Episode 710

Extended Summary

Alf explains to Ailsa that he can’t be bothered trying anymore and would rather let the shop go.

Ben, Carly and Sally are listening to the possum in the attic, hoping that it will go into the bad Ben planted there. Sally tells Carly she thinks it’s unfair dumping the possum in the middle of the bush but Carly explains that that’s its natural environment. Ben answers the phone to Ailsa who asks him if he can come over in the morning to help move some boxes at the shop.

Blake is still rabbiting on about the $700 he and Karen need to raise for their raffle ticket event. The conversation moves on to the closure of Alf’s Store and Blake asks if everything’s going to be alright. Ailsa says the Diner’s doing well so they have nothing to worry about. Blake mentions that Bobby wouldn’t lend him the money for the raffle and Alf says that $700 is a lot of money. Eventually Alf snaps when Blake’s worrying gets too much.

Patricia is having dinner with Donald and Bobby at his house. Bobby mentions that Blake asked her for the money today and Donald says he hopes she didn’t lend him the money. She says she didn’t, explaining that she thinks the school should. Donald strongly disagrees with Bobby’s point of view but Bobby points out that the community should stick together.

In the morning Sally ventures outside to find a bag hanging on the porch with the possum inside.

At the Stewart house Blake enters the kitchen looking a little worse for wear wondering who had set his alarm to go off so early. Ailsa says that they need all the help they can get with closing the store today and Blake heads off for a shower. Alf enters the kitchen, obviously still angry with Blake’s behaviour the previous night but Ailsa sticks up for him. She says it’s going to be a hard day but Alf’s defeatist attitude kicks in once again as he says all stores close at some point or another.

Bobby is getting the Diner ready for the day and sees her father approaching so tells Grant to agree with her when she talks to her dad. She tells Donald that Grant agrees with her on her viewpoint and when Donald says he’s already explained that the school can’t use its emergency fund for such purposes, she asks why he can’t lend the money himself. Donald storms out of the Diner.

Sally wants to feed the possum but it escapes when she tries to put it in the pantry.

Sally tells Ben and Carly that the possum is still missing and Ben heads off to help the Stewarts move the boxes from the Store. Carly asks Sally if she’s hungry to which Sally replies that she isn’t before trying to get Carly to go out for a swim saying she’ll cook breakfast for them, obviously hoping that will give her time to look for the possum. When Carly sees Sally acting suspicious, she asks if she had a bad dream but Sally says she’s just checking if the floor is clean otherwise she’ll mop it for Pippa.

At Alf’s Store Ben, Blake and Karen take some more boxes to the car. A call from the solicitor saying the contract is ready to be signed leaves Alf obviously deflated but still unable to admit his pain at losing the shop.

At the Stewarts Blake and Karen are bickering as Ben looks for a place to leave the box he’s carrying. Donald arrives with news that a private benefactor has paid for the raffle prize which leaves Blake and Karen elated but curious as to who the benefactor is.

At Summer Bay House Sally is helping Carly wash up. When Sally tries to distract Carly from going into the pantry, Carly realises something is going on and assumes Sally’s been feeding Dagdog inside again when she sees an empty bowl in the pantry. Carly tells Sally off.

Ben enters Alf’s Store to find Alf sitting in the empty room on a cardboard box. Alf explains that the power supply’s just been cut off and the phone lines disconnected. He mentions that Celia had three lines put in as when she worked there and Alf wonders why he bought the store from her when he had the chance, thinking that it wasn’t much money at the time. Alf suggests they leave the store unless Ben wants to see a grown man cry.

Sally hassles Carly to go to the beach with her but Carly says she’ll meet her there if she’s that desperate to go. A shocked Carly screams when she opens the door to the pantry to find the possum in there.

Carly tells Sally to go and get Ben but he’s still helping the Stewarts. Carly refuses to catch the possum but Sally’s taunting winds Carly up so she tells Sally to get the bag so they can catch it.

At Grant’s house Blake and Karen ask him if he knows who the private benefactor is. When he reveals it’s Fisher, he tells them to keep it quiet.

Carly and Sally chase the possum around the living room until they eventually catch it and Ben walks in on all the fuss wondering what’s going on. Carly hands him the bag telling him to get rid of the possum.

Alf arrives home from the solicitors and tells Ailsa that the shop has finally gone and once he pays off all his debts he will be worth less than $8000. He wonders how he can be worth so little after so many years working and feels like a failure. Ailsa tells him the shop’s not everything and he still has his family. They hug.

Blake and Karen are sitting on some rocks on the beach and see Alf and Ailsa approaching. They ask Alf and Ailsa what they’re up to and the family walk off into the sunset.