Chapter 1: I'm From Weatherfield, Get Me Out Of Here.
The sun rises over the rooftops thus signalling another day of drama in Coronation Street. Norris is up, clearing the cobbles with his sweeping brush outside the Kabin. Liz is already smoking her morning cigarette in the ginnel. Amy was waking the family up by the sound of her violin and Kylie was making rounds of toast to cater for the large extended family that lives under their roof.
Other people however, were not looking as lively at this time in the morning. Such as Nick and Carla, who were still in bed, unsurprisingly.
"Uhh." She moans, hitting the alarm clock as it goes off again.
"That things gonna break." Nick grumbles, turning onto his side to look at her.
"Don't care." She mutters, her eyes still closed.
"You used to live off going to work." He prompts her.
"Yeah but now I've got Aidan buzzing round me like a bee." She sighs. "I just need a break you know, get away."
"Milan? New York?" Nick lists.
"Anywhere." She croaks. "A jungle for all I care, as long as it's away from here."
"A jungle?" He laughs. "You would hate it in the jungle."
"Oh, have experience do we?" She finally opens her eyes to look at him. "I could hack a jungle Nicholas, I'm tougher than you think."
"...Well then." He grins. "Prove it."
"How?" She frowns, aware he had something up his sleeve.
"You'll see." He bites his lip before pulling himself out of bed, responded to with several impatient cries from Carla as she begged him to tell her what was on his mind.
"Have you made me a brew yet?" Norris asks Rita, over in the Kabin as he sorts through the mornings papers.
"What did your last slave die of?" Rita rolls her eyes, placing the mug down next to him. "Honestly, me at work, Emily at home, we have to wait on you hand and foot. What would you do if you had to fend for yourself?"
"I could cope perfectly fine on my own thank you." He bats her away, irritated. "Very independent me."
"Oh yeah." Rita nods sarcastically. "I'll bet."
"I am." He points a finger at her. "One day I'll show you."
"What you reading?" Michelle asks Steve as he rifles through a booklet he had been intent on reading all morning.
"A book on the Amazon Rainforest." He mumbles.
"...That's very educational for you." She frowns and he gives her a look.
"What do you mean? For me?" He sulks. "I went to those history classes remember? Passed didn't I?"
"Yes well sorry." Michelle flashes him a smile. "You are very intelligent."
"Did you know, every second, 1.5 acres of the rainforest is being destroyed?" He informs her.
"Every second?" She questions. "Surely that can't be right..."
"According to this book it is." He prods it harshly. "Maybe we should go before it's too late..."
"...To a rainforest?" She practically laughs out loud.
"Well yeah, rainforest, jungle, somewhere exotic." Steve shrugs.
"The Maldives are exotic." Michelle reminds him. "I'd happily go there."
"I mean somewhere different." He persists. "Somewhere we've never experienced before..."
"Aidan!" Kate yells, trying to grab her spoon back as if they were still little kids.
"Will you both be quiet?" Johnny asks, sipping his coffee as Aidan reluctantly gives her back her cutlery.
"Ready to pack some boxes this morning?" Aidan teases.
"Ready to walk around the factory as if you own the place?" Kate snaps.
"I do own the place." He retaliates.
"No you don't." She glares at him. "Dad and Carla do. Not you, you stole the money remember? My money."
"It wasn't your money." Aidan argues.
"Will you two just shut up?" Johnny raises his voice. "You're acting like kids the pair of you."
"It's only cause she's daddy's little princess." Aidan jibes. "You should stick her somewhere desolate and see how she copes then. The arctic or a jungle or something."
"Bring it on." Kate glares at him.
"Are you gonna help me shift this or not?" Gary asks as Jason sits on the steps of the builders yard, eating a bacon butty.
"You're doing a pretty good job of it yourself." He yawns, a slight grin on his face.
"I wouldn't have gotten away with that kind of attitude when I was in the army." He persists.
"Good job I'm not in the army then." Jason shrugs.
"Yeah 'cause you're too chicken." Gary teases. "It'd be too tough for a pretty boy like you."
"Oh it so would not." Jason rolls his eyes.
"Army training; early starts, small meals, sleeping on the floor..." He lists. "You don't get a shower every morning y'know? And you get extremely mucky-"
"Yes, I could do that." Jason cuts him off. "I could easily do that."
"What's this?" Tracy screws her nose up at an ugly ornament from one of the boxes she was sorting through.
"Ah, that's some historical artefact." Todd informs her from behind the counter. "Made from materials from the Congo Jungle."
"...And you believed that?" She raises her eyebrows at him angrily. "Todd it looks like something my nana Blanche would have made from bits of tat around the house."
"Could be worth a lot that." He persists.
"Who's gonna buy this?" She interrogates. "People come in here looking for musical instruments or speakers or engagement rings... Not... Ageing rubbish from the Colo Rainforest."
"Congo." Todd corrects and she glares at him. "And it's a jungle."
"Oh what's the difference?" She yells exasperatedly, throwing the ornament back in the box.
"Max eat it." David sighs, pointing to his chicken nuggets.
"Not hungry." He folds his arms.
"Max." David scolds. "Gail will you help me?"
"With what?" She deludes, piping mashed potato onto a pie she had made.
"Get him to eat his tea." David orders.
"Well isn't that your job?" She inquires.
"...Max eat one more then you can finish." He negotiates but he shakes his head. "Ok, well then maybe I'll stop making your dinner. Or better still, you can earn your dinner by doing chores. Then you'll wish you didn't take it for granted."
"David! You can't say that." Gail scolds him.
"Go on up to your room." He sighs, taking Max's plate off him.
"I wish you'd all disappear." Max yells, rushing away from the table. "I wish you were far far away so you didn't boss me around anymore!"
As night draws in, the residents of Coronation Street prepare for bed. David has tried and failed to get through to Max, who had now gone to sleep, angry at him. Gail sat at the table, observing her son's anxious expression whilst eating a piece of chocolate cake. Tracy reads Amy a bedtime story before she falls asleep, turning her light out, she kisses her on the forehead before going back to her own room. Kate flops down on her bed after a hard day at work and falls asleep instantly, not bothering to remove her make-up. Steve is snoring away when Michelle finally finishes up with last orders, she turns the light out and snuggles up next to him. Norris has fallen asleep in front of the TV, sherry in one hand, TV remote in the other. Jason carries a bag of chips home late, sneaking them up to his bedroom so he doesn't have to share them. Nick has covered Carla over with a blanket as he often does when she falls asleep on the sofa. He removes the glass of wine from her hand and turns the light out after whispering 'I love you'.
Then all is silent, as the night proceeds...