18 January 2022

Garry has been running the chippy single-handed

Garry, in the chip shop, assures a customer on the phone that their order will be ready in 15 minutes;  Aaron comes in, asking if everything is all right, and Garry replies that he is busy.   

"I'm phoning Mam tonight"

“Mam will be pleased – I’m phoning her tonight,” says Aaron.

"Can we close at 4:00pm today?"

“Talking about tonight, do you think we can close at 4:00pm?” enquires Garry, “There’s something I need to do.”   It is pointed out to him that Britt will not be happy about that, because dinner-time is always busy.   “Even if there’s been a mistake with the order, and there’s no fish left?” Garry continues, 

"Your mother doesn't know that"

“We do have some – but your mother doesn’t know that.   I could do you the same favour, and say the fryer’s broken, the next time you and your friends are having a party.”

"What are you up to tonight, then?"

“Right, what are you up to tonight, then?” Aaron demands, and is told that it is a surprise.

Ffion enters her new domain . . .

Ffion enters the head teacher’s office at school and looks at the nameplate on the door;  

. . . and looks very pleased with herself

she looks very pleased with herself as she sits at the desk.

Gaynor is polishing the cutlery

Meanwhile the previous head teacher is reduced to polishing the cutlery at Llwyncelyn, which, as she informs Hywel, they badly needed.  

Hywel raises his current campaign again

“Have you thought any more about what we were discussing yesterday?” he asks, “About you looking for your mother.”

She replies that she has not;  

"That's enough excitement for now"

“Getting that information yesterday was enough excitement for me for a while.   Anyway, I’m sure it’s too late now, isn’t it?”

"She could still be alive"

Of course Hywel is not willing to let the matter rest, but goes on, “No, not at all – she could be in her late 70s or early 80s – she could still be alive.   Don’t you think she’d like to know what happened to her baby?”

"She has never come looking for me"

Gaynor reminds him that her mother has never come looking for her;  

"I never said I wanted to contact this woman"

“Look – I never said I wanted to contact this woman – I’ve filled in some gaps, and that’s enough for me, at the moment.”   He does not seem satisfied with this reply.

Eifion is again being 'grilled'

At APD, as they have a cup of tea, Eifion is still being questioned about the mystery person he was with;  

"Are you going out again tonight?"

“Are you going out again tonight?” asks Jason, 

"The friend from the other night?"

and Tyler wonders if he is meeting someone special – such as the friend from the other night.

"You're not still going on about that?"

“You’re not still going on about that?” Eifion moans, and they cannot understand why he is keeping it quiet.   Jason maintains that they are both in happy, nice, stable, boring relationships, 

"We need some gossip to keep us going"

so they need some gossip to keep them going all week.  

"You're worse than a pair of old women!"

 “You two are worse than a pair of old women!” growls Eifion as he walks out.

"What's wrong with him?"

“What’s wrong with him?   We’d normally get all the details – whether we wanted to hear them or not!” comments Jason, “This one must be a really special woman.”   

"It might be a special bloke!"

Tyler suggests that it might be a special bloke, and that  is why he is keeping quiet.

Garry comes into the Deri . . . 

Garry comes into the Deri, carrying some boxes, and enquires when Dani will be back;  Cassie replies is that it should be around seven, 

. . . and asks for Cassie's assistance

so he wants some assistance to take the boxes upstairs.   

"Considering she put you in jail"

“You’re going to a lot of trouble to welcome your ex, considering she put you in jail,” Cassie remarks.

“Well, I’m a nice guy – and I’m sure this will remind Dani of that,” he answers.   Cassie cannot believe that he is expecting her to run into his arms after everything.

"We work better as a unit"

He insists, “We’ve both made mistakes, but we both know we work better as a unit.   Now that Dylan’s disappeared for ever, Dani won’t want to bring up two little ones without help – I know her – a little bit of attention and she’ll come to her senses.”   

Cassie shakes her head

Cassie shakes her head at his naïveté.

In the Deri flat . . .

Upstairs, he opens the box 

. . . hr takes out a bottle . . .

and takes out a bottle of wine, which goes in the fridge.   

. . . and searches for Blutac . . .

Then after finding some Blutac in the drawer, he sets about putting up a ‘Welcome Home’ banner.   

. . . wile being monitored by Wilko . . .

Next door the DI is watching this activity on his laptop 

. . . who also shakes his head

and also shakes his head in disbelief.

"Risotto is what I fancied"

Gaynor is preparing their meal;  “Risotto – I know it’s not your favourite, but that’s what I fancied,” she tells Hywel, “Will you open a bottle of wine for me?”

"What have you got there?"

He looks at a piece of paper, and she wonders what he has there;  

Phase 2 of 'Operation Wear down Gaynor'

“It’s the phone number of a private detective – he’s supposed to be good,” says Hywel, 

"Time is not on your side"

“Listen, Gaynor, I know your instinct is to sit on this, but time is not on your side – it might already be too late.”

She seems to be rather tired of his insistence, but he will not cease the badgering;  

"You might regret it"

“If you don’t go looking for her, you might regret it.”

"I've lived without this woman for half a century"

Gaynor angrily points out, “I’ve lived without this woman in my life for over half a century – why would I want to change that now, just because you’ve shown an interest in my family, all of a sudden?   I know you’ve imagined some big, happy reunion to fill a hole in my life – but that’s not how real-life works.   I do appreciate what you’re trying to do, honestly, but a lot of people could get hurt.   

"It will be my decision – right?"

“If I want to go looking for my biological family, it will be my decision – right?   So, please, just leave it.”   

He is not going to stop now

Predictably, Hywel does not intend to leave the matter there.

Well, it's all right"

Ffion has invited Jinx to look at her new office accommodation;  “Well, what do you think,” and he seems less than enthusiastic.   

"It's better than what I had as deputy"

“It’s better than the cupboard I had as a deputy,” she adds, “It was Gaynor’s stuff, but it’s my stuff now!”

"I don't think it suits you"

Jinx tries out the chair, and comments, “Yes, I can see how this would suit Gaynor – but I don’t think it suits you.   It will be better when you’ve put your stamp on it – you know, a bit of colour – a new chair, obviously – more plants.”

"Hang on – this is my office!"

Ffion stops him there, reminding him that this is her office and her official first day;  

"You are looking great!"

he remarks that she is looking great.   

"That's why the three of us are going out for dinner"

“That’s why the three of us are going out for dinner tonight,” she announces, 

"Arwen's staying at a friend's tonight"

but then comes the news that Arwen is staying at a friend’s tonight, and in consequence, Jinx has agreed to do a shift on the pizzas.

"I might as well stay here, then . . ."

She finds this very disappointing, and concludes, “I may as well stay here!   

". . . there's plenty of work to do"

“I’ve got plenty of work to do.”   

"I'd better get on with the pizzas"

Jinx leaves to get on preparing the pizzas, and Ffion is downcast.

Garry is ready for the homecoming

The time has come for Dani’s return, 

At least Seren is pleased to see him

and Seren is very pleased to see Garry there, which is more than can be said for her mother.   

"Surprise!"

“Surprise!   Did you have a nice time?” Garry shouts, 

"What are you doing here?"

but Dani demands what he is doing there.   “Welcoming you home – I’ve prepared food and . . .”

“We ate on the way – and Seren has to go to bed!” Dani snarls at him, 

"Aww – Mam – do I have to?"

although Seren is not keen to do so.   Garry turns to Gwern, and asks if he had a good time.

"How was prison?"

“Yes – how was prison?” Gwern replies, which rather tends to change the conversation, as Garry maintains that it was fine, 

"I've brought you a present – not from the prison"

and he has got his son a present, but Gwern thinks that he will also go to bed.   Garry is disappointed by the way things have gone.

Eifion is at the bar

Downstairs, in the bar, Eifion is looking at his phone when Tyler comes in, apologising the way he was treated earlier;  “I know Jason and I have been going on about that that woman – or that bloke, of course.   

"It's not easy being bisexual"

“I’m sure it’s not easy being bisexual in a small village – but you’re not alone.”

"I was telling Eifion that we're here for him"

As Iolo walks in, Tyler explains, “I was just telling Eifion that we’re here for him if he wants to talk, about being one of the ‘LGBT’ community.”   

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow?"

Iolo is naturally very uneasy about this, particularly so when Tyler invites Eifion, “Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night?”

Eifion says that he does not want to be any trouble, but Tyler answers that they have not had anyone over for ages.   

Eifion looks rather awkward

Eifion and Iolo look awkwardly at each other.

Now comes phase 3

Gaynor clears the dinner table and Hywel reports that Esther is fast asleep (the first mention of her for a considerable time), then embarks on another attempt to persuade Gaynor to change her mind.   

"You know Esther's biological mother died?"

“You know Esther’s biological mother died not long after Sheryl brought her to this country.   She was too ill to look after the child.”   

Gaynor knows what is coming next

Gaynor is quite aware of the direction in which this argument is going.

"That little girl has lost two mothers"

“That little girl upstairs has lost two mothers in her short life – she has no chance of seeing either of them ever again, but perhaps you have that chance.   

"I don't want you to have any regrets"

“I don’t want you to have any regrets.”   He walks away, 

Is she becoming won over by his arguments?

and it appears that Gaynor may be caving in to his insistent demands.

Garry waits for Dani to return

Garry is still standing, despairingly, in front of the banner when Dani returns from putting the children to bed.   

"I can read Seren a story if you want"

“I can read Seren a story if you want – she was so happy to see me,” he says, but Dani will not agree to this.   He continues, “Well, why don’t we have some of this food?   It would be a shame to waste it.”

"What do you want, Garry?"

“I’ve told you – I’ve eaten.   I don’t want food – what do you want Garry?” she rages.

"OK – cards on the table"

“OK – cards on the table – I had a lot of time to think when I was in prison,” he begins, “I know we’ve both made a lot of mistakes when we were married – 

"We work well as a team"

“but we both know that we work well as a team.   So I’m willing to forgive you for sending me to prison for stealing the dog . . .”

"I knew you thought a lot of yourself!"

“Wow, Garry!   I knew you thought a lot of yourself,” Dani exclaims, “But do you know what I regret?   That they didn’t lock you up for longer!”   He cannot believe that she means that, but she makes it quite clear that she does.

He begs her to give him a chance;  “With a bit of time I’m sure things can go back to the way they were.”   Footsteps can be heard on the stairs, 

"You're off your head, Garry!"

and as Dani tells him he is off his head, 

In the comes the DI again

the DI comes in to ask if everything is all right.

Garry imagines that she has phoned the police, 

"I wanted to bring you a few supplies"

but Wilko gives the excuse that he wanted to bring her a few supplies, as she has just arrived home.   

"What's his game, then?"

After the DI has left again, Garry wonders what is his game, 

"He's just a friend"

but Dani describes Wilko as just a friend.   “Oh yeah – I know what’s going on here!” Garry sneers, “Dylan’s disappeared, so you’re ready for the next man, are you?   From the drug dealer to the policeman!”

"Even if I was desperate!"

Dani screams, “I wouldn’t want you back in my bed even if I was desperate – so go!”  

"Desperate – that's about right!"

As he goes, he seems to think that the word ‘desperate’ is a rather apposite description.

Working late on her first day

Ffion is still working in the office when someone comes in;  it is Jinx, who felt guilty about ruining her plans, so has brought her pizza.   

"I don't think my office is supposed to stink of pizza"

“I don't think my office is supposed to stink of pizza at the end of my first day!” she laughs, 

"And I've brought you a card"

and he also presents her with a congratulations card.

“I always knew you would do a great job,” he assures her, 

"Anchovies?"

but she receives an unpleasant surprise when she opens the box to find that there are anchovies on her pizza – 

"Sorry – I completely forgot!"

and he knows that she does not like anchovies.

Garry is now totally deflated . . .

Garry is now at the bar, looking totally defeated, 

. . . and gets no sympathy from Cassie

and Cassie sarcastically comments, “Who would have thought that a banner wouldn’t work?”

"I thought we would find a way back"

“I always thought that Dani and I would find a way back to each other in the end, but she’s changed,” he sighs.   Cassie points out that the reason is that she was a young girl when they met for the first time, but now she is a woman, 

"She doesn't want to be controlled any more"

and she does not want to be controlled any more.

"We were happy for a long time, Cass"

“We were happy for a long time, Cass – I can’t understand why we can’t be like that again,” he groans, 

"She's moved on, and so should you"

but is told that Dani has moved on, and he should do the same thing.   “I don’t think things are that serious with PC Plod,” he goes on, just as the DI walks in through the door, 

Wilko is on his way up there again . . .

and heads straight upstairs.   

. . . and Garry realises all hope is gone

Garry is really worried now.

"I came to see if you were all right"

Dani is taking down the banner when Wilko comes in;  “I came to see if you were all right,” he says and she assures him that she is fine, thanking him for the milk and fruit, 

"That will save us having toast tomorrow"

which will save everyone from having toast for breakfast tomorrow.

He looks at the banner on the table, 

"I forget how much of a drama queen Garry is"

and she remarks, “I forget how much of a drama queen Garry is sometimes – he didn’t stay long – I’m not in the mood for his antics.”   

"I don't want to come between you and Garry"

Wilko says he does not want to come between her and Garry, and she stresses that he is not doing that;  

"Garry's at the bottom of the list . . ."

“Me and Garry?   No – he’d be at the bottom of the list,” she declares, 

". . . whereas you . . ."

“Whereas you . . .” and she points up into the air, which he finds rather embarrassing, 

"Well, thanks, Dani"

but thanks her for the vote of confidence.   He thinks he had better leave and wishes her good night.

"Kettle's just boiled, Msth"

Eifion is lounging on the sofa in the shop flat, watching the television, when he hears someone coming upstairs;  “The kettle’s just boiled, Math,” he shouts, but then finds that it is Iolo.

"Are you trying to force your way into our lives?"

“What’s your game?” he demands, “Trying to force your way into our lives, are you?”   

"I did try to refuse"

Eifion points out that Tyler asked him to come over and he tried to refuse.   “Do you have any idea how terrible I feel about this?’ whines Iolo, 

"How can I sit around a table with you and him?"

“How can I sit around a table with you and him?”

Eifion reckons that it would raise more questions if he was to cancel;  

"There's nothing to stop us being friends"

“Look, I know this is odd, but there’s nothing stopping us supporting each other as friends, is there?”

Iolo gives him instructions him to come for dinner, then say that he has a headache and go home;  

"I never want to see you in the house again!"

“And I never want to see you in the house again!” he adds.

"Perhaps I'll be having too much fun!"

“We’ll see how I feel, shall we?” Eifion suggests, “Perhaps I’ll be having too much fun!”   

"Don't you try anything!"

Iolo warns him not to try anything and leaves the flat.

Gaynor looks first at one photo of Izzy . . .

Gaynor is holding a photo of Izzy, 

. . . then at another

then looks across at another on the sideboard;  she takes a deep breath, 

She looks at the piece of ppaer

and picks up the piece of paper with the details of the private detective Johnathan Walker.   

"I need help to find someone, please . . ."

She dials the number on the paper;  “Hello – I need help to find someone, please – 

"Mrs Elsie Thomas – my mother"

“Mrs Elsie Thomas – my mother.”