Episode 1218

Extended Summary

Michael returns and Pippa apologises to him and they talk. He says they should get a clearer picture tomorrow about the Marina but he’s reminded of what first brought him to Summer Bay – his previous business going bust! But as Pippa points out, this situation is different because his first wife, Cynthia, was not there for him, when it mattered, but she is. They go downstairs and tell Fin and Damian what’s going on and Pippa apologises for her mood swings. When Michael jokes about Damian being in a worse state than they are – he’s got a badly marked face from football practice – Damian doesn’t find it funny, especially when Fin criticises him. He storms out and goes straight over to see Greg, to demand he put him on a fitness programme. Greg tries to make him see sense but Damian’s determined to stick to his guns and Greg gives in to his demands, just as Luke and Sam come in, after their ‘jam session’. They all decide to go down to the Diner and Greg tells Damian and Sam to wait in the car, whilst he has a word with Luke. With a twinkle in his eye, Greg says he’ll understand if he can’t continue his sessions with Sam because he and Roxy are an item but Luke says that it will be no problem. He’s giving Roxy space to spend time with Imogen and when Greg asks what’s she like, Luke tells him she’s really nice! At the Diner, the topic of conversation is Damian’s fitness programme. Greg and Luke have different ideas on the subject but they do at least, agree on the type of food he should eat. Angel comes in and gets talking to Bobby about the awful job in the Chip Shop. Damian goes over to tell her about him joining the football team and she utterly confuses him, when she tells him she hopes it doesn’t change him, because all the football guys she knows, aren’t worth bothering about. Before leaving with Sam, Greg arranges to meet Damian in the morning, for his first training session on the beach.

At the Stewart home, Alf tells Roxy that he needs her to cover for him at the store tomorrow, whilst he goes to find out what’s happening with the Marina, but she says she can’t, because she wants to spend some time with Luke. She suggests he asks Tug to do it but he doesn’t trust him enough to be left alone in the store, so he’ll ask Ailsa if she can swap shifts and do it. He goes into the sitting room and Imogen criticises her for not helping him, especially when he’s let them stay in his home. Roxy agrees and when Alf returns and says Ailsa wouldn’t be able to cover, she tells him she’ll do it. He thanks her, and Imogen, with her back to them, has a look of satisfaction on her face! She goes to the Diner, where she bumps into Luke and persuades him to go round tomorrow and she’ll cook lunch for him and Roxy! He smiles and says, about midday but she knows Roxy won’t be there because she’ll be working at Alf’s store!!!

Michael is concerned that Pippa is taking on too much, as she makes a start on tomorrow’s orders for the Diner but she says she’ll cope; she has to. They decide to stick to shopping at Alf’s store for the moment and Fin comes up with a suggestion for economical menus, which she learnt at school, that they could try. Pippa agrees.

Next morning, Damian’s first training session doesn’t go well – he can’t even keep up with young Sam. But he’s determined not to be beaten and Greg tells him to go home and have a good breakfast. At home, Fin has worked out a menu for the next two weeks and puts it on the fridge door but when Damian reads it, he has a go at Fin because it won’t help him to bulk up. He storms off and Pippa tells Fin not to worry about it – he’ll just have to get used to it. Michael takes the first batch of Pippa’s baking to the Diner and confides in Bobby, that he feels he’s let Pippa down but she tells him not to be so silly. He thanks her and then tells her that things will have to get pretty bad before he lets Greg go. Roxy and Imogen are having a drink and when Roxy suggests she alters her schedule, so she can get home for lunch, Imogen makes up an excuse to put her off. On the stroke of mid-day, Luke turns up at the Stewart home and Imogen, dressed to kill, lets him in. When he asks where Roxy is, she says she thought she had phoned him because something had come up in the shop and she couldn’t get away. She tells him it will give them a chance to get to know one another and she takes his hand and leads him to the dinning room. Meanwhile, Roxy is delivering the groceries to the Ross house and beats a hasty retreat when Damian is not happy to see what’s been ordered. Before leaving, she asks Fin to tell Luke she stopped by, but he wasn’t in his van. Fin then tears a strip off Damian for his thoughtlessness and makes him realises how bad things are for Michael and Pippa. Back with Luke and Imogen, he’s impressed with her cooking and she’s slowly weaving her web over him. In the kitchen, she tries to come onto him but he stops her. She makes all sorts of excuses and pleads with him not to tell Roxy because it will hurt her but he can’t give her an answer because they are always straight with each other.

Damian goes to see Angel at the Fish and Chip Shop and when he tells her he’s starving, she tells him to come back later. When he goes back, Angel gets caught undercharging him and the proprietor sacks her. They go to the Diner and Angel tells Damian not to feel guilty but he’s concerned about her not having any money. She tells him not to worry and that something will turn up. Alf comes in, looking for Ailsa but Bobby tells her she’s already gone. When he tells her he was delayed because he went to get the car cleaned for her, he then adds that he needn’t have bothered, because it’s covered in mud because of the road-works he passed through. Angel overhears his predicament and after he leaves, she goes over to Bobby and tells her she has a proposition for her. Damian looks on, puzzled.

Pippa’s busy sewing when Michael returns from the meeting at the Marina and the news isn’t good but she tells him she’s going to stick by him, whatever happens. They hug.

Roxy meets up with Imogen at the Diner and Imogen tells her about the ‘walk’ she went on. Luke comes in and lies to Roxy about where he’s been.

It ends when Luke takes an unsuspecting Roxy out and Imogen is unsure about what’s going on!!!

Avril M Harrison