FLASHBACK: 'Another World' The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice (Part 11)

After being rejected by Brian Blake, Rachel Davis
Matthews (Robin Strasser) met Ted Clark (played
by Stephen Bolster).

ANOTHER WORLD: The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice

The Soap Box
Vol. IV No. 6 June 1979
by Bryna Laub

(continued from Part 10)

Russ's hurt was healed as well. He had fallen in love with one of his patients, Cindy Clark, a warm, sweet, loving girl who was everything Rachel was not. And out of his love for Cindy came true forgiveness in Russ's heart. He wrote to Alice that he no longer blamed Steven. In fact, he no longer blamed Rachel as he should have seen her for what she was and not been blinded by her deceptions and her wiles. Marry Steven if you really love him, he advised his sister, and don't let anything stand in the way of your happiness.

Rachel, meanwhile, had bitten the bullet over her alimony defeat and consoled herself with Brian. Assuming his passionate lovemaking meant undying love, she happily accompanied him to New York, then returned to plan their move to the big city. When Brian had to go back east for another meeting, Rachel interpreted his telephoned "wish you were here" as an invitation, and arrived at his hotel room to find him with another woman. Shocked, she screamed bitter recriminations at his betrayal--after all they were almost married, weren't they? Not at all, he coldly informed her, it was fun while it lasted, but it's over.

Rachel was destroyed. Her mother was of no help, she kept saying I told you so. Rachel decided there was only one person who could console her and that was Daddy. She hurried to Somerset and poured her heart out to Gerald who, to her amazement, echoed Ada's sentiments. Live in the real world, Gerald told her, then excused himself as his daughter Pammy had a problem and needed him.

For Rachel it was the last straw. She wandered out onto the Riverboat's patio, found a table and sat down, unable to stem the flow of tears. As she sat there crying brokenheartedly, a young man sat down beside her. Quietly and softly he tried to comfort her and at his gentle urging, she began to talk. She told him about her father, how she had tried so long to find him and how he just didn't love her. The young man listened, and patted her hand and dried her tears.

His name was Ted Clark, she learned, and he was in Somerset looking for a job. Over the next few days they saw each other constantly and talked for hours on end. In mutual amazement they discovered he was Cindy's brother and she was Russ's ex-wife. He recounted how he lost his restaurant business through a series of wrong decisions but knew better now. But Ted didn't tell Rachel he'd also had trouble with big time hoods and that he was the thief who had recently robbed Russ's clinic of drugs, seriously injuring Russ in the process. Ted had given the drugs to the mobsters and left town in a hurry to avoid being pressured into another robbery. Russ had recovered and he and Cindy were planning their wedding.

Through their shared secrets and disappointments and hurts, Rachel and Ted found a comforting closeness and, deciding this was true love, impulsively got married before returning to Bay City. Ironically, one of Rachel's fantasies finally came true. They were married at the Riverboat and Rachel's father gave her away in marriage an she often dreamed he would.

Robert Hover took over the role of Russ Matthews
on July 15, 1971.

Their return to Bay City coincided with Alice's arrival from France and she was shaken by the discovery that far from finally being out of the Matthews family, Rachel would once more be related when Russ married Cindy.

Steven was upset to find this created even more doubts in Alice's thoughts and he would have done anything to set her mind at ease.

When Ted discovered the perfect restaurant, one he could easily manage at a profit, Rachel decided to act for her husband. She went to Steven for money to buy The Fireside Inn, explaining that since Ted was now Jamie's stepfather, it was important that he be a success for the boy's sake. When Gerald, whom Rachel also approached, agreed to put up part of the money, Steven agreed to finance the rest, explaining to Walter, who drew up the papers, that as soon as Ted and Rachel were fully independent and on their own, the better it would be for Alice and himself.

But the solution quickly backfired when Rachel, trying her best to mend all fences at Cindy and Russ's engagement party, thanked Alice for Steven's investment in Ted's new business venture. She was sincerely horrified to realize Steven hadn't yet told Alice about it and Alice once more was bitterly hurt to find Steven had another involvement with Rachel that he hadn't bothered to tell her about. This was what she feared most, the reality that Rachel and her son would never be out of their lives.

Continue reading Part 12 of a very detailed flashback series, Another World - The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice...

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