BLF story
Niki and Patty are seated in the expensive restaurant, chatting. He still has his overcoat on. Patty asks Niki what TerraModa does, and he responds that they do investments over the internet. She says that she is very interested in anything involving the market, (of course, anything involving money would be interesting to her.) She asks what kind of food he likes, and he turns the question on her. She talks about all sorts of foreign food, Italian, Japanese, especially the wok, and goes on and on. He says he likes all of those too, see, they have so much in common. Then a phone rings. He says it must be hers, and she says no, it must be his. He tries to ignore it, but it continues to ring, so he excuses himself awkwardly from the table and goes to the restroom to answer it. He looks at the numbers, recognizing them as Armando's phone and says, oh, no, it must be Betty, and prepares to pretend that he is home, practicing yawning, etc., before answering. Armando speaks in a high pitched voice, saying "I think I have the wrong number, who is this?" "Nicholas Mora, who is this?" Armando hangs up and gets very upset, talking to himself in the mirror. "Nicholas Mora, Nicholas Mora, - -oh, so we know what you have been doing. You want to play, okay, we'll play" The waiter comes to the table and asks if Patty and Nicholas are ready to eat, Patty says that she doesn't have much "Fam", but if he is ready, and he responds that he is starving, and can't wait to eat. They look at the menus together, and it is clear that Nicholas doesn't recognize anything. Patty asks what dishes he likes, and Nicholas says, oh, all of them, as he flips through the pages, hurriedly, looking for something familiar. She suggests some dishes, including oysters or scallops on the shell. Then the waiter asks about the wine, and Nicholas has no idea what should go with anything, so Patty steps in and suggests white wine, and he goes along with that.
He heads back to the table and Betty is turned away from his direction, listening to the band with her chin in her hand. He sits down, but still she doesn't notice him, so he clears his throat. She asks him if he has to go, and he says no, why? She responds that he was gone so long she thought he had a problem with Marcela. He said that she was gone longer, and she said no, she didn't think so, but maybe it seemed like it because she missed him so much. He repeated no, and asked her to remind him of where they were. She says that she was going to show him how much she loves him, that she feels nothing for Nicholas, wraps one arm around his neck and leans in very close. He doesn't move away, instead looks directly at her and says really, she doesn't feel anything for Nicholas? Then why did she lie to him and say she was calling her house when she was calling Nicholas instead, huh? What is that about! She is deceiving him. She pulls away and says for him not to shout at her. He responds that she is acting shamelessly. " I am shameless?" she questions. She says that he has offended her and she is not going to take it, and she gets up to leave. He grabs her arm, and pulls her close to him, saying that she will stay, but she responds that he is making a scene, that these are his people, his group, that she doesn't care what they think of her, but he cares what they think of him. She then pushes past her, and he follows after her, saying "Beatriz", one of his associates sees him on the way out, so he says hello without slowing down. She is moving at a rapid clip down the street when he catches up to her and says that she has to talk to him, she can't leave. They can go back in and sit down and work everything out. She says, back in there, why? So he can reject and humiliate and ignore her again, because he is ashamed to be seen with her? He says that she shouldn't say that, it isn't true, she insists that it is. He insists that she is behaving disgracefully, and she says, how, because I am going around with two guys? He says, so then its over, we're finished? She says, unless you are willing to share me, because I am inclined to share myself. That's just the kind of woman I am. He backs off and says, okay, so I made a mistake, I made a mistake, but this situation is making me crazy. You were teasing me in there, teasing and tempting me to kiss you, I need to kiss you. He grabs her and tries to kiss her, and she pulls away, and says no. He says I am dying to kiss you, dying, and he reaches for her again, stealing a brief kiss. No, she says, are you crazy. Yes, he responds, crazy for you, and I am going to kiss you. She says no, don't do it, and turns her head away. He grasps her chin and pulls her face towards his, firmly, and kisses her. She resists a little at first, then gives in. When they break, she pulls away and he tells her that he will make her forget Nicholas, he deserves her more because he loves and desires her, and kisses her again, but this time she doesn't respond. He pulls away and asks what is wrong, and she replies that she has to go. He says where? She says home. She turns and runs to catch a taxi, and waves goodbye - -Goodnight Doctor. Beatriz, wait, and he is standing next to her and shutting the door to prevent her from getting in, and he leans into her space. Don't get in, stay with me, we can go somewhere, somewhere where we can be alone, where I can show you how much I love and desire you. Where we can spend the night, the whole night together. She says that she has to go. He says, didn't you hear what I said? She responds, yes, Doctor, I heard you, and looking him directly in the eye, adds, but I don't want to be with you, I don't desire you. He releases her and she gets in the taxi and leaves. Patty and Nicholas are receiving various plates of food, and as each one comes, Nicholas asks what it is, and the waiter says, it is what they ordered. The first plate (either oysters or scallops on the shell, I forget which), floors him, and Patricia holds one of the shells up for him to take. She is reaching for a fork, when he slups it directly out of the shell. This is the beginning of the end. Then the rest of the meal comes, I forget what it was, but Nicholas doesn't recognize this either, and asks what it is. Then, when he realizes that this is the main course, and is dismayed because, on par with most expensive restaurants, there is not much food on the plate, and he is hungry. He then proceeds to order lots of more filling dishes, including fried potatoes(I think). Patty is trying not to laugh at him, while feeling horrified at the same time. And he keeps referring to the waiter as joven, even though the waiter is probably older than he is. He also snaps his fingers and waves his hand around a lot in an affected, in charge manner. Nicholas asks Patty if she lives with her mother, her father, a friend, or (gulp of discomfort) her boyfriend. She responds that she lives alone. She turns the question on him, and he responds that he too lives alone, but we see his squirm of discomfort, and we are reminded that he lives with his mother. Patty then asks if Niki and Betty are going to get married, and he responds no, gosh no. She says that they seem very attached, and he responds no, not at all, it is a very independent relationship. She says that they must be very much in love, though, because he is so attentive and calls her all the time, gives her detalles, and lends her his car. He responds that a man doesn't have to be in love to do that, and she says no? (You can see the calculator working in her brain). She tries to finagle the car, but Niki says he couldn't possibly, because he promised it to Betty. Patty then tries to secure his help in getting her car out of lockup, going on and on about how the embargo was a matter of bad luck. Niki alludes to being able to help her with that without promising anything. "I'm sure I can find a way to help." Patty - - Really, oh, how nice, I am so glad I met you. A toast to us! Betty comes in the door, trying to tiptoe in, and is ambushed by her father in the blanket. He gives her the usual questions about how she got home, she says in taxi but accompanied. He asks if she talked to Armando about the car, and she replies yes, and that he is fine with everything. Armando has returned to the bar/club where they were. When the waiter asks if he wants the bill, he says no, a whisky. The musicians are singing "te amo" The bill comes, and Nicholas pulls out a big wad of bills, and begins to count them - - he doesn't know how much he has, but it isn't going to be enough. He then pulls out the Terra Moda Checkbook, and starts writing, after a big show about the risks of taking checks, and toying with the waiter by pulling it back and forth out of his reach. Patty asks why he doesn't use credit, and he says, no credit is very bad - - the bills. Patty makes faces (we know she was hoping for access). They come out of the restaurant and Niki tells the attendant to open the door for her, and that his tip is inside with the check he wrote to the restaurant. Betty is in her room, writing in her diary. She can't believe she let Nicholas talk her into staying, she thought to get revenge, but it was a disaster, a disaster. Armando is sitting in the bar, drinking alone, listening to another song, the band is singing "I miss you, I want that you had stayed with me." Betty is talking in the voiceover about how painful it is to know that he finds her repulsive, and he is touching his mouth, as if it were marked. Betty says he must be hurting for fear of his company the way she is hurting from his deception. He takes another sip, then jabs his fingers at his hair in frustration. She talks about how by now, he must be erasing all feeling of her, all memory of her with Marcela, and how she must avoid the temptation of being with him. Marcela calls, and asks what he is doing, and he replies that he is having a drink with a friend (male) and he will go back to his apartment after they are done. A friend says good night, and there are beautiful women everywhere, but he continues to drink alone. It was only her anger with him, at his reference to Nicholas being less, having less worth than he, that allowed her to pull back, and from now on she will have to keep her distance, because his skin, his kisses tempt her. She will have to keep her distance, until she can distance herself forever. When Nicholas and Patty arrive at her home, she invites him up. You can tell he is tempted, but hesitates, and she says, oh, no, of course, and goes on and on about his relationship with Betty and how she respects that. She then hops out of the car (he looks like she hit him over the head) and gives a little wave. He calls after her, wait, wait, but she continues to walk away, and then turns back for another wave. After she is out of sight, he fawns all over the seat she sat in, touching it, even smelling it (the bottom of the seat no less!!!!) It is morning and Don Hermes is complaining about not all of the skin being off of the papaya, and Dona Julia is rolling her eyes. Betty comes down, and Hermes starts in again about the car, and how even if Armando said it was okay, they shouldn't get too caught up, and Nicholas is turning into an idiot over the car and the clothes, and they shouldn't be confused about who they really were. Betty then opens the cupboard and shock! The checkbook and $$ from TerraModa are missing! She then thinks, ok, Niki probably moved them. Niki then shows up, after making lots of noise, and sits down at the table , giving Dona Julia "his usual order" and making lots of show. Hermes says that this is exactly what he was talking about, that they are both getting very caught up in all of this, and it needs to stop! Tonight: Mario is laughing at Armando for being beat out by Nicholas One of Marcy's friends tells her that Betty was very affection
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