Soap Opera

One of my embarrassing little secrets is that I watch a soap opera every day, The Young and the Restless. I've been watching it since 1989, a year after my daughter was born. I'd watch the news at noon, and then what-ho! I unintentionally caught a bit of the show. I became addicted. I've watched it on and off ever since.

The reason I always give to people I reveal this to, is that I'm fascinated by the story and plot lines, how they are woven together in Dickensian fashion and how the situations although they might seem unbelievable, are extremely close to what happens in life. In my life anyway.

Here's a little story.

Her parents divorce when she's 6 and she never sees her father again. He is presumed dead, having fought his demons in a Veterans hospital, but not before remarrying and having more children. Her mother dies young, reiterating the story of her first husband and his untimely death, shortly before expiring. The young woman is now an orphan. Her brother, who has been searching death records all over the country, finally discovers the Internet is a much better place to find people, dead or alive.

It turns out that their father is alive and well and living in New York City. Her brother contacts and sees their father. She, now middle-aged, does not. She decides she has no relationship with him other than biological, and she isn't in the market for a dad. She does have an idea for a novel, and he's in it, so puts meeting him some day (to pick his brain) in the "possible" file.

The other day, the woman calls her brother, mainly to catch up on what's happened since they last saw each other. The she mentions their father. "You know he works as a concierge in a building near you," her brother said. "And he lives even closer."

The fickle finger of fate is pointing to a denouement that involves sheer luck--he opens a door for her at the building where he works, or she sees him in a neighborhood store--or a conscious effort to contact him.

She walks by the building where he works but if he's on duty, he remains inside unseen. She passes by where he lives but keeps walking.

The next day, she writes him a brief note suggesting they get together for coffee in the New Year. She includes her cell phone number.

How will this all end? In a soap opera, the writers like to keep their options open. I admit that some of their machinations are ludicrous. The writer of this story will keep her options open, for now.