6 May 2021

"We've spent almost every minute together"

Mark continues from the last episode, “You hardly know each other,” but Brynmor reminds him that he and Kath have spent almost every minute together over the last few months.   

"You're still going through the honeymoon period"

“You’re still going through the honeymoon period,” Mark argues, “Still seeing things through rose tinted glasses.”

"Look, we're mature and sensible enough"

Brynmor replies that they are mature and sensible enough to know what they want, but Mark maintains that does not sound like his mother.   “Perhaps you don’t know her – like I do, I mean,” says Brynmor, “Kath and I have clicked.”

"Why spoil it by getting married?"

Mark wonders why they want to spoil it by getting married, and spells it out, “You’ve asked me for my permission, 

"I'm saying no!"

“and I’m saying no!   Sorry, but I think you’ll thank me one day.”

Socially distanced conversation

Out in the street, Garry remarks to Siôn, “But his van is still here – and you have no idea where else he would go?   Is there a place he goes to clear his head?”   

"He might have gone to the river"

Siôn says he may have gone to the river, 

"He often takes Greta to the park"

and Tyler suggests that he often takes Greta to the park.   Garry instructs them to go to those places and check;  “I’ve got a few things to do and then I’ll help – and phone if you find him.”

Guto appears to have something on his mind

Guto is sitting on the bench by the alley, but cannot really get interested in his books;  he picks them up and heads towards home, 

Jaclyn is reminiscing . . .

where his mother is looking through the messages on her phone between her and Garry.   

. . . about her affair with Garry

She is about to press the button which deletes the conversation, when she hears the door open.

"How was work, Guto?"

She asks how work went, and he says it was busy;  noticing her depressed mood, he asks if something has gone wrong, 

"It's a strange time"

and she simply replies that it is a strange time.   “With the divorce?” he comments, and she asks if he has any plans for tonight.   

"Do you want to go out for a walk or something?"

He wonders if she wants to go out for a walk or something with him, 

"There's a film starting in five minutes"

but she says there is a film starting in five minutes.

"You can talk to me, you know"

“Mam, you know you can talk to me if you want to,” he tells her, “If you’re worried about anything,” but she answers that there is nothing to say, muttering that everyone feels low sometimes, but she will be OK.   

She goes back to her phone . . .

He goes upstairs for a shower;  Jaclyn picks up her phone 

. . .  and deletes the conversation

and this time does delete the conversation.

"He wants to marry Kath?"

Cassie is surprised when Mark tells her that Brynmor wants to marry his mother;  

"At their age!"

“At their age!” he exclaims, “But I gave my honest opinion and said they were rushing into things,” which she does not regard as completely objective advice.

"Do you realise how you mother will feel?"

“Do you realise how your mother will feel when she finds out you’ve been interfering?” Cassie warns him, but he maintains that he has not interfered, because Brynmor asked, 

"She's not going to find out!"

and naïvely believes his mother is not going to find out, because there will not be a proposal.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted"

Gerwyn finds Guto sitting in the Deri, wearing his headphones, and says that he has been thinking a lot;  “I’m sorry if I overreacted – you know what I’m like.”   

"Forget it, Dad"

Guto wants him to forget it, but is told, “You were very angry with me about Ffion – 

"What's going on, Guto?"

“what’s going on, Guto?”

"I'm fed up with this place, Dad"

He groans, “I’m fed up with this place, Dad – everyone’s so moody all the time, you know.   Everyone complains, 

"I want to go travelling – to South America"

“so I’ve decided that I want to go travelling – to South America.   I’ve been thinking about it loads recently – and before you say anything, I’m an adult – you can’t stop me!”

"I think you're doing the right thing"

Surprisingly, his father thinks that he is doing the right thing and is pleased for him;  “How long are you intending to go for?”   

"For six months or so"

Guto replies that he was considering six months or so, but does not want his mother to be told yet.

"Your Mam will be pleased for you"

Gerwyn predicts that she will be pleased for him, but he is not so sure;  

"Mam's not in a good place at the moment"

“She’s not in a good place at the moment – I don’t know what’s wrong.   I’ve asked, but if she won’t talk, I can’t help, can I?”

"I'll call later to see her"

His father says that will call later to see her;  “It is all over, isn't it?” Guto enquires, and is told that it is, but that does not mean that Gerwyn wants her to be unhappy, 

"I'll buy you a pint"

and he will buy his son a pint.

"You haven't apologised for spending my money on drugs"

On the way to the bar, he adds, “By the way, you haven’t apologised for spending my money on drugs,” 

"I am sorry, Dad"

and Guto says that he is sorry.

As Garry approaches the garage . . .

Garry comes around the corner into the garage 

. . . be becomes suspicious . . .

when a sound attracts his attention;  he hears the muffled ringtone of a mobile phone, which seems to be coming from the inspection pit.   

. . . and investigates the inspection pit . . .

He grabs a torch, and moves the cover of the pit aside, 

. . . inside which is an intruder

revealing the huddled figure of Iolo, with a look in his eyes like a trapped animal.

"What the hell are you doing down there?"

“What the hell are you doing down there?   People are looking for you!” shouts Garry.   

"The door was open and there was no-one here"

Iolo explains that the door was open and there was no-one about.   

"You should be at the hospital!"

“You should be at the hospital, having tests for the operation tomorrow,” Garry rages, but Iolo answers that he is not going.

“Please, Garry,” he whimpers, and Garry asks if he would like a cup of tea.

Brynmor opens a bottle of champagne

Brynmor opens a bottle of champagne;  

"Oh Brynmor, you're so naughty!"

“Oh, Brynmor, you’re so naughty!” says Kath, as she looks at the ring.   Then Mark comes in and she announces to him, “Brynmor’s asked me to marry him!   He went down on one knee and everything – look!”

"I told you that you couldn't!"

Mark is furious;  “I told you that you couldn’t!” 

"I was just trying to include you"

and is informed that Brynmor was not really asking for permission, but merely trying to include him.   

"What's all this about permission?"

Kath wants to know what is all this about permission, 

"I asked him if he was happy for me to ask you"

and Brynmor explains, “I asked Mark if he was happy for me to ask you to marry me.”   She is rather irked that he asked Mark before asking her, and even more so that Mark said no.

"You hardly know each other!"

Once again Mark maintains that they hardly know each other, 

"I know when I'm happy, Mark!"

but his mother yells at him, “I know when I’m happy, Mark!”   

"You may not be happy for ever"

He predicts that she may not be happy with him for ever.   

"What's your problem?"

“What is your problem?   You’re getting more like Norman Bates every day!” she moans.  [Norman Bates – fictional character in the 1959 thriller ‘Psycho’]

“You know what, Mum?   Do what you like, all right?” snarls Mark, “But don’t come crying to me when he runs off!”   

"I don't have the energy to run off with anyone!"

Brynmor says he does not have the energy to run off with anyone;  “And anyway, why would I want anyone else 

"I've got this incredible tour de force!"

“when I’ve got this incredible tour de force – I wake up every morning and I can’t believe how lucky I am!”   

Kath insists that she is the lucky one, and before Mark walks out in disgust, Brynmor assures him, “I’m going to do everything I can to make your mother happy – 

"I hope you'll give us your seal of approval one day"

“I hope you’ll give us your seal of approval one day.   It would mean so much to us.”

"I hope Angelina Jolie asks me out on a date"

“Well, I hope Angelina Jolie asks me out on date – but we all have to live in hope, don’t we?” snarls Mark, and hastily goes upstairs.

Gerwyn has a rather weak excuse

Gerwyn arrives at number 10 with the excuse that he wanted to help Tesni with a computer problem;  when she is asked how she is, 

Jaclyn certainly does not look very 'good'

Jaclyn snaps, “Good!”   He acknowledges that she seems a bit flat, agreeing that it is an odd time for both of them;  

"Everything familiar has changed"

everything that was so familiar has changed.

"I've made such a mess of things!"

“I’ve made such a mess of things,” she says, as she takes her bottle and glass over to the table;  Gerwyn looks concerned.

"Here's a cup of tea, Iolo"

Garry has made a cup of tea for Iolo 

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, Iolo?"

and asks him, “Are you going to tell me what’s going on, then?   The prognosis is still OK, is it?”

"I'm scared I won't wake up!"

“You don’t understand,” Iolo replies, “I’m scared that I won’t wake up!   That the moment they put me to sleep, I’ll close my eyes and never open them again!   That I’ll never see Dad, Greta, friends . . .”

"OK, you're scared of dying during the operation"

Garry answers thoughtfully, “OK, you’re scared of dying during the operation.”   

"That's what happened to Mam"

Iolo whines that it happened to his mother, 

"You're not going to have the operation to save your life"

and Garry goes on, “Right – you’re not going to have the operation, that will probably save your life, because you’re scared of dying?”

Iolo had said Garry would not understand, but Garry assures him that it is his life;  

"There are people who would be glad to take your place"

“I hope you’ve told the hospital – there is a long list of people who would be glad to take your place.”   

"Will you phone them?"

Iolo wants him to ring the hospital to tell them, but Garry continues, “I’m not doing your dirty work – 

"I'll keep the condemned man company"

“I’m going to sit here with you.   I’ll keep the condemned man company – that’s what you are, isn’t it?   

"You're choosing to die"

“By not having the operation, you’re choosing to die.”

"I was only being honest, Mam"

At Maes-y-Deri, Mark points out to his mother that he was just being honest;  “About what exactly?” she demands, 

"What has Brynmor done to upset you so much?"

“What has Brynmor done to upset you so much?”

"That teddy bear didn't help!"

“Giving me a teddy bear as a present didn’t help,” he snarls, “How old does he think I am?”

"BY the way you're behaving, perhaps about seven"

“Well, by the way you’re behaving, perhaps about seven,” his mother tells him, and he insists that things are moving too quickly.   

"Are you going to live at Brynawelon?"

He wonders where they are going to live;  “At Brynawelon?”  

"We'll live here, of course"

She answers that they will live there, at Maes-y-Deri, of course, and Mark is infuriated by the prospect.   “You’ll still live here as well, says Kath, “If you're not happy with the situation, well . . .”   

"I'm going to get thrown out again"

He imagines that he is going to get thrown out again, but she makes it quite clear, “I’m not going to throw you out, Mark – I’m just telling you that Bryn is coming to live with us.”

“So you’re choosing him over me?” Mark concludes, 

"I'm choosing myself – and making myself happy!"

but she emphasises that she is choosing herself, and making herself happy.

"You're the last person I should discuss this with"

“You’re the last person I should be discussing it with,” says Jaclyn;  Gerwyn knows that they are getting divorced, 

"We've got a lot of mileage together, Jacs"

but he will always be there for her, as they have a lot of mileage together, and that does not just disappear.

"I shouldn't discuss it with you"

“But I shouldn’t discuss it with you,” she continues, and he assures her that is why he is there;  he urges her to tell him what is on her mind.   

They sit down at the table

She sits down across the table from him.

"It was all for nothing"

“This marriage, tearing the family apart – it was all for nothing.   I threw it away for a bloke who didn’t want me – perhaps he never wanted me.”   

"What's happened?"

Gerwyn realises that something important has happened, and she goes on, “I thought – well, I was hoping, because we’re getting divorced – 

"I thought we could give things a go"

“that perhaps Garry and I could give things a go, so I went to see him, to tell him.   But he didn’t want me.”

Gerwyn listens

As Gerwyn listens, stony faced, she sobs that she has never felt such a fool;  

"All the heartache was for nothing"

“So the affair – and all the heartache I’ve caused everyone – was for nothing.   I’ve been so stupid, so selfish!”

"Garry Monk doesn't deserve you . . ."

“There’s no point thinking like that now,” Gerwyn reassures her, “It’s all in the past – Garry Monk doesn’t deserve you!   

". . . him and his ego!"

“You could do a lot better than him – and his ego!”   

"You're being so nice to me, Ger"

She remarks that he is being so nice to her, and again he says they have a lot of mileage together;  “And the kids.   

"Put it all behind you and move on"

“Look, put it all behind you, move on – that’s what I’m doing.”

"More chance of being killed by a Pufferfish"

As they continue to sit in the garage, Garry, looking at his phone, remarks, “Did you know you’ve got more chance of being killed by a pufferfish than dying during the operation?   

"They eat them in Japan"

“Pufferfish – they eat them in Japan –they’re a delicacy, but part of it is poisonous.”

"I know what a pufferfish is – I'm not stupid!"

Iolo protests that he knows what a pufferfish is;  “I know what you’re trying to do – I’m not stupid!” he says.

"You're the most stupid person I know!"

“You’re the most stupid person I know!” Garry informs him, “You’re favouring 1% over 99%.   

"There's a 99% chance of recovery"

“There is a 99% chance of recovery if you have this operation.   You do the maths!   But there we are, it’s your life – 

"You'll have to tell Greta, on your deathbed"

“you’re the one who will have to tell Greta, in two or three years, when you’re on your deathbed, why you can’t be there for her – a part of her life.”

"Lock up when you're done"

He takes out his keys and tells Iolo to lock up when he is done, 

"Garry"

but Iolo asks him not to go.

"How did it go with Mam?"

Guto is still working in the Deri when his father returns, and he is eager to know how it went;  “It was all right – but things can get a bit too much.”   

"I wouldn't mind coming with you"

However there is something else Gerwyn wants to say;  “It has made me think, I wouldn’t mind coming to South America with you – I’d love to see the Death Road in Bolivia.”

"You'd have to learn Spanish"

Guto smiles, and would welcome that, although his father would have to learn Spanish;  “I’m not translating everything!”   

"I don't want to cramp your style"

Gerwyn does not want to cramp his style, 

"South America!"

but Guto considers it a good idea.

"You should have discussed ti with me"

Iolo is now back at number 7, where Tyler wishes that Iolo had discussed it with him first, rather than Garry.   

"Garry helped me realise"

“He just helped me realise how important it is that I have the operation, and is staying at the hospital with me tonight.   I don’t think he wants to – but he is.

"What does your Dad say about this?"

“What does your Dad say about this?” Tyler asks, and Iolo replies that he understands.

"I won't have to worry about him . . ."

“The only reason I want Garry there is because I won’t have to worry about him – he won’t be upset, 

". . . and I won't have to be brave"

“and I won’t have to be brave in front of him.”   

Tyler feels excluded

Tyler is obviously feeling very left out, 

"I'll see you on the other side . . ."

and Iolo tells him, “I’ll see you on the other side – 

". . . after the operation, I mean"

“after the operation, I mean!”

"Everything will be OK, Iol"

He picks up his bag, Tyler promises that everything will be OK, and he leaves the house.