5 May 2021

"I don't know where Iolo is"

Tyler comes downstairs at number 7 in an anxious state;  he cannot find Iolo and is attempting to phone him;  he leaves the message, “I hope you’re OK – just phone me back when you get this.”

"He's probably popped out to clear his head"

Garry has not seen him, and was under the impression that the operation was tomorrow;  “Yes, but he’s having blood tests today,” Tyler advises.   Gary thinks he may have simply popped out to clear his head, but is told that they are supposed to be leaving in ten minutes, and Iolo is not answering his phone.

"Would you look aftert Greta for a while?"

“Would you look after Greta for a while?   I will check if Iolo’s at Y Felin,” says Tyler and Garry is happy to help.

Kath and Brynmor are back from London

Kath and Brynmor arrive back at Maes-y-Deri, and Kath advises him to watch his back with the heavy case.   Mark unenthusiastically says that he would have picked them up from the station, 

"I'm getting used to travelling by taxi"

but apparently Kath is now getting used to travelling by taxi;  “And we wanted the holiday to last as long as possible.”   

"We didn't want it to end"

Brynmor agrees that they did not want it to end.

"I've never enjoyed a holiday so much!"

“You must have enjoyed it, then,” comments Mark, disappointed, and his mother maintains that she has never enjoyed a holiday as much.   

“We met Stacey and we all went up in the London Eye, but Kath felt lightheaded,” says Brynmor, 

"That was the champagne at lunchtime"

but this is put down to the champagne at lunchtime.   

"You've been really splashing out, then?"

Mark mutters that they have been really splashing out, and his mother wonders if he has heard about The Ivy [an iconic West End theatre restaurant]  

She describes the place as really posh;  “And then Brynmor took me to see ‘Hamilton’ – it was pretty good, fair play.”

"Mark has been stuck here with Gerwyn"

Mark is sitting, looking miserable, and Brynmor demands, “What’s wrong with us?   Mark has been stuck here with Gerwyn.”   

"It was nice to have some peace"

Mark replies that he has hardly seen Gerwyn, and it is nice to have some peace anyway.

Hardly Mark's sort of thing

Brynmor rushes out to the hallway, returning with a large bag containing a present for Mark, a large teddy bear, which Mark views with disdain.   “Wow,” he says without much feeling, and is told that it is a Hamley’s original – he would not get one like that at a flea market.   

"Well, I don't know what to say"

“Well, I don’t know what to say,” Mark continues.

"Don't you dare put that on ebay!|

When Brynmor goes off to charge his phone, Kath rather awkwardly gets up from the sofa and warns her son, “Don’t you dare put that on ebay, do you understand?”

Siôn and Anita cannot help Tyler 

Tyler has gone to Y Felin, 

"I've tried to leave him alone"

where he is told by Siôn, “I haven’t heard from him for days – I’ve tried to leave him alone.”   

"He wanted to deal with the operation on his own"

Anita adds that they got the impression Iolo wanted to deal with the operation on his own.   

"That was what he wanted me to think"

Tyler also thought that he was in a good place, or at least that was what Iolo wanted him to think.   Siôn suggests that he may have gone to the hospital, but his van is still there;  “Unless he got a taxi, of course,” says Tyler, “I’ll phone the hospital now.”

Siôn suspects he has chickened out of the operation

Siôn is beginning to panic, and Anita tries to calm him, arguing that he should not to get ahead of himself;  “We know that Iolo likes to do things his own way.”   That is what is worrying Siôn, who suspects that he has had cold feet and has decided not to have the operation;  he would not have necessarily told his father this.

"Well, he's not at the hospital"

Tyler reports that he is not at hospital, and has not answered his phone all morning;  “He has to stay there overnight for the operation tomorrow – but I must get back to Greta.”   Siôn will go to see Colin, in case Iolo is having a last minute meditation session.

Jaclyn has been for a run . . .

Jaclyn has been for a run, and Aled says that she looks fit;  

. . . and is not fit, but knackered

“I’m not fit – I’m knackered!” she replies, and wonders how the film went last night.   Aled informs her that his father cancelled again.

"His new child is more important"

“He didn’t have to explain – I saw him taking a takeaway to the Deri.   His new child is more important – or that’s how it feels!”   

"You need a couple of drinks"

Jaclyn decides that what he needs is a couple of drinks, and perhaps Tes will come with them;  “To numb ourselves with alcohol?” he remarks, and she says that she has not been out for ages.

"You're young, free and single"

“You’re young, free and single,” Aled tells her, but she prefers to drop the ‘young’ part.   She is quite excited to be going out, and goes up for a shower, while Aled says he is popping out.

Aled encounters Dani

As he comes out of the door, he meets Dani, who has also joined the hunt for Iolo;  

"Iolo's gone AWOL!"

“He is supposed to be going into hospital today, but he’s gone AWOL,” she says, 

Aled is more concerned about Tyler 

but Aled seems more worried about how Tyler is, and wonders if Iolo will be coming back;  in fact he harbours the hope that Iolo might not ever come back.

"That would suit you, wouldn't it?"

“That would suit you, wouldn’t it?” Dani snarls, 

"It's just that if he were not here . . ."

but Aled does not want anything bad to happen to him, only presuming that if he were not there . . .   

"I don't want to hear any more of this, all right?"

Dani does not want to hear any more of this;  “If you see him, let me know, OK?”

Colin has not seen Iolo for several days

Colin has also not seen Iolo for several days;  Siôn had been hoping he would be in the middle of a yoga session there.   

"I sent him a message this morning"

“I sent him a message this morning, wishing him well with the treatment tomorrow, but I haven’t heard back,” says Colin.   Britt wonders how he has been behaving over the last few days, and Siôn replies that he has been very reflective.

"Tyler said he was in a good place"

“Tyler said he was in a good place, doing his breathing exercises, eating healthily and taking his supplements.”   

"Colin's been telling him to listen to his body"

She points out that Colin has been telling him to listen to his body, and Siôn jumps to the conclusion that he is the cause of Iolo’s disappearance.   

"You've been filling his head with nonsense!"

“You’ve been filling his head with this nonsense about alternative treatments and thinking positively!”

"I only helped him to relax, Siôn"

Colin protests that he only helped Iolo to relax;  “To listen to his body.”   Siôn imagines that his body has told him not to have the operation, but Britt insists that Colin cannot be blamed, as he was only trying to help.

"If he doesn't have this operation, I'll never forgive you!"

“And look where we are!” growls Siôn, “If Iolo doesn’t have this operation because of you – I'll never forgive you!”   

This greatly distresses Colin

Colin looks very distressed.

Jaclyn appears to going out 'on the pull'

Jaclyn has been taking a lot of trouble to smarten herself up, and asks Tesni if she has gone too far;  

"It draws attention to your boobs!

“No, it’s lovely – it draws attention to your boobs!” she is told.   Tesni cannot understand why her mother is going to all this effort, and is so nervous.

"I just want to look my best"

She replies that she is not nervous, but simply wanting to look her best;  

"Why don't you come with us?"

“Why don’t you come with us?   We’ll have more of a laugh!”   

"Sorry, I promised Cassie"

Tesni says that she cannot, as has she has promised Cassie.   “You can see Cassie any time!” her mother pleads, and Aled promises to get a round of Jagerbombs, so Tesni says that she will catch them up later.

Colin is frantic with worry

Colin is now very worried that he has caused Iolo to go missing, but is assured by Britt, “All you did was help him relax.”   

This does nothing to ease Colin’s distress;  

"He could die, Britt, because of me!"

“If Iolo misses his operation, there might not be another appointment for weeks . . . months!   He could die, Britt, because of me.”   

"Do your 'ujjayi breath' or whatever you call it"

She urges him to calm down and do his ‘ujjayi breath’, or whatever he calls it, 

So Colin breathes deeply

and he does so.

"Iolo's responsible for his own decisions"

“Listen, Colin – Iolo is an adult – he’s responsible for his own decisions, not you,” she continues, 

"I've had a big influence on him lately"

but he maintains he has been a big influence on Iolo lately.   “Thank goodness for that, because I remember the state he was in before you helped him – 

"He was falling apart, worrying about everything"

“he was falling apart, worrying about everything.   Siôn can say what he likes, but we know Iolo is in a far better place now, thanks to you.”

"I should have been more careful with him"

Colin concedes, “You’re right – he was in a fragile place, psychologically – but that’s why I should have been more careful with him.   I encouraged him to listen to his body to give him strength and confidence.”   

"You can be proud of that, Col"

Britt interrupts to say that he can be proud of that.

“But I’ve just given him the confidence to reject his treatment – and what will happen now?   I might have to live with that for the rest of my life!” Colin wails, 

Colin again tries to calm down

and then resorts to some more deep breathing.

"They're upstairs now, watching Peppa Pig"

In the Deri, Tyler thanks Garry for helping with Greta, and is told that Seren enjoys her company;  “They’re upstairs now, watching Peppa Pig.”

Then something – or rather someone – catches his eye

Then he sees Jaclyn walking in and cannot take his eyes off her;  Aled orders a couple of large gin and tonics, which Garry will bring over.   

She definitely has an ulterior motive for being there

He watches Jaclyn undo her jacket, deliberately revealing her cleavage.

"I've missed you more than I thought I would"

Aled goes across to speak to Tyler;  “I heard about Iolo – you can talk to me, you know.   And I’ve missed you more than I thought I would – I don’t understand what went wrong – we were good together.”

"It's over now and I've moved on"

Tyler agrees that they were, but it is now over and he has moved on.  

"With Iolo?"

“With Iolo?” Aled demands, and is informed that they are not together;  Tyler just wants to leave it, but Aled is eager to know if they have slept together.

“Yes,” is the answer, “But Iolo doesn’t want a relationship – happy now?”

There is a 'charged atmosphere' in the Deri

As Garry takes over the drinks, and both he and Jaclyn look at each other, Aled suggests, “Was I just a distraction through lockdown until Iolo took you back?” but is told it was not like that.   

"You turn my stomach!"

“You turn my stomach!” rages Aled, and returns to Jaclyn, deciding that he is having something stronger after these drinks.

"I've got a migraine coming on"

She makes the excuse that she has a migraine coming on and will go home;  she says that Tesni will be arriving soon.   

Jaclyn's 'come hither' look . . .

She takes back her drink and places it on the bar, giving Garry an unmistakable ‘come hither’ look, 

. . . is not lost on Garry . . .

which he cannot fail to notice, and leaves the pub.   

. . . who is quick to follow her

Outside as she walks along the street with a smile on her face, he is soon following her;  

"Well, look at you!"

“Well, look at you!” he says.   She just wanted to let him know that she and Gerwyn are officially separated;  “I heard he had moved out,” Garry comments.

"I'm free to do whatever I like with whoever I like"

“We’re having a divorce – we decided it was the best to allow us to move on,” she advises, “So, I’m free to do whatever I want – with whoever I want.   

She leaves him in no doubt of her intentions

“I’m only interested in one man – make an excuse to finish your shift early – 

"I'll meet you in the garage"

“I’ll meet you in the garage.”   

Garry watches her

He watches her walk away.

Siôn debates whether to phone the police

Siôn is still phoning around, without any success, and considers the idea of phoning the police, 

"It's rather early for that, Siôn"

but Anita thinks it is rather early for that.   “Not for someone in a fragile mental state like Iolo ,” he worries, 

"What if he hurts himself?"

“What if he’s hurt himself?”

"He won't do that – he wants to get better"

She is sure that he would not do that, as he wants to get better;  “But you hear of people who get fed up with fighting!” he goes on.   She tells him that he is making himself upset, but he moans, “I wasn’t there for him – I thought he was coping on his own – I thought he could face the operation – 

"I'm his father – I neglected Iolo!"

“but I’m his father!   My head was in the clouds with the bookshop – I neglected Iolo!”

Garry is waiting, as instructed . . .

Sure enough, Garry is waiting in the garage office when Jaclyn comes in through the door;  

. . .and Jaclyn begins disrobing

she takes off her jacket and throws it down, then is about to unfasten her blouse.   

"No, don't"

“No, don’t,” he tells her, 

"Do you want to do it yourself?"

and she she assumes that he wants to do it himself, but then realises something is wrong.

"My family comes first – Gwern, Seren and . . ."

“I’ve had a lot of time to think lately,” he begins, “About what’s important to me – I’ve been selfish and rash.   From now on my family comes first – Gwern and Seren, and . . .”

"And Dani!"

Jaclyn finishes his sentence for him, “And Dani!”   He points out that it is complicated, 

"It could be a lot simpler this time"

but she argues, “It could be a lot simpler this time – for the first time in years I feel free – I am free, thanks to you!”

"You deserve to enjoy it"

He agrees that she deserves to enjoy it, and she snatches up her jacket, 

"As soon as I show some interest, you run away!"

snarling, “What is it about you men?   You’ve been chasing me for months – as soon as I show some interest, you run away!”

"Perhaps my days of chasing women are over"

Garry suggests that his days of chasing women are over, and as she is about to leave, she turns;  

"If you change your mind"

“You know where I am if you change your mind.”

"Ah, the open-top double-decker"

At Maes-y-Deri, they are looking at their photos on the television screen;  “Ah, the open-top double-decker – luckily we had the backseat to ourselves,” Kath says, and Mark complains that there is something he wants to watch.   “We haven’t reached Green-Witch yet, Kath informs him, 

Brynmor correct her pronunciation

and her pronunciation is corrected by Brynmor;  “And we saw this boat, the Cutty Sark.”

"Brynmor did ask if you'd like to come"

“Thank goodness I wasn’t there,” Mark groans, and is told by his mother that Brynmor did ask if he would like to come.”   

"So we could get to know each other"

Brynmor explains that it would have given them a chance to get to know each other.

"I didn't want anyone to spoil the holiday"

Kath pointedly goes on, “But I said no – because I didn’t want anyone to spoil the holiday – especially you, Mark!   That’s what I said, didn’t I?”   

"Yes, something like that, Kath"

Brynmor confirms that this is indeed true.

She tells him to pause it for a while, as she needs to soak her feet, which are covered with blisters.   

Mark also leaves the room

Mark takes a packet of crisps and goes elsewhere.

Brynmor appears to up to something

Brynmor takes advantage of being on his own and checks to make sure that the coast is clear.

Jaclyn discards her coat . . .

Jaclyn arrives home at number 10 and finds herself alone there;  she removes her jacket and drops it on the floor, 

. . .sits miserably at the foot of the stairs . . .

then sits at the bottom of the stairs 

. . . and takes off her shoes

and takes off her high heels.   She reiterates what she said to Garry, 

"If you change your mind – pathetic!"

“If you change your mind – pathetic!” tears off her pendant and throws it across the room in a rage.

Brynmor reaches into his pocket . . .

Brynmor takes Kath’s jewellery box and opens it;  he reaches in his pocket, 

. . . and takes out a ring

taking out a ring.   He does not know that Mark is spying on him;  

"Itchy fingers, is it?"

“Itchy fingers, is it?” Mark demands, “I knew you were dodgy!   But stealing Mam’s jewels – you’re a bigger crook than I thought!”

"Look, Mark, I can explain"

Brynmor says he can explain;  

"Yes, I'm sure you can"

“Yes, I’m sure you can – you’re good with words – a real charmer!” Mark continues.   

"I was putting it back, not stealing it!"

Brynmor points out that he was putting the ring back, not stealing it.

“You had stolen it – did you want to know its value?   

"You're trying to con Mam!"

“You don’t love Mam at all – you’re trying to con her – and she’s going to find out!” shouts Mark.

"I was making sure this one will fit"

“Mark, listen!” Brynmor pleads, “The reason I took the ring was to check its size – to make sure that this one will fit.”   He takes a small box from his pocket.   

"Will you give me permission to ask your mother to marry me?"

“This is not how I planned to ask, but, Mark, will you give me permission to ask your mother to marry me?”

Mark is totally lost for words

Mark is completely taken aback by this.