This is what you get for not doing things on the up and up.
Don't be a drag. This has nothing to do with that article.
Buddy, it's obvious. If you hadn't kicked the hornets' nest
and put a spotlight on Professor Estela, none of this would've happened.
So now it's all our fault?
Actually, it is. It's partly your fault.
Why don't we leave the fighting for later?
Right now, we should be checking on Mr. Pabón.
Asshole.
Hey, dumbass. This is for adults.
No, this is for everyone.
You're on my shit list.
Driving to the hospital, the arguing continued.
Eva was sure that things weren't what they seemed at first glance,
and she kept defending Professor Estela.
But it's not my fault.
The rest of the group, except for Arbeláez,
teamed up against us
and accused us of lying and being responsible for the tragedy.
Being accused along with Eva
made me feel more committed to her than ever before.
Hey, bro, how's he doing?
-I guess he-- -What the hell are you doing here? Huh?
-I understand what-- -No, you have no idea. Not the slightest.
You're just a spoiled little brat who's proved irresponsible.
-Mom. -Leave me alone, Gustavo.
You're the reason for everything that's happening.
I'm glad you're leaving this school and will be out of these kids' lives.
You're a bad influence.
-Mrs. Pabón, if you'd let me explain-- -Get out of here. Now! Just get out!
-Oh, you disappoint me, Granados. -What?
-Please, Mom. -Not now.
You were Gustavo's friend?
Yes, I am, but this is a crime. She's not responsible for everything.
-Yelling at her won't solve anything. -So you're defending her?
I'm just trying to be fair.
Oh, yeah. Right. Sure you are.
Hey, bro. How's your dad?
-He's tough. -He's gonna make it, all right?
EVA LASTING
THE SCARLET LETTER EPISODE 5
We should go, right?
I'd prefer to wait.
Thanks for staying with me, Camilo.
-Great. You're still here. -So?
Any news on Mr. Pabón?
He's stable. He's wounded, but everything's fine.
-And Gustavo? -Much more calm now. Also more relaxed.
And I think he doesn't really agree with anything his mom said.
But you know Pabón. He's scared shitless.
So do you know what happened?
Well, the man's story is
Professor Estela found him in Lover's Park
and, well, she shot him.
How did the school allow that woman into a classroom to teach kids? Huh?
Don't they know how to do a background check?
The fact that this happened, that she went to this extreme,
can really only mean one thing.
That Miss Estela really had a relationship with Mr. Pabón.
-She's a psychopath. -No.
Just a woman who became desperate.
I always thought she was a lovely person.
-And an excellent teacher. Didn't you? -Yeah.
I knew there was always something off about her.
It was the way she dressed. Very promiscuous.
Now you're judging people based on what they look like?
My dad used to say it's not enough for Caesar's wife to be virtuous.
She must be seen as virtuous. Keep that in mind, kid.
Oh.
That's a load of sexist nonsense.
Sexist nonsense.
-Excuse me. -Why would you say that?
-Caesar's wife? -Are you saying my dad was sexist?
-Hello? -I spoke to Mr. Mallarino.
The man from the newspaper.
He got us a pass to see Miss Estela tomorrow at the jail.
What time?
Early in the morning.
Man, I'm not so sure it's a good idea right now.
We'd have to skip first period, right?
We don't even know if we're suspended or not. I mean…
And I don't buy that Miss Estela went looking for Mr. Pabón at the park
and shot him because she's crazy…
It… It doesn't make sense.
-Will you come with me? -Okay, all right. I'm in.
I might wear a mini skirt to class.
No way. I forbid it.
Too bad you're not Caesar.
-All right, Mr. Guzmán? -Morning.
Okay. Mr. Granados?
No?
Miss Samper?
No? No?
Mr. Pabón?
And these guys?
-Huh? -Where did they go?
-What? -Camilo and Eva.
-Didn't they lift their suspension? -Quit mumbling, Salcedo.
I was thinking precisely the same thing.
But they're the mystery couple of the hour, so…
What are they up to? Ah, who knows?
Oh, well, I know.
Getting into trouble. I can guarantee it, brother.
WOMEN'S JAIL "DIVINE MERCY"
Besides us, there was really nobody else.
No familiar faces, not a blood relative, nor a single friend
had come to visit Professor Estela.
I understood that she was a solitary person,
and her students made up her whole world.
So seeing our muse in those conditions was a new learning experience for me.
Hello.
Now I also understood that love can lead you to tragedy.
No. I'm sure that everything Henry said is… Is not the truth.
And what is the truth?
He asked me to meet him at the park,
in a remote location.
We argued.
And he got a little bit
violent, and so then I…
I took out my gun and shot him.
But why
did you have a gun on you?
The thing is that…
sometimes, Henry would become violent.
He would beat you?
Yes.
Sometimes he would beat me.
So, I…
So I brought…
…a handgun
to protect myself in case he hit me again.
And I'm glad I did.
Because if I hadn't, um,
I probably wouldn't be here to even tell you this story.
She acted in self-defense.
Well… that's her story.
I believe her.
Do you?
I don't know. Everything doesn't add up.
What doesn't?
You don't think it's strange that Professor Estela took a gun with her?
No. I have one at home.
My dad has one.
This city's dangerous and she needed to feel secure.
Also, if the guy beat her, why'd she stay with him?
Fear of loneliness.
Or he manipulated her.
There are thousands of reasons why women take violence
and that doesn't mean they deserve it.
The way in which Eva spoke and took on Professor Estela's cause
sounded strange to me.
Perhaps there was more at play than maintaining feminist solidarity.
For your mid-term evaluation, each of you will do a presentation
on a book by an author of the Spanish Golden Age.
-Hi, Professor. Sorry. -Sorry, we're late, Dr. Alicia.
-You're late. It's almost lunch. -Sorry.
We weren't sure if we were still suspended or not.
-And we were attending to an emergency. -Uh-huh.
With Professor Estela, we were studying authors in the Boom of Latin America.
Now that you're here, I'll say this.
There will be substantial changes to the curriculum for the rest of this year.
Why?
Because the authors of the Boom are critical of the society we live in?
Is that also forbidden?
-Listen, Miss Samper-- -Uh…
Guzmán.
Thank you, Dr. Alicia.
Um, what I want to say is that a critique of society
might seem more interesting if we compare the past with the present.
Wow, the wizard has spoken.
Quiet down. Quiet!
Continue, if you please.
I was referring to the authors of the Spanish Golden Age
who questioned the times they lived in,
which fundamentally aren't really so different from ours, right?
Does that adequately address your concerns, Miss Samper?
Eva. And, yes, it's a good point. But why the Golden Age?
If we're gonna study how classic literature relates to today,
there are way more interesting eras and authors.
And your suggestion?
Yes, ma'am. Nathaniel Hawthorne. An American author from the 18th century
who wrote a most excellent and timeless novel called The Scarlet Letter.
Well…
how about we do the following?
Mr. Guzmán
will read that book, The Scarlet Letter.
And you
will be reading a book from an author written during the Spanish Golden Age.
You'll both present in front of the class
and I'm sure you'll give us new perspectives on these two authors.
Turn to page 86, where we'll begin the Spanish Golden Age.
Eva always seemed to have the right book for the right time.
But, on this occasion,
her recommendation hadn't been a spur of the moment inspiration,
but rather a premeditated choice related to Professor Estela's issue.
Hey. Hey.
What did I tell you, little bitch?
You want to participate in class, you gotta ask me first.
Yeah, bro, you don't think, do you? That's why shit happens to you.
The teacher asked a question. I didn't do anything!
That's such bullshit.
You're such a kiss-ass that you couldn't help raising your hand
even when nobody asked you to, right?
Oh, man, what'll we do with you? What'll we do with you? You never learn.
Time to pay.
What are you doing?
Teaching this dork to respect you.
You don't say. And since when are you my protector, huh?
Let him go.
-Let me go! -Hell, no.
If you really want to impress me, you'll let him go. Right now.
Let me go! Let me go!
Okay then. That's enough.
I liked what you said in class. You are right.
-Thanks, I… -Mm-hm.
But I don't get it. This jerk-off disrespected you.
No. He simply said what he thought was the truth.
Even if he contradicted you?
If it tracks with the argument, it's fine.
And next time you want to beat up Guzmán, don't use me as an excuse.
I disagree with people taking advantage of the weak
and I don't think you really care whether or not I'm being disrespected.
All because I gave a shit.
No, you take advantage of the situation. I say that with love, despite everything.
-Hey, man, shut up! -Back off! Jerk, back off!
Samper!
I need to see you in my office with Granados.
Of course, Professor. We'll be right with you.
They're gonna kick us out.
See that, Salcedo? Did I or did I not call it?
They're so screwed.
Did it occur to you that missing class will only make your situation worse?
Don't tell me you weren't sure if you were suspended or not.
In that case, you wouldn't come to school at all.
We were visiting Professor Estela in prison.
We really had to do it, Doctor.
We spoke with her, and it's pretty evident
that Mr. Pabón was dishonest and lied about everything that happened.
With everything going on, I haven't had the opportunity to tell you
about the condition on which the school will be lifting your suspension.
What do you need us to do?
Precisely to go and talk to Mr. Pabón.
And you will objectively listen
to his side of the story.
Then you will write an essay where you compare both points of view.
From this experience, you will make an objective conclusion.
So instead of your suspension, you will have an opportunity.
Right. Because I'm really not so sure.
Not everything, Miss Samper, is as it first appears.
But I do think it would help you two to open up to other points of view
and other perspectives.
I just did this with you back in class.
So you can see I'm not asking you to do anything I'm not willing to do myself.
I already spoke with Pabón's parents and they've agreed to host you.
Right now, at the hospital.
Like all marriages, we've had our problems.
I've always had respect for my family.
I've sacrificed everything just so they can have what they need.
I've even been to jail
to provide my family food and shelter.
Uh, why exactly were you incarcerated?
For fraud and for theft.
Who'd you defraud?
What is this?
A stupid homework assignment for class or are you playing cops now?
Is this an interrogation?
No, no, no, sir.
The thing is it's likely we will present this homework in front of our class,
and they will probably have a lot of questions about this interview.
I worked as a trader in San Andresito.
With a partner.
We got merchandise from China,
and when the merchandise arrived, I kept it and sold it on my own.
He called the police.
That's the story and I don't wanna talk about it.
So what was your relationship with Professor Estela Malagón?
Nothing.
Why would a family man have an affair with his son's teacher?
So why do you think she shot you?
Because she's a mentally-ill woman.
He's lying.
How are you so sure?
You believe him?
Well, yes, he seemed honest.
In these cases, there's only one truth,
and if you believe that man, you think Professor Estela is lying.
No, no, no. I… I'm just trying to be, uh, objective.
Oh, Camilo, I'm getting fed up with this objectivity bit. It's all bullshit.
The whole thing seems to be clear-cut, but, okay, let's look at this objectively.
They had us talk to a manipulative jerk to write an essay that's good for nothing.
You think that matters?
No, look, if you could only imagine for a minute that perhaps you got this wrong?
Okay.
Yes, okay. I see that you've taken sides.
Like every man who wants to wash his hands of the matter.
I don't. That's not… Want to know what's really the problem?
That you, like all women, are ridiculously stubborn.
-Seriously? -Yes.
No, that's not right. Okay? I'm confident. Not stubborn.
I speak what I feel. But for a man, that's probably beyond your comprehension.
-You know what has always bothered me? -What?
You seem to think you're better than us and look at us like we're Neanderthals.
I don't know. At the end of the day, Dr. Alicia's right.
You're just an egocentric and spoiled girl, whatever that really means.
If that's your opinion, we have nothing more to talk about.
-I guess not. -I'm gonna tell you another thing.
Gustavo and his mother were way too scared to contradict anything Henry was saying.
Couldn't you tell? Why do you think they were acting like that? Hm?
And at San Andresito, all of the merchandise sold is illegal contraband.
That way, if anything they sell happens to get lost,
there's no way to find out who sold the merchandise.
And I know I seem stubborn and pushy,
but I will give you the greatest advice of your life.
If you want to be a good journalist,
you will need to learn to ask the right questions and to really listen.
To listen and observe the reactions from everyone around you.
Normalized cultural prejudices had crept in.
That all men try to wash our hands of troublesome women.
That all women are stubborn.
Stupid things that, to this day,
haven't been overcome.
All of which led to the first fight with the first woman.
No appetite today?
Hm, no. No, sir.
It's just I'm not hungry.
Hm.
You weren't hungry last night either.
You'll have to purge, Camilo. It's a virus.
Hm.
Yes, a virus.
For which there is no cure. At least not by purging.
Can I please go to my room? I really need to study.
By all means. Go study and prepare yourself.
You're gonna be someone.
I don't like him going to bed without dinner.
Oh, Mrs. Ana.
He's completely in love with her.
To call or not to call. That is the question.
The eternal dilemma for estranged lovers in the age of landlines.
In the age of Instagram, we're spoiled by constant access.
Always just a DM away.
I knew it. I knew they were having a fight.
Poor little guy.
Well, if it's any consolation, Mrs. Ana,
no one's ever died of love sickness before.
I understood that love depended on a complex balance of forces
that could sometimes inflict a good dose of pain.
Nevertheless, the immediate problem was that I was in a race against time,
since I feared the assignment for Dr. Alicia and our fight
would accelerate Eva's departure from José María.
I think around this time, I became envious of Guzmán.
It must have been easy to have just one objective in life.
Get good grades and be the best in class.
But right now, my priorities were different.
If I wanted to salvage things with Eva without upsetting the balance of forces,
I had to exhaust all my possibilities.
And the first thing was to test her hypothesis
and, from there, think about the next move.
Bro, I promise, I didn't want to screw you. It all just got out of control.
Well, since you went sneaking around,
you must have known that you'd create trouble.
No, you're right on that one. But…
It's just it was either that or not publishing the interview,
and based on the fall-out, I admit we were wrong.
And Eva?
What did she say?
Oh, well, I don't know. We're fighting.
Over this?
This and other things.
How's your dad doing?
-Better. -Yeah?
Yeah, much better. He'll be out in, like, two or three days, tops.
His story was crazy, huh?
What do you want, Granados?
What?
Did you or did you not bring me here to apologize?
-Sure, yes. -What do you want?
I wanted to say…
Your dad couldn't have gone to jail
for defrauding his partner in San Andresito.
People dealing in contraband don't come forward to the police.
What is this shit, man? It's done.
-Why keep screwing with us? -I'm not.
-My dad almost got murdered. My dad. -I'm sorry, bro. I swear.
But Miss Estela is in jail and your dad is telling lies.
Man, he's gotta tell the truth.
Bro, Miss Estela has been good to us
since forever, and
if the case continues, she'll be in jail for a long time.
-We're talking about my dad, brother. -Yeah.
You're right, Granados.
My dad is not the man he said he was at the hospital.
That he's a family man and takes care of us… No.
All to the contrary.
He's
violent, and…
And he's always yelling, always threatening.
He gets drunk and beats us.
Now my mom's telling me he's cheated on her many times over the years.
That's what it's like living in my house.
So did you see Professor Estela, or did he…
He still says he was never with her.
But I…
I don't believe him.
And…
he didn't go to jail for theft and fraud.
He was convicted for assault and battery.
He nearly killed a coworker on the job.
Destiny, luck, or the spirit of Schopenhauer
was giving me the perfect opportunity to restore communication with Eva.
Now I had to decide.
Would a phone call do the trick?
Or would I have to be more direct?
This is definitely going from bad to worse.
-I'll talk to him. -No. He has to figure this out on his own.
But he'll lose his mind, dialing that telephone.
You said nobody dies of love, right?
What if this kid's the first one?
I didn't get a chance to speak with Eva before first period,
and as usual, Guzmán had his presentation ready in record time.
The advantage of having only one objective in life.
Despite this novel being written in 1850,
the story takes place in 1642, in Massachusetts, the United States.
The protagonist, Hester Prynne.
Who becomes pregnant from a relationship with a man who is not her husband.
At that time, this was considered not merely a sin, but a crime.
What's interesting is that Hester decides to protect the father of her child,
and despite pressure from the authorities, she refuses to reveal his identity.
Finally, the authorities decide to punish her
with social shaming and public humiliation,
forcing her to display a scarlet letter A embroidered on her clothing.
as a sign of her sin.
Nathaniel Hawthorne teaches us three things essentially.
Legality, morality, and ethics.
And he reminds us that morality is a relative concept.
A subjective invention of society.
And it is a terrible mistake to transform it into an absolute truth.
Nice presentation, Guzmáncito.
I fell asleep though, so now I'm gonna have to hear back everything you said.
Hey, bro. Don't even think about it. In fact, prepare yourself.
Because Salcedo's way more strict than Dr. Alicia.
Let's see if you get a gold star.
-Please. Please, no. -Or a black eye.
Eva.
Uh, we gotta talk.
We do. I was gonna call you last night, but I thought you were still mad.
Really? I was gonna call you too.
Well, I… I spoke with Gustavo and got new information.
-Seriously? -Yes. You wanna hear?
If you knew, then why didn't you call me?
I thought something this important should be discussed in person.
How'd you get Gustavo to say anything?
I used your notes from the interview about San Andresito and the contraband.
So you see? I can actually listen.
Oh my God, I almost went blind typing up this essay for Dr. Alicia last night.
You wrote this alone?
It doesn't matter now.
I want to take this opportunity to tell you something else--
At this point, we have to start from scratch,
and I think I've figured out who can help us unmask Henry Pabón.
-Yeah? Let's start from scratch. -Okay.
"Let's start from scratch."
Just the words that I needed to hear.
And the best part?
I didn't mess with the balance of forces at all.
For a third time, Mr. Mallarino at the newspaper
did Eva and I a favor, but this only raised more questions.
Please be quick about it. Thank you.
Our editor-in-chief is on his way here,
but first I'm going to need you to explain something to me.
What exactly's going on?
Trying to resolve a problem that began with an article in our periodical,
and landed an innocent person in jail.
-You mean Professor Estela? -Yes. Yes, sir.
They told me to come up and see you right away.
We didn't have much time and we would have to get the information
ourselves in person.
We got some sources from the editor of the paper's judiciary stories,
and he even made some calls to double check them, which helped us a lot.
Eva went to the courthouse
to dive into the dense, dusty labyrinth that is our legal system.
It's over there.
I went to San Andresito, where Pabón's dad had worked.
This time, I was set not only on asking the right questions,
but also listening to the answers and staying alert to the reactions.
Eva dug through two months of entries in the prison's visitors log
where Pabón's dad had been detained.
PABÓN
I canvassed Novios Park
to try and reconstruct the events with the few witnesses I found
who had seen the teacher shoot her secret lover.
We'll definitely be able to prove Professor Estela is innocent with this.
Or at least put the fear of God in Henry Pabón.
Don't you think it'd be better…
We should turn this over to the police--
No. The authorities have a way of making things much more complicated.
What we really need to do is to go directly to Henry Pabón.
Mm. I think that you think that our duty is to help Professor Estela, but…
But I feel that, for you, there is much more at stake. Hm?
Don't you think that… That I have earned your confidence?
I'm your friend. In fact, I'd say I'm even more.
-Your accomplice now. -You're right, Camilo.
I mean, this is a hang-up that I deal with daily in my life.
With my mom.
She didn't die like I told you.
She took her own life.
She was a woman who married my dad way too young,
to run away from her childhood home
and leave her parents behind, with whom she never really got along.
The marriage didn't last.
And she pursued another man.
She left me alone with my papa.
And even though I was small, it affected me a lot.
I felt alone.
And my dad did everything he could, but he didn't spend much time with me.
That's when I discovered books.
And in them, other worlds that made my childhood less painful.
Mm-hm. So then what happened to your mama?
The man that she ended up leaving my papa for
turned out to be an abuser.
Made her life miserable.
So she looked for consolation in another, and another, and another relationship,
but I don't judge her.
I mean, similarly to how I was able to find a remedy for my loneliness in books,
she must have found hers in all the men she dated.
But, time after time, she didn't find what she was looking for.
So she ended up being ostracized everywhere she went
and labeled a whore.
And in her lowest moment,
well, she chose my dad again,
but he was so resentful that he didn't welcome her back
and he didn't let me talk to her either.
Desperate,
alone,
depressed,
my mom ended up shooting herself.
And I think I felt guilty and blamed myself for what happened to her.
And I don't want that to happen to Professor Estela.
I don't want her to feel alone and misunderstood
and then go do something terrible.
I'm sorry. I've never told this to anyone.
Well…
I'm glad you told me, and thank you.
For your confidence.
No.
Thank you for listening.
Okay, let's do this.
-Over here, you think? -Yes, they came over here.
This is it.
What are you guys doing here?
No, don't scream, Mr. Pabón. It doesn't suit you.
Doesn't suit me? What are you doing here?
We want you to drop your complaint against Professor Estela Malagón.
Yeah.
-You're out of your mind. Get them out! -You're crazy if you don't.
Don't you realize you risk everyone finding out
that the real reason you were in prison wasn't for fraud,
or supposedly for helping your family with food and a roof,
but for the assault and battery of a coworker.
How'd you figure that out?
The 23rd Criminal Court keeps detailed public records that anyone can dig up.
And the colleague you beat half to death confirmed it all.
Know what else we found?
That in the jail's visitors log,
there are three entries for a Professor Malagón. Ring a bell?
-How will you explain those visits? -I have nothing to say to you.
Supposedly you two kept it strictly professional.
I have nothing to say to you.
What's more, there are witnesses, from that day
that say they saw you on your date with Professor Estela in the park.
-There's something I want to say. -Mm-hm?
Egocentric is a person who values their own opinions and interests
above all others.
-Yes. -And I must recognize that…
Well, sometimes I behaved in that way.
-Do you think we really got to talk-- -Yes, we have to talk about this now.
Because I was being really mean to you at the hospital.
I shouldn't have said those things and we haven't had a chance to talk.
Good. We're even. Because I said some things I shouldn't have said either.
But they were true.
Because, besides being egocentric,
I must also recognize that I am spoiled, self-centered and a bit stubborn.
If it's any consolation, thanks to you being spoiled, self-centered and stubborn,
we were able to arrive at the objective truth.
Don't sell yourself short, Camilo. This was teamwork for sure.
-So let's drink to that. -Okay. Cheers.
So you think we can start, or…
Tell me something. And I want you to be honest.
Yes.
Does the way I am bother you?
No. No, on the contrary. I like it a lot.
For real. Yeah, your personality's great.
-Yeah? -I like the way you are very much.
I do. I think you're lovely, Eva.
Camilo, you have no idea what that means to me.
-Can I tell you something? -Yeah.
I'm not leaving José María.
-Really? -Yes, really.
Well, it's that I was doing some thinking
and I think I might have finally found my place in the school.
-Mm-hm. -Above all, I found you.
Who has been the most special person I've met.
And if we don't want to get expelled, we should write that essay.
Mm-hm. Mm.
Well, then…
I still had a lot to learn about timing.
But the fact that Eva wasn't leaving the school
was the best news of my whole life.
Very good essay. Congratulations.
You did excellent investigative work.
In fact, I spoke with Mr. Pabón this morning
and he told me that he would take back the complaint against Professor Estela.
I must admit, if you hadn't forced us to talk with Mr. Pabón,
we would have never gotten to the truth.
You were right about objectivity in journalism.
Since we're discussing it,
don't you think it's a good idea to start the second issue of the newspaper?
I would suggest, Miss Samper,
that it's better that you focus on something else entirely.
I was reviewing your grades,
and apart from Spanish, you're completely failing all other classes.
Allow me to propose that you dedicate yourself to saving this year,
instead of publishing periodicals.
WOMEN'S JAIL "DIVINE MERCY"
Thanks.
That same afternoon, Professor Estela got out of jail.
Why? What did they say?
She's not there. They said she's gone.
And we never heard from her again.
She disappeared forever.
And I don't know if she ever knew that we were responsible for her freedom.
Well, we could check out her house, right?
If she didn't tell anyone she was leaving, it's because it's her business.
-Yes. -Let's just respect that.
Yes. Well, regarding what Dr. Alicia said, what did she, uh--
What is it?
Sir, keep going! Don't stop!
-Wait for my signal. -What the hell is going on?
-No, no, no, no! Okay, okay, relax. -Calm down. Calm down.
-I'm coming with you. -You stay in the car.
Take it easy. Take it easy.
IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW THINK ABOUT SELF-HARM,
THERE IS HELP AVAILABLE AT WWW.WANNATALKABOUTIT.COM down.