(NOTE: There may be textual errors or misheard speech in the script)
[The camera pans over Ripley and Natalie, who look bored and dull]
RIPLEY: What?
NATALIE: Your face.
RIPLEY: [sighs] This one's got tattoos, he can keep walking.
NATALIE: He won't have tattoos; she said he was more mature than the others.
RIPLEY: Yeah, well... I know.
[Natalie briefly smiles for a second until the front door slams shut. In comes their teenage daughter Shyanne, which prompts Ripley to express a disconcerted look upon her arrival. He quickly rises up to greet her]
SHYANNE: Mum, dad...
[Ripley adjusts his belt while Natalie fakes a welcoming smile]
SHYANNE: This is Steve.
STEVE: Hi.
[upon Steve's arrival, Natalie attempts to pull off a welcoming smile, to which she turns her head towards Ripley, who, in contrast, reacts with a disappointing and unwelcoming gaze towards Steve]
[Bell rings]
[The characters are now sitting down]
NATALIE: So what do you do for a living, Steve?
STEVE: Work in a theatre.
NATALIE: Ooh, well, would we have seen you in anything?
STEVE: I doubt it, I'm the manager.
RIPLEY: [snaps] Which place is that, then?
SHYANNE: The Theatre Royal.
RIPLEY: [with a flat tone] Never been there. Have you seen (?) legends? There's a boat down there, the absolute image of Shakin' Stevens?
STEVE: Really? And who's it supposed to be?
[Shyanne forces a snigger in response, to which Natalie follows awkwardly]
NATALIE: Well, the Royal... That must be a big responsibility.
RIPLEY: Is that where the Kranks used to do panto this year?
STEVE: I've not been there that long. I'm planning big changes.
SHYANNE: Today he's supporting lottery funding.
RIPLEY: Well we better get reliant (?) about all those lesbian refugees.
SHYANNE: Dad...
RIPLEY: No, I believe in people paying their way. I organised charity events myself and I make sure the money goes to (???) for the handicapped. It's fairly simple. These days, you get a nosebleed and you get a disabled parking space.
NATALIE: So, how did you get into something like that, Steve?
STEVE: I've always loved the theatre. I... I knew I couldn't act, so this is the next best thing.
RIPLEY: Well, my tip to you is: Give people what they want and they'll come.
STEVE: Well, that rules out my plan about lesbian refugees, then.
[Everyone laughs except Ripley, who still gazes at Steve with a concerned look on his face. Natalie, in turn, fakes a laugh.]
RIPLEY: That's funny, Steve. Maybe you should've been on the stage after all.
SHYANNE: Actually, er... we've gotta go.
RIPLEY: [sensing that it is too early to end the conversation] Eh, what? Already?
SHYANNE: Yeah, well, we've got that thing, don't we, Steve?
STEVE: Yes, yes.
[All characters rise up and prepare to say their goodbyes.]
STEVE: [to Natalie and Ripley] Nice to meet you.
NATALIE: And you. Bye.
STEVE: B-bye.
[Shyanne and Steve leave the room in silence; Ripley is still disappointed and stays silent. Without a care in the world, he bends down to pick up his glass and continue taking a sip from it.]
[Cut to the Holdens' bedroom, where Natalie is in bed, and Ripley is seen adjusting his fisticuffs]
RIPLEY: [in a stern voice] Is she doing this to punish us? Is that what she's up to?
NATALIE: Maybe she likes him! Has that occurred to you?
RIPLEY: That's what all child molesters say!
NATALIE: No, I don't like it any more than you do, but Shyanne is nearly 20.
RIPLEY: Exactly! And he's my age! Can't believe he'd take bets off gambling!
NATALIE: [as Ripley is taking off his shirt] If this wasn't your daughter, you'd be patting him on the back!
RIPLEY: He's (???) hypocrite. And you're against that too?
NATALIE: Listen. You keep ranting and raving and you make it seem all rebellious and... sexy.
RIPLEY: What, so we just do nothing?
NATALIE: Well, I don't wanna repeat the motorbike incident!
[beat]
RIPLEY: ...okay. Okay, you're probably right.
NATALIE: Well, I usually am.
[Shirtless, Ripley lazes down onto the family bed with a deep sigh. He tucks his legs under the covers. Natalie, in response, comes closer to look at him. She kisses his left arm, to which he slightly turns away from his lover.]
Clip ends here.
