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At
the apartment, Amanda emerges from the kitchen with a meal, which she puts
on the table. The phone
rings and she answers it. It is Todd, who asks when they're going to kiss
and make up. She asks him how he
is. Todd says he's fine, but she hasn't answered his question. Amanda says
"Really." Todd tells her not to
give him a hard time, so Amanda says she'll just hang up. Todd says she'll
be sorry when she reads about him
on the windsurfer, playing chicken with a hydrofoil - that's what he'll do
if she says she'll never see him
again. Amanda asks if that's a threat or a promise. Todd says he's serious
and, if he doesn't hear from her
in half an hour, she should buy an afternoon paper. He hangs up and Amanda
looks at her watch - it's
around ten to one. She sits down to eat her meal.
A while later, she is reading a magazine and looks at her watch again. Now
it is twenty past one. Amanda
gets up and phones the Fisher house. A woman answers, who tells her that Todd
isn't there and mentioned
something about going out into the harbour. Amanda thanks the woman, grabs
her bag and rushes out. In
the corridor she finds Todd standing there. He asks her where she's going,
and jokes that it took her
half an hour to decide he might have been serious. They go back into the apartment,
where Amanda tells
him she knew he was having her on - she couldn't see him risking his life
for her. She says she doesn't
think he's ready to die just yet. Todd smiles and says not just yet.
That evening, Amanda is at the Fisher house with Todd. She tells him she can't
believe he can cook. Todd
tells her the menu he's prepared and she is astonished. She asks how he learnt
to cook like that, and he
tells her they've always had pretty good housekeepers. A woman comes in and
introduces herself as Karen
Fox. Amanda shakes her hand and says Todd has told her all about her.
Karen
tells her that she's heard a lot about her too - she's the one who's brightened
Todd up. Amanda asks
if that's what Todd has said, but Karen says she can see that's what's happened,
and he's lucky to have her
around. Amanda is chuffed.
A short time later, Amanda and Todd are alone again. Amanda starts to lay
the table and asks Todd how his
father met Karen. Todd says he can't remember - he was only sixteen, and he
thinks it was some business do.
Todd says Karen's very independent and sometimes needs to go off by herself,
which his dad accepts. He
adds that Karen used to be married, but her husband died - now she's happy
living with his dad and running
a business. Todd tells Amanda that Karen's worth quite a bit. He decides to
go back to the kitchen, and
Karen comes back in. She tells Amanda she can't get over the change in Todd
- when she went away he was
so morose. Amanda says she can't claim any responsibility - ever since she's
known Todd he's been living
life in the fast lane. Karen explains that she managed to talk Todd's father
into giving him a loan so he could
take six months off and sort himself out. Amanda says that maybe it's got
something to do with Todd getting
to know Irene - his mother - better. Amanda says it's amazing that they didn't
see each other for seventeen
years and now they want to be friends. Karen doesn't look too happy.
A short time later, Amanda and Karen are still laying the table. Amanda tells
Karen she's sure she'll like
Irene. Karen tells Amanda she mentioned that Irene ran a boarding house in
Portland Street - she's driven
down there a lot and never noticed a boarding house. She asks what number
it is, and Amanda tells her
it's 35. Todd comes in and Karen tells them she has to go out for a while
- she has some business to attend
to. She says she'll be back in time for dinner, and leaves. Amanda tells Todd
that she likes Karen - she's a
nice lady. Todd says she can be all right when she wants to be, but it doesn't
pay to get on the wrong
side of her.
ALYCE PLATT (as Amanda Morrell), MICHAEL WINCHESTER (Todd Fisher), LYNDEL ROWE (Karen Fox)
Written
by JOHN ALSOP
Directed by PHILIP EAST
Channel
Five broadcast: Sunday 30th March 2003