Days of Our Lives

Certain television shows just remind me of my childhood, and Days of Our Lives is one of them. A soap, you're thinking? A soap opera reminds her of childhood? Yes, it does, and it all has to do with my granny.

She never missed an episode of it. Since we stayed with her during the day during the summer months and every day after school during the school year, we watched it with her. Not that we minded, we all gathered around the television each afternoon to witness the going-ons of the people of Salem.

Here are some of my specific memories of Days of Our Lives:

1. Megan getting electrocuted in the hot tub at the gym by a blow dryer.
2. Bob kidnapping Hope when she was going to marry another man and taking her to that romantic Southern plantation.
3. Bo and Hope's wedding and the gawd-awful headpiece veil she wore
4. Kimberly and Shane falling in love. I still have a crush on Shane to this day
5. Jennifer and Jack making love for the first time in the cave. I loved them as a couple.
6. The Isabella-John Black storyline was the saddest, most romantic one ever. Just before she died, John bought a star for her and named after her. He carried her out to see it, and she died in his arms. My cousin and I watched this on a Saturday night (recorded on the old VHS VCR) and cried like babies.

I don't think I've watched the show in at least 10 years, maybe even more, since Swamp Girl or Jungle Woman or whatever she was called was on there. My brother still watches it; I think because it reminds him of Granny. He called me yesterday and told me Alice Horton was about to die on the show. Frances Reid, the lady that played her, died months ago.

My granny always reminded me of a combination of Alice Horton and Dorothy from Golden Girls. My family reminded me of the Hortons. A bit dysfunctional in a lot of ways, we always came together when we needed each other, just like the Hortons. We might fuss and fight, but we always make up, just like the Horton family on the show.

In spite of the fact I knew I was going to cry, I decided to watch yesterday. It brought back so many memories of losing my granny almost three years ago. Mike Horton even missed his granny's death, just as my Uncle Bobby wasn't there when Granny died. Today, at the beginning of the episode, Hope asked, "What am I going to do without you, Gran?," and I said the exact same thing when my granny died.

I doubt I'll start tuning in again. I had to ask my brother a ton of questions to find out what's going on. But, Days of Our Lives was always a wonderful part of my childhood, the intrigue, the feeling I was doing something naughty by tuning in and mostly the time spent with my granny. So long, Alice Horton. Thanks for the memories.