No. 28
Des is sitting at the table with Mike, telling him:

DES: Lassiter's insurance only covers the structural damage; *my* policy has to take care of all the fittings. It's going to be pretty tight.

Mike asks how come, and Des explains that the price of building has sky- rocketed; tradesmen can just about name their own price - not to mention the price of materials. He adds that he's glad *Harold's* coming into this: he badly needs the capital. The front doorbell rings suddenly and Mike goes to answer it. He finds Joe and Jane standing on the step. They head inside and Jane says she wanted to see if Sharon and Bronwyn need a hand with the move. Des tells her that Bronwyn's already over at No. 30. Mike adds that Sharon's with Nick at some garage sale. Joe asks Des what *he's* up to and Des replies:

DES: Working out figures.
JOE (nods): Thought you might be.

Jane goes to head out. As she does so, Des tells her that there are a couple of old chairs in the garage for No. 30. Mike follows her out to lend a hand. When they've gone, Joe sits down with Des, who asks warily:

DES: Something I can do for you?
JOE: Look, it's what *I* can do for *you*, Clarkey. Jim Robinson tells me you've got some work coming up.
DES: Yeah.
JOE: Yeah, well, I'm not just a brickie. I do a bit of plumbing... pretty handy with the tiles... wiring's a bit of a specialty...
DES: Like your mum's alarm?!
JOE: Faulty unit, mate! Not my problem! Anyway, what do you reckon? Give us a go?
DES: Oh, I don't know... I'll be calling for quotes.
JOE: No probs. Seein' as we're going to be neighbours as soon as I move into the old cheese, couldn't do much better.
DES: Well, I'll... I'll keep you in mind.
JOE: Good on ya!

No. 24
Madge is fast asleep under a blanket on the couch when Harold emerges from the bedroom area and calls out to ask if breakfast's ready yet. Madge groans as she stirs, but Harold sighs at her that it's church this morning; she can't go back to sleep. Madge murmurs:

MADGE: What do you mean 'go back to sleep'? I've hardly closed my eyes all night.
HAROLD: Why?
MADGE: You were snoring again, Harold - *loudly*.
HAROLD: Oh, surely it couldn't've been *that* bad.
MADGE: The windows were rattling!

Harold tells Madge that a little discomfort is no excuse to abandon the nuptial bed. Madge just retorts that she was *driven* from it - and it's beyond a joke. Henry emerges from the bedroom area at that moment, saying a cheery:

HENRY: Morning, boys and girls! What's cooking?!

Scott trails out after him as Harold tells him that breakfast will be as soon as Madge gathers her thoughts - but they'll have to be quick if they're going to shower before church. Scott tells him hesitantly that he and Henry thought they'd give it a miss today. Harold sighs that church services are the soul of the community. Madge, however, tells him to leave them be, and she asks Scott what he and Henry have got on today. Scott smiles:

SCOTT: Well... you *could* call it 'doing a good deed for a friend', actually!

He adds quickly that he thought they'd give Bronwyn and Sharon a hand! Harold murmurs that he's not sure he agrees with two young girls living alone, unsupervised. Madge, however, gets up and mutters at him to set the table.

No. 26
Helen is sitting at the kitchen table, talking into one of Katie's walkie- talkies, making a pretend railway station announcement. Katie is listening in the lounge room. Paul appears in the kitchen doorway suddenly and asks Helen if she's all right! Helen explains that she's just playing with Katie! Paul then asks if his dad's around, but Helen explains that he and Beverly have gone off on one of their golf marathons. Paul frowns and asks if Beverly's up to it. Helen shrugs that she's sure can manage. Paul remarks:

PAUL: I don't know if I want Gail playing sport while *she's* pregnant!
HELEN: Is there any news?
PAUL: Might be...! Yeah, she's at the hospital now: they called us early this morning and told us to come in. Seems the time's right!
HELEN: More promising than the last time?
PAUL: Gail's done her part to perfection, I've done my bit; now we've just got to see if the egg gets fertilised.

Neither Paul nor Helen is aware that the walkie- talkie is still on and Katie is listening in the lounge room. Helen asks Paul how long before they know. He tells her:

PAUL: At least 24 hours - that's why she's still there; then everything's go! They plant the embryo this afternoon!

Helen gives Paul a hug as he muses:

PAUL: To think that my future family resides in a Petri dish at the moment!

Katie comes in at that point and asks what an embryo is! Paul tells her:

PAUL: It's the very beginnings of a baby!
KATIE: Then why does Gail have to *plant* one? Aunty Beverly's got one already growing in her tummy.

Helen smiles that it's a little different for Gail. Katie asks why. Helen, however, tells her that this isn't really a conversation for little ears, and she suggests that Katie go and play outside. Katie pouts that nobody ever tells her anything! She picks up the second walkie- talkie and heads outside, leaving Helen to ask Paul:

HELEN: How would you like one like *that*?!
PAUL (sincerely): Oh gran, as long as we get a baby, we'll take whatever's on offer - believe me!

No. 24
Henry sits down with Scott at the kitchen table and grins:

HENRY: Now, come on, Shakespeare - let's get to work!

Scott, however, tells Henry that he's got to give him something to go on; why doesn't Henry tell him exactly how he feels about Bronwyn and he'll just translate it? Looking slightly nervous, Henry stands up again and says:

HENRY: Er... well... I, er... I don't think she's *beautiful* - not like some of the girls in those magazines - but she's, er... she's got a sort of warmth that just, er, glows out of her. It's a bit like... being in front of a fire on a cold night, I reckon.

Scott smiles:

SCOTT: You don't need *me*, mate! Just keep going!

Henry clears his throat and continues awkwardly:

HENRY: Er... when she's with me, it's like she's really there, you know? Not like some girls who are only thinking about how much cash you've got in your pocket. And I know she thinks what I do is funny, and not what I am. Do you know what I mean?

Scott just tells him to keep going. Henry says:

HENRY: She doesn't lie, either, so you always know where you are with her. And she's good at looking after things, too... making them grow. Um...
SCOTT: Nurturing?
HENRY: Yes! Nurturing them. The best thing, though, is... is the way I feel when I'm with her, you know? I feel like somebody bigger, smarter and better than I really am, you know? I wanna *be* all those things she thinks I am. Yeah. I *love* her, I guess, Scott.
SCOTT (smiles): Yeah... I guess you *do*.

Having finished noting things down, he shows Henry his pad containing the letter he's written. Henry reads it and then asks in astonishment if that's what he said. He beams:

HENRY: If *this* doesn't do the job, *nothing* will!

Scott smiles that the punctuation leaves a bit to be desired, but it's not too bad! Katie comes in through the back door at that moment and asks Scott and Henry what they're doing. Scott replies that they're writing a letter. Katie asks who to, and Scott tells her that it's to Bronwyn. Katie asks why, as she only lives across the road. Henry beams:

HENRY: This is a very *special* letter, Katie - one that's going to change the world as we know it!

Scott then asks Katie what she's doing there; why doesn't she go outside and play? Katie mutters that that's what *everybody* says. She heads out again, leaving Henry to pat Scott on the back, happily!

Coffee Shop
Des walks into the Coffee Shop and looks around sadly at the charred remains. He makes his way past a fallen beam and over to the counter, where he pats one of the two gnomes still sitting there. He looks in through the kitchen hatch before then spotting something on the floor and picking it up. It's a partially- burnt menu with 'Daphne's Coffee Lounge' on the front. He sighs heavily.

No. 28
Joe is sitting with Mike at the table, and he asks him if he knows when the boss is going to be back. Looking annoyed about Joe not having left yet, Mike replies coolly that he'll probably be a long time, as he's got a lot to work out with Harold. The doorbells rings suddenly and Joe goes to get it. He finds Katie on the step and she asks if Mike's home. Joe lets her in. Katie walks over to Mike and tells him that everyone keeps telling her to go outside and play, but you need *two* people to play with her walkie- talkies. Mike gives in, takes one of the machines and asks what he has to do. Katie tells him to push the button, then she can hear him; she'll tell him what's happening outside. She heads out, leaving Mike to say to Joe:

MIKE: Well, you don't need to hang round all afternoon: she'll probably be *ages* at this.
JOE: Ah, it's no probs, mate. I got a nipper of me own - same age, too. Go for it!

Mike sighs and then says into the walkie- talkie:

MIKE: Mike to Katie. Can you hear me? Over.
KATIE (from outside): Loud and clear, Mike. Visitor approaching at twelve o'clock. Over.
MIKE (frowns): What do you mean, 'twelve o'clock'?
KATIE: The front door, dummy! It's Scott.

Scott heads in through the open front door and joins Joe and Mike. He tells Mike that there's a 'fridge in Bertha which weighs a ton, and he asks him if he can give him a hand. Joe comments that it sounds like *his* cup of tea, and he heads out with them.

No. 30
Bronwyn is sitting in a pretty bare lounge room at No. 30. Jamie is in his pushchair and Jane is standing in the doorway. Bronwyn looks round at the room and sighs that it looks lousy. Jane suggests moving the table and the couch. They do so, and Jane places a lamp on the table. Henry comes in suddenly and exclaims:

HENRY: Gangway, ladies! Ramsay's Removalists are on the move!

Bronwyn and Jane heads out into the hallway, where Scott and Mike are carrying a 'fridge in through the front door as Katie stands and watches. Bronwyn stares at it and asks Henry where on earth he got it! Henry explains that one of his customers wanted him to dump it, but he thought it would suit her and Sharon. He and Mike carry it into the kitchen. Joe follows them, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead! Henry takes a quick opportunity to slip into the lounge room and lean his love letter against the lamp Jane placed on the table. He then heads back out to join the others.

Coffee Shop
Harold arrives at the Coffee Shop and apologises to Des for keeping him waiting. Des murmurs:

DES: No worries, mate. Gave me a chance to look around the old place - there's a lot to do.
HAROLD: Yes, yes, such a sorry state, eh? Still, we'll soon have reconstruction underway.

Des tells Harold that Joe Mangel came round this morning, touting for work again. Harold, looking horrified, mutters that he's such an unsavoury character. Des retorts that they wouldn't be hiring him for his personality; the renovations aren't going to be cheap. Harold points out that money isn't the *only* consideration - and surely his opinion as Business Partner should carry some weight? Des sighs:

DES: Fair enough. We'll get three quotes. We'll take the lowest: if it happens to be Joe Mangel's, you'll have to wear it.
HAROLD (looking disappointed): Oh, very well.

He then tells Des that they have a golden opportunity here to make the business more efficient. Des murmurs that Daph was always saying the kitchen was a monster to work in, but Harold tells him that the service department needs streamlining too. He suggests they have bar seating to discourage malingers. Des, however, retorts that Daph liked the idea that people were *comfortable*; she liked the idea that it was like a community centre. Harold chuckles:

HAROLD: Very commendable, I'm sure, but it doesn't put money in the till, does it?!

He adds that, with all due respect, Daphne really wasn't a businesswoman. Des retorts that she made a pretty good job of the place. Harold persists:

HAROLD: But here is our chance to make it even *better*: give it a brand new image with a new name and everything, something like-
DES (curtly): Hang on, Harold, that's it: there is going to be *no* name change; and as for that efficiency drive... apart from making it easier to run, this place stays exactly the way Daph left it.
HAROLD: Well, I think you're being over- emotional, Des-
DES (snaps): I don't care *what* you think. This is Daphne's Coffee Shop. It's *always* been Daph's. It always will be, and if you don't like it, you can lump it.

Harold stands there looking put out.

No. 30
Scott, Henry, Mike and Joe head out of No. 30, leaving Bronwyn alone in the lounge room with Jamie. She puts him down on the floor - and then spots the letter leaning against the lamp. She goes and opens it and reads it. A smile crosses her face as she sits down and takes in the content. Jane and Katie come in, Jane suggesting to Katie that she go outside and play. Katie groans that that's what *everybody* keeps saying. Bronwyn exclaims to Jane:

BRONWYN: I was *wrong* about Henry - he *does* like me. He's written me the most fantastic letter!
JANE (peering over Bronwyn's shoulder): Has he?

Katie, however, says:

KATIE: Henry didn't write it. *Scott* did. I *saw* him.

With that, she walks out, leaving Bronwyn looking upset.

No. 26
Madge is sitting at the kitchen table at No. 26 with Helen and Paul, complaining about Harold's snoring and saying it's enough to drive a woman mad! Helen chuckles and then tells her that Bill used to snore, but he sounded like a big purring pussy- cat. Madge mutters that it's all right if she gets to sleep before Harold starts, but if she doesn't, she can't. Helen insists that there must be *some* way she can stop him. Paul suggests:

PAUL: Clothes peg on his nose!

Helen suggests more seriously that Madge try whistling: it's supposed to nudge the subconscious or something. She then offers her a cuppa and Madge accepts. Helen looks at her watch and adds that Katie will be home soon, starving! Paul says:

PAUL: I wonder where she is. She's been gone a while, hasn't she?
HELEN: She's probably found someone *else* to talk to on her walkie- talkies. Her favourite toy at the moment.

No. 28
Joe sits down at the table with a beer. He asks Mike - who's busy working - if he can get him one, but Mike declines. He adds coolly:

MIKE: Don't you *have* any in your own 'fridge?
JOE: No. That's why I'm drinking *yours*!

Des arrives home at that moment, and comments to Joe in surprise:

DES: You *still* here?
JOE: Yeah, well, I thought I'd hang around, see how it went. First in, best dressed, eh?

Des just tells Joe that the plans aren't final, yet; he'll let him know when they are. Joe nods that he'll choof off and check them later. He heads out, leaving Mike to mutter:

MIKE: Thank god for that. He is... so *thick*.
DES (snaps): Thick? You wanna hear about thick? I'll tell you about *thick*.

Neither he nor Mike pays any attention to the walkie- talkie still on the table...

Ramsay Street
Katie is out on the street, listening to Mike and Des's conversation on the other walkie- talkie! Joe emerges from No. 28 and crosses the street towards No. 32, but then heads for No. 24 when he spots Harold pulling up in his car. He tells Harold that he's just the man he wanted to see. Harold, however, just tells Joe tersely that they'll be in touch in due course. He then spots Katie and he walks over to her and smiles:

HAROLD: Enjoying your new toy, I see!
KATIE: Yeah! You can hear all sorts of things!
HAROLD (warns): It's not polite to eavesdrop, you know.
KATIE: Don't you want to know what they're saying about you?
HAROLD (looking surprised): Who?
KATIE: Mr. Clarke and Mike!
HAROLD: Well... um... very well. Give it here.

Katie hands over the walkie- talkie and Harold listens as Des tells Mike angrily that Harold wanted to change the name to 'Bishop Bistro' or something. He adds that Harold carries on like an old woman half the time. Katie starts sniggering as a look of fury crosses Harold's face.

No. 24
Scott is sitting at the kitchen table, typing on a typewriter, when Bronwyn marches in through the front door, holding the letter he wrote on Henry's behalf, and says curtly:

BRONWYN: *You* wrote this, didn't you.
SCOTT (looking taken aback): Who said?
BRONWYN: Katie. It was the lousiest trick... What if I'd *believed* all this mush?
SCOTT: You *can* believe it.
BRONWYN (disbelievingly): Sure!
SCOTT: Look, Bronny, he told me how much he likes you.
BRONWYN: As a friend. Nothing else.
SCOTT: I'm sorry, but you're *wrong*.
BRONWYN: *Am* I? If he'd wanted things different, he'd tell me *himself*.
SCOTT: But he doesn't even think you want to *know* about him.
BRONWYN: No, *you're* the one who doesn't think, Scott.

With that, she throws down the letter and marches out. Scott stands there looking annoyed. He sits back down at the table and buries his head in his hands. Henry emerges from his room at that moment and asks who was there. Scott murmurs that Bronny was. Henry asks if she read the letter and what she said. Scott hesitates before replying:

SCOTT: Katie told her *I* wrote it.
HENRY (sighs): Terrific. I've blown it, Scott. I'm *dead*.

No. 28
Des is still sitting at the table with Mike, snapping that if it wasn't for Harold's money, he wouldn't have a *bar* of him. Mike, however, insists that Harold's not that bad; he's a little over- enthusiastic, maybe, but there's nothing wrong with that. There's suddenly a knock at the front door, and Des goes to answer it, saying angrily as he does so:

DES: He can try his enthusiasm on someone *else*, as far as I'm concerned. I tell you what: I've never been-

He breaks off as he opens the door and finds an angry Harold standing there. Des growls:

DES: What do *you* want?
HAROLD (coldly): To tell you I have just heard every word.
DES (blankly): What?
HAROLD: And since my money is the only thing that you're interested in, you can consider our business partnership *terminated*.