Episode 706

Extended Summary

Sophie and Haydn run into each other at the store.Sophie asks how Michael reacted to him chaining himself to a tree.Haydn says that Michael’s more concerned with Cynthia and it doesn’t look like they’re going to get back together.He says he’s going to have to decide who to live with.Sophie is worried that he’ll choose to live with Cynthia and leave town but Haydn says he’s got some things to stay for now.At the caravan park, Michael largely ignores Cynthia when she tries to talk with him.He tells her she should leave town.Cynthia thinks it’s because he wants to continue things with Pippa and Michael says she has done a lot of damage to their relationship.He also thinks living in Summer Bay is good for Haydn. Cynthia tries to convince him the three of them should have dinner together but Michael refuses and drives off.Haydn and Sophie arrive and Haydn follows Cynthia back to her caravan.She tells him she’s going to leave since Michael isn’t going to change his mind.She comments he might be the only person Michael might listen to but understands he doesn’t want to get involved.

At the store, Alf apologises to Marilyn for giving her a dud cheque.He notices a set of fish hooks that has just come in and compares them to bank managers, luring people in and grabbing on to them.He decides to go fishing.Marilyn points out she finishes at two o’clock and the suppliers will be ringing up but Alf tells her to just close up when she goes.At the Diner, Ailsa is insisting Alf will bounce back from his setback and takes a long time to notice Bobby is wearing glasses.Marilyn rings up and tells Ailsa about Alf walking out.Ailsa says she’ll talk to him and tells Bobby she’s heading out.

At the boat shed, Michael tells Haydn that soon Cynthia will be gone and things will be back to normal. Haydn tries to convince him to go to the dinner with them.Michael thinks Cynthia has got Haydn onside but Haydn says it involves him.Michael agrees and explains that he and Cynthia just don’t work together and he thinks he was just in love with the idea of being in love when he married her.Haydn thinks it’s because he still likes Pippa but Michael says his decision would be the same if he’d never met her and refuses to change his mind.Later, at the caravan, Haydn tells Cynthia about the conversation.She asks when the buses go and says she’ll get the first one in the morning.Haydn asks to go and live with her and she says he can when she’s settled.

Ailsa finds Alf fishing.She tries to encourage him to hold on until they get a good price for the store but Alf doesn’t think that’ll happen and they should just sell it at a low price so they can pay the bank off; he’s tired of living by the bank’s rules.Ailsa asks what she should tell Marilyn and Alf says Marilyn should lock up and put a sign on the door saying “Gone Fishing.”At the store, Adam isn’t happy to find Marilyn working there, since he thought she’d have finished, and asks for half a carton of beer.Marilyn reluctantly sells him it and tries to build bridges by offering to put a sign on the noticeboard for him asking for work but he isn’t in a reconciliatory mood and storms off, pushing past Ailsa.Ailsa asks Marilyn to stay on until the normal closing time, saying she’ll pay her extra, and Marilyn agrees.Ailsa is still confident Alf will be back at work soon.Later, Adam finds Alf fishing down by the beach and begins sounding off to him about how badly Marilyn has treated him.He offers Alf a beer but Alf simply collects up his fishing gear and walks off without a word.

At the Fletcher house, Sophie tries to convince Haydn that he should just give up on Michael and Cynthia getting back together, saying that the only thing they have in common is him and his sister.This seems to give Haydn an idea.He and Sophie go to the caravan where Haydn finds a tent Michael stowed away. Sophie isn’t sure about his plan but Haydn reminds her how everyone reacted when Sally disappeared; he’s going to go and camp at a spot Sophie showed him, near an old mine.They hear Michael coming and quickly put the tent away, with Sophie making her excuses.Michael offers Haydn a steak dinner and tells him that, although his attitude towards Cynthia might seem heartless, he knows he’s right.

Adam turns up at the store as Marilyn is about to close up, saying they should be open another ten minutes.He seems drunk and bitter and asks her for the other half of the carton.He berates her for leading him on and abandoning him, even after he helped her through her HSC and cleaned up his act for her.She insists she was more honest with him than anyone, including Lance, but Adam refuses to listen to her and leaves with his beer.Back at the Stewart house, Alf is grilling the fish he caught, reflecting on the satisfaction of getting food yourself.Despite Ailsa’s belief to the contrary, he insists he’s not going back to the store and suggests Marilyn could carry on running it.When Ailsa says they can’t afford that, he says they should just close the store:He’s going to carry on going fishing and take Duncan with him, since he thinks he’s missed out on too much of him growing up.

At the Diner, Marilyn and Bobby finalise a rent agreement for Bobby to stay at the beach house permanently.Grant then comes in, having just arrived back in town.Marilyn asks him how things went with Kim and Grant says she’s off the drugs and working on a farm.Bobby wonders what his plans are and Grant says all he can think about at the moment is getting back into his own bed, he’ll sort it out in the morning.Meanwhile, Haydn turns up at the Fletcher house and tells Sophie he needs to disappear that night, before Cynthia leaves.He asks her to bring him some food.Sophie wonders if she should go with him but Haydn assures her he’ll keep to the track and leaves.Sophie looks worried.