10 November 2022

"Can Gwern come over for dinner tonight?"

Gwyneth comes out of the front door of number 9 and shouts to Dani, across the road, “Can Gwern come over for dinner tonight?”   

"I'll send him over after school"

Dani agrees to send him over after school.

"I won't be late if you get off the phone"

Mark is also walking along the road, speaking to his mother on the phone;  “I’m on my way now, Mam,” he says, “It doesn’t take over an hour to get to the hospital – I won’t be late if you get off the phone.”

"Have you found someone to help us?"

Tesni asks Gwyneth if she has found someone to help them, and she replies that she has not yet, but is working on it.   “It’s not going to happen overnight – I have to be careful.   

"If I asked the wrong person, they could turn on us"

“If I asked the wrong person, they could turn on me and tell Dylan.   

"The golden rule – don't trust anyone"

“That’s the golden rule – don’t trust anyone, never mind who they are.   And that’s why I have to take my time – I’ve only just got my life on track, and I’ve been out of Gwern’s life for so long, I don’t want to ruin things.   

"I've promised to help, and that's what I'll do"

“But don’t worry – I’ve promised to help you and that’s what I’m going to do.”

"Well, what's so important?"

In the shop flat, Mathew is drinking a cup of tea when Tegwen arrives, with Ken.   “Well, what’s so important?” she demands.   

"Santa won't give ther money back"

Mathew says that he has had an e-mail from Santa, and he will not give the money back for the trip to Lapland.

Ken is very disappointed

Non-refundable – which is a lesson for you, Ken – always read the small print.”   

"I hope you don't expect me to pay half"

Tegwen hopes that Mathew does not expect her to pay half, and he stresses that he bought it as a present for her;  

"Why don't we go anyway – as friends?"

“So why don’t we go anyway?   As friends.”

Ken is enthusiastic about this . . .

Ken is all in favour of this idea, and it is pointed out to him that he will need a lot of warm clothes and snow boots – and pocket money, because Mathew has heard that the hot chocolate in Lapland is epic.”

. . . but not his mother

Tegwen, on the other hand, is quite adamant, “We’re not going!   It just doesn’t feel right – you might understand when you’re older,” she tells Ken.   

Mathew tries to change her mind

No amount of persuasion on Mathew’s part will change her mind, 

"Wait outside, Ken"

and she asks Ken to wait outside.

"What's wrong with you?"

“What’s wrong with you?” she demands, 

"I was just trying to be nice"

and Mathew maintains that he was just trying to be nice.   “You should have checked with me first – look what you’ve done now!” she exclaims, and when he says that it was supposed to be a surprise, and wonders what is the problem, she snarls

"I'm not going away with my ex – it would be weird!"

 “I’m not going away with my ex – it would be weird.   Give Santa my regards,” she adds as she leaves him.

"I had a lovely chat with Chester just now"

Britt returns to Colin and tells him that she has had a lovely chat with Chester just now;  “How exactly did you do that?   You shouted all the way to Portugal, did you?” he asks, 

"I used the landline in the Deri"

and she says that she used the landline in the Deri.

“Do you know what?   I haven’t had a decent chat with any of those three for ages.   It’s a lot better than a text or a ‘thumbs-up’, isn’t it?   

"What's so important, Col?"

“What’s so important that you’ve got your head in that phone?”

Colin replies that Mark is having his results today;  “I just wanted to wish him well,” 

"Have you forgotten how to talk to people?"

and she suggests that he ought to phone Mark, as it is much better than texting, and she wonders if he has forgotten how to talk to people.

"OK, you've made your point!"

He is becoming rather exasperated;  “OK, you’ve made your point!” and she tells him that is what addicts are like – they do not like hearing the truth.

He protests that he is not an addict, so she invites him to prove it;  “You can go and see Mark when he gets home – or are you scared you won’t be able to cope?”   

"I'm not scared!"

He insists that he is not scared and immediately hands over his phone, 

"Where are you going to put it?"

but does wonder where she is going to put it.   She has not yet made up her mind and disappears upstairs.

In Maes-y-Deri they are very anxious

At Maes-y-Deri, Kath and Brynmor are both very worried;  “The waiting is the worst part, isn’t it?” she groans, and he suggests a walk to take her mind off it.   

"No, I'd rather stay here"

“No, I’d rather stay here,” she says, and then Vicky comes downstairs.   

"You didn't have to talk to him like that!"

“You didn’t have to talk to him like that!” she snarls at Brynmor, who points out that he told Nicky not to touch his stuff, as they are not toys.   “He didn’t know that, did he?” Vicky replies, “But you didn’t have to talk to him the way you did!”

"He was cheeky and answered me back"

“He was cheeky and answered me back,” he informs her, 

"Just stop hassling my son!"

but she just wants him to stop hassling her son.   When she has returned upstairs, he asks Kath, “How much longer are they going to be here?” 

"Not now, Brynmor"

but she does not want to discuss that at the moment.

We do not discover who is phoning

Then the telephone rings and Brynmor volunteers to answer it.

"Has Gwyneth had any joy?"

In the Deri, Tesni is sitting, looking pensive and Cassie asks if Gwyneth has had any joy.   “Look, I know you want to catch whoever killed your mother, 

"Have you considered what you're asking Gwyneth to do?"

“but have you considered what you’re asking Gwyneth to do?”

"I just want answers"

Tesni simply wants answers, but Cassie continues, “I know how you feel, but it’s not fair dragging her into all this – she has Gwern to think about.”

"I could make a pizza from scratch"

At that moment Gwyneth comes in, and is debating, “What can I make Gwern for dinner – chicken nuggets?   Or pizza – I could make the base from scratch.”

"I shouldn't have asked you to risk everything"

Tesni announces that she has been thinking;  “I shouldn’t have asked you to risk everything for me.”   

"I shall be careful"

Despite Gwyneth assuring her that she will be careful, Tesni now reckons that it is too much of risk.   “My family has done enough damage without me making things worse – I don’t want you to take things further.”

"This doesn't mean you're going after him?"

This doesn’t mean that you’re going to go after him, does it?” Gwyneth demands, and Tesni replies that she is not.   

"Your mother wouldn't want you to do that"

Cassie considers that she has made the right choice, and her mother would not want her putting her life on hold.   

"I don't want you to look for him"

Tesni repeats that she does not want Gwyneth to go looking for Dylan.

"When he comes back, we'll be ready for him!"

“We won’t forget about what he’s done,” Gwyneth stresses, “And when he comes back, we’ll be ready for him!”

"I'd better go, Stace"

We discover that it was Stacey on the phone to Kath, who thinks that she had better go in case Mark tries to phone.   

"Happy now?"

Vicky comes downstairs again, in her usual argumentative mood, shouting at Brynmor, “Nicky’s playing upstairs – happy now?”

Brynmor says that he will be when he gets an apology;  

Brynmor finds a couple of his cars

he notices a couple of his cars on the sideboard and complains to Vicky, “How many times do I have to say it?   

"No – you're the antique!"

“These are antiques.”   She maintains that he is the antique, but he points out that he has standards.

As Vicky shrieks angrily at him, 

"Is this fight private, or can anyone join in?"

Mark comes in through the front door;  “Whoa, whoa!” he shouts, to make himself heard, “Is this fight private, or can anyone join in?”

"What happened, Mark?"

Kath is anxious to find out what happened, and he announces with relief that he is all right;  

"Well, all right-ish"

“Well, all right-ish.   I do have an enlarged prostate, and that’s what’s pressing on the bladder.   I should need just tablets and checkups to keep an eye on it.”

So it's not cancer"

She is almost in tears when she learns that it is not cancer, and he adds that he might take a small operation if the tablets do not work, “But there’s no need for anyone to worry.”   

Mark breaks into a smile

He smiles, for the first time in ages.   

"I'm very pleased for you, boy"

Brynmor is very pleased for him and shakes his hand;  Mark is very appreciative of his support.

"When things get tough, we stick together!"

“That’s the thing with this house, isn’t it?   When things get tough we stick together!” he says, 

Vicky does not appear to agree

but Vicky does not look too sure about that.

"When can we go home, Mam?"

As Tegwen continues her cleaning in the Deri, Ken is becoming impatient about when they are going home.   

Surely that hymn board should have gone back to Bethania 

Ffion and Cai come in, and she reminds him that they need to collect names for next year’s rugby trip.   

"Rugby?   Cool!"

Ken overhears this, and Ffion tells him that if he wants tickets, he will have to be quick;  

"They sell like hot cakes every year"

“They sell like hot cakes every year.”   Cai points out that the team get first refusal, so there is no guarantee.

"I'm on the team!"

Tegwen quickly reminds him that she is on the team, and he is about to dismiss this when Ffion intervenes, “The men’s team, is it?”   He is forced to admit that it includes both teams – men and women.

"Can we go, Mam?"

“Can we go, Mam – I’ve never seen the boys play in the Principality,” Ken begs, 

"We'll see, shall we?"

and she tells him that they will see.

"You can make a pizza base out of Greek yoghurt"  (plus flour, of course)

As Gwyneth comes out of the shop, she bumps into Dani, commenting, “Did you know that you can make a pizza base out of Greek yoghurt?”   

"Gwern has loads of homework to do"

Dani did in fact know this, but informs Gwyneth that Gwern will be unable to come for dinner, as he has loads of homework to do.

"I've bought all the stuff now"

Gwyneth is angry, as she has bought all the necessary stuff and points out that her son has to eat.   He is going to have a sandwich at the Deri flat, 

"I'm sure the yoghurt's got a long date"

and Dani is sure that the yoghurt has got a long date.   

Something else for Gwyneth to get angry about

Gwyneth looks very aggrieved.

A deputy head who cannot spell?

Back at Y Felin, Cai is composing a text, and asks Ffion whether his spelling of the word ‘tocynnau’ [tickets] is correct;  she is surprised that trip is starting at ten, maintaining that is rather early.   

"We need time for a couple of pints before the game"

He insists that they need time for a couple of pints before the game.

“You don’t have to drink to enjoy rugby,” Ffion emphasises, and then there is a knock at the door.

"Can you put me down for two tickets?"

It is Tegwen, who wants to put her name down for two tickets;  “Ken’s had a disappointment today, so it will be a nice surprise.   How much are the tickets?”

"Oh – as much as that?"

She receives a considerable shock when notified that they are £250;  she thought there was a discount for team members.   

"It's an expensive trip"

Ffion explains, “It is an expensive trip, by the time we pay for the bus and the hotel.”   Tegwen had been under the impression they were only going for the day.

"If you do something, do it right"

“If you do something, do it right,” says Cai, and Ffion adds that it will be worth every penny to see the kid’s faces in the stadium.   Tegwen seems determined that she and Ken will go on the trip, and Cai advises that he will be collecting a deposit soon;  

"Tegwen Morris"

she confirms that her name is Tegwen Morris and is added to the list.

"I was going to text you, but . . ."

Mark goes round to see Colin, who tells him, “I was going to text you, but . . . well, that’s another story.   

"There will be no stopping you now"

“Anyway, to your health, good boy – literally!   There will be no stopping you now.”

"I have to take things slow to start with"

Mark replies that he has to take things slow to start with, 

"A bit of 'how's-your-father' is very beneficial"

and Colin recommends, “From what I read, a bit of ‘how’s-your-father’ is very beneficial — it’s a medical fact!”

"I want to make the most of every day"

The only thing Mark wants to do now is to make the most of every day;  “But that’s the thing, you know, everyone’s so serious all the time – and for what?   It doesn’t change anything.”

"Here it comes – 'midlife crisis'!"

“Here it comes – watch out – a ‘midlife crisis’,” laughs Colin, but Mark just wants to enjoy himself a bit;  he is not sure how, but will think of something.

"I'm here to talk about Gwern"

Gwyneth, with her usual disgruntled expression, visits Y Felin, and Ffion presumes that she wants rugby tickets.   “No, I’m here to talk about Gwern,” says Gwyneth, 

"You need to make an appointment st school"

and is told that she needs to make an appointment with the school.

"Gwern has too much homework"

Gwyneth complains, “I’m here now – the thing is, I think the children get too much homework – Gwern has had to cancel his plans tonight, and he’s only 12.   There is plenty of time for work when they’re older!”

"He doesn't have any homework this week"

When she manages to get a word in, Ffion explains, “Gwern doesn’t have any homework this week,” but this is vehemently disputed.   “He hasn’t – he’s on Business and Enterprise week, so he has no homework,” Ffion declares, “You must have misunderstood.”

"Dani told me"

Gwyneth mutters that it was not Gwern that told her;  “It was Dani,” 

She hurriedly exits

and she straightaway walks out of the house.

Colin has searched upstairs . . .

Colin comes downstairs after searching for his phone;  he looks very determined 

. . .and now starts on the kitchen cupboards

and checks in the kitchen cupboards, 

He removes some tins

removing various tins.   

"It's not there!"

Suddenly Britt announces, “It’s not there!” and startles him, “You’re looking for your phone, aren’t you?”

"Just tidying the cupboards"

He denies this, maintaining that he was trying to tidy the cupboards up a little;  “I’m checking the best before dates,” 

"Peach slices?"

and asks if she wants a tin of peach slices.

"You're struggling without your phone"

“You’re struggling without your phone, aren’t you?” she gloats, “I knew you would.”   

"Why stare at a phone when I can look at you?"

Colin demands why he would want to stare at his phone when he can look at her, and she cannot work out whether that is cute or creepy.   She suggests that they do a jigsaw together, 

She has a 1,000-piece jigsaw somewhere . . .

as there is a 1,000-piece jigsaw somewhere.   

. . . but Colin looks unenthusiastic

He does not look particularly enamoured about the prospect.

Dani is working on the laptop

Dani is working on the laptop when Gwyneth arrives in the flat;  “I can’t stop – I want to finish this,” says Dani, 

"Go and check with him"

and she is asked whether Gwern has finished his homework.   Dani invites her to go and check with him.

"He doesn't have any homework tonight"

“I know, Dani – I’ve talked to Ffion – he doesn’t have any homework tonight,” she snarls, “Someone’s made an excuse to stop him coming over.”

Dani is sure that if Gwern did not want to come over, he would have told his mother.   

Gwyneth turns threatening

Adopting a threatening posture, Gwyneth growls, “But I’m not sure about you!   When Gwern’s busy, he texts me – so why did he ask you to pass on the message today?”   

"Prison must have made you paranoid"

Dani suspects that prison must have made her paranoid.

"I know when someone is lying to me"

“I know when someone is lying to me,” Gwyneth goes on, 

"Perhaps you need to tweak your radar"

and is calmly advised that perhaps she needs to tweak her radar.   “You want to take Gwern away from me, don’t you?”

"After I've helped you, you say that to me?"

Dani replies, “So, after I’ve helped you since you’ve been out, you say that to me?”   

"You're trying to come between us"

Gwyneth maintains that Dani is starting to panic that she is going to lose him, and is trying to come between them.

"I've been more of a mother to him than you have recently"

Unflinchingly, Dani continues, “I’ve been more of a mother to him than you have recently.”   

Gwern is watching this exchange

We see that Gwern is listening from behind the door, as she says, “But, you know what?   I didn’t have to take him in – 

"Wouldn't it have been easier to send him to Garry?"

“I didn’t have to treat him as my own son – I’ve got other children, so I don’t need another one.   Don’t you think it would have been easier for me to reject him?   Send him to live with Garry?   Put him into care?   Because he’s nothing to do with me.”

Gwern is now sitting on the stairs

Gwyneth does not say anything, but we see that Gwern has withdrawn and is sitting despondently on the stairs.

"I love him just like I love Seren and Gabriel"

“But I didn’t,” Dani goes on, “I didn’t because I love him – just like I love Seren and Gabriel.”   Gwyneth comments that is why she wants to keep him for herself.   

"I want what's best for him"

“I want what’s best for him,” Dani insists, 

"How do you think that's affected him?"

“For him to get to know his mother – because, I’m telling you, since you’ve been in prison he’s lost months of knowing you.   How do you think that’s affected him?   

"Just think about Gwern for a change"

I want him to have a healthy relationship with you, and if you can’t see that, that’s your problem!   Just think about Gwern for a change.”

Gwyneth has no answer for that

Gwyneth does not say a word.