God Squeezes but Never Chokes

Although Rogelio has won the support of the neighborhood and gotten rid of Juan, he is now a routine seminarian and grows restless, with both his parochial tasks and because he suffers seeing María Marta engaged to Jiménez. Feeling indignant and hypocritical, Rogelio escapes to the nearby El Desierto neighborhood. In El Desierto, everything is the same as in El Milagro, but backward, like a flip-side of his current reality. Now, Beatriz is kind and friendly; Burgos is straight and true; María Marta is brash and unruly; El Jetas is a security guard; and Father Camilo has become a flashy showman. Upon his arrival, the parishioners welcome him into their church, where he feels it might be a good place to hide and escape his troubles. María Marta considers Jiménez’s proposal while Jiménez has a run-in with his father that leaves him in precarious health. Devastated, Jiménez visits María Marta, where Salomón tells him while his mother is thinking about Jimenez’s proposal, he wants him to be his “pretend dad.” María Marta overhears this conversation, and she’s the one to ask for Jiménez’s hand this time. Rogelio thinks about staying in El Desierto, where he’d have an ideal life filled with respect, material possessions, and a better self-image since the place has given him a sense of dignity. What he doesn’t realize is that, back in El Milagro, his neighbors are anxiously searching for him. Observing the budding relationship between Salomón and Jiménez and conscious of her son’s need for a father, María Marta sets a date for the wedding. At that moment, Rogelio surprises everyone by returning, dressed in civilian clothing and ready to make an important announcement.