Wednesday 1 January 1997
Curly was not having the easiest time following his return
from his aborted round the world trip. First off to tear strips
from his hide was Sam who had put him up for the night in the
house she was now renting from him. Curly tried the outright approach
of trying to claim his house only to get a direct rebuttal. After
all everything was signed and sealed between them.
Next off on Curly's bad day was a simple trip to the corner shop. As Curly explained to Maud and Maureen about the good things he had come back for he had an extra pair of ears playing audience with Bill standing next to him. With a somewhat knowing look Bill then left the shop and set off to see his son Carl. Maureen collared Curly outside and angrily told him he should have stayed away because Bill now knew of her infidelity.
He then went to the Rovers where he found Vera looking for an explanation as to why he had returned. She soon gave up listening when Curly's chat became too "profound" for her ears.
The McDonald's gathered round at Andy and Anne's house with Jim turning up early to fix an aspect of dodgy plumbing. Liz dropped by unexpectedly as they were all having lunch and before long the topic of conversation got on to the welfare of Steve. This annoyed Anne as she had been enjoying boring everyone to tears with her story of how promotion was looking good for her at Firman's Freezers. Things almost got heated as Liz recounted what Frazer Henderson had informed her about Malcolm Fox. This obviously irked Jim as he kept referring to Frazer as her "gentleman friend" in his best sarcastic tones.
Martin and Gail had been invited to dinner over at Alma and Mike's place. It was a very smart affair with everyone dressed up to the nines and when we returned to the proceedings Mike was in full flow with his views on business and who should be paid what. He was obviously a bit on the wrong side of the booze as it made him rather loose tongued. He started off using Tricia as an example of the worst aspects of a workforce. He then began using Don as an example of a failure in business amongst other things.
This raised Martin's temper a touch and he mentioned how Don had tried to kill himself over Christmas. That stopped Baldwin in his tracks but only briefly and before long he quickly reassumed his verbal bashing of Weatherfield's manic depressive cabbie. Gail could be seen to be simmering and luckily the party broke up soon afterwards with Martin and Gail making their excuses and leaving. This left Mike to face the wrath of his equally annoyed wife....
Curly was on the phone grovelling to Eric Firman regarding his job at Firman's Freezer. It looked like his pleas for his old job were successful because he was soon back in the saddle at his old post. Eric informed Curly he was going to ring Anne regarding her not getting the job she had been hunting for (HA HA!). This left only one area unresolved and that was where Curly was going to live. Sam wasn't prepared to budge on the issue of tenancy and wouldn't take Curly as her lodger.
Maxine was avoiding Curly like the plaque which aroused Fiona's suspicions and once back at Fiona's flat she explained under duress how she had spent the night with Curly. This amused Fiona no end although Maxine swore Fiona to secrecy. A little while later Fiona's boyfriend turned up on the doorstep following his inconsiderate absence over the new year. He showed no remorse and offered no apology as such but after a few minutes Fiona was back in his arms again. His entire attitude was stand-offish and very very arrogant IMO.
Don was mentioning a letter he had sent to Mike Baldwin in the Rovers in conversation with Martin. We didn't know what it contained but could it be a suicide note delayed by the post from the other week sent to his old enemy.
Friday 3 January 1997
There was some troubled times ahead for Alma as she started
the day off in an optimistic enough mood. However things very
quickly soured for her as the post at the cafe arrived. Amidst
the usual mail for the cafe was a letter from none other than
Don Brennan.
Alma read the note which was dated Christmas Eve, the night Don tried to take his own life. It's content was generally foul mouthed and abusive towards her and Mike. It's content left Alma shocked, Gail tried to tell her not place to much credence in the letter but it had obviously affected her deeply.
The episode focussed a good deal on Curly tonight, his attitude seems to have undergone a metamorphosis at the moment. He went through the episode with something of a swaggering cocksure way about himself tonight which wasn't entirely likeable.
However the women of the Street were quick to put him in his place starting with Sam who had took an instant disliking to him slobbing around the house which left her unable to relax in her own home. Curly asked for a bit of leniency when it came to his eviction but Sam wisely put her foot down. Tonight would be his last night under the roof of his own home for the time being.
Curly took himself off to work where his presence would have even more repercussions. He was already in his office when Anne walked in expecting to take over the reins at Firman's. She was obviously disappointed about losing out on the promotion but it was more than the job which was upsetting her. She explained her honesty towards him at Christmas in which she spoke of her attraction to him would be the cause of problems within their working environment.
Curly in somewhat glib form explained that "it was only a kiss" and tried to write off the situation as a bit of harmless Christmas flirtation. It was obvious that this wasn't satisfactory for Anne but she was going to have to deal with it.
Judy wasn't impressed to find her husband Gary working on his ex-bike with it's new owner Sam. The two were attempting to sort out a mechanical problem but Judy's imagination was working on the idea of Sam working on her husband. Gary however had done his good deed for the day in arranging for Joyce to get her old flat back after he had squared it with the landlord and settled her debt.
Tricia played a bit of a double bluff tonight explaining to Jack how she had informed the Social Security and the CSA about Terry being the father of the child thus meaning he would be collared for maintenance. However when Jack had left the room Tricia confided to Vera that she had left Terry's name out of the matter. Thus he would not be around to cause more trouble and heartbreak as he had with little Tommy.
Curly's bags were finally packed and he was effectively homeless courtesy of a strict Sam. With no roof over his head he went and sought solace in the Rovers. There he encountered Maxine who did her best to hide from him unsuccessfully. Curly asked her over for a drink and the two sat down to have a quick chat. Before Curly could say anything Maxine in no uncertain terms explained that the night she had spent with Curly had been a mistake and not one she wished to be repeated. Thus she made him swear silence on the matter and that it never be raised again.
Bill was having a hard time forgiving Maureen for her infidelity, his main cause for concern was the fact that it had taken him so long to get her in the sack yet Curly hardly had to snap his fingers. Maureen wanted to drop the subject but Bill wasn't happy with that. Maureen tried to elucidate on the matter by saying it wasn't just a one night stand. She explained that the two had a history that predated her marriage to Reg (just). This only served to add fuel to the fire for Bill though.
There was a decidedly cold atmosphere at the Baldwin residence following Mike's reading of the letter from Don. The fact that he found it amusing only made Alma more crestfallen. She was tired of Mike's insensitive behaviour and the fact that although he felt exonerated of any blame in regard to Don's suicide attempt she was still married to a man who many felt was partially responsible for Don's misfortunes. Mike reacted angrily to Alma's point of view effectively turning the tables on the argument and saying how she often looked at him with disgust. Mike went out to dine alone.
Curly had found lodgings for a few days at Anne and Andy's house which all things considered was a bad choice of venue. Andy innocently led the would be Weatherfield lothario home. Anne almost dropped through the floor when she saw him and when Andy was out of earshot asked him how he could be so insensitive. She then angrily stomped upstairs to bed.
Sunday 5 January 1997
A well stocked episode was in the offing tonight with plenty
going on with a lot of the cast involved. Alma was amongst the
main players as she was still finding the issue of Don's letter
hard to deal with. Mike was still telling her to drop the subject
but it was clear that she couldn't do that and a visit to Don
was to be in order.
Anne was still unhappy about Curly being the lodger in her home and was not being subtle in expressing her displeasure. Andy of course was still in the dark about Anne's reasons and neither she nor Curly were going to be quick to furnish him with the answers he would need to work everything out. One thing Anne did however was set a mass of ground rules for Curly while he was going to be living in the house. Things like putting the cap on the toothpaste and lowering the toilet seat. To put it bluntly Anne really had taken a measure of dislike to Andy.
Jim and Bill were at Fiona's salon measuring up for a quote to basically redesign the interior. Bill was stomping around like a bear with a sore head snapping at Jim's every passing phrase. Eventually Jim got round to asking Bill what the problem was and the truth was revealed about Curly and Maureen's night of passion over the Christmas period.
At first Jim could barely stifle his laughter and his attitude was one of total disbelief but when Bill's face remained a stony mask then Jim could see there was no kidding about the matter. Jim's only words of consolation on the matter were that at least the two of them weren't married before Bill found out what the prospective Mrs Webster was like.
Gary Mallett had finally got his most desired wish as today was the day Joyce moved out. Her old flat was waiting for her and her immediate debt seemed clear. Although it looks like she wouldn't be wasting any time running up fresh ones as she secretly offered Vera her catalogue services. Judy Mallett was all disapproving looks as Gary innocently tried to help Sam with some minor work on the bike. I think Judy feels genuinely threatened by Sam's presence.
Alma bit the bullet and went to see Don Brennan regarding the letter, Ashley could see an argument brewing and promptly bailed out to the Rovers. Alma asked why Don had picked her as the recipient for the abusive letter. An unrepentant Don claimed that as she was married to Mike she was partially the architect of his misfortunes. Alma defended Mike against Don's ridiculous ramblings as he wittered on about how his life had been effectively destroyed by Mike.
In the Rovers Curly was drinking alone with little in the way of company coming along at any time soon. Martin had to leave early to spend the afternoon with his family and Maureen was hardly prepared to come and sit with Curly for a drink. Bill and Jim wandered in with Bill effectively blanking Maureen when she asked him for a quick word. Jim also warned Andy in a somewhat cryptic fashion about the presence of Curly in his home.
Speaking of the Rovers, Jack spent the episode trying to dislodge the permanently attached Tricia and Jamie from living at the pub. However no amount of hinting seemed to do the trick with Tricia although Jamie suspected that hints were being dropped at one stage. Vera took to flanneling Jack with tales of how his influence on Jamie had been such a good thing.
Ken returned from a frankly disastrous trip to see Daniel in Scotland, Denise and Co had effectively alienated Daniel from Ken. It was clear that Daniel was getting the best of everything in his treatment but it was also clear to Ken that his son was forgetting who his father was.
Alma revealed that she had been to see Don and this prompted much ranting from Mike. However before her husband could finish venting his annoyance Alma explained how she truly felt. She expressed her distaste at what Mike had done. She hated the fact that Mike had took great dislike in grinding Don into the ground. Not a point I particularly agree with but there you go. The argument got switched round to the subject of betrayal and Steven Reid with Alma claiming she had never betrayed Mike with Steven. Mike seemed to be testing the water for a reaction because he announced that Steven would be coming to see him in the next week.
Monday 6 January 1997
Weatherfield seemed to be getting back to it's normal working
routine following the Christmas/New Year festivities. Starting
off with Baldwin's slowly rolling back into life with Sally back
in the saddle running the show in Mike's absence.
Mike himself was getting ready to go back to work as well but his more important priority was meeting Stephen Reid who was over on another of his transatlantic jaunts to see his KayBec agents. This of course generated the usual in fighting between Mike and Alma as Mike chided Alma about her affection toward Stephen.
A good deal of the episode dealt with Jack's resentment towards Tricia and Jamie's extended stay at the Rovers. What annoyed him was the obvious drain they were placing on the pub's resources. Through their presence the Rover's lost two potential Bed & Breakfast customers. Jack continued to make comments throughout the day regarding Tricia but Vera as per normal defended Tricia.
Don was due to go to court today which was of course going to final nail in his personal coffin as he faced the judge on drink driving charges. Jack wished him luck but all the while advised him not to take the car on account of him not being able to drive back.
Mike turned up at the factory with Stephen just as Sally was scanning the answering machine for new messages. Unfortunately her timing could have been better because she unwittingly played back another one of Don's little fire and brimstone rant and raves. This interested Stephen who was curious to know why anyone should hate Mike so much as to pour as much hatred into a message for him.
Mike was quick on his feet and explained Don's reputation in the locality was that of a loser and a drunk. All the same Stephen was interested to know more and the matter was yet to end there.
Jim and Liz put aside their differences long enough to share the same breathing space on a visit to see Steve. They were both there more or less to quiz Steve's involvement with Malcolm Fox. Steve swore blind that Frazer was making up stories of the two of them being "thick as thieves" to get closer to Liz. Jim was sure Steve was telling the truth but Liz was not convinced.
Eric Firman let Curly in on a little gem of information regarding his "would be" replacement at Firman's if he had indeed left for pastures new. According to Eric, Anne was not first in line for the job running the branch. Instead he was prepared to bring Reg Holdsworth back from Lowestoft and out of the wilderness as it were. Curly relayed this news to Anne and it seemed to propagate a little bit of piece between them.
Don returned back from the court with an 18 month ban and a £400 fine on top. Jack offered condolences and a drink which didn't strike me as the most constructive advice on offer. However it did seem the only advice he would be prepared to take. Emily also caught Jack out when she discovered he had been looking through the charity box for a new pair of glasses. Vera ashamed by what her husband had done took his old raggedy specs and smashed them on the floor. Now he would have to buy a new pair.
Ken had been formulating a battle plan to win back Daniel unfortunately it appeared to be falling around his ears. Ken had been relying on Denise's sister to play the star witness. Unfortunately she appeared to have endured something of a breakdown since her husband had left her and was in no state to give any kind of help to anyone. Another setback came in the shape of Fiona who did an about turn when she announced she couldn't give evidence against Denise when she had been so fairly treated by her with regards to the salon and so forth.
In the Rovers Stephen was finding out more about the Don Brennan story from Gail and Martin. He learned of the attempted suicide and the garage misfortune which had lead to Don's life spiralling to such a low ebb.
As Stephen left the Rovers for the night he witnessed an argument between Mike and Don. Mike had gone round to Don's house threatening lawyers over Don's slanderous actions. Don cared little as he obviously had little left to lose. However you could tell Stephen was looking at Mike in a new light.
Wednesday 8 January 1997
A few developments moving on tonight with Jack kicking off
by playing saint and saviour to Don Brennan. It was clear that
now Don had lost his only means of income he was going to be sinking
further and further into the financial mire. Jack became his lifeline
by making him an offer for his share of Betty's Hot Shot. Incidentally
Jack also bought a new natty pair of glasses which I half expect
will get broke in no time at all bringing back the trademark elastoplast.
Don was reluctant to take Jack's money on account of how Jack had paid for the upkeep of Don's share of the horse. However after an amusing but of backward haggling Don sold his share for £150. This actually put a smile on Don's face which was something of a change.
Sam was still battling with the motorbike and yet again Gary Mallett was on hand to offer his helping hands. Judy of course adopted her usual pose of hanging out of the bedroom window in an effort to drag her husband away from his errand. Anyway the upshot of the situation was the bike remained unfixed.
Tricia was putting a brave face on things now she was back at home. She insisted that she was better off at home even though in truth she would rather be at the Rovers. This mirrored pretty much how Vera felt about the situation and she had let Jack know in no uncertain terms her feelings.
Alma phoned Stephen Reid who was at Mike's factory doing an impromptu inspection of the site. She wanted to meet him at the Rovers for a drink and for a chat. Stephen agreed to the meeting later that evening.
Fiona was once again almost let down by her unreliable boyfriend he turned up late at the Rovers. Once again his attitude was a totally unapologetic one which makes you wonder why Fiona sticks with him at all.
Alf was up before the judge with regards to his driving offences. Audrey seemed to be under the misguided belief that his membership of the Square Dealers would mean on quick secret handshake and he would be in the clear.
The early evening signalled the meeting between Alma and Stephen where she had decided to clear the air and ask if they could agree to be just friends. Stephen was in full agreement to this and mentioned he had only kept his distance from her in the recent past because he was scared of any gossip that she might be saddled with.
Sam had been working out in the yard in complete frustration with her bike. She looked ready to give up when Jim turned and offered his help. He explained his history with the machine and before you knew it the bike was fixed. Sam definitely looked at Jim in a new light following this little revelation of his mechanical skills.
Anne decided to tell Andy the truth about what had happened between her and Curly in an effort to get him out of the house. Rather than fly off the handle as "Princess Tippy Toes" had more than likely anticipated Andy merely looked at her in a deadpan and remarked that why should he throw Curly out because she had made a fool of herself. This of course made Anne storm upstairs in a classic sulk. Andy meanwhile went to the pub for a drink with Curly.
That was a nice plot twist with an enjoyable response from Andy.
Friday 10 January 1997
A steady episode with a lot of the more minor issues taking
precedence tonight. Andy spent the episode looking cheesed off
more and more as his relationship with Anne started looking more
and more rocky. Jim McDonald was looking a bit like the cat which
had got the cream. The reason being the fact that Sam was paying
him a bit of attention thanks to his maintenance work on her bike.
It was plain to see that humble Jim might be fancying his chances
and with lewd Gary Mallett egging him on it only made him worse.
Alma admitted to Mike she had been out for a drink with Steven Reid in the Rovers the previous night. The two managed to discuss the matter rationally without either of them resorting to an argumentative level.
Ken received a visit from Denise and Daniel, it was of course a complete surprise to him that they were here but he invited them in nonetheless. Denise was in the area with Brian and was offering Ken the chance to have Daniel over for the night allowing him to spend some time with his father.
Ken of course didn't trust Denise an inch and questioned her motives immediately. Denise merely explained that she no longer wished to be viewed as the enemy in the situation and wanted them both to co-operate when it came to matters of Daniel's future. Effectively a little bit of bribery was taking place here which was pointed out by Dreary. If Ken allowed Denise custody then he would find more and more visits from Daniel coming his way.
Tricia was preparing for Vera's visit to her flat and was making some little preparations for the occasion. These included turning the heating off which chilled the flat nicely for Vera's arrival. Vera noticed the cold immediately and this started her trying to get Tricia back to the Rovers. Tricia was in agreement but before she went anywhere she wanted to be sure that Jack was in agreement to her staying. She explained how she had heard him complain about her presence before and this had upset her.
Before the end of the episode a joyous Tricia and Jamie were setting up home at the Rovers again while Jack had to put up with the situation through gritted teeth.
Anne had endured something of a particularly unpleasant day and this wasn't made any better by the fact that when she got home Andy had given Curly an effective free range on how long he could stay at their home. It almost seemed like Andy was becoming confrontational towards Anne in an effort to upset her meticulous nature.
Stephen Reid came to see Mike and Alma with bad tidings. KayBec were showing concern about Mike's involvement with Don Brennan. Apparently KayBec have a squeaky clean image to maintains and as a result they were severing the contract between themselves and Mike. To say Mike was shocked was an understatement.
Sunday 12 January 1997
A few things coming to the boil tonight but amongst the prominent
storylines was Mike and Alma's problems. Stephen Reid effectively
pulling the plug on the KayBec contract had left Baldwin in somewhat
dire consequences. So today was the day he set out to locate Stephen
and find out in more detail what had caused his decision.
Amongst the other storylines in the first part one was Jack warning Vera about the potential heartache that would loom on the horizon if she grew too attached to Tricia and the baby. Jack warned that she could run off with someone after the baby was born and she would be facing the same heartache she faced with young Tommy.
Jim and Bill were tearing the salon to bits in preparation for it's reconstruction. Fiona and her boyfriend thus decided to nip over to the Rovers for a drink where he announced he was taking her for a meal. This shocked Fiona as usually she could never get any plans out of him further than three minutes ahead. I maintain there is something suspicious about the guy.
Curly wandered into the corner shop looking for groceries as he planned to cook Anne and Andy something as a thank you for their kindness in letting him stay over. There was an awkward scene between Curly and Maureen especially as Maud was chiming in the background about how Curly should rent a room in their house or perhaps take the flat above the shop. Maureen looked aghast but Curly deftly made his excuses and left.
Mike took to camping out in the hotel foyer in an effort to locate Stephen Reid and eventually he managed to catch up with him. The two of them sat down over a drink with Mike hoping to find out the real reason behind his lose of the contract. Stephen explained that the truth was in fact Don Brennan and the potential scandal attached to his suicide attempt.
Mike was completely disbelieving and tried to find any other excuse to cover the reason for his separation from KayBec even using his Alma his wife as a potential excuse. Perhaps he thought that Stephen was too embarrassed to continue trading with him because of what had happened in the past. Stephen claimed it was absolutely nothing to do with Alma though leaving Mike no closer to salvaging his deal.
The atmosphere in the household of Anne and Andy was plunging below zero as Curly prepared dinner. Andy was acting cold to Anne and she was stamping her feet on account of Curly still being in the house. Curly of course seemed to drift innocently above it all as he made lunch.
As they eat the meal there were more snappy exchanges from Anne in particular as she directed them at Curly. Eventually Curly got up to leave but Andy pre-empted him and went outside to clean his car. When he had gone Anne told Curly she had come clean to Andy about their little kiss at Christmas. Curly instantly assumed this had caused the disintegration of the relationship but he was wrong.
In conversation with Andy he discovered that the relationship from Andy's point of view was floundering anyway and that he no longer felt like living in the house. He explained that living with Anne and her picky perfection ways was driving him insane.
The evening came and Mike returned home after spending a day searching for more work fruitlessly. He explained the gravity of the situation and how if he didn't find work for the factory then they would lose everything including all Alma's assets as well.
Andy finished off the episode by packing his bags and leaving the house leaving a shocked Anne running after him and wanting him to stay. Curly merely sat on the sofa squirming somewhat methinks.
Monday 13 January 1997
The saga rolled on with events swinging on to Curly's little
love tryst's taking precedence. However things were kicked off
with Tricia getting a little bit too high and mighty for Sam's
liking as she acted more than a little bit lippy in her presence.
Andy was hardly the lovesick fool his father thought he was as he moved back into Coronation Street. Jim predicted that Andy would be back in Anne's life and house within days but Andy maintained he was better off out of the situation.
Bill was still having something of a crisis of deliberation as he pondered over whether to rekindle the flames of his relationship with Maureen or whether to let things die out of their own accord. To make matters worse today was Maureen's birthday and Maud was dropping heavy hints that Bill should spend some time with her.
Bill and Jim were actually pretty busy with the salon however and apart for the odd delay in receiving some bits and pieces things looked like they might be finished on time. Fiona and Maxine were taking the opportunity to chat about Alan, Fiona's boyfriend. Maxine made the suggestion that he might be married but Fiona dismissed it out of hand...perhaps unwisely ?
Mike was ringing round looking for work for his factory putting a brave face on the fact that he looked like losing everything. However he admitted to Alma that this was the day he needed more help than he ever had before.
This influenced Alma's mood throughout the day as she served in the cafe, she was downright miserable and despite Gail's concern was in frame of mind to reveal what the problem was. Even Roy showed concern that Alma wasn't as chipper as she usually was.
Curly was playing the go between on behalf of both Andy and Anne feeling that it was his fault that their relationship had collapsed. However both parties were happy with the fact that everything was over and done with. Anne seemed more concerned with getting the house back in order following Andy's bad habits leaving their mark on her property. Andy was still defiant and assured that he was in fact better out of things. He claimed Anne's obsessive ways had sent him round the twist.
As the conversation between Andy and Jim continued it came to public knowledge that Curly was in fact now living with Anne and Bill overheard this and recommended that Andy go round and knock Curly's teeth out of his head.
Tricia apologised to Sam for being mouthy and the two settled their differences and it looked like the beginning of a friendship forming between the two of them.
Bill went round to see Maureen and the two spoke of reconciliation but as soon as talk of Curly resurfaced then things went sour. Bill tried to ease his own discomfort with the situation by blaming everything on Curly. Maureen however painted herself as quite the temptress and the two ended up rowing with Bill being effectively kicked out of the shop when Bill announced that Curly was now living with Anne and Andy was back in the Street.
Alma went to see Stephen Reid possibly in a last ditch attempt to salvage the contract. However we saw a very very different Stephen Reid tonight. The business talk was kept to a minimum before Stephen turned predatory and tried to bed Alma. He believed he was irresistible to her and she would melt into his arms but instead she got up and walked out.
Wednesday 15 January 1997
Tonight saw Alma's previous feelings for Stephen Reid mutate
into serious dislike as she relayed what had happened when she
had been to see him in a last ditch attempt to save the KayBec
contract. Mike was more supportive than he had been in recent
times and actually admitted how he felt about Alma and what it
would do to him if he lost her.
Bill was still fuming about Curly and how he seemed to always be around where he was. Jim was still playing the confidante and told Bill to try and sort out his feelings for the sake of his relationship with Maureen. Bill's anger however was going to take some shutting down as he now couldn't stand the site of Curly.
Fiona was due to go out for a meal with Alan tonight and intended the night to be something of a "cards on the table" session. The reason for this was Maxine's suspicions of Alan being married had now crept into Fiona's head.
Don toddled around bawling about the injustice when he discovered Alf's loss of driving license hadn't been published in the press. He was annoyed because his ban had been mentioned the week before. Hence Don went round in a very alt.car.conspiracy mood.
Audrey met Stephen for lunch today and this showed him in his true colours as he explained how he cut all ties with Mike's company. He "explained" how Alma had tried to get him to reconsider his position on the matter. He insinuated that Alma had wanted to sleep with him when in truth she had given him the brush off. This sent Audrey's imagination into overdrive as we would see later.
Mike meanwhile was in somewhat melancholy mood as he spoke with Sally as he looked out across the factory floor. He mentioned that it was time for change and diversification. Less of KayBec and more of something else it would seem.
Audrey entered the cafe and made life difficult for Alma with some sniping talk against her. She insinuated Alma had been particularly desperate to keep the contract and who knows how low she would sink to get her and Mike's way.
Alan and Fiona went out for their meal, all through the meal Alan was on edge and seemed distracted. This annoyed Fiona especially when Alan disappeared to make a phone call. Fiona asked him outright if he was married which he denied. Moments later two police officers entered the restaurant and put a man under arrest ably assisted by Alan.
He revealed later in the Rovers he was working on a hunch and suspected that the apprehended criminal might be in the restaurant tonight. Apparently the place belonged to the criminal's brother making him turning up more than likely. Alan explained how his job was like being married to another woman. However Fiona seemed to accept this pretty well and it looks like the relationship can move forward.
Bill and Maureen met in the Rovers and decided to restart their relationship without any mention of Curly Watts to impede their progress. Both parties were happy with this and another relationship looked to be on better terms tonight.
Curly and Anne nipped into the Rovers for a drink with Curly already looking harassed in Anne's presence. Andy of course handled them blankly without any emotion at all. Later back at home Anne cooked Curly a special meal and the two sat down together. Anne was already showing some very clingy behaviour as she sung Curly's praises for being more mature than his predecessor. Curly looked a bit worried by all this.
Alma was in somewhat despondant form as she prepared to go into work, Mike asked her to take the day off to get away from it all but Alma was insistent that she would face up to going in. She eventually rolled in late at 9:30 to be greeted by a somewhat miffed looking Gail who had recruited Roy as he thought Alma wasn't coming in.
There was bad blood brewing between Kevin and Tony at the garage, Tony was wanting a fortnight holiday but Kevin was unrelenting in denying him the time off. The business needed the two of them on hand to take care of the workload. Tony's mood got darker as he realised he wasn't going to get his way this time.
At the factory Mike Baldwin confessed the loss of the Kaybec contract to Sally who reckoned it was time he came clean to the girls. Mike was forced to admit she was right and went downstairs to tell all the contract with KayBec was no more. He did a fairly good rallying job on the troops and convinced everyone bar himself that they would only experience a temporary hiccup while he located more work.
In the Rovers, Jack was getting ready to watch Betty's Hot Shot in the races on TV. He thought little of the nag's chances and voiced his opinion with regularity. Still he and Don along with Vera sat down to watch the race. The tension mounted as their horse slowly and painfully began to drag itself up the rankings throughout the race. Jack was still being negative about the horse whilst Don kept telling everyone it would be just his luck for the horse to win.
In truth that is what happened, Betty's Hot Shot crossed the line first and Jack had a crafty little giggle to himself whilst Vera hit the roof with joy. Don of course became a vision of fire and brimstone cursing his misfortune and accusing everyone of fiddling him yet again.
The win amounted to about £400 for Jack's share which Vera accounted for straight away. However Jack didn't seem too worried as he had placed a secret eachway bet on the horse which would now pay it's dividends. Jack would have had all the money from the bet to himself until Fred opened his mouth that he had been speaking to Des Barnes and heard of Jack's win. That of course meant the bet money was spoken for by Vera as well as she fancied a new coat.
Ken and Denise sat and talked about Daniel and eventually though it pained him to relent to Denise's wishes it looked like he was backing down. He insisted on paying money into an account for Daniel's future well being.
Roy told Don Brennan over a shandy about his hard day in the cafe, he mentioned what had happened with regard to Baldwin losing his contract and that effectively made his day.
Mike sat down with Alma and revealed his true feelings about his current predicament. Help was not going to be forthcoming in the near future as many of his old colleagues in the trade were going out of business rapidly including some of his old and most trusted friends and associates. He admitted things were looking bleak and there would be redundancies at the factory soon.
Friday 17 January 1997
Sunday 19 January 1997
Jack called a meeting of the racing syndicate in an effort
to lynch Fred Elliott for what they saw as his betrayal of their
trust. The meeting was being called in the Rovers and one by one
the assembled members gathered at the bar.
Upon completion of the assembly, Jack ushered everyone through to the back where they would commence the meeting. Fred was forced to back pedal on the defensive as he came under fire from all quarters. It seemed Fred had been enjoying cosy lunches with the horse trainer. She had been feeding Fred information about the horse and it's form. This allowed Fred to win a tidy sum in Betty's Hot Shot's last race. The syndicate's grievance was Fred had kept his information very quiet indeed.
Thus as a matter of course their was a vote on what course of action should be taken to deal with the matter. It was decided that nobody should visit the trainer without another member being present at the same time. This would avoid the secrecy and any potential scheming going on. With that the meeting was more or less concluded and a good job it was too as the amounts being drunk would sink a battleship.
Curly was facing problems of his own as he returned to his erstwhile home with Anne. The prospect was not good as he sat having Sunday lunch with her parents. Curly fielded off a few awkward questions about Raquel whilst Anne simpered away in the corner giving the impression that she and Curly were very much together as a couple. In fact Anne's somewhat deluded behaviour bordered on the verge of being somewhat uncomfortable to watch.
Mike meanwhile was playing detective and was ringing round some other KayBec suppliers. He was starting to discover a strange trend emerging as he did so. Nearly all the KayBec contracts were going up in thin air, of course all the people Mike spoke to came up with their own excuses for parting with KayBec but the story was the same all the way through. Stephen Reid had lied through his teeth about Don Brennan's implication it would seem.
Ashley was helping Don sell his car today as he obviously had no further need for it without a license. Becky came past and swooned a little over Ashley but then nothing is new there. After a successful sale Don retired to the Rover's to open his big gob and start badmouthing Mike Baldwin and laughing at his misfortune. Martin and Kevin were pretty disgusted at Don's behaviour and commented on the jobs that would be lost if Mike closed. Don retorted with his usual logical response "Well they shouldn't have worked for him anyway".
Meanwhile over at Gail's house there was a potential claw fest in the offing as Sally (bless her) proved that beneath that kitten soft exterior there was something a bit stronger. Her reason for being there was to ask if Gail knew anything about what Stephen Reid had said about Mike losing the contract. Audrey happened to be there and immediately jumped to Stephen's defence. What followed was Sally and Audrey subtly picking at each other with barbed comments. Sally taking Mike's side and declaring the injustice of it all. Whilst Audrey claimed it was the fault of Mike and the blame should be laid at his doorstep. Alf walked in drunk at this point which is good because I think Sally was out of her depth here.
Curly sat talking to Anne after her parents left and tried to explain that Anne and he were not an item. He tried to make his point about only being her lodger but she simply didn't seem to be taking the hint. In desperation Curly rushed upstairs and packed his things and fled back to his own house. There he was confronted with an angry Samantha but rather than buckle and leave he stood his ground and said he wasn't going anywhere.
Monday 20 January 1997
Curly was back in his home and firmly intending to stay despite
the protests of Samantha. Curly played something of an ace in
the hole threatening possible legal action to see how water tight
the contract between him and his tenant was. Sam relented and
for a decent rebate on the rent Curly found himself with a roof
over his head again away from the clutches of the demonic Anne.
Speaking of Anne, she was definitely getting more crazed by the episode and tonight was no exception. She kicked off by phoning a fearful Curly claiming that she understood how he had been hurt before and how she would let him "back home" into her house without question. Curly declined the offer but upon getting back to work he found Anne applying the pressure for him to move back even harder. Again Curly resisted her efforts but this only served to make Anne angry and hell hath no fury....
When Curly made his position clear Anne swore vengeance and went to see Eric Firman who was in the branch that day. She turned on the tears and began to tell Eric something about her beloved Mr. Watts
The cafe was a scene of an atmosphere that could have been cut with one of Alma's knives. Roy was doing his level best to try and cut it but it was to no avail. Of course the friction boiled down to the situation between Mike and Stephen Reid. Here we had two factions in what looked like could be an ongoing war.
Don's luck took a turn for the better as he got a job at the taxi rank four nights a week. However he still faced the venom of Sally who blamed him for the misfortunes that Mike was facing and how it could spell the end of her job within a short time.
Ashley meanwhile had his haircut and faced a fair bit of flirting and flannel from Maxine. She was looking for a model for some up and coming hairdressing event. Ashley of course let his mind wander and figured he had pulled. That was strictly not the case though.
Anne's little chat with Eric had some repercussions, Curly found himself on the receiving end of an unexpected paid holiday. Curly protested but Eric insisted that Curly take the week off leaving Anne running the show. It would seem that a spurned Anne had made noises of sexual harassment on Curly's part which left Eric in a tricky predicament. Anne was obviously out to make trouble and demonstrated this later in the Rovers as she screamed at Sam like a demented harpy claiming Sam had stole "her man".
Mike's attempts to trace Stephen Reid had been met with a high level of failure. However Alma had discovered Stephen was dining with Gail and Martin and Audrey and Alf. He promptly took himself round to their house for a little showdown. Mike announced what he had learned about KayBec's ditch the supplier policy and began talking about legal action. Stephen took this on the chin and effectively laughed it off. After all what was Mike Baldwin to the mighty KayBec organisation. Mike then left the house with one of his infamous frowns on his face. I have to note that Gail was looking at her brother with something of a distrusting look on her face at this point.
Wednesday 22 January 1997
There was bad feeling all round starting with Ken doubting
his actions when it came down to fighting for Daniel. Dreary of
course offered words of reassurance but it all rang hollow for
Ken.
The real meat of the episode was the steadily brewing feud between Alma and Mike and Audrey and Co. It was made even worse by Alma arriving in her own cafe to find Audrey already there shooting her mouth off with gusto. Alma showed restraint and left for a while until Audrey cleared off.
Curly and Sam were sitting down to breakfast which was an incredibly civil affair when Eric Firman came a calling. He was investigating the "allegations" of Anne Malone. Eric of course was trying to take Curly's side but he had to look at the matter from Anne's side as well. All in all this left feeling Curly feeling very defensive.
Alma returned to the cafe and the atmosphere between her and Gail continued in it's usual black as pitch mode. Roy had the unfortunate job of acting as a mediator cum advisor in this ongoing war but his suggestions of a peace treaty had little effect in the long run.
Gail eventually tried to break the silence but this only made matters worse. The attempts to talk only ended in a nasty row with both Alma and Gail digging deep into the barrel of hurtful catty comments for ammo. Gail ended up calling Alma for trying to bed her brother whilst Alma reckoned Gail's awful nature was the reason for Nicky staying in Canada.
In the Rovers things were ticking over steadily with Tony wandering round with his massive ego barely on a leash. Of course he had a captive audience with the impressionable Ashley and took delight in telling Ashley how he had been out with both Maxine and Fiona. Of course Ashley cared little as he honestly thought he was in with a chance of trying to pull Maxine (I hope he does).
Curly got another visit from Eric in the evening and effectively was reprimanded and given a warning that if there was any hint of improper conduct he would be out on his ear.
Ken ended up staying for a drink with Sue the headmistress (she's got more booze in school than an off license) after which she accompanied him home for a cup of tea. They spoke of Ken's future at the school and it didn't look at all rosy. Staff cuts were imminent and it looked like Ken's head was on the chopping block. This was to be yet another blow to Ken at a bad time. To make matters worse Dreary arrived while Sue was giving Ken his cup of tea. She was leaning over to pass him the tea and it did look a bit compromising.
Meanwhile Mike arrived back home after a fruitless day looking for work, he was confronted by a weary looking Alma who had endured a day as hard as his own. Mike announced that cash flow was the problem and he needed an injection of it soon to keep the factory ticking over till they could find more work. Alma offered to sell the cafe which Mike was in agreement with as it would help matters out immensely. Alma however was sacrificing 15 years of her life and it showed.
Friday 24 January 1997
Ashley's birthday started off proceedings tonight as Becky
and her friend spied on him as he picked his cards up from the
doorstep. Becky of course was continuing her crush on Ashley although
he doesn't realise it yet. Becky's friend however has developed
a major crush on Des it has to be noted.
Anyway back to Becky, she was once again looking for a way to grasp Ashley's attention so when she was in Des's car and he lent her his old walkman to use she had the perfect excuse to go and see him later that day.
Dreary gave Ken a lecture on him giving out the wrong signals to people especially Sue the headmistress. Ken of course didn't realise what he had done wrong but Dreary asked him to put her straight about the state of their relationship.
Ken never quite got round to this as when he saw Sue at the school he spent most of his conversation time with her trying to save his job at Weatherfield Comp. from the redundancy axe.
Bombshell of the night came from Alma who skulked into the cafe tearfully. She revealed her plans for the cafe and how she intended to sell it thus dissolving the partnership. This prompted much wailing and gnashing of teeth from both parties. Alma insisted it was financial matters that forced her hand not personal reasons.
Mike surveyed the factory tonight and although he was worried what the future might bring for him he was putting on a brave face for Sally and anybody else who was passing. He informed Sally there would be no redundancies this week and he would keep chasing up any further scraps of work that would come his way.
In the Rovers everybody seemed in poor form as Kevin moaned about Tony's lack of commitment to the business and Martin moaned about the fact that Alma had decided to sell the cafe. Ashley rose above it all though as he spoke to Fiona at lunchtime. He still fancied his chances with Maxine as he enthused about his potential as a model for her. Fiona of course egged him on a little before informing him what Maxine could ask of him as a model. Perhaps he would be up for some waxing or even a massage ?
As news of Alma's decision spread like wildfire round the Street, Stephen got wind of what was happening and went to see Alma knowing Mike would be out. He came over all moralistic mentioning how he would be robbing Gail of her livelihood. This enraged Alma as she faced Stephen who stood in all his arrogant glory. She reiterated that she was selling out of financial necessity not out of petty spite or vengeance. Stephen retorted by saying Alma was stuck in a rut with Mike and the cafe was her only escape. She responded by landing a slap on Stephen's cheek.
Stephen took his leave after that and Mike was home soon after. Alma was clearly bitter and advised Mike to take whatever action dirty or otherwise to stay in business.
Sunday 26 January 1997
A relaxed little episode for the most part with Sean Skinner
biting the bullet and going for a walk on the hills with Samantha.
It was clear he didn't know what he was letting himself in for
as he pulled up in the Street for his day out. Straight away Sam
opted to journey to the starting point of their walk by motorcycle
instead of Sean's comfy car. All this was much to the amusement
of Des who watched their departure.
Martin was showing signs of bitterness towards Mike and Alma regarding the sale of the cafe. Whilst Gail busied herself with thinking of different ways of raising the capitol to buy out Alma's shares. Her thoughts settled on using Alf for the purposes of the loan. However this was something that Martin was in strict opposition to. A short while later he came across Mike who was in the Rovers trying to sell the Crimea Street property. He did a bit of his angry spouting but Mike took it all on the chin and even suggested that he and Gail use Stephen Reid to bail them out. This was something that Gail would start to deliberate on before long.
Up on the hills it was bleak and snowy and Sam and Sean had begun their little trek. It was clear that Sean's confidence in his walking ability had been all mouth and trousers because before very long he was flagging and looking for an excuse to find a pub and settle down for a drink. Sam however was keen to press on insisting there was a pub a couple of miles away that would be a better stopping point along their journey.
Becky continued to simper over Ashley whilst at the same time faced the predicament of retrieving Des's walkman. Des had seen Ashley with the stereo and guessed that Becky had given it to him as a gift which came all part and parcel as part of the crush she had on him. Needless to say Becky and her friend were camped on his doorstep in an effort to get the walkman back.
The garage was becoming a place where the working relationship between Tony and Kevin was growing worse by the hour. The workload was backing up but Tony was showing little commitment to the long hours involved in running one's own business. He announced that he was taking the afternoon off to go ten pin bowling with his new girlfriend which enraged Kevin no end.
Back on the hill trek Sam and Sean made it to the next pub on the map but unfortunately they were greeted by the sight that it was closed. Sam apologised while Sean looked like he was ready to collapse. As they rested it was a long overdue chance to catch up with two of the Street's newer residents. Sean asked Sam a little about her life and where she had grown up. She was indeed a local girl and the daughter of a dentist no less, Sean revealed his father had owned a toy shop until his retirement. We discovered Sam had in fact been studying at Manchester University on the subject of electronics. However there was a specific reason she was no longer there.
She revealed that she was married which was something which made Sean's jaw drop. The marriage had been effectively a sham which had lasted literally days. Sam had felt somewhat trapped by her academic life and used marriage as a way out of university. She had come to Weatherfield as an effort to wipe the slate clean and start again. We saw something of a gentler side to Sam's nature as she came clean about herself putting her usual hardened approach on the back burner for the episode.
Back in the Street things were more or less ticking over as normal although Gail had Stephen Reid at her house and while Martin was upstairs putting the children to bed she was finding a way of trying to ask Stephen if he could loan her the money to buy Alma out of the cafe. Martin of course came down at the right time and tried to stop Gail's request but before he could successfully shut her up Stephen answered. Stephen apologised but explained he couldn't lend the money. He elaborated by explaining that KayBec were ruthless cutting back in so many areas he didn't know how his own future with the company looked.
Meanwhile as Tony sloped off for the afternoon this brewed extreme anger in Kevin who was now going to be forced to work till 9.00 P.M to clear the backlog of work that he had. Tony of course wandered off unrepentant about his action. Meanwhile Anne wandered into the Rovers looking to speak to Andy (Curly was out the door double quick). She had come to ask him if he wanted to move back into the house on a non relationship basis. Andy turned her down flat which left her with a look of surprise on her face. She honestly thought she was going to get her own way on the matter.
Sean and Sam returned to the Street with Sean hiding the fact the day had half crippled him. It was clear they had enjoyed each other's company and Sam was clearly interested in seeing Sean again. Especially after he vowed to keep her "secrets" safe.
There was a development for July as well as she kept nipping into the Rover's toilets. She whispered to her mother that she had missed a period which brought Joyce to the point of rejoice. Joyce asked if Judy felt pregnant which brought a look of indignation to her daughters face.
Monday 27 January 1997
Sean was back in work and looking and feeling surprisingly
chipper after his strenous Sunday walk on the moors with Sam.
Of course he was running the gauntlet of questions from Des Barnes
about his conduct. However Sean remained dignified and silent
about the matter obviously choosing to keep his cards played close
to his chest.
Meanwhile elsewhere in the Street Kevin faced problems in the garage. Mainly his arrogant partner Tony was simply not pulling his weight. His attitude was proving to be downright abusive as he made excuse after excuse for not doing the work put in front of him.
Ashley was waiting outside the Salon for Maxine to arrive for the morning's work. He was on hand to offer his modelling services and after persuading Maxine she told him to come back that very same afternoon for some work to be done on his hair. All the while Becky looked on with her teenage crush boiling away inside much to the amusement of Des Barnes.
Dreary saw Mike who announced he was selling Crimea Street he told her early to give her a chance to move out of the flat and find new accommodation for herself. He didn't know at this point Ken was interested in having her move back into his house on Coronation Street. Mike told her she might be better moving away from Weatherfield and expanding her options a little.
Stephen dropped by the cafe to say his goodbyes and track Gail down to prove there was no hard feelings over the fact that he couldn't loan her the money for buying Alma's share of the business. Gail assured she felt no bitterness towards him and looked forward to the time they could meet again under more pleasant circumstances.
Later in the factory Mike announced he was going to have to lay off two thirds of his workforce in order for the factory to keep running. Of course Ida was first to start moaning about the fact as she felt sure that she would be the first to fall beneath the axe of redundancy. She was of course wrong about that matter. Mike admitted her brain was too small and her mouth was too big but for all that she possessed excellent machining skills and that would be a boon in his operation. Her job was effectively safe for the time being.
Whilst in his office and in conversation with Mike Sally stumbled across his plan of action almost by accident. She was looking at some "new" designs he had lined up for the work force only to see they were almost identical to KayBec's brand of sportswear. Sally was nervous about taking such a line of action but Mike seemed pretty sure of himself and hoped things would tide over until they got some bigger orders.
Curly's working day was being made a misery by Anne Malone who was trying to undermine his authority at every step. She also kept reading him the rule book about conduct in the workplace especially matters regarding sexual harassment. Whenever Curly tried to fight back she was tying him up in knots using Eric Firman as her accomplice in the matter (What a *Bitch!*). If anything this all made Curly look very foolish indeed and didn't help him gain any ground in winning back his authority in the workplace.
Ashley came out of Maxine's tender care at the Salon with something of a new look. His hair was bleach blonde a la Gazza and it certainly drew attention to him. In the corner shop he was the talking point with Percy claiming he looked ridiculous and was in fact a "Big Jessie" for doing what he had done.
Speaking of the shop Tony was being particularly obnoxious to Maud Grimes as well as other people. When Kevin tried to get him back to the garage Tony lost his rag and went home for the day leaving Kevin on his own again.
Ken and Dreary were back home that evening with Ken explaining how Sue was going to put in a good word for him in order for him to keep his job. Ken also broached the subject of Dreary living with him again. He also made it clear how he felt about her explaining that he still loved her.
Wednesday 29 January 1997
Mike's downsizing operation went full scale tonight with effects
on a number of local residents. Roy was seen walking down the
street to with a look close to despair etched on his features.
The news in his corner was that the Crimea Street property where
he lived had a buyer and he and the other tenants had two months
before they were out of their homes.
Joyce spoke to Judy about her possible pregnancy and tried to reassure Judy about some of her fears. Judy was unsure that having a child is what she truly wanted. She was questioning whether she was doing it for her and Gary or was it truly for Gary alone ?
There was tidbits of flirting between Samantha and Sean as they tried to make a date with each other. Both seemed to have full diaries which were filled with work commitments or various excursions of other natures. In the end the only way for Sean to spend any time with Sam was to go with her to self defence classes.
Meanwhile Alma turned up with the first interested party for the cafe. It would seem a Pizza franchise was to be the order of the day. The smarmy surveyor looked over the entire property while Gail looked on in her usual forlorn manner. The meeting appeared to go well and at this rate Jim's Cafe would a "Pizza Heaven" come Easter. Another surveyor was due the next day to have another look round.
Gail asked Alma if she was sure this was the right thing for her to do as the cafe had been such a large part of her life for the past 15 years and it's absence would leave a huge gap in her life. Alma once again raked over old ground and explained that selling was a necessity not a whim.
Dreary spent a good deal of the episode deliberating over her own future. She was another of the immediately affected candidates of the Crimea Street sale. Ken of course still wanted her to be with him in the house on Coronation Street but she was unsure. She didn't want to make the same old mistakes that she had made already. She was even toying with the idea of leaving the area and starting afresh nearer Tracy in Blackpool. This of course was only pipe dreams which were being voiced to Emily in the Rovers.
Ken meanwhile was waiting with bated breath as today he found out about what his job prospects were. Sue was of course fighting in his corner but this left no guarantees for his future.
Mike asked Sally if she fancied some overtime on Sunday as he was preparing to sell some of his "hooky" order. His plan of action was to go round the Sunday Markets trying to shift as much of his stock as possible. Sally agreed to do the work after she found out Mike was bluffing about the order he was supposed to have got for the goods being a bluff.
Ken discovered he had kept his job for now at the expense of another couple of good teachers. Sue Jeffers came round to inform him of the good news but it was clear he was now in her debt and I doubt she will let him forget it.
Friday 31 January 1997
It looked like Roy's hour of glory could be fast approaching
as the doom laden atmosphere continued to hang over Jim's Cafe
in Coronation Street. Alma turned up again with yet another couple
of smarmy suits in tow to give the place the once over again.
However before the cafe could be transformed into a glitzy pizza palace there was one factor that had obviously not being taken into consideration. Roy Cropper's mind had begun to do it's stuff and although many people in the area write Roy off as something of an eccentric once he starts on something he can usually work through to a solution.
He began thinking aloud about the prospect of the cafe and began quizzing Gail about what sort of capitol he would need to buy her share of the business. Gail of course wasn't taking Roy very seriously at all and dismissed his interest as just the ramblings of the local oddball. In any case if he wanted Alma's share he would need £35,000 to be in with a shout. When Roy heard this his face didn't waver an inch could it be the man was serious ?. He told Gail he had to go to the bank and he might be gone a while.
Bill meanwhile was working in the Street on Ken's kitchen tap which had been dripping. He spoke with Dreary about the oddities of her relationship with Ken briefly before nipping over to the shop to see Maureen. Battle axe Maud was out of the way so the two of them could talk unhindered and Maureen asked Bill if he had been wanting to move into the house she shared with her mother. Bill declined the offer saying how fond he was of Maud but not that fond. The two of them laughed about the situation before putting their heads together to find a solution to Bill's housing crisis.
Sean Skinner seemed to be showing some real feeling for Sam despite the cheap ribbing that Des kept giving him about his attempts to date Sam. Sean rose above it all keeping a nicely dignified silence on the matter. Sam asked Sean if he was still up for going to Judo the following week and Sean said yes. He was dismayed to hear the only rolling around on a mat that Sean would be doing was with beginners as Sam was no longer a beginner on the course and thus had moved up a stage.
Sally Webster was at the factory with Mike and the two of them were loading up a van with some KayBec marked merchandising. Sally was unhappy about the prospect of off loading dodgy gear on to the market. Mike however was unrepentant feeling he had no choice in the matter. He was fighting a business war and hard times demanded hard measures. This of course made Sally feel no better about the subject and she let Mike know it.
Sue the headmistress put herself in the running for Ken again tonight as she announced she would be needing his input on a project she was working on during the school break. She gave him a lift home as his car had failed to start that morning and as they pulled up she made it clear that he owed her a favour. Not even Bill's interference announcing he had been in the house with Dreary and was looking for her to give her the key put Sue. In fact she even invited herself in for a cup of tea. Also to top that off she invited Ken round to her house on Sunday where they wouldn't be disturbed by any "ex's". Eeek ! :)
The night ended on something of a garbled note for Gail and Martin as Roy turned up unannounced on the doorstep. He had come to apologise for his absence from work that afternoon and understood it would be docked from his wages. Gail and Martin were friendly enough towards him even convincing him to have a beer.
It would seem Roy had made good his promise of action and had spent the afternoon going round the banks and building societies of Weatherfield. He explained how he had been going round getting approval for the withdrawal of money from the various branches. Gail and Martin were in the dark about what Roy was saying until he continued. It would seem his grandmother had died leaving him the proceeds from the sale of her house. These had been in saving for many years accumulating interest. Roy had split his funds into many accounts as he feared that if he put all his eggs in one basket then if the bank went bust then he would be penniless. Anyway Roy was effectively announcing himself as to be in the running for stake in the cafe.
