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    Written by: Bevan Lee   Executive Producer: Don Battye   Directed by: Alister Smart

Craig waits. When the 'phone at the other end is picked up again, he then says, "Oh yeah... is that Peter Elliot?... Look, I've got a problem with the kitchen sink; I was hoping you could come round and fix it... It's blocked - there's a lot of sand in it and gunk down it... It's a long story!" He then continues, "I know it's late, but do you reckon you could come round tonight?... It's just a nuisance the way it is... OK, great. I'll see you when you get here." He listens and then laughs, "Yeah, you wouldn't get too far without that, would you?! It's Albert Park." He listens again before saying in an agitated tone, "Yeah, I know it's out of your area, but you came really highly recommended. I'll pay for your travelling time... Yeah, OK. The address is 222 Canterbury Road, Albert Park." Looking relieved, he then says, "OK. Good. I'll see you when you get here. Bye." He hangs up and sighs heavily. He then heads across to the front window and peers outside.

Doug arrives back at Caroline's. He heads into the lounge room - and Caroline storms in behind him, snapping furiously, "You want to run up debts, Doug Fletcher, you be sure that you're here to handle the debt-collector when he comes knocking." Doug stares at her blankly and says, "What?" Caroline goes on angrily, "I have never been so humiliated in all my life. He treated me like some sort of criminal. He barged in here and threatened to take legal action if I didn't hand over the printer." Doug holds up a hand and says quickly, "Hey, hey, hey! Hold on. What are you talking about?" Caroline retorts coolly, "Whoever made you the loan on the payment for the printer wants to call the debt in. They want their payment." Doug, looking astonished, exclaims, "I only just took the loan out." Caroline suggests angrily, "Obviously they now consider you a bad risk, because they sent their man and I'm telling you: he means business." Doug asks, "Are you sure it's the loan on the printer that they called in?" Caroline starts to snap, "I told you--" She then breaks off and asks warily, "How many others are there?" Doug, looking sheepish, ignores this and says instead, "It doesn't make sense; why would they be calling in their loan so soon?" Caroline presses, "How many, Doug?" Doug mumbles, "A few." Caroline growls, "How many of that 'few' didn't you tell me about?" Doug sighs, "Don't worry about it." Caroline, however, demands, "How many, Doug?" Doug retorts, "It's none of your--" Caroline interrupts and yells, "If you say it's none of my business, I'll hit you." Doug retorts, "I was going to say it's none of your concern - which means don't you worry about it. Just leave it up to me, will you?" Caroline, however, points out tersely, "I've already left things up to you and where are we? With a debt collector breathing down our backs. I want to know, Doug: how much do you owe?" Doug insists quickly, "Not much." Caroline demands, "How much?" Doug hesitates before murmuring, "About... fifty thou."

The 'phone rings at Dural. Wayne answers it in the hallway. He listens and then smiles, "Doug! What a surprise! What can I do for you?" At the other end, Doug replies, "You know how you were saying you'd like to do something to help Gordon... Well something's come up. I think you can." At Dural, Wayne says 'innocently', "Really? What is it?" He listens before saying, "OK - if you don't want to discuss it over the 'phone... No, I'm tied-up this evening. What about tomorrow?... How about lunch?" He listens before continuing, "Your place? What about Caroline?" Doug retorts, "I'll make sure she's out." He listens before then snapping, "Yeah, I am a bit annoyed with her. How did you know?" Wayne tells him, "Just the way you said you'd make sure that she's out, that's all." Doug explains, "She's being a pain in the neck about something." Wayne asks, "What if she finds out we're doing business together?" Doug assures him, "I'll just make sure she doesn't. I've got enough trouble on my hands as it is." With that, he hangs up. At Dural, Wayne hangs up as well and stands there, looking pleased with himself...

Beryl is peeling some potatoes on her kitchen bench. Craig comes in with a newspaper and sits down at the table. He looks agitated. Noticing his attitude, Beryl tells him, "It's alright - I'm managing, even if the sink is blocked." Craig looks at her blankly and says, "What?" Beryl replies, "Stop worrying about the sink being blocked; I'm managing." Craig cries, "He said he was on his way two hours ago." Beryl suggests, "He's probably been delayed. He will be here - and it's not a matter of life or death." At that moment, there's a knock on the front door. Beryl adds, "That'll be him now." Craig doesn't move. Beryl sighs, "Aren't you going to answer it?" Looking suddenly worried, Craig stands up slowly and heads out through the lounge room to the hallway. He pauses by the front door and murmurs to himself, "Here we go, dad..." He then opens the door. A young man is standing there and he says, "Hi. Peter Elliot. I'm the plumber." Craig stares at him.

A short time later, Craig and Peter Elliot are standing in the kitchen with Beryl. Peter says to Beryl, "Sorry I was late - I'm messing up your dinner." Beryl, however, assures him, "It's nothing that won't keep. I'm just pleased to see the sink getting fixed!" Peter reaches down under the sink. As he gets to work, Craig comments, "You seem pretty young to have your own business." Peter replies, "It's not." Craig points out, "But you said you were Peter Elliot." Peter explains, "Peter Elliot Junior. Most people call me PJ. Peter Elliot - as in Peter Elliot Plumbing - is my dad." Craig muses, "Right!" Elliot then starts examining the pipes under the sink and asks, "What have you been doing down here: gardening?!"

A while later, Peter calls out to Beryl, "She's right, Mrs. Hamilton." Water is flowing down the sink normally again and Peter looks at Craig and adds, "Didn't take long, eh?" Beryl joins them and Peter asks, "Mind if I use the bathroom to wash up?" Beryl points out where it is. She then asks, "Can I get you anything? Coffee?" Peter, however, smiles, "No, she'll be right. I'd better head straight home - mum'll probably have tea waiting!" With that, he leaves the room. When he's gone, Beryl remarks to Craig, "He's a nice young man. Isn't it good to see a father and son working together? David tried it once with John, but it never worked out." Craig asks, "How?" Beryl explains, "They argued too much! And look at Gordon and Wayne: that never really worked either. I think a father and son have to be really close for it to be possible." Craig comments, "Sort of the same type?" Beryl nods, "Yeah. Peter's probably a chip off the old block." Craig looks at Peter's jacket suddenly: it's lying on the kitchen table and a wallet is sticking out from the inside pocket. Beryl returns to peeling her potatoes and doesn't notice as Craig reaches out for the wallet, grabs it and then places it in the back pocket of his jeans... Peter Elliot comes back in at that moment and says to Beryl, "I dirtied you towel up a bit, Mrs. Hamilton. Sorry." Craig says to him, "How much do I owe you?" Peter, however, assures him, "Don't worry now - we'll bill you." Craig nods, "OK." With that, he escorts Peter out to the front door. As he does so, Peter says, "I reckon I might grab a swim at South Milton beach before I head home." Craig comments, "I thought your mum had dinner ready." Peter, however, chuckles, "That's just an excuse: if I drank all the cuppas I had offered to me on the job, I'd spend half my life on the loo!" Craig opens the door and smiles, "You've got it all worked out, haven't you!" Peter then says, "Good meeting you - I might see you around sometime." With that, he heads off. Craig closes the door and then pulls Peter's wallet out of his pocket. He opens it and looks inside. There's a photo in there of a happy family: the two Peter Elliots, Peter's mum and his sister. Craig then puts the wallet back in his pocket and stands there looking thoughtful.

The next morning, Craig approaches the Elliot house. PJ is loading some equipment into his van. Craig stares at him and then calls, "Peter!" Peter looks at him and says, "G'day. What brings you out here?" Craig holds out the wallet and tells him, "We found this out on the kitchen table. It must have dropped out of your coat." Peter takes it and comments, "I didn't even know I'd lost it! Thanks, mate." He then asks, "How'd you get out here?" Craig explains, "Tram." Peter asks in surprise, "You come all the way out here by tram?" Craig nods, "Yeah." Peter tells him, "You should've called - I'd've picked it up." Craig tells him, "There won't be anybody there today, and I thought you'd need it." Peter nods, "Certainly will. Thanks." He then asks, "Where you headed to?" Craig replies, "Work." Peter asks, "Where's that?" Craig tells him, "Way out. Tram'll get me there, though." Peter, however, insists, "No way. I'm driving you." Craig exclaims, "It's too far." Peter, though, assures him, "It's the least I can do after you brought me this." He indicates his wallet. Craig points out, "It's miles." Peter shrugs, "So is Albert Park from here. Come on, hop in." Looking round at the house, Craig says quickly, "I'm really thirsty; how about we get a drink?" Peter tells him, "We'll get one on the way." He climbs into the van and starts the engine, leaving Craig staring at the house and mouthing, "Erm... yeah." With a look of resignation on his face, he then climbs into the van and Peter starts reversing down the driveway.

A while later, the van pulls up at the airfield and Peter and Craig climb out. Peter looks around and remarks, "This looks like an interesting place to work! You fly?" Craig tells him, "No - I'm going to learn, though." He then adds, "We should go out for a joyride one day." Peter sighs, "Couldn't afford it, mate." Craig, however, assures him, "On the house. I'll call you." Peter exclaims, "Great!" Craig then says quickly, "Actually, we could go up tonight, if you like." Peter nods eagerly, "You're on!" He then adds quickly, though, "Oh, sorry. I forgot. Don't know how I could, mind." Craig asks, "You got something on?" Peter smiles, "Just a little thing called my 21st birthday party!" Craig exclaims, "It's your birthday?! Hey, happy birthday!" He shakes Peter's hand before suggesting, "How about tomorrow, then?" Peter nods, "Give us a call in the morning." As he goes to climb back into his van, Craig says quickly, "Maybe, um... your dad sounds like a good bloke; maybe he'd like to come too?" Peter replies, "You never know. I'll ask him." With that, he climbs back into his van, starts the engine and drives off. As he does so, a look of shock crosses Craig's face. He mouths to himself, "21? I'm nineteen..."

Doug and Wayne are sitting at the dining table in the lounge room at Caroline's. Doug is telling Wayne, "Of course, I'm fine financially, but Gordon was a bit shaken when Alison failed to come through with the money; he had a few creditors snapping at his heels." Wayne presses, "You're OK?" Doug insists quickly, "Of course. A good businessman never puts all his eggs in one basket." He adds, "Gordon did, though, you see, with the airfield. What I was thinking was: if you sunk your money in - made up Alison's shortfall - then his creditors would know that Gordon was a secure investment. You know?" Wayne just nods, "Yes. I do." Doug says, "Well?" Wayne tells him, "I'll have the papers drawn up." Doug smiles, "It's a deal!" Wayne holds out his hand and Doug shakes it, going on as he does so, "You won't regret it. The airfield's a real money-spinner." Wayne muses, "I hope so." Doug then raises a glass of wine and proposes, "To the airfield?" Wayne lifts his own glass and, clinking it against Doug's, says, "To friendship..."

Caroline is sitting in Beryl's lounge room, sighing to Beryl, "He's as mad at me as I am at him. He virtually bundled me out of the house this morning." Beryl comments, "You can hardly blame him after he spent the night on the sofa!" Caroline mutters, "There was no way I was going to sleep with him." Beryl tells her, "That's alright - but just don't blame him for your mood today." Caroline stares at her and exclaims in annoyance, "You think he's in the right!" Beryl, however, insists, "I'm not taking sides, Caroline, but you know what he's like and you knew what he was like when you said those things about 'for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse', remember?" Caroline sighs, "It's getting worse, though." Beryl tells her, "Well, I think if you're going to stay with him, you'll have to put up with it. I doubt he'll change." Caroline sighs, "So do I. That's the trouble." Beryl presses in concern, "You're not really thinking of leaving him, are you?" Caroline muses, "I suppose not. I did last night, though - but I woke up at about three o'clock this morning and decided it was probably because I was angry." Beryl looks at her and asks, "Are you alright?" Caroline asks, "Why?" Beryl tells her, "You just look a little pale, and sometimes when you're feeling ill things get on top of you more than others." Caroline admits, "I have been feeling a bit seedy the last few days." Beryl comments, "Usually you can handle a lot more than a debt-collector." Caroline murmurs, "I know. Maybe you're right!" Beryl then says seriously, "If you are worried about Doug frittering away your savings, there are practical things you can do." Caroline responds, "Such as?" Beryl tells her, "Cancel your joint account; keep your money separate. That way, if anything does happen, at least you're covered." Caroline murmurs, "He'd take that as a reflection against him." Beryl, however, points out, "Better that than you being left with nothing." Caroline comments, "I suppose that's one way of guaranteeing that the creditors won't get their hands on my money." Beryl declares, "Exactly - and I'm sure if you explained it to him properly he'll understand. And one more piece of advice: no more nights on the sofa - they don't solve anything. You go home, make yourself beautiful and cook him a nice romantic dinner." Caroline muses, "And then drop him the news about the joint bank account..." Beryl nods, "Exactly." Caroline smiles, "There's a touch of Alison Carr in you!" With that, she stands up and adds, "Thanks for listening - it's good to have a shoulder." The two of them head towards the front door. As they do so, Caroline goes on, "I suppose Craig has been bashing your ear too." Beryl admits, "Well he is missing Debbie, but he keeps most of it to himself." Caroline, however, explains, "No, no, I meant about his father." Beryl looks at her blankly and says, "His father?" Looking worried about having put per foot in it, Caroline murmurs, "Didn't he say anything?" Beryl replies, "No. What about his father?" Looking uncomfortable, Caroline says, "Maybe he should tell you." Beryl shrugs, "He doesn't even know who his father is." Caroline replies uncomfortably, "He does now - somebody by the name of Peter Elliot." Beryl stares at her and mouths, "Peter Elliot?" Caroline nods at her and remarks, "You've heard the name." Beryl retorts, "Yes, but not in connection with Craig's father. Unless..." A thoughtful look crosses her face and she then murmurs, "I wonder what he's up to..."

It's evening-time. Craig is sitting with Beryl and Gordon in the lounge room at Beryl's, saying to Beryl, "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I thought if you knew you mightn't be able to carry it off." Gordon chips in, "Now let me get this straight: you rang Peter Elliot Plumbing hoping your father would come round and do the job, right?" Craig nods, "Yeah. His son came instead." Gordon comments, "Your brother." Craig corrects, "Half-brother." Gordon asks, "How did you feel?" Craig tells him, "It was weird. I wanted to say something but I couldn't." Gordon continues, "You stole his wallet to make sure you had a reason to go back to their home?" Craig nods, "Yeah." Beryl asks, "Why didn't you see your father then?" Craig explains, "Peter offered me a ride to work and I couldn't get out of it. I even pretended I was thirsty so he'd invite me inside..." Beryl asks, "He didn't?" Craig replies, "No." Beryl suggests, "Maybe it was for the best. You can't go barging into people's lives without knowing whether it's the right thing to do." Craig muses, "For yourself as well as them." Beryl then says gently, "Remember how hard it was for you to adjust to finding your mother?" Craig, however, insists, "This bloke's different. He sounds great!" Beryl comments, "He's a good husband and father." Craig nods, "Right." Gordon suggests warily, "All the more reason why he may not want you to come crawling out of the woodwork." Beryl, looking at Craig, adds, "We're not trying to be negative, love; we're just trying to point out that there are some drawbacks." Craig insists, "Believe me - I know." Gordon tells him, "I'm sure you'll do the right thing." Craig then reveals, "There is a big problem." Beryl asks, "What?" Craig explains, "When I was talking to Peter today, he mentioned that he's just turned 21. I'm 19. That means that our dad was playing around with Ruby when he was married. I turn up and they're all going to know - which may cause big problems with his wife." He goes on earnestly, "I know what I want to do and I know how I want it to turn out: I want to walk in there and he'll be really rapt and I'll become part of the family... with Deb... they'll love her as much as I do and everything will be fantastic. The other side of the coin is that I barge in there and screw-up my dad's life - and I reckon he'd hate me for it..."

There's romantic music playing in the lounge room at Caroline's. Caroline is lighting some candles on the dining table, which has been set for two.

Doug is standing in the office at Sanders Air Charter. He's holding a file and snapping, "What the hell is this?" Wayne is standing opposite him. He just replies, "I told you I'd draw up the deal." Doug, however, snaps, "It's not a deal, it's a takeover." Wayne shrugs, "No one's forcing it onto you." Doug growls, "I thought you said you wanted to help your father." Wayne just says coolly, "You don't think I believed all that bull this afternoon do you? I know you're the one in trouble - and that's designed to get you out of it." He indicates the file. Doug snaps, "You call handing over my share of the business and then getting Bill to hand over his getting me out of trouble?" Wayne just retorts, "I'm offering you a very good price - plus allowing you to stay on and work for me." Doug growls, "It's only so Gordon won't find out we've sold out." Wayne just ignores this. He says, "So?" Doug spits, "No deal." Wayne shrugs, "Fine. Go under. See if I care." Doug insists, "I'll manage." Wayne, however, retorts coldly, "No you won't. I'll make sure you don't. Who do you think was behind that loan being called in? Who do you think's got a hotline to all your creditors? Whose index finger is just itching to call them and let them know you've turned down my offer? Your credit rating will be so low it'll be subterranean." Doug glares at him and growls, "You really would do it, wouldn't you?" Wayne nods, "Sure. You have a choice: sign that or go bankrupt - and from what I hear, you'd not only be losing your own money, you'll be losing Caroline's too. How long do you reckon you'll hang onto her if that happens, hmm? But if you want to take the risk..." He reaches out to take back the file. Doug holds onto it, however. He says warily, "You guarantee no one will find out we've done the deal?" Wayne assures him, "Just you and me. I'll pull the strings, but for all intents and purposes you'll be in charge. Ms. Alison Carr won't know what the hell hit her..." He then asks, "Well?" Doug leans on a nearby cabinet and signs the contract, reluctantly.

The candles on the dining table at Caroline's are almost burnt right down. The television is on and Channel 7 is closing down for the night. Caroline is lying asleep on the couch. The front door opens suddenly and Doug comes in. He heads into the lounge room and sees Caroline lying there. He turns off the TV. As he does so, Caroline stirs. She opens her eyes and glares at Doug, who slurs, "I'm a bit late, huh?" Caroline snarls, "You're drunk." Doug muses in a slurred voice, "I had a few things to drink about, so I drank a bit! I'm not drunk." Caroline stands up and snaps sarcastically, "Thankyou for your call." Doug sighs, "Let's not argue - not tonight, huh?" Caroline growls, "No. No arguing. You're not worth the effort." She goes to march out of the room. As she does so, Doug says, "I've got to go to America. I've got to go and see Bill." Caroline turns back to face him and snaps, "You can go to kingdom come, for all I care." Doug sighs, "Look, I tried to do the right thing by you, Caroline. Don't be like that." Caroline snaps angrily, "You wouldn't know the right thing if you fell over it - which, in your present state, you probably would." With that, she storms out. Doug yells after her, "You're not the only one with troubles, you know? Maybe I will go to the States and stay there and be done with it." Caroline yells back from out of the room, "Why don't you do that?" Doug stands there, looking furious. He then marches out to the hallway and through the front door. A few seconds later, Caroline runs down the hallway, opens the door and calls in concern, "Doug?" There's no response. Caroline closes the door again and then heads into the lounge room. She sits down on the couch, looking upset.

It's the next morning. Craig is walking slowly along the street outside the Elliot house. He crouches down behind a brown car and watches as the Elliots' front door opens and both Peter Elliots emerge. They talk to each other briefly and the younger Peter then heads back inside. Peter Elliot senior heads down towards the road. He turns and starts walking along the footpath. Craig goes to run and catch him up - but he then apparently has second thoughts and comes to a standstill. He stares desperately at his departing father's back.

 

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