Episode 8154

Extended Summary

John approaches Irene at the coffee cart and tries to argue that he’s owed more days since he didn’t activate his free coffee card until two days after he got it. Irene cheerily dismisses his claim. Alf turns up and tells John that one of his bronze medallion class has dropped out and also made a complaint against him.

Theo and Kirby have sat down to plan out a song. Theo suggests taking where they were yesterday, hope and things being reborn, as a starting point. He recalls seeing a quote and asks if he can look it up on his phone. In the end, he can’t find it but explains it wes about how hope is a choice but you have to fight for it. At the Diner, Marilyn and Roo discuss Marilyn’s prospects of asking for time off. Justin is sat nearby and Marilyn worries she put her foot in it with him. Justin leaves a message for Leah asking if she got his text. Moments later, Leah turns up and Justin asks if they can go for a walk before her shift.

Back at the coffee cart, Alf tells John that there’s a whole list of complaints including bullying, disrespect and microaggressions (neither of them are sure what the latter means). He also censures him for saying the class could be responsible for someone drowning without stressing they’d be fully trained before being put in that positiion, He wants John to call the person concerned up and apologise. John looks at the sheet and learns it’s Banjo. He calls him a timewaster and refuses to apologise.

Marilyn approaches Irene and begins talking about the number of extra shifts she’s been doing lately to cover for Irene and Leah. Irene thinks she’s asking for more shifts and cheerily agrees. Meanwhile, Justin and Leah are walking on the beach. Leah has explained away her claiming to be at work by saying she was meeting suppliers. Justin asks about her looking up insomnia. Leah admits she had trouble sleeping a couple of nights. Justin convinces her to tell him if it happens again.

With Kirby still getting nothing, Theo has written some lyrics starting “In the darkness, losing my way”, which Kirby insists on reading. Theo thinks they suck but Kirby is more complimentary, calling it strong. She suggests they for pizza. Later, as the two of them eat on the balcony at Salt, Theo asks Kirby for an honest opinion. Kirby admits it felt like he was writing to a plan rather than writing what he felt. Theo says he knows what he wants to say but doesn’t know how to say it. Kirby suddenly gets a text from the record label saying they’ve sold one of her songs (which she wrote in half a day) and are sending her $8000. She is confused, since she signed over the rights to them.

Justin walks Leah back to the Diner and offers to hang around and talk to her in her break but she sends him away. Marilyn tells Roo she couldn’t let Irene down. Roo encourages her to talk to Irene again, but before she can, Irene tells Leah that she needs to take some time off and Marilyn has offered to take over her shifts. Meanwhile, Alf approaches John at the surf club and gives him Banjo’s phone number. John still refuses to apologise. Alf says if he doesn’t, the complaint will be passed to the committee.

Roo accepts Marilyn can’t go to Irene now but suggests she asks Leah, although Marilyn feel she’s not in the right headspace. Leah comes in and Irene reveals Leah overpaid some of the staff this month, including Irene herself. Leah is mortiied and insists she’ll sort it. Marilyn approaches Leah who ends up snapping about everyone being on at her. Roo admits Marilyn was right.

Leah heads to the coffee cart and is annoyed to find Justin there, thinking he was checking up on her. He says he was making work calls. Leah asks why he didn’t do it at home or the garage and he says he wanted some coffee and fresh air. Leah accepts the explanation and his offer to pick her up after work. Justin takes the coffee and leaves.

Back at the Lyrik house, Kirby finishes a phone call to the label and tells Theo that it’s their standard licensing procedure. Theo wonders why she needs Lyrik, given she’s just made $8000 for a few hours’ work. Kirby explains that she enjoys feeling like part of a team, including working with him. They decide to work on chords.

At the Diner, Alf, Irene, Marilyn and Roo discuss how tense Leah is but suspect she won’t talk to them about it. Once Irene’s out of earshot, Marilyn discuses the proposed holiday with Roo and Alf, saying she can’t leave Irene and Leah so Jett can go with John instead. John comes in and orders a flat white, giving Irene the money. He then calls Banjo.

Theo and Kirby are in a more positive frame of mind, having got something together to show Remi and Eden at the next band meeting. Theo laments the wedding work he’s having to do and Kirby suggests concentrating on what he knows about. After a moment’s thought, Theo asks her to help him write a song for the wedding and she happily agrees.

Later, in the evening, Leah is waiting near the Diner and sits on a bench. She sees a car approaching and starts having flashbacks to seeing a car, trying to get out of the factory and Justin lying near death in the factory and the hospital. Justin gets out of the car to find Leah hyperventilating, asking her what’s wrong.

Back at the Diner, Alf tries to ask Marilyn about the holiday but she shuts him down. Irene checks Marilyn is okay doing extra shifts while she’s away visiting her family and also offers her a pay rise. Alf rolls his eyes as Marilyn accepts through gritted teeth. Meanwhile, Justin has taken Leah home. She admits the nightmares started after they got out of the factory and Justin was awake and fine. She breaks down in tears, saying she needs help.