8 November 2022

Gwyneth is preparing for a visitor

Gwyneth is bringing plates of sandwiches from the kitchen at number 9 

"Are they for me?"

when Cassie comes downstairs;  she announces that they are for Gwern who is on his way over.   

"He doesn't want to come"

“He doesn’t want to come,” she moans, “It took me ages to persuade him,” but Cassie points out that it is a step in the right direction.

There is a knock at the door, so Cassie will leave via the back door and tells Gwyneth to relax.   

Gwern arrives

Gwern comes in, but Gwyneth’s joy is short-lived when Arwen follows him through the door.   “You don’t mind, do you?” asks Gwern, and his mother does her best to pretend that she does not.

"She obviously doesn't want me here"

As she goes to get another plate, Arwen remarks, “She obviously doesn’t want me here – I’m going home.”

"Don't leave me on my own with her"

Gwern pleads with her, “Please don’t go home and leave me alone with her.”   

Gwyneth has heard this . . .

Then they realise that Gwyneth is listening, 

. . . and is far from happy

and she does not look happy.

Eileen is packing boxes

Penrhewl is full of empty boxes, which Eileen is packing with Cae Glas organic produce;  Britt is about to go home, but is told to hang on.   

"150 boxes by tomorrow"

“I’ve had an order from Phillips Farm Food – they want 150 boxes of Welsh produce by tomorrow for their clients.”

Britt protests that she is supposed to finish now, so is told that she had better hurry up;  

Britt is issued with her instructions

“You know what to do – raffia, produce on the top and a sticker on the box!   I have to go and get Huwi-John.”   Britt looks around her with dismay.

"Fancy dinner in the Deri tonight?"

As they walk round the corner into the back street, Hywel suggests to Gaynor, “Fancy dinner in the Deri tonight?   I can get Esther and join you there.”   She does not relish the thought, although he stresses that she usually jumps at the chance.

"What if Jinx is right?"

“People in the village don’t usually think I’m a racist,” she growls, “What if Jinx is right?   Nobody likes to think they’re a racist, do they?”   

Hywel insists that does not describe them, but she goes on, “I shouldn’t have interfered with Esther’s hair – it’s part of who she is, isn’t it?   And what else have we got wrong?”

"Everything was fine until Jinx destroyed your confidence"

He tries to convince her that everything was fine until Jinx destroyed her confidence;  “We’re good parents to Esther!”   Gaynor is not convinced of this, 

Hywel is going to sort Jinx out

so he turns and heads angrily for the door of Cysgod y Glyn;  “I’m going to inform him he can’t tell me how to raise my own daughter!”

"Stop, Hywel, please!"

Gaynor yells at him to stop, but he will take no notice and rings the doorbell.   “Hywel, please, I don’t want another argument, all right?” she urges him.   

There is no reply

There appears to be no-one at home 

"Don't be stupid!"

as she continues, “Please, Hywel, don’t be stupid!”

"How did school go?"

Gwyneth rather awkwardly asks Gwern if school went OK, and what lessons he had.   “Maths and history,” he tells her, 

"I had art and IT"

then Arwen relates that she had art and IT – computers.

"I'm a dab hand at IT now"

“I’m a dab hand at IT now,” says Gwyneth, “I’ve been on a course.”   Arwen is surprised that she could do that in prison, and regards it as ‘cool’.

"What was that noise?"

Then Gwern hears a sound outside, and his mother is concerned;  

Gwyneth cannot see anything

she looks through the blind into the back garden but can see nothing amiss, explaining that it was probably the washing line.

"What else did you do in prison?"

Arwen continues to enquire, “So what else did you do in prison?” and is told and that Gwyneth did cooking and woodwork.   “Were the staff really nasty?” is the next question, 

"That's enough, Arwen!"

and Gwern tries to stop Arwen.   “Sorry – I just want to know what she’s been through, so I can help you.”

"You have a very good friend here"

Gwyneth thinks that her son has a very good friend here, and is now going to get the washing in from the line.   

"I've never met anyone who's actually been in prison"

“I’ve never met anyone who’s actually been in prison,” Arwen tells Gwern, and he instructs her to stop it.

Gwyneth looks anxiously around . . .

Meanwhile, Gwyneth is looking anxiously around the back garden 

. . . but finds no lurking intruder

but finds that there is in fact no-one hiding behind the washing.   Nevertheless she is still looking worried.   

"I don't want anyone to talk to my Mam"

Inside, Arwen points out that she does not want anyone to talk to her mother.   

"No wonder she's an alcoholic – living with you!"

“No wonder your Mam’s an alcoholic – she has to live with you!” Gwern snarls.

"The washing's not dry yet"

Gwyneth comes back in to say that the washing is not yet dry, 

"I'd better go"

and Gwern decides that he has to go, giving the excuse that he has football practice.   “Well, it was nice to see you,” she sighs, 

"Any friend of Gwern's is a friend of mine"

“And you, Arwen – any friend of Gwern’s is a friend of mine.”   They leave the house.

Dani has trouble logging on

In the Deri, Dani is looking at her phone and informs Cassie, “We’re getting our essay mark, and I can’t log on!”   Then she finally manages it 

"54% – not bad"

and discovers that she has 54%, which she says is not bad.   “It’s lower than the first assessment, but . . .”

Cassie is confident that Dani has done much better than she would have done;  

"The only thing I studied was boys"

“The only thing I studied in school was boys.”   

Petra has 81% . . .

Then Petra comes in, and reluctantly announces that she has 81%, which she cannot believe.   

. . . which Dani finds embarrassing

Dani rather disappointedly reveals her score, adding that she was not expecting more.

Outside the Deri, Jinx happens to pass

Petra arranges to see her later, and is outside, sending a text message when Jinx happens to be passing;  

"It was fun the other night"

she thanks him for the other night, which she describes as ‘fun’.   

"Yes, I enjoyed it"

He also enjoyed it, and she says that she feels rather awkward;  

"Dani's a bit gutted"

“I got a good mark for my essay, but Dani’s a bit gutted because she didn’t do as well.

He maintains that it is not a competition, and Petra will be coming back later to see her, to try and cheer her up.   

"It's only an essay"

“Tell her from me that it’s only an essay,” he says, 

"Sorry, I'm busy tonight"

but is unable to have a drink with Petra in the Deri as he has a busy night.   However should be able to spare a few minutes.

Another unexplained noise unsettles Gwyneth

As Gwyneth is clearing up, she hears another noise outside, 

"Who's there?"

and is now looking seriously worried;  she stands by the back door and shouts,    “Who’s there?”   

Tesni walks in

Suddenly, Tesni walks in, 

"What are you doing here?"

 Gwyneth demands, “What are you doing, creeping around the place?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you – I been out there a few minutes – I didn’t want to disturb you.   

"I wanted to see you all"

“I wanted to see you all.”   

"A bit of warning would have been nice"

Gwyneth maintains that bit of warning would have been nice – a text or phone call;  “I’ve sent you loads of messages.”   Tesni replies that it would not have been a surprise then.   “You’ve come all the way back from London to see us?” 

and Tesni says that she has been away too long, and has not stopped thinking about them.

Cassie is similarly surprised

Cassie returns from her shift in the Deri and is surprised to see Tesni;  “What are you doing here?”   Gwyneth remarks that she has already asked that question.   

"Has Gwyneth offered you  cup of tea?"

“Has Gwyneth offered you a cup of tea?” Cassie demands, “That’s not much of a welcome,” 

Cassie hugs Tesni 

and she hugs Tesni, while Gwyneth wears the sour expression that we have come to expect of her.

“We’ll have a cup of tea and you can tell us what’s been going on,” Cassie continues, as Gwyneth attempts to force a smile.

"Thank heavens Jinx was not home"

As the three of them sit in the Deri, Gaynor asks Hywel, “Have you calmed down yet?   Thank heavens Jinx was not home.”   

"Can you blame me?"

He wonders if she can blame him, and Gaynor suggests to Esther that they could have pasta.   The two of them are going to wash their hands, 

Hywel walks to the bar

and Hywel walks across to the bar, just as Jinx comes in.

"The all-knowing Jinx!

“Oh, here he is, the all-knowing Jinx!” Hywel growls, 

"Gaynor doesn't know whether she is coming or going"

“Gaynor doesn’t know whether she’s coming going, thanks to you.”   

"It's not Gaynor's feelings that are important here"

Jinx maintains that it is not Gaynor’s feelings that are important here, and is told that it is slander.

"Racism is a serious accusation"

“Racism is a serious accusation – what were you thinking?   She welcome Esther into her own home and everything!”   Jinx replies that refusing to acknowledge the country of her birth is wrong.   “And what about trying to make Wales feel like her home?   Is that wrong?”

Gaynor and Esther are just coming back

Gaynor and Esther are returning at this moment, and listen to this heated argument;  

"We know what's best for her, OK?"

“We’re her parents and we know what’s best for her, OK?” exclaims Hywel.

“Why are you arguing again?” demands Gaynor, and Hywel answers that he was just defending her.   

"Come on – we'll have pizza on the way home"

“Come on, Esther – we’ll have pizza on the way home!” Gaynor emphasises, as the two of them prepare to walk out, with Esther protesting that she wanted pasta.   She is told that they will come back another time.

"This is harassment, good boy!"

As Hywel follows them out, he snarls at Jinx, “This is harassment, good boy!”   

Now Jinx is definitely in the mood

At this rather inopportune moment, Petra appears, but Jinx says that he is not staying, giving the excuse that he is tired and does not think he would be very good company.   

"Some other time, OK?"

They will meet some other time, 

Petra is disappointed

and Petra is rather disappointed.

"There's nowhere like Cwmderi"

“You know, London might be exciting, but there’s nowhere like Cwmderi,” decides Tesni, and Cassie thought that she was enjoying herself.   

Gwyneth with her perpetually offended look

As Gwyneth mopes around with an extremely grim look, Tesni adds, “I was, sort of, but I don’t have any friends – 

"Aled's got a new boyfriend"

“and Aled’s got a new boyfriend.   I don’t meet anyone because I can’t afford to go out – that’s why I’m back.”

Cassie updates her on the news that Dylan has disappeared, which Tesni already knows, as Gwyneth has told her, thinking that it was important that she knew.   

"Would it be all right to 'crash' here?"

Tesni reveals that she does not talk to Dylan any more, and asks if it would be all right for her to ‘crash’ there.   

"You're always welcome here, Tesni"

Gwyneth has no alternative but to agree, maintaining that Tesni is always welcome there.

Britt cavorts round the kitchen . . .

In the farmhouse kitchen, Britt has the radio on and has almost finished packing boxes, whilst dancing around in an abandoned fashion.   

. . . until Eileen returns

Eileen returns and is most surprised to see her;  “That’s better,” she laughs, 

"I never want to see raffia again!"

and Britt declares that she never wants to see raffia again.

As Eileen is going to put the kettle on, 

"We're having steak and ale pie"

Britt decides that she ought to text Colin to remind him to put on the oven;  “We’re having his favourite – steak and ale pie.   

"Right, where's my phone?"

“Right, where’s my phone?”   It is not in her bag, and she thinks that she can recall putting it down on the table.

She begins to panic that it has been accidentally put in one of the boxes, and begins to rummage in them.   She is warned not to be too violent, as it will damage the Bara Brith;  

"I left it on silent"

Eileen will phone the number now.   Britt explains that she left the phone on silent, so the only way to locate it is to open all boxes.   

She is handed a pair of scissors

She is handed a pair of scissors, and advised, “If you want your phone back, you have no choice.”

"Is there going to be a date number two?"

Dani asks Petra, “So how are things with Jinx?   Is there going to be a date number two?”   

"We're not here to talk about men"

Petra hopes this will be the case, but is not there to talk about men.   They are supposed to be celebrating, 

"I worked my socks off"

but Dani groans, “I worked my socks off to get that mark – and I didn’t do as well as you.”

“You’re doing this course for yourself – other people’s marks are not important,” stresses Petra, and Dani realises that she has to pull out all the stops – 

"Working morning, afternoon and night"

“work in the morning, afternoon and night.   She tries to convince herself that it will be fine.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have argued with him in public"

The atmosphere at Llwyncelyn is rather frosty as they eat their pizzas;  “Yeah, all right,” Hywel concedes, “Perhaps I shouldn’t have argued with him in public like that – but he was so self-righteous!”

"He might have been right"

Gaynor considers that Jinx may have been right, but he goes on, “Listen, Esther’s happy – she has a family that loves her, friends, a nice home.   Who could hope for more?   

"Don't let Jinx upset you"

“Don’t let Jinx upset you – we’re doing all right.”

"It's you, Gaynor, Rhys and me"

Esther comes in with a picture she has been drawing;  “It’s you, Gaynor, Rhys and me,” she says.   Hywel tells her to go upstairs and brush her teeth, then he will be up to read her a story.

When she has gone, Gaynor protests that it is rather early, and she has not watched any television yet.   

"Have you seen this?"

“Have you seen this?” he asks, 

Esther's picture 

“She’s coloured herself in the same colour as us.”   

"Still think we're doing all right?"

Gaynor wonders if he still thinks they are doing all right.

"Well, that's the last box!"

reached the end of the boxes without finding any trace of a phone, Eileen come to the conclusion that Britt’s phone was not there.   “I was sure that I brought it!” declares Britt, 

"You couldn't have been sure enough"

but is told that she could not have been sure enough.

"Perhaps I left it at home"

“Do you know what?   Thinking about it, perhaps I left it at home,” Britt imagines, and Britt is furious at having wasted so many hours because of her.

"You're the one who has to do them all again"

“Don’t say sorry to me – because you’re the one who will have to do them all again,” Eileen instructs her.

Gwern prepares for football

Gwern is packing his football boots into his bag when Arwen comes into the Deri flat;  

"Sorry about hassling your Mam"

“Sorry about hassling your Mam about prison,” she says, “I was just interested, that’s all.   Friends?”

"And I'm sorry about what I said"

Gwern is also sorry about what he said, 

"I'll walk with you"

and she tells him, “Forget it – I have – come on, I’ll walk with you.”   

Arwen's little joke is bound to backfire

As he gets up we see that she has managed to stick a picture on the back of his T-shirt – depicting his mother in prison.   

She looks quite pleased with herself

She smiles mischievously.

Gwyneth comes back to the house

Gwyneth arrives back at number 9 and goes into the kitchen;  Tesni comes downstairs and reports that Cassie is in the bath.   

"Indian all right?"

“I got us a takeaway,” Gwyneth tells her, “Indian all right?   Cassie’s thrilled that you’re back – and so am I, of course.   

"It's a bit odd you haven't been in touch"

“It’s just a bit odd that you haven’t been in touch, that’s all.”

"There is another reason why I'm here . . ."

Tesni admits there is another reason why she is there;  

". . . I didn't want to give them the 'heads-up'"

“I didn’t say I was coming because I didn’t want to give them the ‘heads up’.”   Gwyneth wonders who she is referring to, 

"The murderer – I need to know the truth"

and she answers, “The murderer – I need to know the truth – find out who did it.”

"You couldn't stand your mother"

Gwyneth is puzzled;  “The last time you were in Cwmderi, you couldn’t stand your mother – what’s changed?”

“Yeah, well, she did things that were wrong, but she didn’t deserve to be killed,” Tesni explains, “That’s why I’m here.   

"I'm not going to stop until the murderer is caught!"

“I’m not going to stop until the murderer is caught.”   

Gwyneth needs to take evasive action

Gwyneth turns toward the kitchen sink and appears to be plotting something.