15 December 2021

Rhys ignores his father

At Llwyncelyn, Rhys walks into the room, sees his father and ignores him;  

"I thought we could go for a pint"

Hywel proposes, “I thought we could go out for a pint tonight,” but Gaynor, who has just come in, reminds him about the first meeting of the book club.

"The support of the local councillor"

“It would be good to have the support of the local councillor,” she says, 

"I've got enough on my plate already"

but he grumbles that he has enough on his plate without fictional characters’ problems.   He will not elaborate, but simply says that he might come next time.   Rhys walks out without another word.

Dani speaks to the incarcerated Dylan

Dani comes out of the Deri, and receives a phone call;  “I can’t talk now – I’m on my way to the shops,” she says, “It’s not easy – no, I know it’s not for you, either.”   

The DI is keeping her under surveillance

At that moment DI Wilkinson happens to be coming out of his house.   “Are you OK?   Are they treating you all right?” she continues.

Brynmor has a magazine for Wilko

Brynmor comes across the road to speak to Wilko, but he protests that he is late for work.   “I thought you’d be interested in this,” Brynmor tells him, displaying photos of a motorcycle in a magazine.   

"I had one like that"

Wilko replies that he had one like that, but refuses the offer of the magazine.

"I've got some photos I'd like you to see"

“I’ve got a set of photos of the early TT races which I’d like you to see,” Brynmor goes on, and Wilko will come and see him after work, 

Dani walks away round the corner

but looks concerned when he sees Dani walking away.

"Is my company so awful?"

Later, Rhys has made himself a sandwich, and his father comments, “Is my company so awful that you have to eat in your room, Rhys?”   His son wonders why it matters where he eats, and Hywel thought that they could have a chat.

He is confronted by Rhys

“What’s wrong?   Have you got more secrets to confess?” Rhys demands, “Something worse than the fact you were a gigolo?”   

"I don't listen to male prostitiutes!"

When his father asks for a chance to explain, he snarls, “I don’t listen to male prostitutes!”

"No – I was an 'escort', Rhys"

Hywel argues that he was an ‘escort’, but Rhys cannot see the difference;  

"Who knows how many secrets you're hiding?"

“Who knows how many secrets you’re hiding?   Mam, for one thing!   Is it too much to say her name sometimes?   

"You never talk about Mam"

“You never talk about her.”

Hywel’s excuse is that he thought Rhys would not want him to do so, and did not want to hurt him.   

"Did your Gran say anything about her?"

Rhys shakes his head as Hywel asks, “Did your Gran say anything about her?”

"Only about when she was a child"

Rhys replies that his mother was only referred to as a child, but not what she was like as an adult, and Hywel is surprised that is all he was told.   

"That suggests there's a lot to be told!"

“That suggests that there is a lot to be told!” deduces Rhys, and his father admits that she was very determined.   Rhys regards that as fortunate, otherwise he would not be there.

"What do you want to hear?"

Hywel demands what he wants to hear, and is told, “It’s not difficult – tell me one thing so that I know her better,” and when his father hesitates, 

"Don't worry – I'm asking too much!"

he adds, “Don’t worry – I’m asking too much!” and leaves the room.

Brynmor is in apologetic mood

Kath is folding washing when Brynmor comes in, rather subdued;  

"I'd live in a hole in the ground"

“Kath, as long as you’re there, I’d live in a hole in the ground,” he declares, 

He produces a bottle

and produces a bottle as a peace offering.

"Are we celebrating"

Mark comes in through the back door, and imagines that they are celebrating;  “Have you found a house?” he asks, hopefully, 

"Yes, we have"

and Brynmor answers that they have.   

"You're standing in it!"

Kath says that he is standing in it;  Mark finds this extremely disappointing.   

Brynmor suggests that they can build an extension to house all the boxes, and advises that he has invited someone over for dinner.   

"Ive got bingo tonight at Llanarthur"

“I won’t be here,” Kath replies, “I’ve got bingo tonight at Llanarthur.”   Brynmor has asked Marc to come over to look at some photos.

"Marc the policeman?"

“Marc the policeman?” she exclaims, “Well, you can cook for him – I won’t be here.”   Brynmor says that he will not be able to cook either, as he is going to the book club, but she is not going to change her plans, 

"Mark can do the cooking"

and suggests that Mark could do the cooking.   He will not entertain the idea, arguing that he has to look after the Deri, but his mother maintains that the Deri can manage without him for one night.   

"I don't know what policemen eat!"

“I don’t know what policemen eat!” he protests, and Kath sarcastically recommends that it should not be pork.

Rhys come downstairs again

Hywel sits at Llwyncelyn, looking very worried, when Rhys comes downstairs;  

"She could be very funny sometimes"

“She could be very funny sometimes,” says Hywel, 

"How long did it take to think of that?"

and Rhys wonders how long it took him to think of that.   “Sometimes she wasn’t funny at all – she could be very serious.”   It is quite obvious to his son that Hywel is hiding something, but he protests that he is not.

"I have to think about the way I behaved"

“The more I think about those days, the more I have to think about the way I behaved,” Hywel confesses, 

"Perhaps we're getting somewhere"

and his son believes that they may be getting somewhere at last.

"There's a lot you don't know"

“You see things as black and white – there’s a lot you don’t know,” Hywel continues.   What Rhys does know is that his father was a teacher, 

"Mam and Stacey were schoolchildren"

Mam and Stacey were schoolchildren.   

"There – you're being unreasonable!"

“Children – there – you’re being unreasonable!” Hywel exclaims, “I know things are different today.”

"You abused your power!"

“Today – thirty years ago – it’s the same – you abused your power!” accuses Rhys.   His father is not proud of everything he did, but he insists that he never broke the law – 

"I loved Stacey – all right?"

he loved Stacey and urges Rhys to leave it there.

"And how about Mam?"

Rhys points out that he has not mentioned his mother, Nia;  

"There you go again – walking out!"

“There you go again – walking out!   You talk rubbish about the importance of taking responsibility, but you won’t do it yourself!”

Ingredients seem rather sparse

Mark is looking through the kitchen cupboards to see what he can find for dinner;  Kath is now leaving for Llanarthur, 

"Not going to give him baked beans, are you?"

and hopes that Mark is not giving the DI baked beans.   “There’s diced beef in the fridge, an onion, a carrot – 

"You could make a casserole"

“you could make a casserole.”

“I’ve never made a casserole,” he protests, “Cooking is stressing me out enough, without making something new!”   He is told that it is easy and that he should simply Google it – and now she is off, because the first game is free.

“Thanks for this – Brynmor really appreciates it,” she tells him.   

He cannot spell 'casserole', let alone cook it

He begins searching on his phone, initially mis-spelling the word ‘casserole’.

Siôn looks in vain for people coming to the Book Club

It is now dark and Siôn is peering out of the bookshop window to see if anyone else will turn up for the Book Club;  “It’s the age we’re living in, I’m afraid,” he groans, 

"No-one could say they didn't know"

and Gaynor assures him that no-one could say they did not know about the meeting.   

"I can't stay for long"

Then Brynmor arrives, but cannot stay for long;  

"Who is your favourite Welsh poet?"

Siôn asks him who his favourite Welsh poet is, and this seems to be difficult to answer, so Gaynor suggests he could include English ones.   

"I'm more of a collector than a reader"

“You’ve put me on the spot now – I’m more of a collector than a reader, you see,” he answers, 

"From a young age"

and Siôn points out that most people hear poetry from a young age.

"I don't really see the point of poetry"

“Ah, poetry – I don’t really see the point of it, you know,” says Brynmor, then notices an interesting book, which he picks up.   

"Kath says I share the habits of a squirrel"

“Kath says I share some of the habits of a squirrel,” and Siôn suspects that he needs a bigger house.   “Funny you should say that,” Brynmor remarks, but will not elucidate further.

Hywel is drowning his sorrows

In the Deri, Hywel is knocking back the drinks, 

"Someone's going for it tonight!"

and Jaclyn comments, “Someone’s going for it tonight!”   He invites her to come and join him, but she had better not during her shift;  she will have a gin later. 

He drains his glass and asks her, “Do you think we’re the same people now as we were 30 years ago?”   She replies that she does not think so, but he moans, “I’m still responsible for that person.”  

"I'm a cook, not a psychologist

Jaclyn says that she is a cook, not a psychologist, and he explains, “I’m just trying to sort out some skeletons in my mind.”

She points out that everyone has them, and has to try to forget them.   That is something he likes about her;  “You have your say, but you’re ready to listen.”   

"Buy me a couple of gins, and I'll listen as long s you like"

She answers that if he buys her a couple of gins, she will listen for as long as he wants, and he finishes off another glass.

Mark is getting flustered

Mark is becoming flustered as he prepares the meal;  he opens the oven door 

Where is the customary cloud of smoke?

and surprisingly there is no cloud of smoke, as usually happens.   

He takes a swig from a can

As he picks up a can, there is a knock at the door;  Wilko comes in.   “Brynmor’s not back yet from the Book Club – put the telly on if you want,” Mark tells him, then goes to check on the food.

"I hope you haven't gone to too much trouble"

Wilko hopes that Mark has not gone to too much trouble, 

"No, just what was in the fridge"

but is told that he is just making a casserole with what was in the fridge.   

"Sorry I'm late"

Brynmor arrives and apologises for being late;  

"More books – fantastic!"

“Oh – you’ve bought more books – fantastic!” Mark comments.

"We could adjourn to the Deri"

In the bookshop, Siôn suggests that they could go to the Deri, as they have not discussed Cynan yet;  “It’s a century since ‘Mab y Bwthyn’ won the crown.”   

"I find it difficult to face people"

Gaynor would rather not go to the Deri, explaining that she finds it difficult to face people since losing Izzy, which he regards as quite understandable.   “I feel like I have to wear my grief for other people – sorry, does that sound cold?” she goes on.   

"There's a bottle of wine in the fridge upstairs"

Siôn has a bottle of wine in the fridge upstairs;  “Whoever heard of an orchard [Y Winllan] without wine?” he says.

"There are wines of red and white"

She quotes Cynan;  “There are wines of red and white, to drown out the noise of the guns at night,” and he goes to fetch the bottle.

Mark clears up after the meal . . .

After the meal at Maes-y-Deri, which appears to have gone reasonably well, Mark is clearing up 

. . . while Brynmor shows his photos

and Brynmor is showing his photographs to the DI, 

"You're not interested in bikes, then, Mark?"

who realises that Mark is not interested in bikes.   

He says that he prefers four wheels;  “Stacey forced me into a pair of rollerblades once and it was a disaster.”   Brynmor has heard about it and continues the story that he crashed into the back door.   

"I was bleeding like a p . . ."

Mark moans, “Glass everywhere and I was bleeding like a p. . .”   He stops abruptly there and asks if they want a coffee.   Wilko says that it is time he left and has enjoyed this evening;  Brynmor tells him to come again.

"Thank goodness that's over!"

“Thank goodness that’s over!” sighs Mark, “I’ve never been so stressed, having to entertain a policeman!”   

Brynmor appreciates his help, and Mark cannot wait to go to the Deri, 

"The smell of that casserole is turning my stomach"

commenting, “The smell of that casserole is turning my stomach!”

"Hywel just gave me a confused look"

Over their glasses of wine, Gaynor admits that she has no idea who Hywel’s favourite poet is;  “He gave me a confused look when I asked him.”   

Siôn remembers what Tesni told him

Siôn remembers that one of the first things Tesni told him was that Rhys Iorwerth is her favourite, but if he asked her to name one of his poems, he doubts that she could.

“Everty good relationship relies on keeping some things secret,” Gaynor maintains, 

Gaynor is very fond of wine

and as she helps herself to more wine, she continues, “Hywel doesn’t know that I was adopted as a child – Colin knows, but Hywel doesn’t.”

"Have you any idea who your real parents are?"

Siôn wonders if she has any idea of who her real parents are, and she has never felt the need to go and find them, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble.   “It didn’t seem important,” she says, and he realises that is why she found it difficult to get close to Izzy and show her that she loved her.

"You're more of a Sigmund Freud"

“Well – you’re more of a Sigmund Freud than Alun Llwyd,” she declares, but Siôn explains that she was rejected by her biological family and that is why she feels that she is not a good mother.   

Siôn has diagnosed the root of her problems . . . 

“More than that, you have shut it out and refused to accept the effect your childhood has had on everything – that’s at the heart of it all!” Siôn concludes, advising her to find out who her biological family are;  he is sure that will explain a lot, 

. . . and she thinks he may be right

and this causes Gaynor to think.

Hywel is still at the bar, becoming increasingly intoxicated, 

"Cruella de Vil's henchman!"

and as Mark comes in, is greeted by Dani, “Oh, here he is – Cruella de Vil’s henchman.   I don’t want excuses – I know you were part of it!”

"I had no idea how it would turn out"

Mark confesses that he landed in the mess concerning Tedi, but he had no idea how things would turn out.   “Did he bite you?” Dani asks, and when told that he did, 

"He bit you?   Good!" 

snarls, “Good!” and goes back upstairs.

Hywel has just realised the time;  “It flies when you’re enjoying yourself,” says Jaclyn, 

Hywel's equilibrium is causing problems

and he almost falls over when he tries to stand.   She enquires if he needs some help to walk home, but he thinks that he can manage.

"He didn't want you, then . . . "

“He didn’t want you then?” comments Mark,

". . . you seemed good friends"

“You seemed good friends.”   Jaclyn reply is that is exactly what they are.

Hywel has managed to stagger back to Llwyncelyn 

At Llwyncelyn, Rhys is busy writing in his diary when his father gets home 

"You're still up, then?"

and asks drunkenly, “You’re still up, then?   Well, good night.”

"What you did with Stacey is a lot worse than what Tyler did"

Rhys tells him to wait a minute;  “I’ve been thinking – what you did with Stacey is a lot, lot worse than Tyler.”   

"Her brother doesn't believe I did anything wrong!"

His father walks unsteadily across the room and reveals that he has just been drinking with Stacey’s brother;  “He doesn’t believe that I’ve done anything wrong!”   

"A crime is a crime"

Rhys insists that a crime is a crime, but Hywel points out, that she was of legal age, so it was not a crime.

"If you were half the man you think you are . . ."

“If you were half the man you think you are, you’d confess to the police,” Rhys tells him, 

"There's nothing to confess"

but he insists that there is nothing to confess – he married Stacey.

“It’s always about Stacey,” protests Rhys, “Mam was young and you were her teacher as well – 

"Going after young girls was a habit, wasn't it?"

“going after young girls was a habit, wasn’t it?   And in Mam’s case, you didn't want to marry her – 

"Or have a baby with her"

“or have a baby with her, but you wanted something!”

They do not hear Gaynor come in

Gaynor has silently come back into the house and listens to this altercation.   

"Admit that you're a pig!"

Hywel asks what Rhys wants;  “Admit that you’re a pig.”   

"She was naked in my bed . . ."

Hywel shouts that she pushed things from the start;  “She broke into my house – when I got back, she was naked in my bed!   I should have kicked her out – 

". . . I thought sleeping with her would get rid of her!"

“but I thought sleeping with her would get rid of her!   A schoolgirl or not, she has stalked me and make my life hell!”

"You've admitted she was a schoolgirl!"

Rhys is glad that he admitted she was a schoolgirl, 

"A little slag in school uniform!"

and Hywel snarls, “Yes – a schoolgirl – a little slag in school uniform, who tried it on with her teacher every chance she got.”

This description hits home . . .

Rhys is very shocked by this, 

. . . and Gaynor has heard it all

and so is Gaynor, listening out of sight.