And no, I'm not referring to recently arrived resident, gold digging, Gloria.
Instead, what has me taking a deep breath of anticipation is the thought of what could happen between Nikki and Bobby. It was a welcome change to see him interacting with a full-fledged adult other than Angelo and I smelled and spotted definite chemistry between him and Nikki. How deliciously delightful it should be to see Nikki do for Bobby what Victor once did for her. Smooth off the slightly rough exterior to reveal the valuable treasure beneath. And if in the process, Bobby falls out of infatuation with "Blondie" Hodges, oh well, such is the way of soap love. Besides, the cavalier and downright cruel manner in which Victor has been treating the alleged love of his life lately, demands that a big helping of payback be in his future. And although I am an avowed Victor supporter, even I wouldn't mind seeing him bumped down a peg or two. Even if nothing romantic happens between Nikki and Bobby, I shall still thoroughly enjoy watching her thumb her nose at a disapproving Victor. Her presence there is bound to bring him to annoy him enormously. Even without the romance, the business relationship between the two should provide plenty of interesting possibilities. On Cabaret nights, can anyone else see Nikki's slim fingers plying the piano keys, either for Brittany or as conversational music between sets? And even on stripper nights, I can imagine Nikki bringing a touch of class and elegance there as well. She will easily have Marsino, as she affectionately calls him, eating out one hand, while Angelo and the raucous revelers gobble hungrily from the other. Nikki may also come in handy should Bobby need a soft shoulder to help muffle his sobs if he isn't able to make good on his promise to fulfill all Brittany's singing dreams. While Brittany wasn't the happiest of campers to learn Marilyn's must feature multiple nights of exotic dancing to keep the creditors from closing his doors, his promise that it would be temporary appeased her for the moment. But we know it won't be long before our petulant princess is pouting again.
I can understand Victor's determination to make Abby a part of his life, given the fact that most members of his own family want little or nothing to do with him. I just wish he hadn't purposely chosen the most arrogant and high-handed way possible to accomplish that. Taking Abby from day care and informing Brad after the fact was a bit much, but classic, uncaring Victor. How did he even know he was allowed to do that? And who told him where Abby attended day camp? Is there only one day camp in the city frequented by the well to do? Things might have been handled a bit differently had Abby's adoptive father been someone who didn't spend every other waking moment bellowing aloud his hatred for Victor. On second thought, we are talking about Victor Newman here, so no matter who the father was, Victor probably would have behaved exactly the same. But while Victor should rightly bear the lion's share of blame for this situation, Ashley definitely deserves the rest. Even though Nikki and Brad felt otherwise, in my opinion Ashley's message to Victor was nothing to get their britches all bunched up about. It was on the Newman family answering machine, for goodness sake. It wasn't as if there was anything secretive or ominous about it. Well, except for that parting "looks like we'll prevail" bit. Since when did Ashley and Victor become a "we"? Am I remembering wrong or didn't the brainless bimbo leave with her nose upended in a snit at Victor's stubborness? But then she adds Victor's name to Abby's day care pick-up list? Without a word to Brad? What was her hurry? Not that I should be amazed at her constant flip-flopping. After all, the witless woman has gone above and beyond all sane boundaries in her obsession with Victor. What a blessing this empty headed, self-serving caricature of a caregiver will only be allowed to have one child. Gloria Fisher excepted, Ashley has got to be the worst example of motherhood in Genoa City history. To her, Abby is nothing more than guaranteed passage into Victor's life.
Which brings us to Bradley Blowhard. Who was foolhardy enough to marry a woman whom he's always known has lived, breathed and secretly craved Victor Newman. Did he really expect to receive lifelong love and loyalty from someone classless enough to marry her ex-brother-in-law? Boy, Brad certainly went off the deep end, didn't he, when he took off in hot pursuit of Abby? Although his half-crazed visit to the Newman Ranch did manage to prove one thing. That contrary to what most of us had come to believe given the ease with which unwanted visitors were constantly able to gain access to the ranch's residents, there actually is a security staff on the grounds. Brad must have arrived in between coffee breaks. If Brad isn't careful, he may find himself the one on the outside of the family circle crying to be let in. Yes, he legally adopted Abby, but since Victor was an unaware father, he, of course, never relinquished his fatherly right to his stolen sperm child. Which probably means the signed and sealed document proclaiming Brad Abby's Daddy isn't worth the paper it's printed on. I admit the most enjoyable part of this daughter tug of war is the object of everyone's obsession, Abby herself, who calls things exactly as she sees them. And to her discerning eyes, Bradley is the real daddy with Victor playing the part of benevolent play papa. Seems appropriate.
Thanks to J.T.'s detecting research, a few more pieces to the murder mystery puzzle have been eased into place. We now know Nikki was indeed the birthday girl in the video. And most likely, the skeleton is that of Joshua, the cute little black haired boy who stood happily beside her. At the moment, all fingers seem to point directly at Nikki's father, Nick, as the murderer, either accidentally or on purpose. And the ruby earring found in the grave, along with the gunshot heard in Nikki's still murky memories, make one think she must have been a wee witness to the long ago crime. But who was young Joshua and why in the world was he killed? Did he die manfully trying to shield Nikki from Nick Reed's un-fatherly intentions? This one has me on the edge of my sofa, eagerly awaiting the next tidbit of information.
You almost had to feel sorry for Cameron last week. Having gone to such great lengths all for need of Sharon Newman. Someone he's finally beginning to realize there's no chance he'll ever have. Can't be many more surprises left in this over lengthy tale of unrequited longing or many more unbelievable places for it to go. What's next? After Diane turned to Sharon right before Cameron's disbelieving eyes, one has to wonder if he's about to go stark raving mad. A fate he at one time apparently planned for Sharon. By the way, I got an enjoyable kick out of watching real-life couple Cameron and Diane converse. Too bad his days are numbered; a pairing between the two of them could have been entertaining. It's not as if she has anything else to do or anyone to do it with if she had, since Jack, once filled with an unquenchable thirst to be a Dad, now doesn't even mention son Kyle, too busy with golf, tennis and an occasional torrid tete-a-tete with ex-stepmommy Jill.
Of course, I'd stake my mouse on the likelihood Jack's carefree lifestyle won't continue much longer. Because I'm sure he'll soon be sweating with Jill in the boardroom as well as the bedroom. Chancellor's boardroom, that is. As Jill suspects, the man currently guiding Chancellor Industries through untroubled waters, Elliot Hampton, is surely going to prove to be exactly as untrustworthy as he already sounds and seems. And while the ax hasn't yet fallen on the neck of Jabot's Men's Line, does anyone really doubt it eventually will? Which will leave Jill with nothing but time on her hands. Time which she'll undoubtedly fill with perusing pounds of Chancellor paperwork. Way too much paper for one set of eyes to see a discrepancy. Jack claims now that business isn't even on his mind, but as with everything else in Genoa City, that will change.
From the moment Paul informed Chris and the rest of us eagerly watching fans his days at his current business address were dwindling, many predicted immediately where his next office would be. And once ADA Chris had successfully negotiated Victor's not so stinging slap on the wrist, giving her notice soon after, even more were certain where she'd eventually be hanging her law license next. Both destinations were predicted to be one and the same. The esteemed law offices of Counselor Baldwin, where the heavy caseload has been single handedly lugged about by one overworked barrister and his loyal staff of one. Well, I confess I was one of those predicting fans and think Pristine's proposal could be a good and workable one. The downside is, of course, having to be occasionally (at least I hope, it turns out to be occasional) subjected to a stomach churning scene of Paul and Michael competing ferociously for Pristine's coveted attention. Throw in an office visit by a Chris-devoted Danny, and you'll have all the ingredients capable of making even a fearless Fear Factor contestant reach for the barf bucket. Okay so I'm exaggerating, but not by much.
Speaking of exaggeration somehow brings to my warped mind one Gloria Fisher. Her air conditioner broke? Oh well, whatever works. And when you're dealing with kindly, gullible John Abbott, apparently just about anything will. A tour of the half-empty, but opulent Jabot premises could only have solidified Gloria's desire to be the next Mrs. Abbott. Not that I expect her opinion to carry any more deterring weight than Gina's, but I'm looking forward to hearing what Mamie thinks of the Gloria. As for me, the relatively low opinion I already had of Gloria dropped even lower after watching her antics with Kevin and Daniel. Even for Gloria, flashing a 16-year old boy in front of her own son, was nearly as low as one could go. So if it was the scribes' intent to portray Gloria as a tacky, tasteless, more than a little trashy woman, they have succeeded supremely on all counts.
Of course, Daniel may only be 16 but he's definitely no innocent. As evidenced by the recent martini drinking episode, Kevin will soon be malleable putty in his hands, easily convinced to go along with just about any of Daniel's schemes. As for Phyllis and Damon, they are probably about to discover they're no match for Daniel's manipulations. Damon isn't fooled by Daniel's poor abandoned boy routine, and Daniel probably knowing this, is sure to take steps to get Damon out of Phyllis' life. Once he's accomplished that, however, it will be interesting to see what he has planned for Phyllis. Obviously, he has no burning desire to tighten the familial bonds between them, but what he does want remains to be seen.
And finally, we may not have a May September wedding between Bobby and Brittany to look forward to in the immediate future, but white doves may be released in the air just the same if Kay's answer to Arthur's matrimonial proposal is in the affirmative. It's a romantic match that I've previously stated I had hoped for, and could open the front door of the Chancellor Mansion to others. Like to Arthur's estranged son, for example. I can't see any reason for Kay to reply in the negative, so I'm ordering my birdseed now with which to shower the bride and groom.
