Episode 3757

Extended Summary

BEACH HOUSE
Irene is lying in wait for Tasha when she gets home, demanding to know why Tasha is planning to give Duncan money – she can understand her giving Kane money, but she doesn’t even like Duncan. At first, Tasha tries to make out that she and Duncan have kissed and made up, but when it doesn’t wash with her ever-observant guardian she lies that she’s paying Duncan so that he’ll leave and leave all of her friends alone. Irene reckons it’s admirable, but is confident that the Baysiders would have driven the latest piece of bad rubbish out of the town sooner or later. She reminds Tasha that the money is her future, but Tasha knows that she still has the money to put herself through Uni and buy herself a car. Tasha denies that Duncan has something pver her, and tells Irene that if she goes looking for the money herself, she’ll hate her.

DINER
Alf has found out that Duncan has been talking to Roo about going to stay with her, and Duncan is confident that nothing can stop him. He informs Alf that it’ll be in both their interests – he hates being in the Bay, and Alf hates having him there. However, Alf’s main concern is that Tasha is funding the trip – taking her money is “downright immoral”. Duncan points out that Tasha wants him to have the money, and that it’s normal for Tasha to make crazy gestures like that. Tasha knows that she’s doing, and she was begging him to take the money. Irene, Kim and Robbie watch on as Alf yells that he doesn’t give a damn whether Tasha wants him to have it. Irene tells Robbie and Kim of the money that Tasha now has – a legacy from her parents, and enough to make a difference to her life. Why she wants to give it to Duncan, however, has baffled them – there has to be more to it than simply wanting to get rid of him…
Kim and Robbie pursue Duncan outside, insisting that he stop hassling Tasha, which only prompts Duncan to make a few snide remarks about Tasha choosing to hang around with a real man. Kim’s bully-boy tactics are no use when Duncan pulls out his recently-aquired firearm, and Kim and Robbie enquire as to where he got it. Duncan, for once, answers honestly – it’s Tasha’s.

DINER
Irene updates Alf on what Tasha has told her – that she’s only trying to get rid of Duncan, and she’s not listening to reason. Alf suggests that she simply take the money and put it somewhere, and she suggests that HE stop Duncan from taking it. They almost descend into an arguement, but manage to snap out of it. Irene reckons Tasha will give Duncan the money, and he’ll accept it, whether they like it or not. She just wishes she could teach her the value of money – she gave Kane a great wad of cash as well. Alf can’t understand how he and Ailsa managed to produce a devil-child, who everyone hates so much that they’re willing to pay to see the back of him.

BEACH HOUSE
When Robbie and Kim arrive to see her, Tasha attempts to rush upstairs, under the guise of being “really busy”. However, they call her back, demanding to know the truth about the gun, and she is unable to deny that it is hers. They wonder if that’s the reason she’s trying to pay Duncan off, but Tasha denies that Duncan has threatened her. Robbie proposes that they blow Duncan’s scam – she can keep the money, and they’ll hand the gun into the police. No one will know she was involved. She refuses, telling them to leave her alone before going upstairs. Kim offers to go after her, but Robbie goes, realising that Tasha is scared.

Upstairs, Robbie asks Tasha to unlock her door – she can trust him. When he gets in, he asks her outright where the gun came from, and she admits that it belonged to her folks. Duncan stole the gun, and she’s paying him to get it back – he didn’t take the money because he wanted it to look like a gift. Robbie doesn’t understand why she’s so desperate to get the gun back, and assumes that the gun has been involved in something illegal. She sticks to her erm, guns, insisting that the gun is legit (or as legit as a gun can be), and he has to trust her – if she can get rid of Duncan, then surely that’s a good thing.

DINER
Tasha arrives with the envelope of cash, and as she waits for Duncan, Irene and Alf beg her not to go through with it. However, as soon as the boy in question makes an appearance, she hands over the cash as a gift. He cheerfully accepts it as Irene and Alf try to intervene in the exchange. Neither party, however, will back down.

HOSPITAL
Kirsty talks to Shelley about her relief that the operation is over – she’s got some stuff to work through, but she has spoken to Leah and Kane has been “fantastic”. They’ve been cheered up by Tasha’s generosity, and are looking forward to getting away, but they have resolved to pay Tasha back when they can. Shelley probes into Tasha’s past, confused as to where exactly the money has come from, and whether Tasha regularly makes off-the-wall gestures like this. Kirsty can only assure Shelley that he past is mysterious, and that Tasha is “different” – but in a way you can’t help but like her. Kirsty then enquires as to Shelley’s wellbeing – physically, she’s fine, but there seems to be something else bothering her… David arrives right on cue to see Shelley, and Shelley seems somewhat surprised to see him, no doubt noticing that he has had plastic surgery since they last met.

David and Shelley walk down the hospital corridor, Shelley glad that he could “finally make it”, and he complaining about all the work he’s missing by being there. They bump into Rhys, who echoes Shelley’s “glad you could finally make it”, prompting a “do you coordinate your greetings, or is it just one of those quirky ex-couple things?” remark from David. He leads Shelley away as Rhys proceeds towards Kirsty’s room.

Rhys closes the door behind him as Kirsty enquires about how Shelley looked. She is worried that Shelley will get dumped as a result of her, but Rhys assures her she couldn’t help it, and the fact that David has made an appearance is positive. Kirsty is pessimistic though – he probably just wants to dump her in person. Rhys is confident that, whatever happens, they’ll all look out for one another – same as they always have.

BREAK

HOSPITAL
Shelley is angry at David for not showing up sooner, and he closes the door to prepare for the inevitable row. He is upset that she went ahead, but she didn’t want to wait for the possibility of another donor being found – her daughter could have died and it makes her sick to think that she even hesitated. David is bitter that she keeps running back to the bay to sort out problems, and Shelley has to remind him that they’re her children. However, he snidely points out that it didn’t stop her walking out on them. She knows what his anger is really about though, and pulls up her top so that he can see the bandage covering her (very neat and tidy) scar. He looks away as she pulls it off, but she urges him to look at it – if he thinks the gesture is dramatic, then tough. He has to live with it.

DINER
Alf is on the phone, warning Roo about what she is letting herself in for with Duncan. Duncan isn’t impressed when he hears Alf apparently trying to talk her out of it, as he insists that he’ll be different out there – he’s different when he’s happy. Alf asks Duncan to give Roo a call once the flight details are finalised, but warns him that if he uses Tasha’s money then as far as he’s concerned he doesn’t have a son. He asks Duncan to think about it – he’d hate to make a decision that they’ll both regret. Duncan laughs in his face, scoffing at the “heartfelt speech” approach – he should save his breath, as he stopped thinking of Alf as a father a long time ago.

HOSPITAL
Rhys pops in to see Shelley – David is “around”, as he will wait to take her home in a day or so. Rhys can’t understand why she wants to go with him after the way he’s treated her, but Shelley insists that David does have his good points. Besides, it’s a comfortable life and she’s scared of being alone. He can’t understand what David has done to her self-esteem, and he is adamant that there is no shame in being happily single. She’s not worried about shame – it’s the loneliness that terrifies her.

RANDOM PLACE
Duncan waits with a red bag for Tasha. She arrives seeking the letter, but finds only the gun in the bag. She is angry that he hasn’t kept his side of the deal, but he has decided to keep hold of the letter until he gets to New York, where he will send it to her. She sits down as Duncan leaves, burying her head in her hands.

Kim and Robbie approach Tasha, once more seeking an explanation of what is going on. They’re worried about nher state of mind, and promise to leave her alone as long as she can justify why she needs a gun. She tells them it’s for protection – in case someone breaks into her room and steals something important to her again. After assurting Tasha that what they are going to do is for her own safety, Kim grabs the bag from her and runs down to the wharf, where he hurls the bag into the water. Tasha is furious.

DINER
Alf catches Duncan on his way out, bag over his shoulder, and offers him a lift to the airport. However, Duncan is still not acknowledging Alf as a father and announces that he has a cab waiting – so thanks but no thanks. His flight is at 8:15, and so long as he’s out of the Bay, Duncan doesn’t care how he makes up the time. Alf tells him that it’s not too late, but Duncan insists that it is. Alf wonders how they got to that stage, and Duncan suggests that he take a long hard look in the mirror for answers.

RANDOM PLACE
Tasha flags down Duncan’s cab, demanding that he tell no one about the letter – she paid him, and it was a deal. He ponders it, thinking that a secret like that should be worth more, and after she refuses he drives on. He can’t resist winding Tasha up further though, yelling “By the way, Tasha’s real Dad’s name is…!” as his car drives away. His taxi disappears off into the distance, his cackling still ringing in our ears.

SURF CLUB
Kim and Tasha pursue Tasha into the surf club, wanting to know what the charade with Duncan was all about – particularly what was in the letter. She admits the name of her father is in the letter, and she was paying him for it – she doesn’t want Duncan to have it as it is “proof” of who she really is. She is terrified of Duncan telling people, and refuses to even tell Kim and Robbie. Besides, after their stunt with the gun she doesn’t think she can trust them – what if they decide to reveal the name of her father for her own protection too? She walks out, asking them to leave her alone.

WHARF
Tasha goes back to the wharf where Kim threw her bag into the water. She glances around, before diving in, emerging a while later, clutching the bag in her hands.