9 April 2020

Mark is up very early this morning

The time is 6:01, and Mark has already put on his jacket;  

He leaves a note for his mother . . .

he leaves a note, addressed to his mother, on the table.   He does not appear at all comfortable as he looks around the room.   He then takes a deep breath and is about to leave through the back door, with his small amount of luggage, but meets Tyler in the doorway.

. . . then finds Tyler was up even earlier

“I’ve just been for a run – what are you doing?” Tyler asks.   

"I'm catching a bus with Debbie – next stop Spain"

Mark confesses that he is leaving – catching a bus in an hour with Debbie – next stop Spain.   

"You're not going on the run?"

Tyler cannot believe that he is on the run, and Mark begs him not say anything;  

Debbie needs me, all right?"

“Debbie needs me, all right?”   

Tyler warns him that he is being used, and reminds him of the many times she has made a mess of things – so many that he has lost count;  “Things aren’t going to change, Mark – do you think you will be happy in Spain?”   

"Look after Mam, will you?"

After a pause, Mark asks him to look after his mother, as he needs to know there is someone here for her.   

Tyler gives him a hug

Tyler gives him a hug, and he goes out of the back door.

He thinks he had better hang on to the letter

Tyler notices the message propped up on the table and thinks it better to hold on to it for the present.

Cassie hoped that Em would have gone by now

Em is packing her things at number 9, and her mother was hoping that she would have already left;  “I’m catching a later train, OK?” Em replies, 

"Leave the keys on the worktop, will you?"

and is told to leave the keys on the worktop, as Cassie wonders what else she could say.

“That you’re sorry for getting angry,” Em suggests, 

"You and me is what's important"

“That you and me is what’s important, and the house doesn’t matter.”   

"You're only saying that because you got caught"

Cassie is convinced that she is saying that only because she got caught – if the solicitor had not phoned, Em would still be deceiving her.

"The least you could do is say sorry too"

“I’ve said sorry – the least you could do is say sorry too!” protests Em, “I’m about to lose the only place I can call home, and you don’t care – you shouldn’t get the house!   I looked after Dad – I was closest to him.   

"Dad was right –you're not worth knowing!"

“Do you know what?   He was right – you’re not worth knowing!”

"Sunny side up, Britt?"

Colin is cooking breakfast, but the atmosphere in the chip shop flat is rather fraught;  Aaron is not hungry, which is unusual.   Britt tells Colin to leave him alone, as he is staying at home today;  

"No-one likes being wrongly accused, Colin!"

“Stress, you see – no-one likes to be wrongfully accused!”   

Surprisingly, Izzy still seems to have a conscience

Izzy’s conscience is obviously troubling her, and she goes to have a shower, 

Aaron goes back to bed

while Aaron will go back to bed.

"Let me do that, Britt – I want to help!"

Britt is about to sort the recycling, but Colin insists that he will do that;  he is very concerned that he assumed that it was Aaron, helping himself to the money.   

He sorts the recycling . . .

As he puts the recycling into different containers, 

. . . then finds something interesting

he comes across a sheet of paper, torn from the front of the alleged ‘first edition’ of Dail Pren by Waldo Williams; 

The book was actually the fourth edition

on the it other side is clearly marked ‘fourth edition – Autumn 1972’.   He realises, with dismay, what this means.

A Stagecoach bus passes outside

Mark is having a cup of tea in the ‘Filling Station Café’, and trying to contact Debbie, as a Stagecoach bus, bearing the destination ‘122 Tonypandy’ passes outside.   

Debbie orders a full English breakfast

Then Debbie appears, and orders a full English breakfast;  Mark, on the other hand, only wants toast.   “We’re going to Spain – I need to think about the beach body,” he tells her, but she considers that it is a bit late now.   

"Right, what are the plans, then?"

“Right, what are the plans then?” he enquires, and Debbie informs him that a friend of her mother’s, 

"Dennis is meeting us with paperwork and passports"

“Dennis, who is a real nutter, is meeting them with paperwork and passports.

“New identities – we can’t go as Mark and Debbie,” she says, “We could open a place like this in Spain.”   

"Do you remember the lingo?"

He wonders if she remembers the lingo, 

"Just leave everything to me, OK?"

and she comes out with, “Si señor – no hay problema.  Just leave everything to me, OK?”

Colin goes to see Gaynor

Colin goes round to Llwyncelyn and asks if Rhys is there;  Gaynor replies that he is moving his things to Hywel’s house.   

He shows her the page from the book . . .

He anxiously shows her the page from the book, and explains, “Dail Pren is the book Siôn bought in the auction – signed by Waldo.   

. . . and tells her to turn it over

Izzy said it was the first edition,” and he shows her the other side of the paper.   “It was in the rubbish at the flat – I hate to suspect my own daughter.”

"What – that 'John Lennon' one?"

Gaynor also has confirming evidence, and she fetches the mug, allegedly used by John Lennon;  “Well, I’ve got one exactly the same from Gran – and guess who bought it at the auction?   Eifion!”   

"They haven't even taken off the lot number!"

The lot number is still stuck to the bottom of the mug, and Colin sighs.

Debbie is not forthcoming about where they are going

In the café, opposite the bus station [actually Talbot Green Bus Station], Debbie says she cannot remember the name of village to which they are going, 

"Perhaps Ricky could come and stay"

but Mark wants to tell Ricky where they are, so that perhaps he could come to stay;  “You do remember that we have a son, don’t you?”

"No, it's too much of a risk, Mark"

She is quite adamant that they cannot contact him, as it is too much of a risk.   

"Are you saying I can't talk to him?"

“Are you saying I can’t talk to him?” Mark demands, incredulously, and she is sorry to say that he cannot, for a year, and perhaps longer.   Then she hears, playing on the radio,  ‘A million love songs’.   

"It's 'our song' – everything will be OK, Mark!"

She reminds him that it is their wedding song, and she emphasises that it is a sign that everything will be OK.   He is by no means convinced by this.

"Where is Em now, then?"

In the Deri, Garry asks where Em is now, and is told that she is packing;  

"Can I work today, Garry?"

Cassie wants to know if she can work today, 

"Yeah, OK"

although Dani is down on the rota to do so.

Debbie is eager to get moving, and encourages Mark that they should go and find the bus.   

A child passes by . . .

When he notices a child passing by, 

. . .  and reminds Mark of old times

he recalls, “Do you remember me taking Ricky on the bus to the beach in Llansteffan?   He must have been about six – he was so excited, you’d think we were going to Disneyland – he had a bag full of toys.   He ate the sandwiches before the bus changed gear!”

Debbie does not want to talk about Ricky

Debbie is eager to change the subject, and he complains, “I can’t even talk about him now, can I?   

"We'll just pretend he doesn't exist"

“We’ll just pretend he doesn’t exist.”   She replies that he needs some sangria to chill him out, then notices that the bus is there, waiting.

"Look, it's OK to be upset, Debs"

Mark says that it is OK to be upset, but she wants to be positive, 

"This is like a long holiday – we're lucky, Mark"

thinking of it as a long holiday, and insisting that they are lucky.   “Why doesn’t it feel like that, then?” he asks, 

"You're expecting me not to talk to Ricky at all!"

“You’re expecting me not to talk to Ricky at all – not even a text!   I left the house without saying goodbye to Mam!”   

"Come on – the bus is waiting"

She urges him to come on.

"How do you think Ricky will feel if we both leave him?"

They approach the Mercedes coach, bound for Cardiff International Airport, as Mark continues, “How do you think Ricky will feel if we both leave him?” 

"He has a life of his own now"

but she answers that he has a life of his own now, and does not need them.   

"Go to court – and do your time, Debs!"

Mark implores her, “Go to court – do your time if you have to – stay out of trouble and you’ll be out early!   Then we can live in Cwmderi.”

She insists that she cannot go to jail, and that she needs him with her – she cannot do this on her own.   

She hands her ticket to the driver . . .

She hands her ticket to the driver, and he stows her luggage in the boot, 

. . . as Mark stands, looking distraught

as Mark looks on, distraught.

Debbie boards the coach . . .

Debbie gets on board the coach, 

. . . and is pleased to see Mark following her

and is relieved to see that Mark follows her;   “Are you going to sit down, or what?” he asks, and they both do so, 

"We're doing the right thing, Mark!"

as Debbie assures him that they are doing the right thing.   

"Without this, you'll be like a lobster!"

She has a present for him, some factor 50 sunblock, emphasising that without it, he will be like a lobster, and promising that they will look after each other.

They hold hands . . .

“Everything will be all right now – we’re together!” she says, and they profess their love for each other.   

. . . as the coach pulls away

The engine of the coach is started and T646JWB pulls out of the bus station on its way to the airport.

"Leave some of the varnish on there!"

Cassie is frantically polishing the bar, and Garry advises her, “Leave some of the varnish on there!”   She maintains that she does not know the last time this place was cleaned, 

"It's all right to be upset, Cas"

and he informs her that it is all right to be upset.   

"I'll do the tables next"

However, she intends to polish the tables next.

"Are you sure you want to throw this chance away?"

“Not everyone gets a second chance like this, Cas,” he continues, “Are you sure you want to throw it away?”   She makes it very clear that Em is the one who has lied, and he asks whether she has considered why.   “Put yourself in ‘their’ shoes,” he suggests, and Cassie does not fancy ‘those clumpy things’.

"Em has no friends, no family"

“Em is still grieving – doesn’t have any friends, no family,” he goes on, “And you’re the only thing ‘they’ had left.”   

"Why didn't she talk to me, then?"

Cassie demands why Em did not talk to her, instead of making a fool of her.   

"What's more important – your pride, or being a mother?"

“Which is more important – your pride, or being a mother?” he enquires, “All right, Em has been stupid, but you have a chance to show ‘them’ that you love ‘them’, despite what ‘they’ve’ done – that’s what being a parent is all about, not eating out and shopping trips.   

"Go on – go and see 'them'!"

“Go on – go and see ‘them’!”

She maintains that it is too late;  she has already said terrible things, so she is told to apologise – it may not be too late.   

Cassie heeds Garry's advice

She takes off her rubber gloves and leaves the Deri.

"She didn't even cover her tracks, Colin"

Colin is sitting glumly at a table, as Gaynor points out that Izzy could have covered her tracks, but did not;  “She could have taken the sticker off the bottom of the mug!”   

"How could she have the nerve to con her own community?"

Colin cannot understand how she has the nerve to con her own community.

Gaynor reveals that it would not be the first time;  

"Her relationship with Yr Antur isn't the most honest"

“Her relationship with Yr Antur isn’t the most honest – she intended to pay the money back, so she says, but . . .”   

"She stole money from Yr Antur?"

Colin is furious that she was stealing money from Yr Antur, and realises that it all makes sense now

"Money has gone missing from the till at the shop"

He admits that money has gone missing from the till in the shop – and that he blamed Aaron.   

"What are we going to do about her?"

Gaynor wonders what they are going to do.

"Do you want to give me more abuse?"

Cassie arrives back at number 9, and is relieved to find that Em has not already left;  “Do you want to give me more abuse?” she demands, and Cassie replies that she is not going to pretend to be happy, 

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said"

but acknowledges that she has said some terrible things, and is sorry.

“You’re Em – and I respect that, no matter what I said,” she admits, 

"I have a right to be upset – I'm losing my home"

but Em points out that she has the right to be upset, as she is losing her home.   

"You're not – you're going to have it"

Her mother announces, “You’re not going to lose your home – you’re going to have it – it’s what Huw would want, and it’s what I want.   I’m perfectly sure!   I don’t want anything for it – 

"All I want is for you to be happy"

“all I want is for you to be happy.”

Em thanks her, but not very enthusiastically;  

"I need to go back and 'get some wind in my sails'"

she says she needs to go home and get ‘some wind back in her sails’, stressing that this ‘getting to know each other’ is hard work.   “You can come up, I’ll come down – 

"We could meet halfway"

“or we could meet halfway.”   

Cassie suddenly remembers something and dashes upstairs

There is the sound of a car horn outside, and Cassie insists that before Em leaves, there is something she must have.

Colin arrives home . . .

Colin arrives back at the chippy flat, to find the others are playing a game of Jenga, which demands some concentration;  

. . . and wants a word with Izzy 

he wants a word with Izzy and asks her to come into the kitchen, but she is too busy.   

"I haven't forgiven you yet, mind"

Britt invites him to join the game, and he hesitantly agrees, although she reminds him she has not forgiven him yet.

Colin removes one of the blocks

He successfully removes one of the blocks, then Izzy asks him what he wanted to say, 

"Erm . . .I just wanted some help with the washing up"

but he chickens out, maintaining that he wanted some help with the washing up.   

"You're in safe hands with me"

She takes her turn, and remarks, “You’re in safe hands with me.”   

Her father knows this is not the case

Colin cannot share this opinion.

Em is still waiting for her mother to find whatever it was, and wails that she is going to miss her train.   

"I don't know how they're still in one piece"

“I don’t know how they’re still in one piece,” Cassie says, 

Em's (Mai's) old dungarees . . .

producing the old pair of dungarees, 

. . . and a photo of her, wearing them

together with a photo of Em wearing them many years ago.   

"I was a handful, wasn't I?"

Em confesses that she was a handful, and her mother remarks, “Always ready to stick two fingers up at the world.”

She gives her mother a hug . . .

Em gives Cassie a hug, 

. . . then leaves for the station

and hurriedly leaves to catch her train

Debbie has reached the airport – in the rain . . .

Debbie is looking out of the window of the coach when it arrives at the airport;  

. . . but now she is alone . . .

we see that she is alone and in tears, 

. . . as she gets out of her seat

but tries to compose herself, as she alights.

Tyler is thinking of phoning Mark

In the Deri, Tyler is toying with the idea of calling Mark’s number when he suddenly appears;  

"Missing me, are you?"

“Missing me, are you?” he says.   He warns Tyler  to keep his voice down 

"I couldn't do it – pathetic, isn't it?"

and explains that he could not do it.   “I was on the bus – the driver had to stop for me – pathetic, isn’t it?”

"This is where you need to be, not Spain"

Tyler says that he should not have gone;  “This is where you need to be, not Spain.”

"But when it comes to the crunch . . ."

“I complain enough about this place, but when it comes to the crunch . . .” Mark goes on, and then remembers his mother, and the letter.   

Tyler produces the letter for Mark

Tyler retrieves it from his pocket, explaining that he did not wanted Kath to find out in a letter, but was going to talk to her later.

"A lot of people will be glad to see the back of her"

Looking at his watch, Mark comments, “Debs is at the airport now – she was pretending that she was all right;  a lot of people will be glad to see the back of her – but she understood me better than anyone.”

"It would never have worked in Spain"

Tyler points out that it would never have worked, and after five minutes in Spain he would have been like a lobster;  “You’re too late –Debbie has already used that line,” Mark groans, 

"Life will be a little quieter now"

“There we are – at least life will be a little quieter now.”

Tyler reminds him that the police will soon realise she has gone, but he does not want to think about that right now.   

"I just want to remember the fun we had"

He continues, “I just want to remember the fun we had – she was a real mess, wasn’t she?   But do you know what?   

"I don't know if I'll ever see her again"

“She was my mess – and I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again.”   He is close to tears.