Episode 19: Finally...
Raquel flies to San Juan, the capital of the island of Puerto Rico, to
Continue her search. Then she takes a taxi to the address that was on Ángel's letter: Calle Sol, 4. There
are a lot of blocked streets and Raquel has to walk the last few blocks. when she knocks on the door,
there is no answer but a neighbor Comes out on her balcony and tells her that Ángel recently died. His
wife died several years ago and Ángel never recovered from his loss. The neighbor directs Raquel to the
cemetery where they are both buried. At the Cemetery, while Raquel is taking a photo of the graves, a
woman arrives and says that they are the tombs of her parents. She is Ángela, daughter of Ángel and his
wife, María Luisa. Raquel tells her the story of don Fernando and Rosario. Ángela knows nothing of the
history of her father. She invites Raquel to meet her family in order to tell them the story. While waiting
for Ángela's aunts and uncles to arrive at her house, Raquel visits some tourist attractions. Ángela
also calls her boyfriend Jorge in New York, where he works from time to time. Raquel sees a photo of
Roberto, Ángela's brother.
Cultural information:
Cities of Puerto Rico: San Juan and neighboring
cities such as Hato Rey, Rio Piedras, Santurce
Other important island cities: Ponce, Caguas, Mayagüez
Old San Juan: Ponce de Le6n's Casa Blanca, Park of the Doves, the Christ's Chapel
Episode
20: A Close Relationship
Ángela tells Raquel that Ángel was his mother-in-law's favorite relative.
Ángela shows her some photos of her relatives. Ángela's uncles, Jaime and Carlos, and aunts, Olga and
Carmen, finally arrive. They have a lot of questions and it is evident that they have their doubts
about Raquel's story. She tells them the whole story of don Fernando, Rosario, and Ángel, and says that
Ángela should go right away with her to Mexico to meet her grandfather. Aunt Olga thinks this will be
impossible. Ángela says she needs to know her grandmother's opinion. The grandmother says on the
phone that they should come to her house so she can meet Raquel. Raquel agrees to go to her house in
San Germán. Raquel goes back to her hotel because she wants to call Pedro Castillo in Mexico to give
him the latest news. Ángela says that she is also going to call Mexico because her brother, Roberto,
is a student at the university there and she wants to tell him what has happened. As Raquel is calling
Pedro, Ángela sits in bed looking through a book, made for her by her father, which that tells the story
of a tree frog that has the same experience as he. The following day, Ángela and her cousin Laura pick
up Raquel at the hotel and they start out for San Germán to see Doña Carmen.
Cultural information:
The history of Borinquén (Puerto Rico): the greater Antilles, the Taíno indians, the arrival of Columbus
in 1493
Episode 21: The Tollbooth
Raquel, Ángela, and Laura leave San Juan by car.
Ángela notes that they need gas. When the attendant checks the water and oil, he discovers they need
oil and Ángela directs him to add some. As they leave the station, an oil stain is seen on the station
driveway where their car was parked. While they stop to buy soft drinks, they talk about the names of
money in Puerto Rico. Ángela also tells Raquel about Puerto Rico's landscape and tropical climate. They
arrive at the tollbooth and, as they pass through, the car stalls. Ángela looks at the motor but can't
do anything, so they end up calling a shop in Ponce. While they wait they have a picnic in a nearby field.
The mechanic arrives and decides to tow the car to the shop in Ponce. The three women ride with him in
the tow truck. At the garage he tells them that he can't finish repairing it until
tomorrow morning.
For that reason the women have to spend the night at a hotel in Ponce.
Cultural information:
The history of the island of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican money
The geography and climate of the island
The linguistic variety of Spanish
Ponce: "the Pearl of the South," "the Patrician City"
Episode
22: Memories
Raquel, Ángela, and Laura pick up Ángela's car. She pays the $80 bill in cash and
they drive through Ponce. They see the firehouse, painted red and black, and Ángela points out the Barcelonian
style of a house. Raquel recounts Ángel's story again and Ángela wonders why he didn't tell his family
about his past. They arrive in the old city of San Germán and go to Ángela's grandmother's house. She
is at church so they go there to find her. She returns home with them for lunch and they continue to
chat while they have dessert and coffee. Doña Carmen tells Raquel that she and her husband were owners
of a large farm with more than 200 employees, but she has sold off various parcels in the years following
the death of her husband. Doña Carmen agrees that Ángela must meet her grandfather. Ángela has some sad
memories of the death of her father and mother. Doña Carmen reminds Ángela that she never cleaned out
her father's old room. Raquel and Ángela go to the room and find some sketches made by Ángel titled "Memories."
Her grandmother gives her a box that belonged to Rosario. It contains a wedding goblet with which she
toasted her marriage to Fernando.
Cultural information:
Ponce: the firehouse, carnival, Barcelonian
style houses
San Germán: very old city, agricultural center, the Interamerican University, the Porta
Coeli church
Episode 23: A View of the Sea
Raquel, Ángela, and Laura return to San
Juan following the visit with Ángela's grandmother. They talk about Arturo, and Raquel admits that he
is handsome and that she likes him very much. They drop off Raquel at the hotel and Ángela says she will
come by to pick her up at 9
A.M. Raquel calls and gives Arturo the news about his half brother. Arturo
decides to meet them in Mexico. The following day, Raquel and Ángela go to the bank where Ángela works
in order to ask for her to have time off to go to Mexico. Her boss says she can go, but she gives her
only two weeks off. Ángela asks Raquel if she wants to go to the university in Rio Piedras to meet Jorge
Alonso, her boyfriend and a professor of theater. He has recently returned from New York, where he had
a role in a movie. He spends a lot of time in New York, the home of many Puerto Ricans. Uncle Jaime calls
to tell Ángela that there is a buyer for her apartment. Ángela needs a new place so she and Raquel visit
an apartment and a townhouse. Both include parking but Ángela decides on the apartment because of the
ocean view.
Afterward they go to the university where they find Jorge in a classroom. After class
Ángela takes Jorge outside to tell him the family history that she has learned. Raquel waits in the theater
and wonders what Jorge's reaction will be when he sees the wedding goblet with its great sentimental
value. Jorge tells Ángela that they can use the goblet to toast at their own wedding.
Cultural
information:
Puerto Ricans in New York: bilingual and bicultural
Episode 24: The Don Juan
While they listen to the university choir, Jorge notes how incredible Ángel's story is. Raquel admires
the music and Jorge offers to take her to a store where they sell cassettes. When Ángela goes to the
bathroom, Jorge flirts with Raquel. Jorge decides not to go with them to the museum, but he goes accompany
them to the Paseo de Diego where Raquel buys the cassette. They decide to go back to the hotel to swim.
Raquel decides to invite Jorge, but Ángela does ask him. while Ángela and Jorge swim, Raquel makes some
calls. She speaks with her mother
and mentions that Jorge is a womanizer and that Ángela doesn't know.
Her mother advises her not to get involved in other people's affairs. Then she calls Arturo to tell him
her travel plans. He again tells her of his love for her. Ángela and Jorge discuss a theater he wants
to buy in San Juan. When she is alone with Raquel, Ángela tells her that she plans to give Jorge part
of the money from the sale of her apartment. Raquel expresses some reservations and Ángela gets angry.
She wonders why
everyone, including her grandmother, is opposed to Jorge. Raquel notes that her grandmother
has experience and that Ángela should listen to her. Ángela becomes angrier and leaves with Jorge. The
following day, as the women prepare to leave for the airport, Uncle Jaime arrives to tell
Ángela that
Roberto has had an accident in the archeological excavation in Mexico. That's why they haven't been able
to contact him by phone.
Cultural information:
The University of Puerto Rico: the chorus; Francisco
Oller, painter; Rio Piedras, home of the university
Episode 25: Reflections (1)
Raquel
ponders the results of her investigation. She recalls her conversation with Sra. Suárez in Madrid in
which she found out that Rosario had moved to Argentina with her son, Ángel Castillo.
She had continued
her investigation in Argentina and discovered that Rosario had died but that she had another son named
Arturo, a psychiatrist.
Arturo and Raquel had searched for Ángel in the La Boca district. At first
they had had no luck, but finally they found a sailor named Héctor who knew that Ángel had gone to Puerto
Rico; he gave them a letter from Ángel with a return address in San Juan. Arturo had decided to
accompany
Raquel in her search.
Episode 26: Reflections (2)
Raquel continues to review her investigation.
She remembers that when she arrived in San Juan she had received the bad news that Ángel had died. Then
she met Ángela and another stage of her investigation had begun. It had been necessary to take Ángela
to Mexico to meet don Fernando, which required Some encounters with her family-first with her aunts and
uncles and then with her grandmother in San Germán. Her grandmother had given Ángela a wedding goblet
that had belonged to Rosario. Raquel also met Jorge, Ángela's boyfriend and a professor of theater at
the University of Puerto Rico. She didn't like him much because he seemed to be a womanizer, but it was
evident that Ángela liked him a lot. At this point Raquel decides that she shouldn't involve herself
in other people's business.
Episode 27: The Rescue
Raquel and Ángela fly from San
Juan, Puerto Rico, to Mexico City and rent a car in order to travel to an archeological dig to find Roberto,
Ángela's brother. The women have received the news that there had been a cave-in at the site.
En
route to the excavation site Raquel thinks about her investigation for don Fernando. She traveled to
Sevilla and Madrid to look for Sra. Teresa Suárez who wrote to don Fernando, telling him that
he had
a son from his first marriage to Rosario, a Spanish woman whom he thought had died in the Spanish Civil
War. Sra. Suárez explained that Rosario and her son Ángel had moved to a ranch near Buenos Aires. There
Raquel found Rosario's other Son, Arturo, who informed her of the death of his mother and of Ángel's
departure from Buenos Aires. They began a search and ended up falling in love. A sailor
in Buenos
Aires gave them Ángel's address in San Juan and Raquel continued her search. She learned there that Ángel
had died and that he had two children, Ángela and Roberto. Ángela is going to Mexico to meet her grandfather
and her unde Arturo. On the way to the site Ángela admits that she has always been a bit envious of her
brother. At the hospital she learns that Roberto is still trapped.
Arturo arrives at a hotel in Mexico,
knowing nothing of the cave-in nor f Raquel's whereabouts. He leaves a message at Pedro's house.
Cultural information:
Geography of the Caribbean and Mexico
Episode 28: Trapped
In
a Mexico City clinic don Fernando's doctor advises Mercedes and Ramón that their father is seriously
ill and must see a specialist. He recommends a doctor in Guadalajara. Mercedes and her Uncle Pedro lament
the fact that all their problems seem to appear at once: don
Fernando's illness, Juan and Pati's marital
strife, and financial difficulties in the Miami office of Castillo Saavedra, S.A. Carlos manages the
office but has mentioned nothing about any problems. Pedro received Arturo's message but it was too late
to return his call. Meanwhile, Raquel, Ángela, and a local priest, Father Rodrigo, rush to the site of
the excavation to find out what is happening. The priest discovers that Roberto is, indeed, one of the
people still trapped, but they know that he is alive. The rescue efforts continue as Raquel worries about
her
inability to communicate with Pedro or Arturo. Arturo continues to wait in his Mexico City hotel,
unable to make contact with Raquel or Pedro. On the TV news in his room there is a story about the accident,
but by this time he has fallen asleep.
Cultural information:
The geographical variety of Mexico:
the Pacific and Gulf coasts; the mountain ranges--the eastern, western and southern sections of the Sierra
Madre; the active volcanoes; the desert in the north and
the jungle of the Yucatán Peninsula Mexico
City and some other large cities
Episode 29: It Collapsed!
Efforts to rescue the trapped
people continue. Workers are successful in pulling out two of the people, Andrés Villa and Alicia Trujillo.
The doctor examines them and sends them to the hospital. In the midst of renewed hope another cave-in
occurs and Roberto remains trapped. Ángela almost faints upon hearing this news, so the doctor gives
her a sedative and orders her to rest. Shortly afterward, Raquel informs her that they think Roberto
is all right. Ángela regrets having acted coldly
toward Roberto the last time they talked. Father
Rodrigo tells Ángela that they have begun to dig again. Ángela finally falls asleep. At Ramón's house
in the capital, Carlitos catches a cold and has to stay in bed and take medicine. He feels a bit better
the following day but doesn't want the doctor to come and give him a shot Gloria also seems mysteriously
uncomfortable when the others mention her absence the day before.
Don Fernando is still in the clinic.
Arturo continues to wait for contact with either Raquel or Pedro.
Cultural information:
The
traditional and modern in Mexico: the Ballet Folclórico; large cities with their skyscrapers and pollution;
small towns Religion in Mexico: the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of the country whose saint's day
is the 12th of December
Episode 30: Worries
Still at the excavation site, Ángela
awakens after her rest and asks if they are sure that Roberto has plenty of air. Father Rodrigo convinces
her that Roberto is still all right and that all they can do is wait until they get him out of the pre-Hispanic
tomb that the students were exploring. They all decide to go to the nearby town to try to make contact
with the Castillos and with Arturo. A nun, Sister María Teresa, gives them a place to rest and change
clothes while they await further developments
at the site. Arturo, who has not yet heard from Raquel,
goes shopping in Mexico and isn't in his room when Raquel finally manages to get through to the hotel
on the phone. She can only leave him a message
explaining what has happened to Roberto. Ángela does
manage to speak to her Uncle Jaime in San Juan and gives him the latest news about Roberto. At Ramón's
house various calls are also made. Pati has to speak with her assistant in New York because there are
problems with the play they are preparing. Carlos speaks with his secretary in
Miami and receives
news that bothers him, but which he won't share with his wife, Gloria.
Cultural information:
Mexico,
D.F.: downtown, the neighborhoods, the outskirts
The towns: the town square, city hall, the church
The situation in Cuba and that of the Cubans in Miami: Castro, political refugees, Calle Ocho
Episode 31: Drastic Measures
Raquel and Ángela return to the excavation site after bathing and
resting awhile. In Mexico City the problems between Juan and Pati come to a head. They argue about Pati's
decision to return to New York to resolve the problems with the opening of the play. Juan won't accept
that Pati is a professional; he feels she values her work more than him. Carlos gets nervous when he
hears that Ramón and Pedro plan to talk about the family business finances. At La Gavia they meet with
some auditors who give them bad news about the situation of Castillo Saavedra, S.A. There is a lack of
capital and they recommend drastic measures: They must sell La Gavia and dose the Miami office. During
this time Lupe goes shopping in town. In the hospital don Fernando waits to see a specialist so he can
return home. He wants to meet his
grandchildren. At the excavation site, Raquel and Ángela wait with
growing desperation. They haven't been able to contact Arturo or Pedro but the latter calls Arturo, who
informs him of Roberto's accident.
In Los Angeles, Raquel's mother, María, receives an unexpected
call from Luis, Raquel's ex-boyfriend.
Cultural information:
Bicultural Mexican Americans in
the United States
Episode 32: There Has Been an Accident
Raquel and Ángela still wait
at the excavation site. The rescue workers discover that Roberto is definitely alive and a specialist
in mining rescues arrives to help. The two women discuss Roberto's studies of pre-Hispanic civilizations.
Luis arrives at Raquel's parents' house and speaks with them. María invites him to accompany them to
Mexico to see Raquel, adding that Raquel will be very glad to see him again.
Don Fernando's condition
remains unchanged and they have contacted the specialist in Guadalajara. Ramón laments all the problems
the family has but tells Consuelo that he is lucky to have her and Maricarmen.
Pedro drops by the
hospital to tell everyone what is happening with Roberto. Afterward Pedro meets with Arturo at the hotel.
Arturo tells him what he knows of the story of Rosario and the search for Ángel in Buenos Aires and of
Raquel's meeting Ángela in San Juan. A man has been lowered into the excavation and they are about to
rescue Roberto.
Cultural information:
Aztec civilization and its empire in central Mexico:
Tenochtitlán, Aztlán, the eagle perched on a cactus devouring a serpent-symbol of present-day Mexico
The history of the Spaniard Hernán Cortés, conqueror of Mexico
Episode 33: If You Only Knew
Pati and Juan continue to argue about her plan to return to New York. Juan sees it as something she
is doing to hurt him. As they end their conversation, Arturo and Pedro agree to try to get more information
about Roberto's accident. In Miami, Carlos's secretary Ofelia discovers something surprising in a financial
report that arrives at the office. While awaiting the rescue, Raquel and Angela discuss their current
professions and those they planned to follow when they were younger. They also recall those professions
which their parents wanted for them. Suddenly some men arrive with an unconscious Roberto, who has finally
been extricated from the excavation. The doctor examines him and finds him to be otherwise all right.
Nevertheless, he sends him to the hospital in Mexico for observation. Raquel and Angela are very happy
that their anguished waiting is over.
Cultural information:
Mayan civilization: the Yucatan
Peninsula, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Guatemala; the ruins of their great centers in Chichén Itzá,
Uxmal, Copan; their classical period from 300 to 900 A.D.; their advances in astronomy and mathematics
Episode 34: Success
Roberto is taken to the hospital by helicopter and Raquel and
Angela depart by car for Mexico. In Mexico City Pati chats with Mercedes about the marital problems she
is having with Juan. Mercedes thinks that Pati is acting appropriately by going to New York if she needs
to and believes that Juan will eventually recognize that. Mercedes also recalls how romantic Pati's wedding
was. At the same time, Juan talks with Ramón about the same topic. He says that although he loves her
a lot, he feels that their marriage has failed. Ramón says that in his place he would feel envious of
Pati's professional success. Juan ponders that possibility. En route to Mexico, Angela and Raquel compare
the history of their relationships with Luis and Jorge, respectively. Jorge was a friend of a friend
of Roberto's when Angela met him and they became close very quickly. Raquel relates that Luis was a friend
while she was a student at the university, but that when he went away to work in New York their relationship
ended. Just as with Luis, she thinks that, because of the long distance, a relationship with Arturo will
also prove impossible to maintain. In his hotel in Mexico, Arturo comes across an article about the cave-in
and decides to try to find out more details.
Still unconscious, Roberto arrives at the hospital. The
women, en route to the capital, are about to collide with a truck.
Episode 35: Reunited
Raquel manages to avoid the truck that almost collided with their car.
Pedro finds out about Roberto's
rescue and stops by Ramón's house on the way to the hospital to spread the news. Pati leaves for New
York in spite of Juan's protests. Carlos calls his secretary in Miami again and learns that the bank
manager wants to see him. The auditors have recommended that they close the Miami office because of the
losses it has incurred. Arturo also heads for the hospital where Roberto is; the doctor tells him that
Roberto needs to rest but that he has no serious wounds. Pedro arrives and Arturo gives him the news
he has just received. Then Raquel and Angela arrive. Angela enters Roberto's room and Raquel greets Arturo,
who kisses her Passionately. Arturo repeats once again the information he has heard from the doctor.
Angela comes out and finally meets her uncle. Since Roberto will sleep all night, everyone leaves. Pedro
goes home. The others return to their hotel where Angela phones her Unde Jaime, and Raquel calls her
parents. The latter inform her that they are coming to Mexico to see her and to visit their relatives
in Guadalajara. Angela returns to the hospital to be with her brother, and Arturo and Raquel go to Pedro's
house where Arturo meets the family (except Pati, who has left for New York). Afterward Arturo and Raquel
spend Some time in the garden where they recall the night in Buenos Aires when they both wished on a
star. They now renew the relationship.
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