At the General Hospital, Adrian is accompanying Moacyr in his release from the hospital to his home. Moacyr continues with his right arm immobilized.
"At last, my son, I am ready to go home."
Adrian asks worriedly, "But, are you ready to live at home? What about that immobilized arm of yours?"
Moacyr answers reassuringly, "Well, I'll have to hire a private nurse or have Cristina show up to help me."
Adrian boils with jealousy, "You are not going to get any perverted nurses pregnant, do you hear me? I'm going to find you a male nurse."
Moacyr asks teasingly, "Son, you've been watching too many porn movies to have this preconceived idea of nurses. When are you going to have fun with a real woman?"
Moacyr gets out of the gurney and begins to walk out of the room with his son's help. Walking still hurts a little.
Adrian replies, "For your information, Dad, I have a date tonight with Stacy Moreira, William Campos' ex-fiancée."
<Daryl walks through Crystal Blue between customers and waiters and takes advantage of Stacy waiting in the entryway."Stacy, may I have a word with you, kindly?""Sure, Daryl.""My brother informed me that Adrian Barbosa has reserved a table in the evening hours. Table for two. I wonder if I'm chatting with the lucky lady."Stacy smiles and nods, "Yes, I will be his companion."Daryl nods reassuringly, "Then I can deduce that he is the chosen one. You know, I was worried about so many people showing up here and boasting about them being something of yours. They even suggested that I was on the list."Stacy chuckles, "You, again? Adrian thought that the first day you and I met."Daryl decides not to mention that it was Igor who also suggested it, "Yes, but let's not dwell on that. Best wishes and may you have a nice dinner."Daryl walks away. Josias and Tiago enter next and are attended by Kelvin.Kelvin says looking at t
In the kitchen of Cristina's apartment, she and Pamela are drinking tea to calm Pamela's nerves which are in tatters. Pamela brings the cup to her mouth with trembling hands, making Cristina more and more suspicious. "Daughter, can we talk about it now?" Pamela leaves the cup on the saucer, "Mom, calm down... the scare for me was big." "That's the problem. Why did you have a scare? I had already forgotten about that boy." Pamela answers mysteriously, "I could never forget him." Cristina places her hand in her daughter's hand, "Why? What does he represent in your life, Pam?" Pamela just stares at her mother, unable to answer with the truth. ****** At Rocha Constructions, Vania is being served by Shirley in her office. "Here we have buttery cookies and Brazilian doughnuts. The cookies were made in-house." Vania is surprised, "Really? They weren't bought at the supermarket?" "Well, I wanted to make
William enters the kitchen at Rocha Constructions and is quite surprised to see Igor serving himself snacks instead of taking advantage of the fact that he has Shirley to do so."What are you doing here, Igor? Aren't you going to take advantage of the fact that we now have a catering lady?""No, for the same reason you also came here."William approaches and pours himself some coffee, "That lady's son is flirting with Stacy."Igor gets irritated, "You don't have to remind me, damn it!"But William is insistent, "Igor, you and your brother have always been reasonable and intelligent. Did you really believe that Stacy was going to enter into a relationship with you when it was Marcelo who traumatized her?"Igor refuses to answer the question because of his ego. He abruptly walks away and shuts the door with a bang.******As dusk falls, Josias enters his penthouse and notices that Melissa is near the radio, singing the song "Love
Maggie and Daryl try to understand Shirley's desire not to be a woman for nothing.Daryl declares, "Well, Mom, if you are happy in this job, then we wish you all the best. It relieves us to know that it's at Rocha Constructions."Maggie is still aloof and teases her mother, "I didn't know the lady was also besotted by Josias Rocha."Shirley stands up, offended, "I don't even face him straight, Maggie! He stays in his office and I stay in the kitchen, I just pop in to offer something. Argh, you know what, I don't owe you any explanations: I am your mother!"Shirley leaves the living room. Maggie shows no regret.Daryl admonishes her, "Maggie, it would be a lot easier if you and Mom made up."Maggie goes on angrily, "Daryl, there are things that men get away with, but for us women, they are crystal clear. Good night."Maggie leaves without explaining to her brother what that 'crystal clear' thing would be.******In the di
Carmen questions Tiago if he has anything to do with Jeremiah's death. Tiago is reticent to answer. "Honey, I don't want you to divorce me." Carmen is wide-eyed, "But, why would I ask for a divorce?" Tiago becomes aloof, "It's because I know you won't like hearing the answer." Carmen approaches her husband, "What I don't like is the mysteries and the feeling that I'm an idiot to keep things from me." Tiago makes her sit on his lap, "Honey, the less you know, the better for your safety." Carmen wiggles, "Well, that answers my question. Your secret is kept with me, love." Tiago is surprised, "So you're not going to file for divorce?" Carmen laughs at Tiago's naïveté. ****** In the Rocha penthouse, Melissa has just hung up the phone. Josias approaches her, putting on his black jacket. "I just called Elisa. She can't contain herself in happiness upon hearing of Jeremiah's death." Josias gets
Cristina is in the lobby of Teodoro's building, separating money she received from the rent to pay for a repair to the sink in the dining hall. Beto approaches her.The radio, as usual, is playing "I Wish it Would Rain Down" by Phil Collins.Beto speaks to his mother-in-law, "Cristina, we need to talk urgently.""Good morning, Beto. Pam has just left for another job interview. Isn't that interesting?"Beto replies snidely, "Interesting is realizing that she only does interviews, but doesn't actually get the job."Cristina cracks her smile.Beto continues, "Cristina, something is going on. Don't be a liar and reveal everything to me. I know Pam and you are keeping a secret from me."Cristina looks pale and feels trapped.******The landline is ringing in Uélton's apartment.Uélton appears dressed to go to work and answers the call, "Hello?"On the other end, it is Isabel who is making the call.
In the lobby of Teodoro's building, Cristina is uncomfortable with Beto demanding that she tell him some secret.She looks at the countertop, "Beto, don't be insolent. You come here and already insinuate that I know some secret from Pam.""Well, so she didn't tell you about the missing bills?"Cristina lifts her head and relieves herself. She thought Beto was going to question her about Pamela having sex with her bosses who "interview" her."Bills that are going missing?"Beto assures, "Yes! Now I've opened the drawer where the booklets are and I've discovered that the bill for the VCR is missing. A few days ago, I found out that the water and electricity bills have already been paid. Who is paying them? I can only conclude that it's Pamela!"Cristina swallows dryly, "But, how could Pam pay if she doesn't have a definite job yet?"Beto narrows his eyes, "I can only see one explanation... it's you who is giving the money. And look, her
Pamela is outraged to realize that she is being solicited to beget an heir for her supposed employer."What kind of bullshit proposal is this, Mr. Damascene?"Miguel warns her with a cocked index finger, "Miss Chaves, watch your vocabulary."Pamela screams at the top of her lungs, "Stop calling me by my maiden name! I'm married, look at my ring!"In an unexpected gesture, Miguel leans forward, grabs Pamela's hand, and snatches the ring off her finger.Pamela scrambles forward in a panic, "What are you doing? Give me back my ring NOW!"Miguel retorts sternly, "I already told you that you will have to forget that you are married, otherwise your mission will not be accomplished satisfactorily!"Pamela questions him, impacted, "Why the hell don't you hire a single girl?"Miguel gives a predatory smile, "It's because of all the candidates that came along, you are the best. I want my son to look good."Pamela narrows her eyes,
Josias visits the Rocha Hotel since he didn’t have a day off for the staff. In the management room, Eugenio gathered David, Benjamin, and Sybil. “Why is that mere cook present at this meeting?” David asked disparagingly. “Because that’s how our boss ordered it,” Eugenio replied dryly. “I didn’t say anything and didn’t call this meeting, so if you’ll excuse me...” Benjamin and Sybil were horrified to see David leaving the meeting just like that. However, when he opened the door, David came face to face with his father. “David, where do you think you’re going?” “DAD!” David exclaimed, extremely surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming!” “Didn’t Eugenio tell you I was coming?” Josias asked with a scowl. David understood who the ‘boss’ was. Benjamin and Sybil felt vindicated. Josias sat down at the desk, taking Eugenio’s seat, while the manager remained humbly standing. “Very well,” Josias began the meeting in a formal tone, “I’m here just to make things crystal clear. First
Melissa and Mary visit the Mountain Café.“A guava juice for me, Mr. Mountain!” Mary requested, smiling sweetly.“Of course, my princess!” Rodrigo replied, thinking Mary was very adorable. “Neil will make a delicious cup for you.”“Thank you. But the princess is Carol,” Mary responded, striking a serious pose.Melissa and Rodrigo laughed heartily. Mary is something else...“Rod, how has it been managing the café in your father’s absence?” Melissa asked seriously.Rodrigo served a baked chicken pastry with ketchup to Mary. “I'm getting by, Melissa. Josias was here earlier, more concerned about my loss than his own, as always. Isn’t he supposed to be resting?”Melissa nodded. “My husband is like that: he only relaxes when all of us are relaxed.”“An impossible mission because of certain people.”Neilton approached with the glass. “Who ordered a guava juice?”“I DID!” Mary grabbed the glass and went to a table.Melissa leaned forward, “Neil, Rod, how are Daryl and Diane? Behaving?”“Cont
At João Paulo’s house, he and Josias were about to have a significant conversation.“Walter, do you want to go with your mom to the kitchen?” João Paulo asked, looking at Helen. “I think she made some walnut cake.”“It was carrot cake,” Sandra replied, already getting up from the couch.“You got it.” Helen appeared and picked up Walter in her arms. “Let’s let Dad and Uncle Josias talk.”“Bye, Uncle!” Walter waved goodbye to Josias.“Bye-bye, I want a piece later!” Josias chuckled.Once alone with João Paulo, Josias became serious. “Don’t let anything or anyone ruin this family scenario, little brother.”“I’m fine. No one wants to ruin anything,” João Paulo replied casually.“Well, I hope David hasn’t caused you any trouble.”“He probably doesn’t even know I exist, man.” João Paulo shrugged.“But I stopped by Café Montanha and found out that the Vasquez family has replaced the Mountain family as the ‘annoying people.’”João Paulo sighed in disappointment. “Yeah. They—”The doorbell ran
Josias visits Café Montanha for a coffee and finds Rodrigo there. “Rod, how have you been?” Rodrigo is taken aback. “How am I? You’re the one who suffered a horrific loss recently!” “But you also lost your father. We’re in the same situation,” Josias explained as he sat down on a stool. “I’m okay, Josias. Life has a way of cheering me up. For example, I’m back at the diner after Thierry decided to take his place at the supermarket.” Rodrigo smiled. “What about the photography studio?” Josias smiled back. “It’s still going to operate, and Thierry will make periodic visits. But he’s going to appoint one of the staff to manage the studio.” Rodrigo served a pizza pastry to Josias. “Thank you. Well, I hope everything is alright between you two. I need to visit Rosemary and meet Jean Luc — is that the name of the baby?” “Yes, the name of the supermarket heir. Meanwhile, Frank will be here or somewhere else.” Josias interjected, “If Frank wants to work at Rocha Constructions, count
At the Rocha Mansion, Josias receives a visit from Benjamin. “How have you been, Ben? Any news about your parents?” The two embrace. “Actually, that’s what I want to talk about.” Benjamin scratches the back of his neck. The embrace breaks. “Let’s go to my office.” The two gentlemen enter Josias’s imposing office. “Any problems with Adolfo?” Josias asks, becoming serious. “Not yet, but I hope not to have any,” Benjamin replies with some sadness. “You know, Josias, what happened with your father made me think about my family, about how important it is for all of us to be together in the final moments.” “That’s true. João Paulo can tell you that better than I can.” “I think you can say it too. Vernon was the father you never had.” Benjamin clears his throat. “So, I’ve been looking into some hotels and realized there’s a demand at the Rocha Hotel in Victoria.” Josias looks at Benjamin, understanding where he’s going with this. “You want to go to Victoria to be close to your pare
Someone rings the doorbell at João Paulo’s house. The homeowner goes to answer after taking a shower and putting on clean clothes. But when he opened the door, João Paulo felt like slamming it in the visitor’s face. “Don’t be rude!” Erasmo exclaimed. “What do you want, you old bore?” João Paulo shot back. Erasmo barged into João Paulo’s foyer. “The mourning is over. Let’s pick up where we left off.” “Are you crazy? Who decides how long mourning lasts? We just got back from the trip!” “Not exactly, it’s been a day. Life goes on, my friend!” Erasmo replied mockingly. João Paulo remained serious. “But I don’t want to continue living this way, where fights and intrigues are the order of the day. Mr. Vasquez, you have a business to run, and I have a family to raise.” “But you found time to slap my son-in-law when he was here defending his family, didn’t you?” “Alan was extremely rude, but that was some time ago.” João Paulo frowned. “I don’t feel the same anger as before.” “So a
At the Vasquez Mansion, Alan could hardly believe that the people were thinking about more intrigues and disputes. “Guys, don’t you understand that I even forgot the reason I slapped Uncle João Paulo?” “Ridiculous!” Erasmo gestured. “You just maintained respect because it was a difficult occasion. But now, the mourning is OVER!” “Do you think João Paulo will rest, dear?” Sofia asked, sitting next to him. Alan shook his head. “If Uncle João Paulo doesn’t want to rest, then he is truly despicable. But my dad is back in town. He wouldn’t dare to do that.” The news should have been uplifting, but the members of the Vasquez family merely exchanged silent glances. With Josias present, it’s quite likely that he will put a stop to their fighting. Alan turned to Olivia. “In the meantime, we should celebrate the recovery of my dear mother-in-law!” Olivia and Sofia smiled awkwardly because of the secret they were keeping. “That’s right, let’s celebrate life!” Erasmo wrapped his arm arou
Josias Rocha and his family returned to Lagoon City. Those who were waiting for them stayed in the mansion and greeted them cheerfully in the foyer. “WELCOME BACK!” Melissa, crying, embraced her parents, William, and the twins fervently. Josias greeted them with a light smile. “Where’s João Paulo?” William asked. “He went straight to his house. His kids needed to rest from the trip.” Melissa wiped her tears with her fingers. “Alan went straight to his mansion. Especially now that his mother-in-law has woken up from the coma.” “That was a scare; I thought we’d have two funerals,” Simeon commented. Everyone headed to the living room. “Is Paris very beautiful, Mom?” Mary asked. “Yes, sweetheart, it’s stunning. We’ll go shopping together another time, okay?” “Do you have pictures?” Ignacio asked anxiously. “Yes, son, we took some pictures.” Melissa sat on the couch, pulling out a package from her bag. Josias sat in the armchair, taking a deep breath. William approached him.
At Café Montanha, Daryl walks in for a coffee and finds Rodrigo at the counter while Neilton serves the others. “Hey, are we back to the old tradition?” “Don’t be a clown, man.” Rodrigo laughs. “Yes, Thierry is at the supermarket, as we agreed.” “Hi, Neil. Can you make me a cappuccino while I enjoy a natural sandwich?” Daryl places his order. “Sure thing, Mr. Mountain.” Neilton heads to the back. Daryl sits on the stool. “So, how do you feel after getting back to your element?” “I don’t regret at all helping my dear wife at the supermarket, Daryl,” Rodrigo admitted while preparing the natural sandwich. “I’m not talking about regrets.” Daryl joked. “But it’s undeniable that after Uncle Francisco’s passing, you prefer to stay here, carrying on the legacy he left.” “Just like Crystal Blue.” Rodrigo smiled. “Hey, I’m aware that you’re looking to open another restaurant in Sunset Village. Do you think you can manage it? How’s the prospecting going?” Daryl picks up the sandwich but