"And in accordance with articles 198, 199 and 200 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Argentina," "I declare you husband and wife." "MADRID, DECEMBER 31st" " Hi, Dorina." " Hello, Gloria, ma'am." "There we are, thanks." "Be a doll and give me a hand." " How is everything?" " Fine." "Lucky for us, otherwise..." "Thank you." " Happy New Year?" " Yes." "Happy New Year." "Same to you, Dorina." "What's all that?" "Right." "Good question." "Why so much food?" "Well, it shouldn't surprise you." "Excess is part of his personality." "Like madness." "Anything happen I should worry about?" "That's another good question." " There you have it." " What's that?" "My father." "He's underthere?" "Actually, each of your questions is more pertinent than the last." "Damn it!" "I said not to wake me until" "Gloria got here!" "Gloria!" "What time is it?" "Why are you sleeping underthat thing?" "I've demonstrated, dearest friend of mine, that cardboard keeps you warmer than any other material." "Moreover, it's amazingly cheap." " Any more questions?" " No." "You?" "No, no." "I asked them all long ago and never got a convincing answer." "Slanderous!" " Right." " Go ahead!" "Come on, ask me something!" "Ask me something, Mr. Inquisitor!" "Go ahead, ask!" "Don't run, you little prick!" "Coward!" "You hide like a rat!" "A coward, just like his mother." "Some day I'll break this door down and see what I find!" "Shit." " Pedro!" " I'm taking a shower!" "Pedro." "What do you want?" "Why did you have me buy four extra" " balloons?" " I invited some friends." "What friends?" "Some friends you don't know." "I know all of your friends." "Or shall I say your only friend:" "Me." "Fine!" "I'm sick of spending New Year's with one person, so I expanded the list." "Will you tell me who they are?" "I have a right to know." "Right revoked!" "Start cooking, they'll be here any minute." "What?" "Have you heard from Buenos Aires?" " Any news from Amparo or Santiago?" " No, nothing." "Are you happy?" "About marrying you?" "Completely happy." "I always wanted to do this." "Look at you." " Ready?" " Ready." "Oh, God." " You'll be back for dinner, right?" " No." "There's a lot of food." "My dad's "friends" will eat it." "Fidel, you two can't keep this up forever." "I'm late." "Fidel, wait a minute." " Fidel!" " Pedro..." "Don't leave!" "That's an order!" "He doesn't understand." "A reactionary conservative knows exactly what an order is." "I said wait!" "That's an order!" "Fidel, come back here this instant oryou're out of this family!" "Fidel!" "Fuck." "Hello?" "Gloria, it's Amparo." "Amparo!" "Well?" "We did it." "Congratulations!" "Gloria, open the door!" "That's enough!" "This isn't funny!" "What's going on?" "I've got Pedro the madman naked at the door." "Hold on a second." "How did I get myself into this?" "I'll kill you!" "Fine, but I'm talking to Amparo." "Amparo?" "Let me talk to her!" "Hi, Amparo!" "You're officially my uncle." " Congratulations, niece!" " Amparo." "How did everything go?" "Did my boy behave himself?" "Wonderfully." "I was afraid he might change his mind." "Me too, but no." "He's being a true gentleman." "What about the dress?" "Forget the dress!" "Tell me about all the filthy things you'll do to him." "Underwater sex in the pool." "I love it!" "Always so creative!" "Do you still love me?" "Much less than before." " Liar." " No, really." "I'll let you go." "Don't fall asleep before the balloons." "We'll be here, nice and lucid." " Ciao." " Bye, sweetie." "And you, my Goddess Isis..." "Do you love me?" "A bit more than Amparo..." "This much." " Thank you." " Thanks." "Gorgeous!" "Well?" "Okay, I'm leaving." "Thank you." "Come on." "Right." "Congratulations." "Thanks." "Shall we?" "Bye." "What is it?" "Nothing." "She better be the maid." "I swear she's the maid." "The maid?" "Son of a bitch, I'll kill you!" "You left me locked in here all day long and now you show up with someone else?" "I can explain." "You'd better not." "Wait, wait, wait..." "Hi, I'm Lucia." "Sorry, I had no idea." "Hey, Lucia..." "Lucia." "I don't know what happened, but it did." "You're a shitty human being." "Maria, Maria..." "Maria..." "We're adults!" "This setting is extra." "My guests." "Marin, husband mine." "Marin, husband hers." " Delighted." " Delighted." "Oh, a gift." "Thank you." "Hello." "Jon, sister of mine husband." "Hello, Jon, brother, I presume, of her husband." " Delighted." " It's a pleasure." "Constantin, first sister mine." "Hello, Constantin, older brother of hers." " Delighted." " Hello." "Wanna move to the Carpathians?" "What are you doing here?" "You didn't come." "There's your gift." "What did you get me?" "A revolver." "When you realize some day what a stupid thing you did, you'll want to kill yourself." "The box is too big for a revolver." "Because there are two inside." "The other one is forAmparo." "Give me a kiss..." " No, forget it." " Why not?" " I don't like being kissed." " You just like playing hard to get." "Okay, fine." "Why are you here?" "I brought a nice bottle of "shampoo. "" ""Shampoo. " What a cheap word." "It's ten minutes to midnight." "Bring two glasses." "Get moving." "Remember, you're with a lady." "I'm not one of those chicks you go out with." ""Chicks. "" "What a cheap... word." "That's how I treat chicks when I get them drunk on shampoo." "This Romanian is touching my ass!" "No touchy assy with Gloria!" "Good evening." "Hi, sweetie." "Wanna drink a toast with us?" "No, I drank mine at midnight like everyone else in Spain." "What about the balloons?" "Let one go for me, okay?" "Yeah." "Good night." "Happy New Year." "At midnight, stand beside me and we'll let our balloons go together." " Agreed?" " Agreed, but quit talking to me slowly like I'm an 80-year-old bag." "Not like you're an 80-year-old bag." "Like you're an 81-year-old lady, which is what you are." "Good one, you're forgiven." "I can't believe you're still doing the balloon thing." "It's a beautiful, 29-year-old tradition." "29 years already?" "How time flies." "Rememberthe first time your godmother showed up with the balloons?" "Of course I remember." "Do you really?" "You were very little." "It was right here." "Gloria gave me the balloon and said," ""This is a magic balloon." "Think of your parents when you let it go and it will fly to them. "" "And she gave me a piece of paper to write them a note together." "Rememberwhat you had herwrite?" ""I love you guys." "Bring me back giraffe chewing gum. "" "Do you everthink of my dad?" "All the time." "Whenever I see you." "Your other son must be drinking a toast in Spain right now." "That would make it at least the 64th time he's done it." "Love him a little." "I love him... a little." "What will you wish forthis year?" "Giraffe chewing gum." "It's bound to come true, I've asked so many times." "Write wishes on paperfor next year." "Thank you." "What's yourwish?" "It's a wish, no telling." "I won't tell you mine either." "I'm not the least interested in knowing." "I don't know what to write for Fidel." "I already covered that." " Really?" " Yeah." ""I wish Fidel to be the next leader of the Cuban Revolution. "" "I'll let go of a balloon, but without the note." "You have nothing to wish for?" "Okay, no note." "No wish." "Ready?" "Two..." "Three!" "MAKE A WISH" "Where were you?" "Morning, Dad." "Where were you?" "Out." "Out." " What's in the box?" " Stuff." "Stuff?" "Stuff." "Excuse me." "Stuff." "Little prick!" "Don't look at me with those sad little eyes." "You're going to break my heart." "Yes, a bat." "It hit its head on the wall." "They see poorly, I think." "It sort of sat there in a daze, off course." "I put him in a box and I'm worried." "Can I bring him over to see you?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello." "May I help you?" "I'm Dr. Garrido." "Gloria Estevez." "Please tell me you can cure a bat." "A bat?" "If you can cure a giraffe, a lion, a rhinoceros..." " you can cure a bat." " You've got a bat in this box?" "His name is Batman." " Batman?" " Yeah." "Pretty." "Pretty ugly." "No, I meant the name." "I couldn't think of any other famous bats." "Dracula." "I see you got married." "Great." "It's not mandatory, but you saw how the judges are." "It's better if you are." "He's handsome." "How did you convince him?" "I was the one who needed convincing." "They said I should photocopy the file and take it to the local courthouse." "That works in the provinces where you can hand it in personally." "I'll be right back with your stamp." " Hello?" " Santiago?" "Spaniard!" "If it's about the lipstick on my collar, I can explain." "Very funny." "Where are you?" "In the sky." "I'll be quick." "Are you sure about this?" " There's no turning back." " Relax, I'm a responsible guy." "You're many things, Santiago." "But responsible is not one of them." "What comes next?" "A social worker is coming over next Thursday." "She has to believe we live together." "Bring over some clothes, your deodorant, a razor, your shoes, you know..." "I'll came tomorrow with a moving truck." "Don't forget." "I won't." "I told you, I'm a responsible guy." "Big kiss." "Big kiss." "Bye." "Ah, Mr. Sosa!" "Son of a bitch!" "You fucking lunatic!" "He's old but he'll make it." "He's old?" "He doesn't look it at all." "What now?" "What do you mean?" "You're going to take care of him." "What now?" "Of course I'll take care of him." "No, I'm very fond of Batman." "But what will he eat?" "I don't know how to..." "Give him fruit puree for babies." " See that syringe overthere?" " Yes." "Put it in his mouth and let the puree drop in." "Do the same with water." " Little by little." " Yes." " It's difficult." " It isn't, you'll see." "Okay." "How much do I owe you?" " A dinner." " Excuse me?" " A dinner." " No, seriously." "I'm being totally serious." "A dinner, my treat." "Tell me what's hidden in my son's room." "I know you're fond of him and you protect him, but I'm his father and I need to know what my son is up to." "You understand?" "You understand?" "Yes." "Hello." " Is Pedro here?" " No." "Well, do you know" " when he'll be back?" " No." "Would you give him" " my phone number?" " No." "Hello." " Hello." " Who are you looking for?" " Pedro." " Well, here I am." "Oh, I get it." "You said I wasn't here." "Never do this again!" "Next time you're fired." "Go do the dishes." "I'm all ears, Miss..." "I'm a literature student and I'm preparing a thesis about Latin American literature from the 60's and 60's." "Right." "So?" "And I'm a friend of Fidel's, your son..." "My son?" " Fidel isn't your son?" " Yes, he's my son, but I'm surprised he knows such a pretty... female... literature student." "Thank you." "Fidel doesn't know I'm here." "Actually I came because I heard you're very cultured and..." "Well, he does say some incredible things about you." "Incredible things?" "Yes." "He's always going on about how much you know about Latin American literature," " being Argentinean..." " My mother is Argentinean." "I was born in Spain." "Sorry, I'm trying my best, but..." " I still don't understand." " I need information about the boom in Latin America." "Boom?" "Boom." "How about the day aftertomorrow at three?" " Here, in my home." " Sure." "Thank you very much." "The day aftertomorrow." "The day aftertomorrow." " She's here already?" " Yes." " What did you say?" " That you got held up at work." " Is she hot?" " I wouldn't say hot..." "She must be, you're being a jealous Spaniard." "Just leave it to me..." "I'll take a sweetener if you have it." "Ah, you must be Santiago." "Ester, the social worker." "And this is our bedroom." "Our little love nest." "Why adoption?" " Well, because..." " No." "I'd rather hear the future daddy's answer." "Me?" "Well..." "Adoption..." "Adoption is good." "It's... an act of extreme bravery." "It's taking care of someone who can't take care of himself." "It's very heroic." "No." "You don't seem to get the concept." "No?" "You want to adopt because you can't have children." "If you could, would you adopt?" "I don't know." "But... we can't have kids, and... we certainly don't feel like heroes." "No, no." "The baby..." " Is there a room prepared?" " Yes, this way." "If I may..." "Eat your little food, darling." "There..." "No, no..." "That's it..." "Well, Batman," "Mommy's going out." "My darling little baby." "It's like suddenly having a baby." "A baby?" "How cute!" "It's a rat with wings, Gloria." "Feeding him by hand..." "Yes." "Singing to him, tucking him in..." "He's a bat!" "Frankly, I think it's a bit sick." "Let's change the subject." "Choose any subject you like." "Love." "Love." "If you're gonna say you've finally fallen in love with me after all this time, all I can say is..." "I was swept off my feet by the zoo veterinarian." "Batman was a great help." "Put yourself in his shoes:" "A woman like me walks in your office..." "Attractive, a real bombshell... with a bat in agony, begging for help..." "What would you think?" "Well... that I'd better call an insane asylum." " You're jealous." " I met a woman as well." "You're jealous." "Think I'm making it up?" "Yes." "Okay, let's hear it." "23 years old." "Beautiful with a capital B." "Intelligent, sweet, and with an Electra complex you wouldn't believe." "You're lying." "You're jealous." "She's a friend of Fidel's." "Her name is Elena, like Menelao's wife." "I'm serious." "I like her." "I like her a lot." "Get a hold of yourself, Pedro." "She's a kid, she deserves better." "Deserves better..." "As far as I remember, I always liked young girls." "Very young." "That's why I always said you never had a chance with me." "What's wrong?" "Did I say something wrong?" "Gloria, for God's sake." "What are you doing?" "Gloria, don't go." "It's your turn to pay!" "Tonight you're paying!" "For being a jerk!" "Already had sex with him?" "Yes." "Liar." "Why do you say that?" "Because I know you." "You love bragging about how well you know me." "The worst part is you know me like nobody else in the world." "It's me." "Sorry, I didn't realize." ""I didn't realize, I didn't realize. "" "You've been trying foryears, but you'll never seduce me." "Paco." "How long have we been going out for a ride every Thursday?" " How is that relevant?" " About 7 years." "And in all those years has there ever been a Thursday this woman hasn't tried to seduce me?" "Don't make me answerthat." "Paco, Paco!" "You burned your balls!" "So I braked but it was too late." "I thought, it's me or the bike..." "I laid down the bike..." "the two of us went rolling... we hit the car..." "I get up and the lady says," ""Kid, you got lucky. "" ""Don't worry, lady." "I'm fine. " The motorcycle..." "Are you ever going to change?" "Spare me the lecture, Spaniard." "That's bull." "You wanna end up like them?" "Well, they do say kids learn by imitation." "That's what they taught me." " So you want to kill yourself?" " I don't want to kill myself." "You don't?" "What about the stunt flying?" "How many motorcycle accidents last year?" "How many?" " Two." " Three." "That's not defying death?" "Yes, that's defying death." "It's looking it straight in the eyes and saying," ""Come and get me, you son of a bitch." "I'm not afraid. "" "Death ruined my life, so watch what you say." "Getting upset like this is of no use to anyone." "Know how it ends?" "Some day you won't be so lucky." "And?" "And it would be a shame." "What's wrong?" "Afraid of losing your husband forthe adoption proceedings?" "Wait, wait..." "Amparo..." "Dorina!" "Shampoo!" " What is it?" " Female visitor." "Dorina!" "Coming!" "Dorina!" "Iron this shirt." "Who's coming?" "Dorina, did you buy the pastries?" "Yes." " Rememberto get the almond ones?" " Yes." "Thank you." "I asked you a question." "You asked me a question?" "I've asked you 2,676 questions and you've never answered me!" "How do you like that!" "It's a pretty close game!" " To your bunker." " No, I'm leaving too." "Fine, then go." "First I want to meet your visitor." "Say hello." "I have good manners." "Get the door before she leaves." "Inflexibility is a trait typical of your mother's family." " You never met my mother's family." " Don't contradict me." "Hi." "Hi, gorgeous." " How are you?" " Fine." "Come in." "Hi, Fidel." "How are you?" " What are you doing here?" " And you?" "No, what are you doing here?" "Well, yourfather has offered to help me with my work on Latin American literature." "Remember ourtalk?" "I hear you speak highly of me." "May I?" "Leave." "Now while you still can." "Fidel..." "No." "I'm serious." "Fidel, what is Elena going to think?" "First you boast about me and now you tell herto run away?" "I warned you." "Would you like a relaxing cup of tea or coffee before we get to work?" "Yes." "Yes, what?" "Tea, coffee?" "Tea." "Why doesn't anybody remember, for example, Sanchez Sotelo?" "Why?" "Because nobody ever heard of him?" "I don't know." "I'd never heard of him until now." "Good!" "There you have it." "His name is never mentioned, they buried him, he represented the true Latin American spirit" "and they buried him." "What did he write?" "Does it even matter?" "It didn't then, does it now?" "But what books did he publish?" "Didn't I say all the publishers slammed their doors in his face?" "Let's talk about those authors." "The ones who never got published, the ignored!" "I think that could be very interesting..." "I could say the same about you, sugar." "...but I have to write a paper specifically about the boom." "What better chance to denounce an unjust oversight?" "What do we do about Sanchez Sotelo?" "Right." "What do we do?" "Revindicate him with this denunciation, gorgeous." "I don't want to exaggerate, but I think I'm falling in love again." "Foreveryourfriend with love, Pedro the Cruel" "SORRY" "I LOVE YOU SPANIARD" "A LOT" "You're a schmuck." "Don't call me that, you can't pronounce it." "Call me an asshole." "Forgive me, forgive me, please." "What's wrong, Gloria?" "You haven't answered any of my messages." "I was very busy." "What are you doing?" "I'm in a meeting." "I don't hear voices." "You aren't lying, are you?" "They're all sitting here waiting for me to get off." "How's Batman?" "Much better, thank you." " Ready?" " Yeah, all set." "I have to get off." "Okay." "I'll call you later." "Yeah." "Bye." " What are you doing?" " I got a call from Sauce Caído." " I thought something had happened..." " They said there's a woman putting her daughter up for adoption." " Isn't that great?" " Who called?" "Teresa." "A woman who lives in the same village as the mother." "She's my cleaning lady's cousin." " When?" " Tonight." "But I'm going alone." " I don't have to go?" " No, not yet." "Why did you come here?" "Because I wanted to tell you." "It's very important to me." "Why do you ask?" "Well..." " You have no feelings." " No..." "Forgive me, I know this is important." "Forgive me." "I'm so happy and so scared at the same time." "It'll all be fine." "Remember I'm always here for you." "Judging by the way she's looking at us," "I think you have some explaining to do." "Amparo, my sister... the dead one." "You're despicable!" "Great!" "She saw the picture so I said you were my sister and I was the best man at your wedding." "Right." "What about me being dead?" "Because sooner or later she'd want to meet you and I'd have to explain again." "I'm sick of all the ball busting." "You know what?" "She's right." " You're despicable." " Thank you." "Here." "Thanks." "You're welcome." "Who's that?" "A great friend who was something more." "Good day." "Sorry to botheryou, but it is absolutely imperative" " that I excavate your garden." " What are you talking about?" "I used to live here." "Years ago I lived here and buried all my books ten steps away from the pine tree." "At the time I was convinced that culture was dead." "Now I've come to recover them." " May I come in?" " Absolutely not." " Hey, man." " Leave immediately." "What the fuck?" " And she called?" " That same day." "And she let you excavate?" "As much as I pleased." " Did you move the pine tree?" " Don't be silly." "What the fuck is this?" "Well, now I have an excuse to end my marriage." "That very day our brief romance began." "You mean she broke up with him?" "The next day." "He practically kicked her out of the house." " He never got overthe garden damage." " Sounds like a true reactionary." "A true reactionary and Director of the Madrid" " Botanical Gardens." " No." "Yes." "I thought I'd never see you again." " Would you have suffered?" " Well..." "Well, what?" "Not even a little?" "Let's just say this week I've been thinking about you more than I should." "How's Batman?" "Fine." "He's better." "Is he flying again?" "Yes, he's flying..." "He died." "Saturday at noon." "I'm sorry." "No, so am I." "I grew fond of the little rat with wings, as Pedro called him." "Pedro?" "Another animal I know." "I'm going, okay?" "I'll call you guys later." "Well?" "An A plus!" "The judges couldn't believe it." "When I started talking about Sanchez Sotelo they looked at each other like, "What is she doing?"" "But later on..." "Thank you so much." "You're welcome." "It was a huge pleasure." "Oh, well." "It looks like this has come to an end." "At least it's a happy ending." "Yes..." "Fancy a drink?" "I'd love to, but my mother came to pick me up." "Well, see you around." "And congratulations." "Likewise, professor." "Thanks again." "Thanks." "Ma'am?" "Ma'am." "You wanted to get off in Sauce Caído?" "This is it." " Amparo!" " Hi." "Teresa." "Hello, Teresa." " Welcome." " Thank you." "Here." "Let's go inside." "Please, no..." "Come on in." "Grab that." "Inside." "Elena." " Hi, what's up?" " Hi." "What are you doing here?" "I had this book of yours at home so I came to return it." "Thanks." "Keep it if you want." "No, it's yours." "Why didn't you go upstairs?" "You went upstairs?" " That son of a bitch." " Pedro." "Wait a minute, Pedro." "Fidel, open the door!" "Fidel, open the fucking door!" "Tell me why you didn't let Elena in." "You want an explanation?" "I'll give you one." "I was protecting her physical and mental integrity!" "From what?" "From you." "I don't want her life to go to shit like all the otherwomen you've been with!" "Loweryour voice!" "No!" "You wanted an explanation?" "There you have it." "Your sick, twisted mind sends every woman you sleep with to the loony bin!" "I said lower your voice!" "Leave Elena alone!" "She brought you a book back to see you again." "You sweet-talked her like all the rest." "You're a real snake charmer." "I don't know what women see in you, but if you have any dignity left, don't see her again." " Shut your mouth!" " I don't want to!" " Elena's here." " Good!" "Let her hear me." "Elena, you heard me, right?" "Leave and don't come back!" "You're still in time!" "Elena, wait." "Don't go." "Never mind what Fidel said." "It's not exactly like he tells it." "Exactly?" "So part of it is." "I have an over whelming desire to bite the tip of your nose." "May I?" "Yes." "I don't want to end up in a loony bin." "No loony bins." "Lying bastard!" "He's jealous." "You know what, Pedro?" "I..." "I don't think it's going to work between us." "If you resist, I'll have no choice but to kidnap you." "Why do I like you so much?" "Why?" "I tried to keep her away, but you know..." "I have an amazing capacity for seduction." "I know what you did." "You revealed her weaknesses to her, destroyed her self-esteem, you "insecuritized" her." "I love that neologism:" ""Insecuritize. "" "You insecuritized her and now the only place in the world where that poor girl feels safe is at your side." "Gloria, our love is pure and genuine." "The thing is, it bothers you to see me happy." " Don't say absurdities." " Another neologism." "You don't want me to be happy, that's all." "Why wouldn't I want you to be happy?" "Then what?" "I have cancer." "What?" "When I went for an ultrasound the other day the guys who do them..." "Radiologists." "They looked at the screen and one said," ""This is Iraq. "" "Iraq?" "The city." "Iraq is a nation." "The capital." " It's not a capital either." " Iraq!" "Iraq." "What does Iraq mean?" "Maybe you misheard him and it's a type of machine or a new technique or something." ""This is Iraq" can mean a lot of things." "Why does it have to mean something bad?" "Tell me one good thing you associate with Iraq." "Something good about Iraq..." "Paradise was located between the Tigris and the Euphrates." "Urwas in Iraq, the first city." "Things are bad, Pedro." "It's over here." "Don't be nervous." "This is it." "Albertina!" "Albertina!" "Come on." "It's okay." "Hello." "Hi, Albertina." "This is Amparo, the Spanish lady from Buenos Aires." "Nice to meet you." "Well, Albertina." "What do you want to say?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Say something." "Okay." "Everything will be okay." "She knows about the ultrasound?" "No." "We don't go to doctors very often out here." "I didn't want to make her nervous." "Albertina, she's paying for you to have the baby at the clinic in Rinconcito." "Tomorrow we're going to have an ultrasound." "It'll be quick." "We'll go by car." "Does it hurt?" "No, it doesn't hurt." "It's..." "It's like a photograph, to see the baby." "He's grown!" "Albertina..." "Could I?" "Yes." "Put out your cigarette, Paco." "I stole them for you." "You're incredible." "And you're a knockout." "Shall we go to dinner?" "Don't look up, my parents are in the window." "No, no..." "Being a parent is a thankless job." "The file has been delivered to the courts." "When the baby is born, it will be registered with the biological mother's last name and you choose the first name." "All right." "After seventy days you'll have to come back so the biological mother can ratify her consent to give up her child." "Thanks, Teresa." "What if she changes her mind?" "That can happen." "Let's hope it doesn't." "Everything will be fine." "Pedro, call me when you get back, no matter how late." "It might not be that serious." "He referred me to an oncologist." "What do you want me to do?" "Nothing." "Don't leave me." "Forgive me, Pedro." "Fuck!" "It's a boy." "Look, you can see his testicles." "Good." "Last night Elena and I made an important decision." "If you want to distract me, talk about anything other than that poor victim." "I'm not trying to distract you, all I'm saying is last night Elena and I started... going out." "You're irresponsible." "Not to mention vulgar." "How's the bat expert?" "Does he know about your disease?" "No." " Are you going to tell him?" " No." "And you call me irresponsible." "What would I tell him?" "What?" ""I can't go out Friday night because I have to go to chemotherapy. "" "Gloria Estevez." "That's us." "No, not us." "Me." " Gloria Estevez?" " Yes." " How are you?" " Great, fantastic." "We've never been better." "Okay, sorry." "Thanks for asking." "I need some information, okay?" "Yes, of course." " Full name." " Gloria Estevez." "Tell herthat awful middle name of yours." "Age." "The young lady asked your age." "Don't be a jerk." " Knock it off, Pedro." " Okay, I'll cover my ears." "Turn around, you read lips." " Okay?" " Yes." "What's all the fuss about age?" "What if you die suddenly?" "Pedro." "God forbid, I'm just saying..." "What would we write on yourtombstone?" ""Gloria Estevez lived approximately between 1960 and the year 2000?"" "At least spare me the date of death." "Schmuck!" "Beautiful..." "Sorry." "It's okay." "Address." "Sir." "I don't hear anything." "Thank you." "Hi." "Santiago, she changed her mind." "What do you mean?" "She doesn't want to put her baby up for adoption." "Come straight back." "It's hard." "I don't know if I could go through the same thing again." "I'm sorry." "Don't apologize." "I'm your husband." " Hi." " Hi." "Why don't you say hi?" "I really don't understand you." "He's your son." "Pedro, I'm talking to you." "Excuse me a minute." " Pedro, are you okay?" " Yes." "I'm fine." "Don't come in here." "This is humiliating." "Please." " Get out." " No." "Go away!" "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to yell." "I'm going to lose her." "She's the only person who loves me like I am... and I still don't understand why." "I'm selfish, despicable." "Gloria's dying and I only think of myself." "It's okay, you're human." "You don't have to feel bad." "We'll never smoke again." "Our Havana cigar ritual." "That's the part I can't take." "Never again." "I get dizzy thinking about it." "It makes me feel unbearably anxious!" "Gloria is the only family I have." "Do you understand?" "She's the only family I have." "Pedro." "No." "You're intelligent." "Find someone better." "I don't know how to love." "I never learned how." "Leave," " Elena." "Go away." " I'm not leaving you alone." "I'm no good at being with someone." "Look at the kid I raised." "He's a cold human being, insensitive..." "Fidel isn't like that." "I can assure you." "Fidel's a wonderful person." "Leave, please." "I love you." "I love you." " I know." " I love you." "Please." "Hello?" "What?" "She's very ill, I have to go." " She asked you to go?" " No, Pedro called me." "Come with me." "Your uncle asked you to convince me to go?" "No, he'd never do that." "And I'd never go." "Pedro and I only have one thing in common." "We disagree about everything." "Come with me, you'll have fun." "I'm too old for such a long trip." "You're visiting your son." "You're getting old, you said so yourself." "Some things need closure." "What are you suggesting?" "That I have little time left?" "No, I'm suggesting that you're an elderly woman, that's all." "Look at Gloria." "She's young and nevertheless..." "What about you?" "Are you going to close the book on Gloria?" "No." "I'm going to look her in the eye and say" ""Thanks for being the mother I lost. "" "Thanks for the part I got." "Don't forget, you lived here until only five years ago." "You're selfish." "Will fourthousand euros cover it?" "They will." "Brought to you by... the selfish lady." "I feel really sick." "I can't be here anymore." "Take me to the hospital." "You came." "Get in line." "I'm with this lady, she's my grandmother." "Hold on." " I've never seen this man in my life." " Grandma." "Don't call me Grandma." "Security!" " Proud." " Rude." "Gorgeous." "Security!" "Somebody find me a policeman." "I don't care from where." " The man is bothering me." " You wanna get me arrested?" "Ma'am, is there a problem?" "But..." "No." "Are you sure?" "Chickenshit." "You can't call me chickenshit!" "I'm your grandmother." " You see?" "She's my grandmother." " You can't call me chickenshit!" "Dad." "Dad." "Pedro!" "What are you doing here?" "You called me, remember?" "We're here to see Gloria." "Oh, yeah." "Shit." "On that same bed, as he was dying, yourfather said to me," ""When little Pedro was born, something went very wrong. "" "What a smart man my dad was." "I'm going to see Gloria." "I'm going on campus." "Don't leave me alone with her!" "Gloria." " You have a visitor." " Man orwoman?" "Man... and very handsome." "Handsome and nuts." "Watch out." "Hi, Gloria!" "Excuse me, is this Gloria's room?" "Yes, she was here a minute ago." " Where could she have gone?" " What?" "I traveled over 6,000 miles to see her and she's gone?" "I'm very sorry." "You'll have to come back..." "Can you please tell her" " Santito came to see her?" " Santito?" "Okay." "Who's the bastard who told you?" "What's up?" "You're beautiful." "So you got married." "Yeah." "I got married." "Never again will you say all those brutal things to me about being irresponsible and all that." " Now you have the perfect excuse." " I don't understand." "You can date any girl you please with no strings attached." "You're a married man." "Santito, you have to start yourfamily." "Have children." "The same thing won't happen to you." "Your parents didn't abandon you." "You know it was an accident." "It doesn't have to happen again." "You know, when Pedro told me all this," "I started remembering things about the accident I'd never known." "Thank you." "No." "Thank you." "You don't know what you've given me." "Life was too much for me, Santito." "I had the same dreams as any girl raised the old-fashioned way." "None of them came true." "But I had you." "Oh, Ma..." " Your tea, ma'am." " Thank you." "Did you buy it?" "No, you gave it to me the last time you were here." "A century ago." "Already a century?" "How time flies!" "Did you listen to it at least?" "You didn't." "It's hard for me to hear your voice without making certain associations." "I see you very rarely, Mom." "So rarely that listening to your records depresses me." "You have no idea how much." " Cynical." " Egocentric." "You came to see Gloria?" "Why would I otherwise?" "You like arguing." "You like arguing with me." "If I did, I'd come more often." "Santiago's at the hospital with Gloria." "I thought you'd be there with him." "No." "They need their moment." "It's hard for me to acknowledge, but Gloria was more his mother than I was." "Yes, you always had trouble playing that role." "Are you calling me a bad mother?" " You're insane!" " Don't change the subject!" "Was I a bad mother?" "You were as good as you were capable of." "If your brother were alive, he'd never say such a thing to me." "Because you were always at his beck and call." "He was yourfavorite." "Look, I have to go." "Anything to add?" " That's enough damage." " No." "Fine." "See you later." "Make yourself at home." "This is my home." "I knew you'd have something" " to add." " It will be yours when I die." "Just like all the other properties you've been living off" " for over 30 years." " Cheapskate." "Slacker." " Okay, you can print it." " All right." " Hello?" " Amparo?" "Teresa." "Hi, Teresa." "What is it?" "I'm here with Albertina." "She wants to give you the boy." "Look, Teresa." "I'm not willing to go through that again." "No, this time she's serious." "I asked her and I said, "Look, Albertina." "This isn't a game." "She won't come back out here unless you promise. "" " Is she there with you now?" " Yes, she's right here." "Put her on, please." "Okay." " Hello?" " Albertina?" " Yes." " How are you?" " Fine." " Is what Teresa said true?" "Yes." " Are you sure?" " Yes." " Why did you change your mind?" " No reason." "Something had to happen." "Is anyone pressuring you?" " Are you being forced to do this?" " No." "Are you sure, Albertina?" "It's your decision." "Nobody can make you do" " anything you don't want to." " I want to give him up." "I can't raise him." "I have too many already." "Why did you have doubts before?" "Because he's my son." "The second person to ever enter that room." "Dorina and her." "How long has he had a bunker?" "Since he was 18." "He went berserk, called a locksmith and put in that door." "Any explanation?" "None." "What's going on there?" "Nothing." "Thanks for everything, darling." " I'm going to get some sleep." " Okay, Grandma." "I imagine he asked the usual question." "You imagine right." "I imagine what you said isn't true." "You imagine wrong." "Which version?" "He has many:" "The Oedipal, my walls wallpapered with pictures of my mother." "The political:" "A full library of neo-nazi literature." "Or the psychological, of course:" "I went berserk at 18 and called a locksmith." "That's the one!" "The psychological." "Oh, the psychological." "Great." "None of it's true, cousin." "You know what the real truth is?" "My father decided one day to grow pot on the terrace." "To clarify, I never intended to make any profit whatsoever." "He gave away what he didn't smoke to terminal cancer patients." "He had a theory that marijuana consumption should spread." "Well, Fidel..." "You see?" "Yeah, but the day the police came and searched the place, where was the stash?" " In your room, of course." " Exactly." "I cleared it all up right away." "I took responsibility." "They didn't even press charges." "Reactionary!" "You're a reactionary like your mother." "She was the smartest of all." "She left you." "You consider abandoning a son a sign of intelligence?" "I'm sorry, Santiago." "Your dad is right." "Your thinking is off track." "You wouldn't say that if you'd had a father like him." "I would have liked a father." "Even one like him." "Pretty, isn't it?" "It's very nice, Imperio." "Thank you for coming." "You don't need anything else?" " Nothing?" " No, nothing." "How are you?" "I've been asking such stupid questions lately." "I have to thank you..." "Forwhat?" "A lot of things." "You were... sort of what I couldn't be to Santiago." "You were a very good grandmother." "I was actually referring to my maternal role." "You were to Santiago what I could never have been." "And I hated you a little for it." "And..." " do you still hate me?" " Of course not." "When did you stop hating me?" "When you found out I was sick?" "It's in bad taste to use such terms." "All that time with Pedro really damaged you." "Well, don't get all in a huff." "I don't share this modern way of treating things like this, being so cheeky, so..." "Straightforward." "Look..." "let's change the subject." "My son is in bad shape." "Terrible." "He's getting worse." "Pedro isn't going to change." "Love him like he is." "He's your son." "Your mouth is dry." "I'll get you some water." " There's water here." " Some nice, fresh water." "Amparo!" " How are you?" " Well, nervous." "Everything's okay." " Yeah?" " Come on, let's go." "Hi, it's Santiago." "I'm calling from Madrid." "How are you?" "Fine, I'm looking for Amparo." "Is she there in the office?" "Do you know where she went?" "Oh, okay." "See you later." "Bye." "You know I always have to look good." "I'm not going to let a fine young man like yourself see me at my worst." "So if you love me even ten percent as much as you say, you'll go back to the lunatic's house," "grab Imperio, grab your suitcase, take a taxi to the airport and go back to Buenos Aires." "There's a flight tonight at 22:46." "This is shit." "I'm going to miss you." "No." "You never told me anything about married life." " I caught her cheating on me." " You don't say." " She didn't take my call." " Maybe she's in a meeting." "She was in Sauce Caído." "See how right I am?" "You're leaving tonight for Buenos Aires to be with her." " You shouldn't be here." " No." "Yes." "I don't want you around here when it happens." "I have a favor to ask." "Will you remember?" "At some point, after the baby is born, when it's crying, call me." "Why, Ma?" "I want to hear him." "I want to know him." "Are you firing Dorina?" "No, I'm bribing" "Dorina." "600 euros in exchange for you opening" "Fidel's bedroom door." "A thousand." "Nothing buys Dorina." "Dorina true to Fidel." "Disguise." "What?" "When he comes and goes, wears disguise." "I help him." "You help him?" "Why a disguise?" "To botheryou." "To get your attention." "You don't study Business Administration?" "You're not a piece of shit reactionary." "Hi, handsome." " You shouldn't be here." " You know what?" "I'm tired of women telling me, "You shouldn't be here. "" "Gloria." "Sweetheart." "What are you doing here?" "What time is it?" "It's late." "Fidel isn't Fidel." "What?" "I went in his room." "He studies the arts." "He's a normal person." "You don't say." "You already knew." "Leave, Pedro." "Yeah, I will." "But you're coming with me." "What?" "It's Thursday." "I brought some fantastic" "Cuban cigars." "What are you thinking about?" "Everything." "Gloria." "My folks." "About me, about you." "About me?" "How badly you want to be a mother." "What are you afraid of?" "Know what Gloria says?" "That I'm afraid to abandon someone else the way I was abandoned." "Is she right?" "Come in, Teresa." "Albertina's sister came." "She's sick." "What do you mean?" "Well, she's having labor pains." "We'll never make it to Rinconcito." "We have to go to the local hospital." "But..." "Okay, Teresa." "We'll be right there." "I'll be waiting." "But the local hospital..." "Every boy in this town was born there." "Relax, everything will be all right." "Know what your mother said the other day?" ""Gloria, when yourtime comes, it comes. "" "She's a dragon." "No, she's right." "It's not such a big deal." "We're all going to die." "You'll die too some day." "What news!" "No." "Really think about it." "We think we're immortal, but we're not." "I was going to die anyway." "Everything's okay." "Lowerthe window, please." "Hi, Miguel." "Welcome." "Handsome." " He won't stop crying." " Spaniard." "The space." "In her belly he was always touching someone." "Now he stretches his little arms and there's only empty space." "It upsets him." "Can I?" "Hey, Miguel." "Come on, baby." "You'll be fine, you know that?" "You'll be just fine." "Find Doctor Nieto." "He has to check the cancer patient." "Room 230." "I'll take her." "You've done enough already." "You must be crazy to do such a thing." " I don't know what you mean!" " Pedro, please leave." "Absolutely not." "I'm staying with you." "Security!" "Okay, okay." "It's not necessary." "I'll go." "Thanks." "Chilly, huh?" "Lots of births?" "Maestro, look at that ring around the moon." "This must be a sign." "A sign it's going to rain." "How are you?" "Swearyou'll make my son happy." "Of course, I swear." "Swear." "I swear." "Not yet." "Shit, Mom." "You scared the hell out of me." "Hello?" "Yes, speaking." "No, I'm not a relative, but..." "It's as if I were." "I'm a friend." "I'll handle it, thank you." "You've reached Gloria, please leave a message." "Amparo." "Can I ask you something?" "Sure." "Anything you want." "Can I be the daddy?" "I want to be the daddy." "Here you are." "Ready?" "Now!"