On the Parade, Jacqui Dixon accidentally lets slip the fact that she's selling her share of Bar Brookie. This came as news to Mike, who's inevitably concerned for his future employment prospects. And those of Rachel, too. He notes that this *would* happen just before Christmas!
Also in Bar Brookie, Mike has a go at Ron over the 'not telling Anthea that he and Rachel were coming to stay' episode and expects Ron to understand how he felt: standing like a lemon, outside the front door surrounded by suitcases and with a pregnant Rach in tow. Ron to understand? Some hope!
I don't quite understand why this conversation hadn't already taken place in Anthea's house, once Ron had eventually rolled in, but then that might have made it verge on the realistic! On the other hand, holding it in the bar allowed the subject matter evolve into a general slagging session with the main topic of discussion being Jacqui's romance with Nathan.
Nathan, according to the gospel of Ron and Mike, is the reason that Jacqui is talking about selling her interests in the salon and bar. He's trying to turn her away from her friends and family, they reckon. In addition, they predict that when he gets bored, he'll quickly dump her and that this is likely to be sooner rather than later.
Talking about Nathan, it's his birthday today, and Jacqui has arranged for Katie to clear his diary so that she can take him home for lunch and then spend the afternoon in bed.
Nathan has a surprise of his own - he's booked a meal in an expensive restaurant following which, he awkwardly gets down on his bended knee and asks Jacqui to marry him.
Over on the Close, Ryan arrives back from Scotland... and he's not on his own - he's got Lia with him. Joey and Niamh simply stand there open-mouthed when he introduces her to them as their grand-daughter!
Whilst Ryan is about to get an interrogation from his parents, Luke is outside with Katie reflecting on the traumas through which he's put people during the last year. *Exactly* one year in fact, given that the fateful Johnsons' party was twelve months ago to the day.
"It really upsets me to see how the last year's affected me Mum and Dad," he tells Katie. "It's like it's been a torture for them and it's all my fault." [Sure, like it was a bed of roses for you, eh, Luke?]
He continues, describing how Nikki's constant finger pointing also gets him down and that he doesn't believe that she'll ever give up.
"It's my life sentence, I reckon. I should just try and learn to live with it, I suppose," he says.
"You shouldn't have to though, should you? You're innocent," Katie reminds him.
In the bungalow, it's the day after the night before. Well, to be accurate, the day after the *party* of the night before - from which, incidentally, Nikki didn't return until morning. When she did appear, Jerome gave her a hard time for not letting him (or Jessie) know where she was. They have a falling out and it takes the rest of the day before Nikki consents to apologise to Jerome.
They'd just about buried the hatchet when a stranger wanders up to them as they lean against Jerome's car. They mystery man obviously knows who Nikki is, but she's oblivious as to how he knows her and she fishes about vaguely in the hope that he's from Uni.
"Do I know you?" she finds herself asking.
"I've brought your bag back. You left it by the bed."
"Who are you?"
"Nikki, you were all over me last night. At the party. In bed."
The stranger goes on to tell her that they slept together, but Nikki doesn't remember a thing. Jerome is disgusted and goes to pack his bags. [It's a shame that this visitor wasn't a set-up by Luke, isn't it?]
Nikki follows Jerome inside and it's not long before she's shouting and screaming at him:
"I don't want you to go," she cries. "You can't. I love you. I need you."
"You are one *really* sad case, you know that? You're wrecking your life carrying on the way you are. I really believed you about Luke Musgrove. I mean, I stood by you, didn't I? And how do you repay me? By going and doing your slapper routine with your new boyfriend, whose name you don't even remember. Last Christmas, you got so high that you weren't raped at all, were you? It was party-time and you had it off with the first guy who walked in the door. Who was he, eh? One of Harvey's mates deciding it was his turn on the local college bike?"
This causes Nikki to change her tune and she no longer wants Jerome to stay:
"Just get out, will you?" she rants, before chucking a pile of washing at him.
"You're off your head, you are."
"No, I'm not. It was Luke Musgrove. He raped me. I know he did."
"Move on, will you? Instead of turning into some *sad* super-slag."
"I know what happened."
Then Jerome has to duck as Nikki hurls an iron towards him.
"Go on, Nikki, kill me next time," he taunts.
"I will" she promises, launching an ironing board across the room.
Jerome's had enough; he runs out of the front door, leaving a somewhat worked-up Nikki to demolish the contents of the kitchen and rant to herself:
"It was Luke Musgrove," she shrieks. "I know it was. He drugged me. He drugged me. He drugged me."
There's a pause when Nikki notices Luke kissing Katie through the window (er, that's Nikki saw Luke and Katie through the window; not that Luke and Katie were separated by a pane of glass!).
"Drug rape?" mumbles Nikki, aloud. "Well, two can play at that game, Luke Musgrove."
She reaches into one of the kitchen cupboards and picks out a bottle of tranquillisers...
Go on, Nikki, swallow them. Go on, you know you want to. Do us *all* a favour, eh?
Episode written by Peter Cox
Summary © 1999 Graeme Selway
Brookside and all related materials are © Mersey Television 1982-2001