded to know what happened and is furious to learn Martha had lied to her, she didn't approve of her moving around with Luis at all- why on earth had she gone out with him and handled a car without a licence? Martha unreasonably retorted that it was because Raquel was now completely focused on her husband, while she was constantly bored and ignored by everyone. She dashed away in tears and Raquel followed her, calling her name anxiously. They passed Evil Max who was calmly smoking, he stopped Raquel and said he knew what had happened and THIS time, Raquel had no option but to obey him or she'll have no way out at all.

Raquel asked him what he meant by that statement; Max replied he was going to hand over Martha to the authorities if she didn't give him what he wanted. Raquel angrily said she was NOT going to do anything he asked- she was going to tell her husband. But Max reminded her she had got gotten over one embarrassment caused by her father, would she have a marriage at all if Tonio was told about this one? He poured out so many consequences the family would suffer if she dared told, that Raquel too became frightened and tearful and walked away. Max smiled after her, evilly.(first class bastard!)
In the sitting room, Tonio was just receiving two house guests, a handsome man about his age and a beautiful blonde girl about Martha's age. Raquel walks in and Tonio introduces the man as his best friend, Andres Bernal and the young woman, Alejandra Montero. Andres is amazed when Tonio introduces Raquel as his wife; miffed that he was not invited to the wedding. He warmly shook Raquel's hand, complimenting her on her beauty. She shyly thanked him and greeted Alejandra who smiled at her.

Andres jokingly asked Raquel how she was able to hook 'this rascal'; she and Tonio merely smiled and told him they'd met in Guadalajara. Andres was in Acapulco on business but he'd picked up his goddaughter, Alejandra while passing through Miami- at her father's request. Apparently she was being courted by a race car driver her family did NOT approve of.
When they were alone, Tonio asked Raquel what was wrong- she looked rather uneasy but she said nothing was wrong at all.

In Martha's room, both sisters cried bitterly. Martha was terrified at the idea of going to jail and her sister is being blackmailed to do because of her foolishness. Raquel wonders how on earth they'll be able to resolve the mess without telling Tonio and causing another publicised scandal to the family. (Poor Raquel, being married to a very wealthy man isn't always a bed of roses, especially since her background is completely different from his).
Vicky went to the bungalow to inform Daniel they were having a small dinner party for the guests would just arrived and tactfully suggested he dressed a bit more conservatively and lessen his alcohol intake; which he solemnly promised to do.

That evening, everyone except Raquel and Martha mingled. Alejandra wondered out loud to Camilla why her sister-in-law was very quiet. Camilla frowned at Raquel's direction and told Alejandra that there was a lot she didn't know about her- and she would explain it all in due time. Andres remarked that Martha was pretty as well; Tonio agreed but said that Raquel's beauty was more pronounced and sophisticated. After a while, Daniel excused himself, he was rather tired. Everyone said goodnight to him and as usual, Raquel escorted him back to the bungalow. No one noticed Max leaving the room via the opposite direction but then Tonio noticed he wasn't in the room.
Max ambushed Raquel on her way back to the house and demanded to know her decision. She replied, she loved her husband and was not going to betray him. Max angrily reminded her about what would happen to Martha if she did'nt comply; he only wanted to have sex with her only ONCE, he would leave her and Tonio in peace after that. Raquel jumped out of her skin when she heard Tonio calling her. She struggled with Max, who still wanted her to say yes or else. Tonio called her again and in desperation snapped 'YES!' and shoved him away from her and walked away, leaving him frustrated... he knew she didn't mean it.

Tonio looked at Raquel as she walked up to him and asked what was wrong, she looked flustered and nervous. Rather snappishly, she said yes, having to perform her role as a hostess and trying to fit in his crowd was rather hard for her. Tonio assured her she'd done a good job so far and Andres likes her much. Raquel asked if he planned on telling him about Max and how they actually met. Tonio assured he wasn't going to, if Andres remains curious, he would make something up and Vicky won't tell him anything. Raquel and her family were the actual victims.

She smiled at him and they exchanged a kiss before entering the house together. Unable to console Martha, Raquel went to her room, agonising over how to solve her dilemma.
Downstairs, Andres and Tonio discuss Raquel, Andres not really surprised Tonio chose a quick, quiet wedding. He must really love Raquel deeply. Tonio asked why Andres was questioning that. Andres replied because Tonio has always been a fellow who controlled his feelings (oh, yes- we all know that!).

Tonio smiled and agreed with his BF, but Raquel has everything he ever wanted in a woman, she was special, hence his open love for her. Andres laughs, remembering how Tonio used to make fun of him whenever he fell in love. Now Tonio was settled with the one special woman and he was happy for him. They briefly discuss the rest of the family, including Max. Andres catches a negative vibe when Max is mentioned but Tonio, while admitting he and Max still didn't get along, didn't go further.

Upstairs, Tonio softly entered the bedroom and finds his wife already in bed. He bent over and kissed her on the cheek but she doesn't respond, so he prepared for bed.

My people, if you were in Raquel's shoes, would'nt you just TELL Tonio? Webfetti.com

A Message From Danielle Steel

December 1, 2009

Dear Friends,

December has always been a big month for us—my college kids come home. When my children were little, we were in a frenzy trying to get organized for the holidays: shopping, assembling bikes, putting up the tree, and baking brownies, which we give to friends. It can also be a hard time, despite the celebrations and all the traditions and hopes that go with it, and painful for some. Since we lost my son Nick, we feel his absence even more sharply at this time of year.

My wish for you is that your holidays are tender, joyful, loving, and that all your wishes come true. As the year comes to a close, I hope that it has been a good one, and if it fell short, I hope that the next one is all that you hope it will be! My heartfelt holiday wishes and much love to all of you.

Love,

P.S. You are always welcome to visit me at my home on the web.

PRIVACY POLICY

THE JEEPERS CREEPERS OF HALLOWEEN

Halloween(a.k.a All Hallows' Eve) celebrated on the 31st of October, is around the corner. Countries who practice this ancient Celtic-originated ceremony would no doubt do so the usual way; home-made Jack O' Lanterns outside houses or perched on windows, children dressing in costumes and going trick or treating, children/adults attending

Halloween parties and organised bonfires and of course, watching horror movies and Halloween TV specials. Just as some movies are made for Christmas- THE SANTA CLAUSE, SANTA WHO?, HOME ALONE, FRED CLAUS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY, DECK THE HALLS- Hollywood has a long history of making horror movies most people would put aside for Halloween night. Now that our Nija people have adopted Halloween, I plan on 'marking it ' by watching a few horror movies myself (and hopefully get some sleep after I'm done) and read a few ghost stories as well- frankly I feel reading horror is far scarier than actually WATCHING it. For those who are into horror films , I recommend the following to watch on Halloween. In no particular order...

John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN featuring a much younger Jamie Lee Curtis, who played a very unfortuante girl being stalked by a mysterious killer credited as 'The Shape' but later known to be her terribly demented older brother Michael Myers who'd killed their sister on Halloween night when he was a mere boy of 6 (by the way, it was NO accident)

Then we have Alfred Hitchock's PSYCHO, the main character played by Jamie Lee Curtis' mumsie, the late Janet Leigh, who stole money from her boss and ran away. During a stormy night, she stopped by a Motel and is welcomed by the handsome but rather weird owner, Norman Bates. While taking a shower, something very terrible happened...

CARRIE based on Stephen King's first published novel, about a cruelly treated girl, Carrie White, who got her revenge on her tormentors, including her sadistic mother, through telekinesis. The main character was played by Sissy Spacek(one of the very few actresses to be nominated for an Oscar for performing in a horror movie) and it also featured a young John Travolta in his first big role.

Wes Craven's A NIGTMARE ON ELMSTREET as well as its 7 sequels. Robert Englund (who also played a lecturer in Urban Legend) played the terrifying Freddy Krueger, a killer who returned from the dead as an undead dreammaster to get revenge on the people of Elm Street by killing their children in their sleep i.e he occurred in their nightmares, if caught in the dream before sleeper work up, the person was history. It was in this film that Johnny Depp made his debut.

THE FOG, also by John Carpenter, starring Adrienne Barbeau and featuring mother and daughter Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis , is about the revengeful ghosts of a leper colony(who were wrongfully robbed and murdered by Antoinio Bay's 6 founding fathers) who appear out of a mysterious onimous fog that sweeps through the town, during its 100th anniversary. Their mission? Take the lives of 6 townspeople- substitutes of the 6 conspirators who had actually founded the town using the stolen gold. A remake was made in 2005.

THE AMTYVILLE HORROR is a must watch because it is based on true events recorded in a novel of the same name. It is the first of the Amityville Horror saga and starred James Brolin, husband of Barbara Streisand. Becuase of the terrible events associated with the house in this weird story, the movie was shot in another house similar in appearance as the Amityville authorities denied permission( i read somewhere that the real reason was because they were scared to use the actual house, besides that, the house's address was later changed to discourage sightseers from visiting it). The house's creepy quarter round front windows were also removed, making it look less eerie at night.

The story began several years back after a crazy man executed his entire family in the same house. 13 months later, the Lutz family moved in but never got any peace in their new home because of an apparent evil presence in the house. After 28 days of terror, they fled the house, leaving all their personal things behind and moved to San Diego. It brought about a lot of controvesy to date.

Trivia: George Lutz passed away on May 16th, 2006 and Katy Lutz(who's marriage with George ended in the mid 80s) died in 2004.

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, the first story under Anne Rice's VAMPIRE CHRONICLES was actually the first time I ever saw Brad Pitt. He played a vampire who (I think unwisely) narrated his life story to a journalist. While coping with the death of his wife and child, Louis made an aquaintance with a vampire, Lestat played by Tom Cruise who offered him eternal life by bitting him and turning Louis into a vampire. It also featured Kirsten Dunst as Louis and Lestat's companion and Antonio Banderas as the vampire, Armand. This movie was followed by the adaptation of the third vampire chronicle, QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (Aaliyah's final film, released after her untimely death).

THE SIXTH SENSE, about a psychologist(Bruce Willis) who has to treat a nine year old boy who claimed he could see dead people. First sceptical, Dr. Crowe later realised the child was telling the truth...

And last but not least, Don Mancini's CHILD'S PLAY and its sequels, featuring Brad Dourif as the voice of the demonic doll, Chucky and Charles Lee Ray, the killer who transferred his soul into the doll in the first place- after a police officer shot him, using it as a means to escape and then hunt for another human body to be reborn in. His unfortunate first target in 3 of the films is Andy- whose mother had bought the doll from a peddler for his birthday. What a BIG MISTAKE!

Dr. BUCHI EMECHETA: YET ANOTHER CREDIT TO NIGERIA

The very first time I came across her name was in 1999. I had to buy one of her books to read for my Literature paper in JAMB. It was entitled SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN. It was a pirated copy and not even complete but a very interesting read; about an Igbo woman who moved to England to join her husband who was studying Law. Being a black immigrant in 60s London was no walk on the beach at all, as she soon found out not to mention married to a tyrant who did nothing to look after her and their children. Things came to a head when she decided to become a writer and wrote her first novel, only for her husband to burn the whole thing up as a way of reminding her who was the head of the household. After that incident and more beatings, she left with their kids(including an unborn one) and later filed for a divorce; which she was granted along with full custody of the children.
Last year,durin the annnual International Book Fair at the University of Lagos, I bought some of her other books; THE SLAVE GIRL, THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD and her autobiography, HEAD ABOVE WATER. I also saw one , THE BRIDE PRICE, the same name of the burnt manuscript in SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN! Could it be???
I read part of HEAD ABOVE WATER and realised that the character Adah, was Mrs. Emecheta herself... it was her who'd gone through all that- struggling as a librarian to feed 5 kids, married to a creep, living in a ghetto, having to cope in a racist society, it was her all along! My heart went out to her right there and then.
Today, I found an original copy of 'Second-Class citizen' and 'The Rape of Shavi', a little easier these days because more people have decided to go back to their roots- reading more of our African Literature, not that there's anything wrong with Western Literature, mind. I have a friend who went a far as to buy SECOND CLASS CITIZEN online, her books potray women living in oppression, poverty and male domination; by this, in my opinion,she cuts grim but realistic situations and very real characters, especially her main character,Nnu Ego, in THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD(the title by the way is sarcastic, read the book and you'll find out why).

After her divorce, she continued working very hard; librarian, sociology student, social worker,sociologist author/playwright- THE SLAVE GIRL won the Jock Campbell Award, 2 plays on BBC television, children's books, I can just go on.
Today, she's a well travelled lecturer besides being a novelist and was awarded Order Of The British Empire(OBE)in 2005.

She is the epitome of the strength and perseverance God had given her and I salute her for it. Webfetti.com

MAX'S "PAWN"

Well so far so good; Raquel & Tonio seem to always work out their problems each passing day. But die-hard telenovela fans know better than to sit easy- a mistake my family made when we first watched NO ONE BUT YOU several years ago. Raquel and Tonio (thanks to a lot of third party interference) had more and more problems that threatened their marriage greatly and it took a lot of strength from the couple to overcome them. Max had another plan to wrestle Raquel away from his step-brother & sworn enemy and he was going to use an unlikely source, Raquel's sister, Martha.

Maura, Tonio's spiteful ex, also had something else in mind and the funny thing is, it began as a prank but started an unexpected chain reaction. Read on...

The next morning, Maura, smarting over Tonio's words to her, tells her younger sister

Carla about it. Carla has a sudden idea...

Luis(one of the chauffeurs and Max's henchman) and Martha went for a drive and Luis suggested she take the wheel and learn how to drive. Martha eagerly accepted and to her surprise found it easy. Daniel consoled Chucho who was still upset; he wasn't at all sure Tonio would help him again after hearing about the previous night's debacle. Daniel is still confident Raquel would be able to influence Tonio, for his sake.

At the mansion, Raquel and Tonio are having breakfast. She remarked they've been married for a while now yet she still didn't even know more about his line of work. He asked if she was interested in the business but she wasn't, she was more interested in him. She suddenly asked what had run through his mind the fateful night he first saw her.

Tonio looked at her seriously and said he'd thought,' who is this beautiful woman?'

Raquel laughed and asked him to be serious, but he insisted that he was. For a moment he had actually wondered if he had amnesia and if the lady in front of him was his wife or not. He then asked her what she'd thought when looking at his photograph. Embarrassed, she asked how he knew about that.

He replied Ezequiel told him. She explained that she had wanted to see how the real Antonio looked like out of burning curiosity and had though he was attractive, though he was a stranger. Tonio said if what had happened hadn't happened at all, he wouldn't have met her, and he had no regrets. As they smiled at each other, Ramon appeared with the phone, Raquel had a call from Guadalajara.

Raquel took it from him and said 'hello?'

No answer. That was because it was Carla on the other line; she grinned at Maura then hung up.

Very puzzled, Raquel stared at the receiver, saying that the person had hung up without answering. Tonio asked Ramon if the caller had given a name. Ramon replied the person was calling for a Mr. Roberto Aguirre. She said she didn't know him. Tonio is surprised as well but accepted the answer. (trust me folks, that fictional chap caused more trouble than you could ever imagine).

Meanwhile, Max and Luis met in his room; he asked if Martha had been going out with Luis as planned ; he said yes and he's found an actor willing to go with the plan they'd hatched. Max ordered him to make sure Martha agreed to go on a date with him as soon as possible for everything to work. They left the room and went outside; Raquel, alone in the living room, watched them leave. Daniel tentatively joins Raquel to speak with her, from the look on his daughter's face, she still wasn't pleased with the trouble he caused. Daniel is apologetic and Raquel felt it may be best for him and Martha to go home, rather than abusing Tonio's kindness. Daniel asks Raquel to convince Tonio to help Chucho again, not to give him more money; but a job.

Tonio paid another visit to Oscar, who still felt hostile towards Raquel and felt he needed proof before accusing Max of attempted murder. He also felt Tonio was not being objective when it came to Raquel, blinded by his love for her. It was her word against Max's. Tonio insisted he wasn't a love struck little boy; he knew what he was doing and he and Raquel loved each other very much. Oscar asked him if he planned on having children with her because he has obviously slept with her already. Just how was that any of his business?

Tonio's answer was a firm yes. Though they were yet to discuss the topic- Raquel was going to be the mother of his children. With that, he left.

But later in the day, Tonio, unable to concentrate at work, called the house. Ramon gave the

phone to Raquel, she asked if all was well. Tonio said nothing was wrong, he wanted to hear her voice and he couldn't concentrate. When she asked why, he said she knew why he was distracted.

Raquel blushed red, smiling. He asked her what she was doing and she replied she was waiting for him to come home. He then told her to instruct Ramon to start the yacht; they would go on a

boat ride that afternoon. He hung up, after saying he loved her. Raquel put down the phone and went to the kitchen.

Martha agreed to go on a date with Luis.

After another talk with Daniel, Chucho decided to approach Tonio himself but hoped Raquel would still put in a good word.

Raquel and Tonio spend a very romantic and pleasant day on the yacht. Cuddling Tonio after he comes aboard from the water, Raquel asked... what was he like in his youth. Tonio listed them out (some of them we probably guessed already), an over achiever, temperamental, and very jealous over keeping anything he had, adding, 'I still am,' taking the words out of Raquel's mouth. She warned him she was the jealous type too, so he better watch himself. The couple resume kissing and cuddling.

Meanwhile, Maura told Rodrigo about the prank because she wanted to take it further; she asked Rodrigo to get someone to pose as Roberto Aguirre over the phone. He agreed to do it.

On getting back to the house, Raquel was informed that some flowers had arrived for her and Mr. Aguirre had called again. Tonio told Raquel that he had sent the flowers but he wanted to know who this Roberto was. Raquel again said she didn't know any Roberto Aguirre, maybe it was a crank caller. Tonio believed her but by nature (as we already know) he was rather jealous and possessive, so these strange calls didn't please him at all. In his study, he asked Pablo to find out all he could about Roberto Aguirre.

Later he joined Raquel in her room, where she was admiring the flowers he'd sent her and the loving message on the card, saying she would enjoy them the same way if they and her things were moved into his room. This guy honestly doesn't waste time. Raquel smiles shyly. She tells him she had a wonderful time at the yacht and he promised to take her out again. Raquel looks forward to it but teasingly warns him not to ignore his work.

Going downstairs they found Chucho, who pleaded with them to help him again; reminding Tonio how he'd saved him, he was willing to do anything around the house. They decided to give him a servant's job and he thanked them gratefully.

Luis met with the man who was to carry out the plan Max had hatched, which would involve Martha.

Raquel and Tonio finally started sharing the same room instead of going back and forth all the time. Raquel also decided to pay him a visit at his office and see how he worked. Chucho eagerly started work as a steward,very proud of his clean white uniform.

As they arranged , Raquel arrived at Tonio's office, where he warmly welcomed her. Pablo watched Raquel admiringly as Tonio showed her some blue prints of a hotel being built for a client, and takes her arm to show her around.

That evening, Martha borrows one of Raquel's purses for her date, lying to her sister that she was going out with Claudio and some of his friends. She and Luis had an uneventful time at the restaurant and nightclub and drove home afterwards. Half way there, Luis suggested she tried her budding driving skills again, which she happily agreed to and took the wheel. As she drove slowly along the road, the hired actor came out of the bushes and pretended to trip, falling against the front of the car and onto the ground.

Martha screamed and pulled over. Luis got out, pretended to examine the man and ran back into the car, saying the stranger was dead, she had killed him. Martha is very frightened at what she'd done. Luis takes over the wheel and they drive off.

However, someone saw the whole thing! As the man began to get up, who should hurry over to him but Chucho, who was returning from his visit to Mercedes (or Meche as he preferred calling her) and Gabriel. He hurried to the man, asking if he was alright. The man ran away instead of answering him, much to his surprise. Martha was consoled by Luis, who led her into the house then told Max everything had worked according to plan.

Meanwhile Chucho, getting back, is very puzzled to find the runaway car parked in the mansion's garage.

Raquel's embarassment: it gets worse

Tonio is told the whole story by Raquel. Evil Max told him what he'd already done, clearly pleased at his ex- girlfriend's discomfort. Raquel and Tonio go to the guest bungalow to ask Daniel what really happened. Tonio is very angry with Raquel for keeping such a thing from him and asked her to go back to the mansion; which she did quietly. Back in the Big House, Raquel scolded Max for mentioning the incident in front of Tonio in the first place, angrily brushes his hand off her cheek and stormed into her room. Daniel narrated the whole story, filled with remorse he'd embarrassed his daughter and pleaded with Tonio to arrange for Chucho and Mercedes' bail. Getting back to the house, Tonio called Pablo and sent him to the police station to pay the bail. He then went up to Raquel's room; she asked if he was still angry with her, he replied yes.

What really made him cross was that his wife had felt too scared to confide in him after his promise of always looking after her; why had she lied to him, of all people? She humbly apologised to him- she had felt too ashamed to tell him as it was scandalous to the family she'd just joined and was still trying to adjust in. Besides, she felt more like a mistress than a wife, his family don't treat her as such. If only they had met first and had a normal courtship. Tonio understands what she meant but assured her of her status; she IS his wife. They will get to know each other everyday. He forgave her but made her promise never to be too scared to confide in him, he was her husband after all. She eagerly promised, filled with relief. Tonio decided they would go out for lunch, refusing to let Raquel change her dress. To Max's anger, they leave the house hand in hand- Raquel throwing a brief look of triumph at Max.

As the couple were having a cosy time at the restaurant- Raquel blushing under Tonio's loving words and compliments- Maura and Rod stopped by their table. Raquel abruptly walks out on them when Maura (deliberately tactless) mentions the unfortunate incident; she'd read about it in the papers. Tonio of course had to go after his wife.

Back home, Raquel is furious; she told Tonio she couldn't stand Maura at all, it was bad enough

she flirted shamelessly with him but now she'd started humiliating her in public. Vicki appeared with the day's newspaper in her hand and showed the couple the article; she couldn't understand how the press got wind of it since Max had assured her he'd fended them off at the station. Raquel is very upset at the whole thing and her husband consoled her, telling her to think of more positive things, like himself- making her smile. He kissed her and surprised her by saying he was going to Maura's house. When she asked why, he replied it was time he straightened things out and left. Camilla came in to confirm what she'd heard but neither her brother nor her sister-in-law deigned to discuss it with her, Tonio walked out. Camilla however asked Vicki and was disgusted at the smear Raquel's father had caused. Raquel had to leave the room.

Pablo got to the station and bailed Chucho, Mercedes and her friend out. Chucho asked him if Tonio had sent him money; was coldly told no. Chucho escorted Mercedes to her little house and was introduced to her bed ridden brother, Gabriel. Gabriel had lost the use of his legs in an accident some months back.

At Maura's house, Tonio is blunt with her; he was tired of her deliberately offending Raquel all the time . What he and Maura once had was over and from now on she must treat his wife with the respect she deserved and stop causing mischief. He took his leave, Maura sullen and angry at what he'd said.

Back at the mansion, Tonio finds Raquel outside waiting for him despite it drizzling. She asks him what he told Maura. His reply, 'that I love you.'

An exchange of smiles between the couple before the commencement of a passionate exchange of kisses.

Tonio and Raquel are so busy making out, neither of them notice Evil Max watching them, sheer bitterness and rage written all over his face.

Who wants to bet he would have shot them both on the spot if he'd had his gun with him?

Daniel was delighted to see Chucho was out of jail. Chucho was still very upset about the loss of his precious money. Daniel promised to talk to Raquel in the morning.

Mientras Haya Vida final episode snippets

This was what I was able to dig up, I'm very sorry it's rather short but I had to translate it first. By the way, the actual meaning of this telenovela is 'When there's life, there's hope.' To continue....

Gael is shot at when he's in the park with his wife. At the hospital, Romina gave Ophelia tea to soothe her nerves, having added a few drops of a strange potion into it to make her lose her baby. Minutes later, Ophelia is very ill and is take to Intensive Care...

Gael and Ophelia suspect that the loss of their baby was Romina's handy work. Gael later went to the department store and found Romina with Rosaura excahging a package of drugs, after a loud argument was shot by Gael. Romina was later taken to a psychaitric ward. Alejandro confessed that Gael was a murderer and he had proof of everthing he'd done. Gael later went to a warehouse where Elisa supposedly was and fires...

Hector and Jimenez hurry to the cellar where Elisa was reported to be but only find Gael's body, who had been struck with a pistol and left unconcious. Ophelia had died and Gael had wanted some one to blame for her death.

Six months later...

Elisa was now walking about again and getting set to marry the man she loved. Hector had distanced himself from Maria; but she paid an unexpected visit to tell him she still loved him which made him break down and admit he wanted another opportunity with her. They embrace and kiss, tears in Maria's eyes.

The telenovela ends with the younger couple; Elisa & Sergio walking along hand in hand and a final kiss between them under a tree- after a loving exchange of promises. FIN

Yet another CUANDO SEAS MIA: The 3RD VERSION

Before I give you the gist of this next telenovela, I must add something I left out in my last post. Margarita Rosa De Francisco who played the original 'Paloma' in Cafe, Con Aroma de Mujer also played Maria Montero , Hector's beloved in the 2007 telenovela currently airing on AIT, UNTIL MY LAST BREATH(Mientras Haya Vida).

In 2007, Televisa produced a 2nd remake of Cafe, (the 1st remake being Cuando Seas Mia produced by TV AZTECA) this one is called Destilando Amor(Distilling Love), also known as 'Essence of Love'. The story line is very much the same except instead of coffee being produced it is (yuck!) tequilla; the collectors gathered blue agave (a cactus-like plant) instead of coffee beans. The protagonists are Teresa 'Gaviota' Hernandez (Angelica Rivera) and Rodrigo Montalvo (Eduardo Yanez). I don't have to narrate the story line all over again except for a few differences. She and Rodrigo first saw each other face to face at Don Amador Montalvo's funeral when they both knelt down at the altar in front to pray for him- their eyes immediately met. After Gaviota escaped from the brothel in Paris, she fainted in front of a restaurant where its kindly Italian chef/owner, Benvenutto(who later married her mum Clarita), gave her food and money for her fare to London after hearing her story. She did see Rodrigo in London, at a distance, and very excited she ran across the street towards him but ALAS!!! she was knocked down by a car! Rod saw the the whole thing but did'nt know it was her; he was about to hurry over to the scene but then his cellphone rang and he got the terrible news of his parents' untimely death in a plane crash. By then other people had gathered round poor Gaviota and he had no idea the victim was his fiancee or that at that moment she'd lost their baby. On getting back to Mexico and finding Gaviota gone, he married a friend of his cousin's(Aaron) wife Minerva- a woman called Isadora who never succeded in seducing him as he was obssessed with finding Gaviota. When he did find her, she was Aaron's right hand woman in the family company and had legally changed her name to Mariana Franco and unlike Paloma who had given Diego a wide berth on seeing him, Gaviota allowed Rodrigo to embrace her joyfully (in private of course). After everything was at last settled, they got married of course.

A few similarites:

-Rodrigo's sister, Sofia(this version's Diana) dated a British (or is it Irish?) man called James O' Brien before marrying a gold digger who was sleeping with Isadora, Fransisco de la Vega (Miguel) and the younger one, Daniela dated and later married a black man, (this one wore his hair in braids but looked handsome all the same).

-Aaron(Fabian) has a mistress as his 'baby bearing backup', her name is Pamela.

-Gaviota's boss at her second place of work, this time called the 'Consejo Regulador del Tequila', is also called Roberto Avellaneda.

-Isadora also tried to pass off a child that was'nt her husband's as his own. When he later found out, he still wanted to keep the little boy.

-Aaron of course tried to frame Rodrigo & Gaviota in shady exportations deals he was involved with.

MARIANA(Gaviota) & Rodrigo exchaging secret

love messages over the phone in the office.

Rodrigo surprises Gaviota in Manzanillo

On their wedding day. Rodrigo showed up on a horse, looking so handsome and dashing in his suit & sombrero, family and friends cheering. A few minutes later, Gaviota showed up in a white carriage, looking so lovely in a breathtaking white wedding dress. During the service, she made the Padre call her Gaviota instead of Mariana and the couple exchanged kisses before they were instructed to do so! (Ha! Ha!)

Rodrigo & little Gaviota 8 years later.

I'm just so psyched about this post; I'll always regard it as the best I ever put together. Although all three guys were absolutely great actors I can't help but compare them- each guy has his own version of good looks and charm. Diego(Sergio Basanez) is very handsome, the image of the quintessential hero with his curly hair and macho yet sensitive features.

Sebastian(Guy Ecker) is what I can say classically handsome with his blond hair(and I'm not usually into blond guys except for a few exceptions) and his stance, stately.

Rodrigo is much bigger in stature than the others, handsome as well but there's something about him that reminds me of a lovable teddy bear- he's so sweet and sensitive and you'd just want him around you all the time. Some women just have all the luck, (sigh...)

IMPORTANT TRIVIA...

Angelica Rivera (Gaviota) is the protégée & former sister-in-law of Veronica Castro- “Marianna” of THE RICH ALSO CRY fame and is currently married to the 57^th president of Mexico; President Enrique Pena Nieto. She's retired from the world of acting.

CUANDO SEAS MIA: ITS ORIGIN...

Just when we thought we've heard enough about the telenovela that will forever remain in our hearts, there a few more things to know about CUANDO SEAS MIA. It was a remake of a 1994 Columbian telenovela CAFE,CON AROMA DE MUJER [Coffee, with the scent of a woman], produced by RCN TV. Margarita Rosa De Francisco and Guy Ecker played Teresa 'Gaviota' Suarez and Sebastian Vallejo who met after the death of Sebastian's grandfather. Cuando Seas Mia fans know the rest- they fell in love and he promised to return and marry her. But Gaviota took advantage of a modelling job in London to find him so she could tell him she was having his baby only to discover she'd been sold to a brothel. During her long absence, Sebastian listened to false rumours about her and married a woman he wasn't in love with nor even slept with. After escaping the place thanks to a kind Italian,(who later became her stepfather) she however lost her baby and returned to face heartbreaking disappointment before deciding to move to the city with her mother, Carmenza and later worked at the Vallejo company, CAFE EXPORT- legally changing her name to Carolina Olivares(in Cuando Seas Mia , Paloma changed her name to Elena Olivares) moving up the corporate ladder and running into Sebastian, who stubbornly refused to listen to her angry statement that it was over between them. After many trials and endurance they finally came together as husband and wife.By the way, about the pet names 'Gaviota' and 'Paloma'... Gaviota in English means 'sea gull' while Paloma means 'dove'.