Guest Author - Alice Rienzo
The year was 1983 and the demographics in Salem radically changed, seemingly overnight. No longer were the residents of Salem enduring the notorious crimes committed by only the wealthy. No longer would the citizens feel safe in their own homes. Gangs had moved in to the affluent town and thus began an era in soaps where reality was depicted on television. It was and probably still is the only time Days of Our Lives reached a broad spectrum of viewers.
Melissa Horton found gang member, Pete Jannings, stealing food from Shenanigans. Unbeknownst to her, Pete had been connected with the attempted rapes of Gwen Davies and Sandy Horton earlier that evening.. Knowing his luck was running out, he panicked, took Melissa hostage, and escaped into the cold night. Luckily, for Melissa, the standoff ended in the middle of a snowstorm at the Horton farm.
The story does not end there. While at the farm, Pete shared some of his most troubling secrets and deepest feelings with Melissa. She could not help but know the true man who hid under the skin of a troubled boy. This revelation only brought the two of them closer together. Theirs was a romance akin to the kind found in storybooks. Normally, the kindly prince sweeps the house maiden off her feet. In our story, the beautiful princess is besotted with the boy from the other side of the tracks and she goes to all lengths to be with him.
Gangs can infect anyone with their ideas. In fact, the idea of gangs sometimes carries a sense of glory line a stoic volcano. Its majestic beauty leaves many amazed – until it erupts. Likewise, an innocent person can unwittingly be caught in the middle of a gang eruption.
June 1984, was a difficult time for the Horton family. Melissa was dating Pete on the sly when another rival gang, the Warriors, came into town. The two gangs rumbled - Speed, Pete’s friend was shot and Pete returned fire in anger, hitting Melissa’s adoptive father, Mickey.
Maggie and Mickey were not happy with their daughter dating a gang member. They attempted to separate the two by sending her to a summer camp, to no avail. Pete wanted to be the type of man that would make his future-father-in-law proud of him and so that he and Melissa could leave town. His friend Speed was able to secure a job for Pete at Beefcakes as a male stripper. While not a white-collar type of employment, it did prove to be financially beneficial.
Pete loved Melissa with all his heart. His love was just not enough to keep their relationship together.
