Valentina goes to Andres, who's sitting and crying on David's bed, and comforts him. Don't worry, you can see David, too, like I do, if you just calm down. Right now I'm very tired; I think I'll go to bed. She leaves and Andres can't believe what he's just seen and heard.
Maricarmen is getting ready to leave Julia's, but first she tells Julia and Victoria how much she admires Andres and how generous he is. He backs an organization to help street kids, but he doesn't want anybody to know! She leaves and Victoria tut-tuts to Julia about Andres incredible arrogant behavior. Imagine, he's telling me he loves me at the same time he's getting his wife pregnant! Thanks a lot. That guy is so nauseating, Nana!
Maru's at the beauty salon getting a haircut from Alma. Maru wants to be beautiful for Victoria's wedding, and Alma's boss tells her that soon Alma will be getting married, too! Cut to Roberto's soon-to-be inlaws' house, and they are putting him through the wringer for taking a transfer out of the city. Nena backs him up, though, explaining he'll be working closely with the state governor, and that she would follow Roberto to the end of the world. Her parents feel a little bit better about it and discuss buying a house out there. Roberto doesn't object very strenuously, and when he graciously offers to sell his apartment in the city, the mother talks him into keeping both a country house and the city apartment. Nice deal, Roberto. We can see the wheels turning in his head.
It's late at night when Sandra bangs on the medicine woman's door, and the woman is surprised, but lets her in. Sandra is desperate to buy some more of the loco juice after Jose Joaquin broke the first bottle, and the woman sees this a fine opportunity to jack up the price. Well, I can't just cook some more up like a batch of enchiladas, you know. That stuff has rare ingredients in it! Sandra keeps stacking the big bills on the table until the woman is satisfied and pulls another vial of the vile stuff out of an apothecary chest drawer.
At home the next morning, Andres is calling Dr. Reyes to tell him the latest, but Alvaro is out of town, in Durango. He just tells Andres to stay closeby Valentina. Meanwhile at Laura's, Beatriz has the table loaded down with bread and cold cuts, making stacks of sandwiches. Turns out the vecinos have all planned a picnic in the woods for the day. Suddenly there's a knock at the door, and it's Queta, who has an urgent call from Dr. Reyes in Durango. He wants Laura to go check on Valentina, since he can't. Back at the Rivera's, Valentina's up bright and early and looks nice and normal in a yellow suit and acts normal. Andres tells her he called Dr. Reyes to come over anyway. She apoligizes to Andres for her excesses of the night before and blames it on her "condition." Andres seems confused. When Valentina's out of sight, she runs to her suite and calls Dr. Reyes and abruptly tells him not to come.
Luis and Victoria go to church and while there, decide they like it so much they want to get married there. They go to make the arrangements. When they get back to Julia's, she and Lolita are also packing a picnic from a loaded dining table. Victoria and Luis are really excited to tell them they got a church for the wedding, but Luis gets a bit disappointed when Victoria lets herself get dragged into a conversation about the food first before they can tell them.
At Abel's, Pan Dulce is feeding him another brown meal and goading him into getting more money. (These two seem always to have brown, nondescript food and drink.) A few moments later we see Abel calling from a pay phone in a kids' park somewhere. He wants to talk to Esteban but Mauricio answers and recognizes the voice from the tape. Abel hangs up abruptly.
Over at Alma's, Rosario would really like to go to the picnic, but that dumb husband of hers wants his servant around to wait on him hand and foot and prevents her going. Rosario's upset and Alma's angry. That Manuel is such a bully. All the rest of the vecinos are going to the country in a van that Rufino is bringing, and when they get there, we see it's a nice, woodsy forest park. Benny and Samuel and his family are there, too. It's a happy day, with kids running around, folks barbecuing and laughing and talking under a ramada with a big picnic table loaded with goodies. There's a sweet little kissing scene between Victoria and Luis. Never mind the pesky dialog; the closeups are good for admirers of the two principles.
Laura can't go to the picnic, though, because she has to check on Valentina. When she gets there, Valentina greets her friendly and reiterates she wants her secret kept so she can make it a reality. Later on Dr. Reyes has made it back from Durango and is just starting to spill the beans to Andres when Laura breaks in and interrupts them. She wants to keep Valentina's secret to keep the woman calm, I suppose, and distracts Andres with the story about her actually being a nurse and colleague of Dr. Reyes. Andres thinks it was a good idea. He doesn't know when Valentina might try to do away with herself again, and if things continue the way they have, they're going to have to commit her.
Back at the picnic, there's a cute scene where Rufino gets quite excited objecting to Toni's tepid characterization of his romance with Julia. "Interested" in her?!? What kind of word is that! But the big payoff in this scene is between Beatriz and Benny. First, they are gathering sticks for a fire, when Benny starts worrying about a spark igniting a blaze, and Beatriz teases him about his earnest dedication. Then she asks, You really like being a firefighter, don't you? He does. He adores it! Quite coyly, next Beatriz asks the leading question, Do you like being a firefighter more than anything else in the world? Benny is devouring her face with his eyes when he nervously but definitely asserts that lately, he's found something he likes more. You! he says. Beatriz grins from ear to ear and giggles like the girl she still is. That was certainly something she wanted to hear.
Then later, when everyone is eating dinner, Maru teases Benny about whether he and Beatriz are a couple, and wouldn't Beatriz like a firefighter for a boyfriend? Hoots and hollers all around, and Benny looks a little shy and nervous. When Beatriz insists to everyone that they are just friends, Benny looks disappointed. But she continues, saying that For her part, she wouldn't mind at all having a firefighter for a boyfriend! And Benny looks really happy and hopeful. More and more hoots and hollers. Then Maru starts working on Lolita needing a boyfriend now, and she puts her order in for a firefighter, too. Laughs and hollers.
Back at the Riveras's, Dr. Reyes talks privately and frankly with Valentina, leveling with her. The only reason I didn't tell Andres the truth was because of Laura. I was on the point of committing you. Valentina begs him to give her some time. Downstairs in the office, Andres wants Laura's address, and she tells him that she lives in the same complex as Victoria, but that Valentina doesn't know it.
Roberto brings Nena to his bachelor pad, and she frankly tells him she's not comfortable there. I'm not like the other women you've brought here, she says. He avows she's the first one, and she just blows him off. No, I don't believe that, she says, and wants to go home. He tries to put the moves on her, but she acts like he's lost his mind. Why are you kissing me like that -- I don't like it! Whoah. (I think they are trying to set up some plausible reason for keeping Alma around. Cold wife, warm mistress.)
Back at Alma's, old Manuel brings in a load of goodies to nosh and drink while he watches his football game. He claps his hands (really) for Rosario to fix the stuff. Alma comes in and sits at the dining table, and when Rosario pulls a big ham or something like that out of the grocery bag, Alma draws back from it. She says the fat smell makes her NAUSEOUS! In melodramas, in situations like Alma's, "nauseous" is a code word for PREGNANT. You watch. Coming right after the scene with Roberto and his fiance, they have to be making a point. Plus they already had Victoria use the word "nauseous" talking about Andres, and in this show I've noticed they often have a theme-word of the day. I think this is it.
The picnic is over and everyone's getting ready to leave. I guess the vecinos came separately from the firefighters, because Beatriz and Benny are saying goodbye. He wants to come by her place that evening, and she's saying it will be late, but doesn't exactly say no. Instead she kisses him on the cheek saying goodbye, and stuns the poor fellow. He is so happy. Samuel comes up and the somewhat dazed Benny says, She likes me! Samuel answers, DUH, what did you think?!
At Esteban's, Abel calls once more, and this time Esteban picks up, really agitated to be called again. Mauricio's on the kitchen extension looking a little green around the gills, listening to this conversation.
Chiripas (Raul) has apparently been unable to withstand his morbid curiosity about Elena and goes to the club to watch her dance. He looks frightened and uncomfortable at what he sees, and what's more is in danger of taking a drink of alcohol again. (He's a recovered alcoholic.) The last thing we see of him, he's sitting at the bar looking fearfully at a double tequila he's ordered. Don't do it, Raul!
At Luis's, he has all the windows and doors open, and when Maru comes up and asks, he tells her it's to get rid of and protect them from the paint fumes. He's sitting at the table polishing the silver that goes on his uniform, and Maru repeats from rote a motto of the firefighters. You're going to be the best female firefighter in the world! he tells her. Lidia comes up and mentions what a Queretaro friend told her about Sergio's inheritance, and this reminds Luis that Sergio was so sad about his uncle's death.
Mauricio brings Esteban some tea and crumpets in the living and opens the ball about the phone call with the guy from the cassette. Esteban gets really angry and demands to know who told him about the cassette?! Did Sergio tell you about that and the murder of his uncle? If so, you could be in real danger! Mauricio claims he was too drunk to remember his conversation with Sergio. Esteban says that's just great, because Sergio has been "eliminated." Now Mauricio is shaking and frightened. "Eliminated!" Esteban says, by the "organization." And now we have to think of ourselves, protect ourselves, he continues. Sergio's effects have to be picked up from the hotel, and YOU are going to do it. Mauricio thinks he can't do it, but when Esteban starts polishing his automatic pistol, Mauricio becomes subdued. Esteban slaps Sergio's hotel key into Mauricio's hand and says he will wait for him in the car, and make sure nobody sees you! Our living is in the balance, here. Roll Televisa logo, music up and tune in Tuesday morning.