- So after all those romantic trysts the night before, the next day is beautiful. Another symbol, anyone? Carmen even breaks out the Wedgwood plates. Nothing like Wedgwood to say party time, apparently.
- Roxane doesn't turn up at the piano, so Kato plays some Schumann.
- Mr. Hosokawa is asleep on the couch, much later than usual. He's always up early, so people are worried about him. Two of the guards check to be sure he's still alive. Must have been a wild night if they have to check his pulse.
- Beatriz realizes why he's asleep (she knows he spent much of last night with Roxane Coss), and thinks she may find a use for the information later. So much for the piety she gained at confession.
- Kato is waiting for Roxane, and this make him feel sad imagining his future if he's rescued, when he'll have to go back to doing corporate numbers instead of being mainly a pianist. Imagine becoming a number-crusher again after you've toured with U2.
- Surprise! Someone else starts singing. It's Cesar, who's learned some opera by listening to Roxane.
- Though some of the boys laugh at first, everyone is moved. Kato gets the piano going as Cesar keeps singing.
- Roxane comes downstairs and is amazed. She thinks Cesar could have an opera career if she can get him some training.
- Roxane is also alarmed, because she knows Cesar is careening toward a high C, and she knows he can't do it without training. Music fact break: hitting really high notes is like landing a triple axel in figure skating: impressive, scary for the singer, and possibly injury-inducing. And also embarrassing if you miss.
- Roxane rushes to stop Cesar so he won't hurt his voice or fail in front of the crowd. Unfortunately, her Spanish isn't really up to the job of getting across how impressed she is, so he thinks she doesn't like it.
- Cesar runs away to the backyard and climbs a tree. Which is the natural response to feeling embarrassed.
- Gen sends Carmen to explain and comfort Cesar. It helps a little, but doesn't get him to come back in. Or down.
- Roxane feels bad, and Mr. Hosokawa tries to comfort her. He realizes again just how crazy mad in love he is. He tells her, "You are everything in the world to me" (9.36).
- Gen is a little bit embarrassed. Is he supposed to translate this or not? It seems pretty personal, but will Roxane understand it without translation? It's a bit like if your best friend accidentally sent you a Valentine's text meant for his girlfriend. You want the message to get to her, but you're kind of embarrassed to admit you saw it.
- Mr. Hosokawa solves this little problem by looking at Gen. Gen takes this as a sign that he should go ahead and translate. Everybody's having a moment.
- Carmen comes back in and tells General Benjamin that Cesar is up in the tree and why.
- General Benjamin notices while Carmen is talking how pretty she is. He gets worried that good looks could be bad news in the army and decides he'll get her to leave the terrorist group. If they get away, that is.
- Then she tells him that Cesar is sulking in the tree. He's impressed by Cesar's singing, but has some worries that a boy who can sing so well (not to mention jumps into a tree when he gets his feelings hurt) may turn out high-strung like Roxane. Then he'll have to send two soldiers away.
- Reality check: General Benjamin realizes that losing two soldiers from the cause is the least of his worries.
- He tells Carmen to leave Cesar in the tree.
- She asks if she can tell Roxane Coss, and Benjamin agrees. The General does insist on Carmen saluting before she leaves, just to prove he's still thinking like a soldier.
- Carmen goes and explains the tree situation to Roxane.
- Roxane wants to go outside and talk to him, but this is against the terrorists' rules. Roxane thinks Carmen could ask the Generals in a way that will convince them, maybe, pretty please?
- Carmen is very flattered to be asked to help, though she thinks the chances of her convincing the Generals are exactly zero.
- When Carmen finds General Benjamin to ask, she notices that his shingles still look terrible, but they don't seem infected. Maybe he actually used Ruben Iglesias' present of antibiotics.
- The General is reading the newspapers and is not very focused on the request. Carmen worries that there might be bad news for the terrorists in the papers and that it will ruin the happiness she's starting to find.
- General Benjamin doesn't say it, but he's thinking something similar, realizing the whole thing is going to end badly for his group. He's amazed that he didn't see this sooner (and frankly, so are we), and thinks they should have left way back when, the instant they realized President Masuda wasn't there. He blames this on hope, and thinks, "Hope was a murderer" (9.64).
- General Benjamin stops silently thinking through the hypotheticals long enough to tell Carmen to take everyone outside and to tell the other Generals. This is quite a surprise to Carmen, but she does what she's told.
- After some initial questioning, the other Generals decide that General Benjamin is right. They mobilize the troops to take everyone out.
- The hostages are afraid they're going to be shot when they go outside, and Gen refuses to translate for General Benjamin until he has asked about this. General Benjamin is offended that Gen thinks he would shoot the hostages in cold blood, and assures Gen that the guns the terrorists are carrying are only for protection.
- Gen realizes this is true, and translates the order. He is able to get across through his tone of voice that the hostages will be safe.
- Everyone heads out, under guard. Unsurprisingly, this is a popular decision once they realize they're not going to be shot.
- Gen finds Cesar and brings Roxane and Mr. Hosokawa over to talk to him. Roxane says Cesar sings beautifully and she wants to teach him more, but Cesar says she's just mocking him.
- Gen tells him that General Benjamin let Roxane come out especially to talk to Cesar, and also that he let everyone else come out too.
- Cesar looks down from his tree and notices that everyone is outside. He also notices that they seem to be enjoying the yard. He thinks that they don't want to leave and wouldn't go even if the terrorists tried to send them away.
- It takes a lot of coaxing, but Roxane convinces Cesar she is impressed with his voice.
- Cesar makes a dramatic exit from the tree, and hits the ground hard.
- But he's okay. Roxane actually starts trying to teach him some music on the spot.
- The guy just basically fell out of a tree, so he's not quite ready for lessons to start there and then. But after some more coaxing Cesar agrees to learn, since he really wants to study with Roxane.
- Roxane says they'll start that afternoon with scales.
- The scene shifts to some of the other hostages. Several of them are running laps around the garden because they're so happy to be outside. Ruben Iglesias and Oscar Mendoza start weeding the flowerbeds. (Some people just don't know how to express happiness.) Ishmael is nearby.
- Ruben is for real planning to adopt Ishmael, and Oscar Mendoza wants to give him a job. They sound like they're teasing, but they're actually serious, and eventually Ishmael agrees that it doesn't sound like too bad an idea.
- Father Arguedas is worried. He realizes that given the situation, the future is likely to be grim. When Ruben asks if Father Arguedas will teach Ishmael about faith, Father Arguedas agrees. But he worries that things won't work out so well. Listen to the priest for foreshadowing, folks.