8 February 2022

Jason happens to be passing . . .

As Ffion comes out of her front door, she sees Jason walking past;  “Jase, about this transport business,” she begins, 

. . . and is in a hurry

but he says he has no time to talk about it now.   She goes on, regardless, “I had a Zoom meeting with Martin from the unit this morning 

"Martin mentioned that you called round"

“and he mentioned you had called round – what did you think?   And what did Kelly think?”

"I didn't see the point"

“I didn’t see the point of telling Kelly until I saw the place,” he replies, “So I don’t know her reaction yet.”   Once again, Ffion emphasises that they all want what is best for Ifan in the end, and she will wait to hear from him.

Kelly has developed a dislike for Ffion

Kelly just happens to be approaching along the back street 

"What did 'starchy-pants' want?"

and demands, “What did ‘starchy-pants’ want?”  

"It was about that transport business again"

Jason says that it was about the transport business again, 

"When will she accept we're not backing down?"

and she snarls, “When will she accept that we’re not backing down?   I’ve got a few bits to sort out – so I’ll see you later.”

Jason’s phone rings, and he finds that he has a call from Martin;  

"Thanks for showing me round the other night"

he checks to make sure that Kelly is out of earshot, and answers, “Thanks for showing me round the other night – 

"We haven't made a decision yet"

“no, we haven’t made a decision yet.”

Gaynor is cleaning out the cubboards

Gaynor is very noisily cleaning out the kitchen cupboards;  “These needed doing!” she angrily tells Hywel, who is on his way to a meeting.   He cannot resist mentioning her mother again, urging Gaynor not to let that letter spoil things, as she had a right to know about her background.

`"I can't force her to see me"

“But I can’t force her to see me!” she moans, 

"You could say how disappointed you are"

so Hywel suggest she should write a letter to say how disappointed she is.   

"I said I don't want to discuss it!"

Gaynor is in no mood for this, and exclaims, “Please, just leave it – you don’t understand, and, as I said, I don’t want to discuss it!”

He silently leaves the house, but she does not realise he has gone, 

"I'm sorry for being short with you"

and continues, “Hywel, I’m sorry for being short with you,” then turns to see Kelly standing there;  Hywel apparently let her in as he left.

"I need a word with you"

“I need a word with you about Ffion, and the situation with Ifan’s transport,” she says.   

"It's nothing to do with me"

Gaynor is quick to point out that it is no longer anything to do with her, 

"You must have some inside information"

but Kelly imagines, “You must have some kind of inside information – some idea of how to sort the situation – loopholes – something?”

"Sorry, I can't help, Kelly"

Gaynor cannot help, so Kelly turns to go, but is called back;  

"How would you feel if Paul came looking for you?"

“I hope you don’t mind me asking this, but how would you feel if Paul came looking for you when he was older?”   Kelly’s face falls and Gaynor adds, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

"I'd be chuffed"

“No, it’s OK – I would be chuffed – it would be hard to see him – it would probably break my heart, but I would never turn my back on him,” she answers.   “I guess I’m sort of expecting it, 

"Children are told the circumstances these days

“because children who are adopted are told the circumstances these days, aren’t they?   So it’s up to them.   Why do you ask?”

"I found who my biological mother is"

“Well, I was adopted and I’ve recently found out who my biological mother is, so I wrote her a letter,” Gaynor explains;  

"And you had no reply?"

Kelly assumes that she has had no reply.   

"She told me not to contact her again"

“Worse than that – she replied, through her solicitor, telling me not to contact her again.”

Kelly helps herself to a chair

Kelly sits down on a chair as Gaynor continues, “I’m not sure what I was expecting – but it wasn’t that!   A little bit of recognition would be nice, but – 

"Perhaps I'm asking too much"

“I don’t know – perhaps I’m asking too much.”

"I was always desperate to find my father"

Kelly reveals, “I was always desperate to find out who my father was, because I thought that finding him would answer the massive list of questions I had.   

"No – the list has just grown!"

“No – the list has just grown!”

Gaynor says that Hywel thinks she should write another letter explaining how disappointed she is, and Kelly considers that a good idea.   

"A few angry words won't change anything"

But Gaynor realises, “A few angry words aren’t going to change anything, are they?   I feel a bit lost.”   

"Join the club"

Kelly tells her to join the club.

"There's a bottle and spare nappies"

Jaclyn has offered to look after Gabriel for Dani;  “There’s a bottle and spare nappies in there,” says Dani, 

Jaclyn is all prepared

but Jaclyn has already bought some nappies and a few bottles, as she thought it would save Dani carting them back and forth.

“Thanks again for looking after him,” she says, is told there is no need for thanks, as Jaclyn is family, and Dani comments that he has not got much family.

"It takes a village to raise a child"

“You know what they say – it takes a village to raise a child,” Jaclyn tells her, 

"The village isn't there at 2:00am"

but she points out that the village is not there at 2:00am, when he is screaming his head off.

“I’ve been thinking a lot – about Dylan,” Dani goes on, “I’m worried that Gabriel doesn’t have a father figure.”   Jaclyn insists that he has a mother and a half.   “Be a good boy for Auntie Jacs, OK?” Dani tells the baby, and is told that they will have lots of fun together.   

Gabriel is quite content at the moment

He looks quite placid at the moment.

Garry awaits Andrea's arrival

In the chip shop flat, where Aaron is playing a computer game, Garry is looking rather tense, as he awaits the arrival of Andrea;  

"Just behave – all right?"

“Just behave – all right?   No nonsense!” he says, 

"Come up, Andrea"

and then the buzzer sounds.

"Thanks for asking me"

She thanks him for the invitation, and he thanks her for coming;  she is introduced to Aaron, his nephew, 

"What are you playing?"

and immediately wants to know what he is playing.   “Call of Duty – Black Ops III,” is the answer, although she maintains that ‘Black Ops II’ is better.

"I tried to teach him how to play it!"

“Oh, you know your stuff – I tried to teach him how to play it, but he was useless!” moans Aaron, and he challenges Andrea to a game.   

He is pleased they are 'hitting it off'

Garry is very pleased to see that they are getting on so well together.

Jaclyn can see Tesni coming

Jaclyn has devised a cunning plan, and when she sees Tesni approaching outside, 

"Sorry for leaving you with an amateur"

apologises to the baby, “Sorry for leaving you with an amateur.”

"You'll have to look after him!"

When Tesni comes in, her mother gasps, “Thank heavens – I have to go to work – there’s a crisis with an order or something!   You’ll have to look after Gabriel – 

"Change his nappy and give him some milk"

“you need to change his nappy and give him some milk in an hour.   If you manage to get him to sleep, you’re a better woman than me!”

Tesni has no chance to protest . . .

Tesni does not have a chance to protest before Jaclyn disappears out of the door, 

. . . but Gabriel starts protesting . . .

and, right on cue, Gabriel begins to cry.   

. . . while Jaclyn looks pleased with herself

Jaclyn, outside the door, looks very pleased with herself.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't put pressure on Jason"

Ffion emerges from the shop and Kelly calls to her, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t put pressure on Jason.”   

"I'm not the one putting pressure on him"

Ffion makes it clear that she is not the one putting pressure on him, 

"We've agreed on what's best for Ifan"

and Kelly stresses, “Jason I have agreed on what’s best for Ifan.”

“Well, Jason must have changed his mind, then – he went to see the unit, and I think the place made quite an impression on him,” Ffion points out, 

"Perhaps the unit is the best place for him"

“You’d better talk to Jason again – we all want Ifan to be happy, don’t we?   Perhaps the unit is the best place for him.”   Kelly does definitely not look happy.

"I beat you!"

Andrea has beaten Aaron, which he puts down to luck, and he now needs the toilet;  “Yeah – run away, so that I don’t beat you again!” shouts Andrea.   

Garry is doing some economising

Garry is looking at a special offer, ‘2 for 1 meals’, and tells Andrea that she is a hit there;  she describes him as a nice boy.

"Do you fancy a takeaway later?"

“Do you fancy a takeaway later – my treat?” he asks, 

"I'd do anything for a 'Chicken Dhansak'!"

and she replies that she would do anything for a ‘Chicken Dhansak’.   

Gwern wants the permission form for the science trip

Then Gwern comes up the stairs, demanding that his father sign the permission form for the science trip, and is introduced to his father’s friend, Andrea.

"Come on, Dad – I've got homework to do!"

“Come on, Dad – I’ve got homework to do!” Gwern insists 

"Pleased to meet you, Gwern"

and leaves again as soon as he has the form.   Garry apologises that he is a bit shy, and will order that takeaway.

"'Chicken Bhuna', half and half"

Aaron, who has returned, demands, “Chicken Bhuna, half and half!”   Garry is not willing to order that, and Andrea cannot believe that he will make Aaron sit there and watch them eat, 

"That's exactly what I'm going to do!"

but Garry is adamant that is exactly what he is going to do.

"Jase, do you fancy popping home?"

Kelly is in the Deri, and rings Jason;  “Jase, everything’s fine – I was just wondering do you fancy popping home?   I mean, I’m sure you could tell a tiny white lie and sneak out.   

"OK, babes, see you in a bit"

“Yeah, OK, babes – see you in a bit,” she encourages him, in her most irresistible manner.

Everything is going to plan so far

A while later, Jaclyn returns to number 10, to find the place in disarray, which she regards as excellent.   As she is picking up various things from the floor and hears Tesni coming downstairs, 

"It looks as if you had some trouble with him!"

she says, “Sorry, Tes, it looks as if you had some trouble with him!”

Tesni relates her experiences . . .

Tesni points out that he was sick over her top, and when she tried to change him, he peed everywhere;  “Then he screamed for half an hour and didn’t want to go to sleep!”   

. . . but then her mother gets a shock

Everything seems to be going according to Jaclyn’s plan, 

"I really enjoyed it – he was really cute!"

until Tesni adds, “But, do you know what?   I really enjoyed it.   Between the throwing up, the peeing and the screaming, he was really cute!”   She could see that he really loves his little cuddly animal.

Jaclyn is deflated and thanks her daughter for helping;  

"I need the practice, anyway"

“Any time – I need the practice anyway,” Tesni insists.   Once more, her mother encourages her to enjoy herself while she is young, but Tesni stresses that she can do that with a child.   

"But you're rushing into things, Tes"

Jaclyn is convinced that she is rushing into things, but is informed that they have discussed it, and this is what they want.

"I know what you're doing, by the way"

“I know what you’re doing, by the way – leaving me with Gabriel, hoping that it would put me off having a baby.”   

"I told you, I had to go to work"

Jaclyn insists that she had to go to work, 

"Sioned phoned – you haven't been there"

but is told, “Strange – Sioned phoned – you haven’t been to work!”

"It would be all day, every day"

Jaclyn is forced to admit, “You had a couple of hours of chaos with him – it would be all day, every day, if you had your own baby.”   

"I'm ready for this, Mam!"

Tesni is quite convinced that she is ready for this, and no-one can stop her.   With that, she walks out of the house.

"Hey, I'm back!"

Kelly is waiting when Jason returns to Bryntirion;  “Hey, I’m back!” he announces, and she remains silent, so he realises something is amiss.

"Do you have something to tell me?"

“Do you have anything to tell me?” she asks, “Something about the unit perhaps?   And I have to find out from Ffion, Jase, I mean . . .”

"I was going to tell you, Kelly"

He confesses that he should have told her, and was going to tell her;  

"Do you want Ifan to go to the unit?"

“Were you?   Do you want Ifan to go to the unit?” she demands, 

"I don't want Ifan stuck in the middle"

He replies, “What I don’t want is a big crusade and Ifan stuck in the middle.”   Kelly insists that she does not want that either, but Ifan has had enough upheaval already.

"What he really wants is stability"

“His mother’s moved to the other side of the world – what he really wants is stability, routine – not someone dragging him from one school and dumping him in another.   

"You're his father – it's up to you!"

“But there we are – you’re his father, so it’s up to you!”

Garry has dragged Andrea away from the game

As they come into the Deri, Andrea is not sure that she can handle a drink after that takeaway;  “I had to say something, or you would have been playing that game with Aaron all night!” Garry complains.

"Would you like to go away with me next weekend?"

She says that it was nice to meet him and Gwern, and suggests, “Would you like to go away with me next weekend?   I was meant to go to Cardiff with a friend, but she has pulled out – the hotel’s already paid for.   

"It would be a pity to waste the money"

“It would be a pity to waste the money.”

Garry is hesitant about agreeing, so she presumes that it is too soon;  he maintains he does not think that he will be able to get the time off work.   

Must have been a struggle to get the pram upstairs

Jaclyn manoeuvres the pram back into the Deri flat, after getting it up the stairs;  she tells Dani that she enjoys looking after him.   

"It helps loads, you know"

“It helps loads, you know, with the other two — and now Greta,” says Dani.

"Have you considered having him christened?"

“Have you considered having Gabriel christened?” Jaclyn wonders, and Dani did not know she was religious.   “I’m not – it’s just that loads of people who aren’t religious get married in chapels these days.   No, you know, to make it official, so we’re all his family.”

"We don't need a christening to do that"

Dani insists that they do not need a christening to do that, but Jaclyn argues it will be nice to have a celebration;  “Gwern and Seren would enjoy a party.”   

Dani reluctantly agrees to this suggestion, but she insists that it should be something small; 

"And I mean tiny!"

 “And I mean tiny – just us and a small party here!”   Jaclyn is keen to do all the organising.

Garry is not saying much

As they sit silently in the Deri, Andrea enquires, “Why don’t you want to go away with me?” and again he talks about work and the kids.   

"It's the HIV, isn't it?"

“I don’t believe you, Garry – it’s the HIV, isn’t it?”

He vehemently denies this, and she thought that he was OK with, it after the park – “Hot chocolate and everything.”

"I'm skint!"

He exclaims, “I’m skint!   It’s embarrassing – I only bought a takeaway because it’s two-for-one – and I’m drinking half pints as well.”

"But you own this place"

She points out that he owns the place, and wonders how can he be skint;  he explains that it is the divorce.   “Garry, I don’t care how much money you have,” she insists, but it obviously matters to him.   “If you’re worried about going away – the place has already been paid for, and I can afford a couple of meals.”

"I should be treating you"

He insists that he should be treating her, but she maintains that he can do that another time;  

"Why don't I start by getting you a pint?"

“Why don’t I start by getting you a pint?”   

Garry reluctantly agrees

He reluctantly acquiesces.   As she goes across to the bar, 

"Everything all right?"

Cassie takes the opportunity to ask Garry is everything is all right.   

He certainly looks as if it is all right

He looks much happier now.

Gaynor stares at her birth certificate

Gaynor is looking at her birth certificate, and when Hywel comes back she says that she is sorry for her outburst this morning;  “I’m not angry with you.”   

"I don't want to argue, either"

He does not want to argue, either, 

"I had a chat with Kelly"

and she reveals that she had a chat with Kelly;  “I asked her how she feels about Paul – and it helped.   Will you do me a favour?   

"Will you hide these somewhere?"

“Can you hide this birth certificate and the letter somewhere in the house for me?”

Hywel is puzzled

Hywel is puzzled by this request, and she goes on, “Otherwise I won’t stop reading it – I have to face the fact that I’m never going to find out why I was adopted – I need to move on!”

"That's the least you deserve, Kelly!"

As they come round the corner by the Medical Centre, Kelly reminds Jason that he is still in the doghouse;  “I’m expecting a slap-up meal and pudding!” she says.   He agrees that is the least she deserves.  

He ignores Kelly's protests

Then he notices Ffion in the distance and goes over to talk to her:  “I don’t want to discuss it now – we’re going round in circles, Kelly protests.

"We're not interested in any special unit"

“Ffion, I just wanted to tell you we’re not interested in any special unit,” he says, “Ifan wants to stay where he is.   We discussed it and we want Ifan to stay at the school – so we’re going to fight to get his transport back.”

"It's obvious who wears the trousers in your house!"

Ffion’s response is, “It’s obvious who wears the trousers in your house!”   Jason emphasises that he and Kelly understand each other, that they are a good team.   

"I listened to Kelly, and I agree with her!"

He has listened to her arguments and agrees with them;  

They clasp hands

he takes Kelly’s hand as a sign of their solidarity.

"The school doesn't have enough money"

“You know that the school doesn’t have enough money – this is the council’s decision, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it,” Ffion informs them.

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that!"

“Yeah, well, we'll see about that!” warns Kelly, determinedly, but with a smile, 

Off they go, towards the Deri

and they walk away, leaving a frustrated Ffion.