Episode 153

Extended Summary

Narelle is stacking shelves at the store while Martin admits that he still hasn’t told Lance about the money despite spending all evening at the pub with him and doesn’t want Lance to forgive him, which he knows he will.Narelle says that if he’s serious about thinking Lance is better off without him he needs to tell him they’re not friends anymore, as soon as possible.Bobby comes in, having seen the “For Sale” sign and asks where Ailsa is.Martin says she’s gone and Narelle gives her a letter from Ailsa.Bobby heads down to the beach to read it:Ailsa apologises for being a coward and not saying goodbye to her in person and accepts she told Bobby to never run away from problems but she thought the problem was sorted and she’d found a home only to find it’s not true. She says Bobby’s friendship was the hardest thing to leave behind and she wants her to make a go of things.

Alan tells Alf that he’s nearly out of board wax.Alf tells him there’s a delivery later in the week and starts to say he can get some from Ailsa’s store before remembering.They chat briefly about her departure before Bobby comes running in with the letter, demanding Alf gets her back.Alf says there’s nothing he can do and Ailsa doesn’t want to come back.Bobby storms out and Alf asks Alan to keep an eye on her.He tells Alan that Ailsa’s been running all her life because of her father and going to prison and he said something that reminded her of it.Alan catches up with Bobby, who says Ailsa brought her back once when she ran away so now she’s going to do the same.In the letter Ailsa says that Bobby can contact her via a real estate agent so she can get the address off him.Brett stops nearby in his sports car and offers Bobby a lift but neither Bobby nor Alan is impressed.

Lance is taking headache tablets while Colleen does the vacuuming and moans about Ailsa leaving Alf in the lurch and Martin leading Lance astray again.She suggests Lance invest his money by buying the store, so he and Roo can run it together.Lance tries to tell her he doesn’t think Roo likes him but Colleen isn’t in the mood for listening.Later, Martin comes round and Lance asks him for help dealing with Colleen.Martin snaps at him, saying he’s fed up sorting out Lance’s problems and he’s not going to be his friend just because he has money, before storming out.

Colleen is alone in the store while Narelle’s checking the stock and uses the opportunity to do some measuring up and make plans to rearrange it.Roo comes in and Colleen explains Narelle is getting the chocolate cereal with a picture of a monkey on it, the only thing Lance likes.Roo takes a loaf of bread and asks Colleen to tell Narelle to put it on the account.Colleen asks if she’s ever fancied being a shopkeeper or being married to one.Roo doesn’t seem to find the idea appealing but it isn’t enough to dampen Colleen’s enthusiasm.

Bobby gets short shrift from the real estate agent, Morgan, who won’t break client confidentiality.She tells Alan that it doesn’t matter:She’ll just break in and find the address.Alan protests that she’ll go to jail if she’s caught but she says it isn’t worth living in Summer Bay without Ailsa.Alan tells her he’ll break in instead since the police aren’t likely to come down heavy on a sick kid.At the bait shop, Alf is serving a fisherman, Fred, when Brett turns up and says he’s heard about Ailsa.He tells Alf to look on the bright side: They can write off Ailsa’s campaign against the development as a bitter wife causing trouble and now Alf can reinvest in the project.Alf tells him to get out before he lays him out.Brett tries to tell him he can come to the office later to sort it but Alf just bellows at him and Brett scampers away in fright.

Colleen tells Lance to smarten himself up for the dinner:Since Alf won’t feel like going out, she’s offered to cook some food and take it round the Stewarts’ for them all to eat.Lance is too busy moping about Martin and Colleen realises he’s been eating the topping for the casserole.Soon after, Alf is giving polite but disinterested responses to Colleen’s chatter while Lance and Roo sit in awkward silence.Colleen goes to heat up the casserole and Lance follows to tell her they should leave them to it.Colleen however thinks it’s going well.In fact, Alf and Roo are wondering how to get rid of the Smarts and why they’ve suddenly latched on to them.Roo suggests Colleen fancies Alf.Alf looks horrified.

Martin is telling Narelle that, having ended things with Lance, he wants to leave town and try and make Lance’s money back elsewhere.Narelle thinks he’d be better off staying in Summer Bay.Narelle notices Bobby sitting in the empty store and reminds her to lock up when she’s done.Having broken into the office, Alan turns up and tells Bobby he found Ailsa’s file but the only address the real estate agent has is a post office box in the city.Bobby gives him a thank you kiss on the cheek anyway and Alan asks for more. Bobby is annoyed at the comment even though Alan says he was joking and says they’re friends.

Martin goes round to see Brett and asks him for a job.Brett replies that he’d recommend Martin to their biggest competitor because he’d bankrupt them in a week.Bobby is explaining to Narelle her plan to hang around the post office box until Ailsa empties it;Narelle thinks she wouldn’t be able to get away with it but Bobby says that Narelle stands out whereas everyone just sees Bobby as a kid.Martin comes home and announces he’s definitely leaving.Next morning, Lance comes round, having heard about Martin’s plans, and asks to come with him.He says Martin’s dad has told him he lost the money on a horse and it doesn’t matter.Martin tells him he’ll post him a cheque for the $105,000 and then they’re through.After Lance has gone, Martin quietly tells him it’s for his own good.

Alan meets Bobby with a bunch of flowers(which look as though he’s picked them himself)to apologise. Bobby tells Narelle, who’s playing the pinball machine at the store and is impressed, and also admits she’s meeting Alan that evening.Martin says he’s finished packing and asks them both to give him a hand loading his boxes into the car.Bobby notices a shoebox with Martin’s name on it among the boxes but he says it isn’t his.Bobby opens it and the trio find it is full of money.Narelle says there must be hundreds of thousands of bucks.