Always remember, and please never forget

It was Valentine's Day in Genoa City and love was in the air. Did a certain angel playing Cupid pluck the (heart) strings of her harp to romantically advise her earthbound father? Victor made finally made his grandson face the music. And has Neil drunkenly tap-danced too close to the edge in trying to make up for past wrongs? Read Two Scoops, while we, once again, remember our darling Delia.

I can't believe it's over already. You know, the storyline with Dr. Sandy Anderson. Somehow, I was expecting so much more. Once there was a hint that our dear, diabolical doctor had previously been known as Sandra Allen, the champion diver who had temporarily been paralyzed due to Nick's happy-go-lucky dare, I was waiting for the day when Sandy would finally get to confront the man who had unintentionally caused her injury. But that day never happened. I feel robbed. Did Dr. Anderson plot to get revenge on the man who had done her wrong, or was she trying to win back the love she had never gotten over? Now, we may never know.

Sandy may have never forgotten that love, but Nick sure must have. The potential diving champ should have begged Nick to "always remember, and please never forget" her, because the memory of the incident -- and Sandra -- was swept far back into the recesses of his mind. And Victor made sure it was also swept under the rug by paying Sandra Allen off with the big bucks for her recovery. Nick's selective memory of the tragic event may have never returned if not for Sandy's escapades. If only Nick knew everything the doctor did to alter his life, especially how Sandy worked her magic to transform Christian into Sully. Presto chango!

The phrase "always remember, and please never forget" should be imprinted into Nick's brain. I mean, how could he possibly forget an accident that was so horrific? Sandra could have been permanently paralyzed. Nick's drunken bet sure ruined her life and what could have been an Olympic medal-winning career. It takes dedication, focus, drive, and years of practice to be a champion at any sport, and one pretty much has to sacrifice any type of personal life in order to be the best. I am sure Sandy never forgot what happened that fateful day. Nick can blame his amnesia on being young, but that's still no excuse.

I can almost picture Dwayne Schneider facing Ann Romano on One Day at a Time with his sheepish grin and with the tool belt hanging just off his hips, telling Ann to "always remember, and please never forget." The late, great Pat Harrington Jr. turned what could have been a comical caricature into an absolute gem of a character. Schneider was always good for a laugh or ten with his humorous words of wisdom. When Barbara was considering losing her virginity, Schneider advised, "Always remember, and please never forget: A man is like a bow and arrow, and a woman is like a target. Bow and arrow needs practice. Target doesn't." Wow, that was pretty risqu, even for the eighties.

The reference of Dwayne Schneider, strangely enough, comes right back around to The Young and the Restless, thanks to his connection with One Day at a Time and to Ann Romano, played by Bonnie Franklin. Isn't it funny how we can link almost anything to Y&R? Ms. Franklin's last television appearances were as Sister Celeste on Y&R in 2012, before she died in 2013. I thought, at the time, it was great seeing her again. We, the fans, were thrilled to have such an accomplished actress as a guest star on our soap. Yes, Bonnie Franklin and Pat Harrington Jr., we will "always remember, and please never forget" you. Well, you know what I mean.

But it probably won't take any time at all for Nick and company to forget about Sandra Allen/Anderson all over again -- until they learn she gave Christian to Sharon to raise as her own. That little tidbit of information may make it completely impossible for Nick to ever forget her again. Mission accomplished, Sandy. But will Nick and Sage ever be able to get the truth out of Patty? Paul thought his precious Patty-cakes was broken and could never be fixed. However, Patty's days are probably not done in Genoa City, since she's the one who still has all the answers.

I must say I have enjoyed Patty's return this time around. She shows from time to time that she is the sister Paulie knows and loves, and Paul would have been so proud of Patty if he had known everything she had done to try to help Sharon and Dylan. I just hope Paul learns about it one day. Ironically, the very help Patty was offering will end up hurting Paul's son and daughter-in-law down the road, if the truth comes out. And it will. It always does. Then Sully will be no more, and Christian will again be the son Sage has craved. How confusing that would be for the baby to have to play an ongoing parent swap at such a young age in his life. And just think -- the musical chairs of parents wouldn't even be done yet, since we all know Adam is Christian's father, not Nick.

One character who has never been forgotten, because she will always be in our hearts, is Delia, who paid her father another visit on Valentine's Day, the day of her birth. I had forgotten Delia had been born on Valentine's Day. How sweet for Delia to return again to advise Billy. And since Valentine's Day was also her birthday, it was very appropriate for her to play Cupid and to suggest Billy propose to Victoria again. Sure, Delia may have been an angel, as Billy referred to her, but she was also acting on behalf of the god of love. Delia proved she would have been wiser than her years, if she had lived, by giving her dad a nudge in the romance department. And I just knew Billy would find the Valentine's Day card Delia had made oh-so-many years ago under his pillow. How heavenly!

Victoria had the perfect saying when Billy reflected on the memory of his daughter, "Well, you know what they say. Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." I had never heard that before, but I loved it. What an appropriate time for Victoria to offer that to the man who had thought the world of his little girl.

Victor seemed a little too calm after Billy made his grand announcement that he intended to propose to Victoria. Maybe it was because Nikki was in the room and he was showing her they could be a powerful couple -- a sweet gesture on Victor's part but highly unlikely. Or maybe he realized there really was nothing he could do about it anyway. I just hope all is not so hunky-dory between Victor and Billy now, or things could get pretty dull. Oh, but wait...there's that little matter of the Internet security project and Billy's determination to snatch the program right out of Victor's grasp. No, I doubt if Victor will be extending the olive branch to Billy Boy anytime soon.

Natalie's quirkiness still reminds me a little of Chloe. With all of her protests of never having had a boyfriend in the past and only being infatuated with megabytes, not "megaboys," one would have to suspect that there may be a special someone in Natalie's past -- and maybe not necessarily of the male persuasion. But would Y&R ever be bold enough to tell that story? Whether it be guy or gal, if there is someone special in Natalie's past, you can bet that person will find his or her way to Genoa City in time.

Seriously, how much does Victor think Summer will find out by babysitting Natalie? Would Summer have enough technical computer knowledge to be able to determine if Natalie was sabotaging the program? And really, Summer has her own life, even without her long-distance love, Kyle. She can't be by Natalie's side every minute of the day. It was totally ridiculous for Victoria to refuse to give Natalie a little time off. The last time I checked, slavery has been outlawed in our country -- the land of the free. But the way Victor and Victoria have her squirreled away in Summer's apartment, Natalie would never know it.

Summer seems like one of those good girls who can appreciate a bad boy. With the help of Luca's charm, sophistication, dimples, and more than a little Champagne, Summer almost drooled all over him. Kyle who? (That's what I keep asking myself.) Well, Summer realized later that she had revealed too much about the PassKey to "Mr. Smarm-a-lot." Hey, if Chloe can't be here to toss around some colorful terms, at least we have Natalie to pick up the slack. I like, also, how Natalie pointed out that St. Valentine was the patron saint of epilepsy. She's truly an incurable romantic at heart.

But Summer didn't stay under Luca's spell for long, once the effects of the alcohol wore off. Luca later claimed to Natalie that Adam had included him in the project, but who is really working with whom these days? A scorecard wouldn't even help with all the dirty dealing going on. Had Noah really partnered up with Luca to take Victor down? Was Adam really working with Victor to best the Santoris? Was Natalie sincere in her claim to be securing the project for Phyllis and Billy? Did Adam only have his best interests at heart? Well, okay, we know that last one to be true.

Oh, happy day. Noah and Marisa have reunited. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Ugh. Noah must be a good guy that prefers being with bad girls. Since Marisa has a huge problem distinguishing the truth from a lie, I don't see how Noah will ever be able to trust her. Marisa can say she would go with Noah to the ends of the earth, or to some remote island, but she would get so bored with being away from all the action in lickety-split time. The girl needs drama to survive, and drama is not Noah, when he is apart from his Newman kinfolk. The Newmans, especially Victor, are what draws Marisa to Noah. If the angst isn't there, she will make sure to create it. My dislike for her grows each time I see her.

Even if Noah had, at one time, considered working with Luca to go after "grandpa dearest" (as Natalie referred to Victor), was it reasonable for Victor to call Paul and turn Noah in as the driver who had run over Billy in the parking garage? Victor always claims that family comes first, but it only took him a split second to provide information to the police that would lead to Noah's arrest. And it was strange that Victor hadn't known about Luca's knowledge for all that time. I thought Victor was everywhere and knew everything. How did he not know about this?

Ah, but Victor was just trying to save Noah from himself -- and from the deceitful, manipulative Mariah. Now that makes sense. Finally, Victor and I are on the same page. Victor believed Noah should face the music then his nave, foolish grandson could start all over again with Victor at Newman Enterprises. Far, far away from Marisa. It's really Noah's only chance. Marisa is certainly more dangerous for Noah than Billy ever was for Victoria. Even in Victor's eyes.

Marisa has been a horrible influence on the young Mr. Newman. An anguished Sharon wondered, with Nick, how their "beautiful baby boy" could have gone so wrong as to lie about being the driver who ran over Billy. But, really, Noah's parents had only to look in one direction -- directly at Marisa. Noah wanted to immediately admit what he had unintentionally done, but Marisa stopped him. Marisa made Noah look guilty by having him cover up what he had done and then run away to a remote island. Even after Noah confessed, Marisa still insisted he was innocent, because she claimed, in the next preview clips, that she was the actual driver. Oh, brother!

Couldn't Marisa tell the truth just once? It's going to get to the point, if she ever does speak the truth, no one will believe her. She'd be like the little boy who cried wolf. Marisa was baaing all over the place. Chelsea said it best to Adam, when she observed that it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, right in front of their eyes. And Marisa was the conductor with Noah as the helpless dolt tied to the tracks.

But at least Lily and Hilary are at odds again, so all's right with the world. Actually, it had been rather strange to see them getting along. I almost expected Rod Serling, at any given time, to pop up and declare we had entered The Twilight Zone. But Lily and Hilary were yipping at each other like a couple of little terriers protecting their territory, and everything was back to normal. Or, as Hilary put it, things were looking up, which appeared to be the case for Cane and Lily, which was a relief. We need to take a break from the bizarre for a while, even though Neil's behavior seems to keep us there.

Devon was another person who had, for a while, had a problem with being forgotten, when Hilary couldn't remember her love for him. But the fog in Hilary's memory lifted once Neil made it perfectly clear he would not be with her. What is with Neil though? He wanted revenge then he only wanted forgiveness. Now, who knows what he wants. Does Neil even know? Don't tell me this is an excuse for him just to drink. Neil knew he couldn't have Hilary because of Devon, but maybe his heart was not quite ready to accept his decision. His drinking sure isn't going to help him get over her, although it was pretty funny when he stumbled and fell over the table. Crash!

Phyllis really was a vision on St. Valentine's Day, which seemed more like St. Valentine's Week, and she was right when she stated Jack was cursed with a heart that took in strays and drunks who knocked over party displays. I'm still laughing at Neil's tumble over the table. How could anyone believe he had not been drinking? Jack and Phyllis knew better, but what could they do? Phyllis commented that Jack always loved her, even when she danced too close to the edge. Shoot, if Gwen were still in Neil's life, would she remain loyal to Neil, who was doing a jive, a salsa, a samba, and a jitterbug blended with a dash of disco near the border of sanity and sobriety over Hilary? Sadly, we will never know. And neither will Neil.

Poor Neil. He lost his girl (actually one girl and one wife), his sobriety (again), and after his erratic behavior at the press conference, he also lost his job. Neil said it better when he drunkenly spoke of Devon to his bottle of scotch, "Big man, big money, big life -- and my wife. Yes, my wife." I think Lily nailed it when she speculated that Neil had put Devon and Hilary back together because it had been the right thing to do. Obviously, Neil still thought of Hilary as his wife, though, and that was what put him back in his "dark place." Sure, Devon and Hilary kept him there, but just the sight of them together would do that. They really couldn't win with Neil.

Neil's conscience prevented him from being with Hilary, when he had the chance, but the thought of Devon back with Hilary -- the lady Neil still thought of as his wife -- sickened Neil and pushed him to drink. And when I saw that box of bottles in his room, I realized Neil was in no hurry to get help of any kind. Neil was drinking to erase the memory of the loving couple from his mind and his heart. He was literally drowning his sorrows. Neil would rather feel nothing than to feel the hurt of what he still considered the betrayal of his wife and son. So, after all this time, Neil was still in the exact same place he was in when he had plotted to get revenge on them. But isn't that the way real life works? Sometimes it takes months or even years to be able to move on from such a deep and aching pain.

Thank goodness Jack found Neil lying unconscious in his hotel room. Jack could have been a detective himself with his craftiness in learning Neil's location by calling a liquor store for the address. Wasn't he fortunate to have hit the right liquor store with the first call? Maybe there's only one liquor store in Genoa City. If so, it would be a golden opportunity for another liquor joint to start a new business. Between Neil and Nikki, a new store could really rack in the money during all the times those two keep falling off the wagon.

I have been happy having Hilary, Devon, and Neil working for Simon, as long as it keeps Dr. Neville on my television screen. And don't Ashley and Simon make a cute couple? I think so, anyway, and what girl's head wouldn't swoon with the romantic gift Simon presented her with? A bottle of pills decoratively wrapped with a red bow. It was so adorable, given Ashley's medical status. Simon is awkwardly sweet, and Ashley is one smart lady to notice.

Since Ashley was unable to attend the party with Simon, due to an injury caused by her fall, Abby and Ashley were in the hospital, at the same time, when Ben announced Ashley's big news -- she was pregnant! Ha, the expression on Simon's face was priceless, especially when he also realized everyone believed he was the father. But then he recollected he had given Stitch the blood from another healthy, female donor. But just who was the lucky lady?

Why, it was Abby, of course. Come on, we already knew Abby was with child, since she had been feeling nauseous. That's always a sure sign of pregnancy on a soap. A flu shot won't cure her upset stomach. She was preggers, for sure, which the blood tests confirmed. So, Ben will have more than one kid to worry about. Hmmm, I wonder how Max will take the news. He's already jealous of his dad's attention to his new wife. I can't say Max will be any more pleased about having to compete for Stitch's affection with a sibling. And they have reason to fear, since a smiling Max only had visions of pushing a very pregnant Abby down a flight of stairs. Max is certainly proving to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Man, that was some skimpy lace outfit Chelsea sported. The red rose almost covered more of Chelsea's body than her underwear did. Chelsea's red rose was an important prop to her image for the scene, much as the tool belt was to the Dwayne Schneider's persona. I am currently the prop person for the play Cash on Delivery at the Rockport Little Theatre, which has made me increasingly aware of just how important the proper props are for each scene, while keeping in mind the director's vision -- and a very limited budget, because it is community theatre. The rose was an excellent example of the perfect prop, as Chelsea used it to gesture lovingly toward Adam as she stressed, "Not one more word," and later, when Adam caressed Chelsea with the rose's petals. Sexy.

Summer said it all when she pointed out to Luca that Victor admires people who speak their minds, especially when they say what he wants to hear. Victor really is the great and powerful Oz. He's in almost every scene, even when he's not. It's no wonder Mama Bear Phyllis brings her claws out when it comes to big, bad Victor. And the colorful way Phyllis was dressed, she could have played Little Red Riding Hood to Victor's ferocious wolf.

Maybe Victoria and the loving, attentive, and hilarious Billy should write a manual on how to be a better parent. They already have the subject for chapter one: there's a guy. And what a guy! They are adorable together. And what a gorgeous ruby ring! Yes, love was in the air.

Until next time, please stay tuned.TeddiTeddi

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