Dowry

            On Tuesday morning I sang through my translation of  “Zig-Zig avec toi” by Serge Gainsbourg and posted it on Christian’s Translations.

            I worked on typing and researching my Indigenous Studies lecture notes for most of the day.

            For lunch I had the rest of my pork souvlaki cold and some Greek yogourt.

            The construction crew downstairs didn’t bring the radio this time but they made plenty of noise anyway. When I took a siesta in the early afternoon they didn’t keep me awake.

            I had too much work to do and so I didn’t take the time to do my usual afternoon exercises. I probably won’t do them again until after my essays are handed in.

            For dinner I had a potato, a chicken leg and gravy while watching the third made-for-TV Zorro movie of 1961. This one had the return of Annette Funicello to the show but not as the same character as before. She played Constancia, the daughter of a close friend of Don Alejandro and they are so close that she calls him Uncle Alejandro. She even calls Sgt Garcia Uncle Demetrio. She has come from Spain it seems for a visit but she has secret plans to elope with her lover Miguel and to run away to Mexico. But when Bernardo is asked to retrieve Constancia's shawl from her room he sees a chest with the key in the lock. His curiosity gets the better of him and so he opens it to discover that Contanscia has brought her dowry with her to California. He shows it to Diego and Alejandro. The only reason a lady would travel with her dowry would be if she has plans to marry. They can't directly intervene because that would entail them admitting that they went through her things. They know that Miguel is Constancia’s intended and so Zorro has to postpone the elopement for as long as possible.

On the first night Constancia puts a lantern in her window so Miguel will know which is her room. But Zorro moves the lantern to the window of the room above hers. When Miguel and his friend Ansar arrive Zorro sabotages all of their efforts and they have to escape on a wagon without wheels. The next day Miguel comes to her window and asks her to run away with him immediately. She agrees but he wants her to bring her dowry. She says they can get it later but Miguel lies that when Zorro attacked him the night before he robbed him and so they need the dowry. Diego walks in and when he hears that Miguel was robbed by Zorro he insists that Miguel report the crime to Garcia. They go into Los Angeles where Diego tells Garcia about the robbery and Constancia and Miguel go with him to report it. Meanwhile Diego sees Ansar driving the wagon that Miguel had brought to his house the night before. He goes to investigate where it is parked and gets hit over the head. Then Ansar goes to Garcia and tells him Diego wants to speak with him at the stable. When they get there he finds Diego tied up and Ansar knocks Garcia out. Later Diego is able to cut through his ropes. Zorro rides to the sea where Constancia and Miguel are boarding the ship to Mexico. Her luggage is brought to her quarters and Miguel says he’s just going to row ashore and get the priest to bring him back to marry them. But as she is unpacking she sees that her dowry is missing. Out on deck she sees Miguel preparing to leave with it. She thanks him for not marrying her and he says he couldn’t, since he’s already married. She punches him in the face and says, “That was for your wife!”  Miguel suggests Constancia be thrown overboard but Zorro arrives. He fights with the two-man crew and with Ansar and Miguel. Miguel tries to get behind Zorro with a club but Constancia tackles him. Zorro holds Miguel at the point of his sword on the edge of the ship. He passes the sword to Constancia and she forces Miguel into the water. Later Constancia is put on a coach but a handsome young man gets on too. As the coach pulls away Bernardo takes Constancia’s dowry off the back just in case.