Episode 151

Extended Summary

Alf goes to his shop, grumbling about Ailsa.He takes one of the bottles and, despite not liking the taste, keeps drinking from it.At the Stewart house, Roo taunts Ailsa over how she blew things with Alf and tells her it’s not her home and she doesn’t belong there.Ailsa raises a hand to hit her but stops herself.Roo dares her to do it and Ailsa walks out.

Ailsa goes round to Barbara’s and claims Roo is bad to the bone, which Barbara thinks is an exaggeration. Ailsa says she would have hit Roo if she hadn’t wanted her to do it and regrets opening her mouth to Alf and giving him the wrong idea.She says she’d have married him anyway and what happened with Bobby just made it happen sooner.Barbara advises against talking to Alf and starting another argument, suggesting she writes Alf a letter and then comes and stays with her for a few days.Roo goes round to the Macklin office and tells Brett, who’s apparently sleeping on the premises, that Alf and Ailsa are finished.Brett is pleased and thinks that with Ailsa out of the way the opposition to the development will drop off.He’s intrigued when Roo says they ended up arguing about Bobby, meaning they won’t get blamed, and presses her for details.Roo explains about how Bobby wasn’t living with the Fletchers at the time and Ailsa married Alf in order to provide her with a foster home.

Ailsa goes back to the house to collect some things and leaves a letter for Alf on the sideboard.However, Alf is still drinking at the bottle shop so Roo finds it first.She reads the first few lines, about how Ailsa thinks if she and Alf meet face to face they’ll just argue again, and then pockets it.

Next morning, Colleen is making Lance breakfast and complaining about him leaving his clothes everywhere.She comments on Alf giving Lance advice and seems impressed with the way Alf and Roo have faced up to people over her pregnancy.Lance points out she called Meg Dobson a floozy but Colleen says that was before his father taught her what men are really like and she thinks Roo needs a decent lad to look after her and the baby.Lance realises she wants him to marry Roo and is horrified by the idea, protesting that Roo hates him and she isn’t nice to the guys she does like.Colleen insists she just needs to get to know him and she’s going to have Alf and Roo over for tea before going to find Floss for advice.

Martin is moping about losing yet more of Lance’s money and Narelle says if she’d done that to a mate she’d feel suicidal.Lance hurries in and Martin tries to apologise to him about the money but Lance is more worried about Colleen’s plan.Narelle wonders if Colleen is going through the “change of life” and going a bit crazy like Auntie Nellie did.Lance just wants rid of her and wonders if he should up the reward money. Martin sees a way to earn the money back and persuades him to increase it to $5,000.

Colleen goes round to the Stewart house and asks Roo if she can see Alf.Roo says he’s ill and Colleen invites them both round to tea(or dinner as the Stewarts call it)the day after next.Roo tries to put her off but when Colleen tries to see Alf again Roo ends up accepting.Roo goes back inside where Alf is drinking coffee.She acts as though she wants him and Ailsa to get back together, saying Bobby wasn’t the only reason she married him and she makes him happy, and persuades him to go and talk to her.

Martin is back to moaning to Narelle at the flat, he wants to buy things on Lance’s tab but Narelle won’t let him.Floss turns up looking for Lance and they explain that he’s hiding from Colleen.Floss laughs at Colleen’s idea to marry Lance and Roo off, wondering how exactly Lance, Roo and Colleen are all going to fit into the mobile home.This seems to give Martin an idea.

In the store, Alf’s chat to Ailsa has quickly descended into an argument with her considering his attitude patronising.She says she’s already apologised to him and realises he hasn’t read the letter.Alf says there was no letter on the sideboard and Ailsa realises Roo must have taken it.Alf and Ailsa head home and find Roo outside, asking where the letter is.Roo pretends she doesn’t know what they’re talking about and again acts as though she wants them back together.Alf watches in bemusement as Ailsa and Roo argue and confirms it was Roo who told him to make it up with her.Roo says if she really wanted to cause trouble she’d have told Alf that Ailsa nearly hit her, before storming off.Alf and Ailsa go inside and find the letter behind the sideboard.Ailsa thinks Roo must have put it there but Alf says she can never admit being wrong and is more concerned with her wanting to hit a pregnant teenager, especially given her own home life. Ailsa asks him what sort of person he thinks she is and Alf retorts he’ll be keeping an eye on her from now on because he doesn’t want to end up with a knife between his shoulder blades.He seems to regret it as soon as he’s said it.Ailsa walks out looking hurt and Alf throws the letter to the floor in frustration.

Outside the mobile home, Martin is briefing Lance on the plan.Lance goes inside where Colleen is making preparations for the dinner with the Stewarts.Lance acts as though he likes the idea of marrying Roo but says she would want her own place rather than to share with her mother-in-law.Colleen replies that any girl that’s right for him will be pleased that he’s looking after his mum.Back in the park, Lance complains to Martin that not only is Colleen not moving out but she now thinks he likes Roo and that Martin’s plans always cause him trouble.Martin quietly and sadly accepts that he’s right.

Alf is reading the letter while Ailsa sits on the beach.She comes to the house, knocking on the door, and says she’s there to collect her things and the marriage hasn’t worked out.Alf still wants to patch things up and apologises for what he said but Ailsa says that, even if it was just for a moment, he thought of her as a killer and she can never forgive him that.She tells him she’ll file for divorce as soon as possible.