Carlos Alberto, aka Tano, had all the characteristics of an alpha male, and he was, in a way, the most dominating figure among all the men in Thursday’s Widows. He assumed the authority of the leader of the pack, and the other guys, like Martin and Ronie, followed his trail. Tano belonged to a well-known family, and his father owned the biggest food chain in the country. But Tano didn’t want to inherit that, as he had bigger dreams, and that is why he had started working for a conglomerate. Tano had loved Los Altos de las Cascadas, and though he knew that the price point was a bit higher than he had expected, he had immediately made up his mind to buy it. Tano had a very high estimation of himself, and he made sure that he lived up to that image that he had created of himself in his mind. He even advised others about what watches they should be wearing and how they should be leading their lives, and at times, he did get very intrusive. So, let’s find out what was happening between Tano and his wife, Tere, and what made him decide to end his life.
What problems did Tano and Tere have?
Tano might have been a good father, but he was not a good husband. He provided for his family and looked after them, but it was not until he lost his job that he realized Tere’s worth. Like every other married couple, Tere and Tano had started taking each other for granted. They didn’t enjoy each other’s company, and they had found other ways to keep themselves engaged throughout the day. The attraction and love that was once between them had ceased to exist, and both of them had a part to play in it. It was pretty evident that Tere was getting attracted to Uriel, and even her maid knew that something was going to happen between them.
Probably, Tere indulged in extramarital affairs before, as the reaction of the maid lets us know that she was not exactly surprised by seeing what was happening. But Tere never made out with Urieo, and she was happy just fantasizing about him. It was probably because she didn’t want to feel guilty, and just thinking about another man and wanting to indulge with him didn’t qualify as cheating. Around the same time, Tano lost his job, and he didn’t know how he would come back home and tell his wife about it. They were planning to make a move to Miami, but now Tano knew that he didn’t have the money to do so.
Tano led an expensive life, and he knew that he needed to find some source of income to sustain it. Tano was in a very high position, and to be hired by another company and expect that they would pay him the same amount was not going to be an easy thing. Also, the youth was much more qualified now, and Alfredo told him that he shouldn’t have very high expectations. Tano came back home, and he didn’t tell his wife that he was fired; he told her that he wanted to start his own thing, and that is why he had left his job. Tano was getting very paranoid, as he was not able to think of a solution that would take him out of this mess. Till now in life, Tano had always gotten what he wanted, but for the first time, he was defeated by his circumstances. Tano couldn’t compromise in life, and he knew that about himself. He could have easily sold off his place in Los Altos de las Cascadas and moved to a locality that was not so expensive, but it was against his pride to do so. Tano had accepted his defeat, and he had assumed there wouldn’t be any opportunity that would knock on his door.
Why did Tano kill himself?
Tano, on the advice of Alfredo, decided that he would commit suicide, as, according to him, that was the only way through which he could provide for his family. But the catch was that he had to make his death look like an accident; otherwise, the insurance company wouldn’t give him money. Tano knew that Martin, Gustavo, and Ronie were also facing similar problems, so he pitched this idea to them, too. They took a little bit of convincing, but in the end, they agreed to be a part of Tano’s foolishness.
The kind of money Tano had opened many possibilities, and we don’t think that taking his life was the only option that was left for him. Yes, life would have been hard for him for some time, and he would have needed to struggle, but he would have been able to sustain his family. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten the amount that he was getting from his company, and probably Tere would have thrown some tantrums at him, but it was still better than committing suicide. But Tano had made up his mind, and nothing was going to change that. He decided to put a live wire inside the swimming pool and take his life by electric shock.
Ronie had already backed out, and Gustavo was also having second thoughts as he was petrified of the entire idea. Ronie left, but Tano made sure that Gustavo came inside the pool and died with him there. Martin always followed Tano no matter what, so he was the first to agree to the plan. Tano, Martin, and Gustavo gave their lives, and their families got the money from the insurance company. They did come to know at the end of Thursday’s Widows that it was not an accident, but they chose to keep it a secret as they didn’t want the insurance company getting suspicious, opening an investigation, and claiming their money. What Tano did was sheer foolishness, but that was the kind of people they were. For them, their opulence was everything, and without it, life held no meaning.
