10 January 2023

Cai is still feeling the after-effects

Cai comes downstairs the next morning and Siôn says that he looks terrible;  

"I went a bit overboard last night"

“Yes, I went a bit overboard last night,” Cai admits, but Siôn already knows that, as he was there.

“You don’t remember anything, don’t you?” Siôn demands, and he does not, really.   

"You made Tesni cry in front of everyone"

“You made Tesni cry in front of everyone – you made fun of her condition,” he is told, 

"I can't remember"

but cannot recall anything about it.   “She has colitis – you made her feel so embarrassed because she’d had to run to the toilet.   

"I was so ashamed of you"

“You were so cruel!   I was so ashamed of you – and do you know what?   Gwen would be ashamed of you, too!”

Ffion notices on Facebook . . .

As Ffion drinks her morning cup of coffee, 

. . . the video of Cai . . .

she is looking on her phone at the results of Arwen’s filming last night;  she is horrified by the video of Cai on the street corner, 

. . . and calls for Arwen 

and calls for Arwen.

"Has this got anything to do with you?"

“Has this got anything to do with you?” she asks her daughter, 

"No – as if!"

and of course Arwen denies any knowledge of it;  

Ffion is by no means convinced

Ffion obviously has other ideas.

Kelly is working on the laptop

Kelly is working on her laptop at the kitchen table in Bryntirion, looking at the various photos from the ‘Mari Lwyd’ celebrations, 

One photo seems to intrigue her

especially the selfies featuring herself and Jinx.   Diane comes in and had thought that everyone had gone to work;  

"I am in work, Diane"

“I am in work, Diane,” Kelly answers, and Diane does not want to disturb her, but adds that Dai will be down before long.

Kelly casually enquires, “When are you going back to Australia, then?” and is told that they have not bought a return, because it all depends on Dai’s condition.

"Are you trying to get rid of us?"

“Are you trying to get rid of us?”   

"Obviously not"

Kelly says that she is obviously not doing that, but without much conviction.   “We’re going to see the consultant today.”

"Is there any hope of getting some breakfast?"

Then Dai, with his stick, comes in, asking, “Is there are any hope of getting some breakfast here?”   Kelly immediately closes the laptop and moves to the sofa.   “You don’t have to go – you’re not in the way,” she is informed, 

Dai is in a lot of pain

and Diane helps Dai into the chair.

“You might get some sense out of the consultant today,” Diane encourages him, and he hopes so, as he does not know how much more of this pain he can stand.

Ffion confronts Cai

Ffion has gone to Y Felin, where she confronts Cai;  

"Arwen sent the video to a friend"

“Arwen sent to to the video to a friend, who then forwarded it to someone else . . .”   Cai knows the rest;  that they put it on Facebook.   

"If you hadn't been in such a state . . ."

“I gave her an earful, don’t you worry – but if you hadn’t been in such a state, this wouldn’t have happened!” she growls, “The only thing you can do is pretend you’ve eaten something dodgy.”

"You expect me to go to school?"

“You expect me to go to school after this?” he rages, and as she points out that he has to, or it will be obvious he has something to hide.   

"Don't show any signs of a hangover"

She also warns him not to show any signs of having a hangover;  

"You might be able to avoid disciplinary action"

Ffion maintains that there is still a chance that he can avoid disciplinary action.

"I'm getting fed up with this"

“Go to school and I’ll sort this out,” she instructs him, “I’m used to clearing up your mess – but I’m getting fed up!”

Tesni feels much better this morning

At number 9, Tesni comes downstairs and tells Gwyneth that she feels much better this morning;  

"Everyone knows that Cai is an idiot"

she is advised not to take any notice of Cai, as everyone knows he is an idiot.   

"He's a loser"

“He’s a loser – I won’t let him get to me,” Tesni maintains.

"He won't remember anything he said"

“He won’t remember anything he said by this morning, guaranteed,” Cassie says, 

"I was ill because of your food"

and then she is told that Tesni was ill because of her food.   

"I didn't mix the foods"

“But I didn’t mix the foods – I was very careful,” Cassie protests, but Tesni thinks it is obvious that someone did.   

"There's no need to worry about that now"

Gwyneth suggests that there is no need to worry about that now, because she feels better today.

Tesni says she does not feel up to work today 

Tesni is going to leave the Deri

and announces that she has decided to leave the Deri;  

Gwyneth leaves them to talk

Gwyneth is quick to volunteer to do a shift and goes upstairs out of their way.

“Think about what you’re saying,” Cassie reminds Tesni, “Be sensible.”   

"I have no plans to be sensible, Cassie"

Tesni makes it clear she has no plans to be sensible.

Ffion talks about food poisoning . . .

Now Ffion has gone to Penrhewl to speak to Eileen, who says with surprise, “Food poisoning?”   Ffion points out that she knows what Cai is like, eating rubbish and takeaways.   

. . . but Eileen knows the true story

“Ffion, I was in the Deri yesterday and I know how drunk Cai was.   I’ve told you a hundred times, you can’t trust him – I’m not saying this as chair of the governors, but rather as a friend – Cai isn’t a child – he is a father of two and a deputy head.   He’s got responsibilities and he should realise that.”

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes"

Ffion stresses that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, 

"But Cai does it on a daily basis!"

and Eileen replies, “Yes – but Cai makes them on a daily basis!   We can’t support him every time.   

"You have to tell him to sort himself out"

“For your own sake, you have to tell him to sort himself out, and do it fast.”

"No, I don't have acomment, Kelly . . ."

As Ffion is about to leave the farmhouse her phone sounds;  “Kelly, no, I don’t have a comment to make about it – 

". . . I said no comment!"

“I said I have no comment!” and she abruptly ends the call.

Siôn approaches the erstwhile chip shop

It appears that the refurbishment work at the chip shop is nearing completion, and Siôn encounters Garry, carrying a chair (which has probably been stored in the garage) outside it;  

"What's going on here, then?"

“What’s going on here, then?” Siôn enquires.   

Garry replies that they are reopening the place as a surprise for Britt;  “I’m all heart!”   Siôn will be glad to see a chip shop back in the village, but is told that it will not be a chip shop.   

"It will be something a bit different"

As of one of the workmen goes in through the door, Garry adds, “It will be something a bit different, but I’m not saying more than that.   

"You'll have to wait and see, like everyone else"

“You’ll have to wait and see, like everyone else.”

Siôn hopes that it is not something dodgy, which seems to offend Garry;  

"Dodgy – me?   Siôn, have some faith!"

“Dodgy – me?   Siôn, have some faith!”   

The door is shut in Siôn's face

Siôn tries to sneak a look inside, but the door is shut in his face.

Jason and Jinx are laughing

At Bryntirion, Jason and Jinx are laughing about something on the sofa when Kelly returns home and finds the prospect of the two of them rather unsettling.   

"Sorry, Jinx, the article's not ready"

“Sorry, Jinx, if you’ve come to have a look at the ‘Mari Lwyd’ article, it’s not ready,” she says.

Jason replies that it is not that, rather that Jinx has some big news;  

"I've decided to extend the lease"

“I’ve decided to extend the lease on Cwm Delhi – the pizza business is doing well and the place needs updating.   I wanted a local builder.”

"I don't know who the cowboys are, doing the chip shop"

“Unlike Garry,” sneers Jason, “I don’t know who the cowboys are, doing the chip shop.”   

"You'll need more staff, Jinx"

Anita has been listening to all this and suggests that Jinx will need more staff.   It is important that he finds someone he can trust, and he could not get any better than Kelly.

"Auntie Neet!"

This startles Kelly, but, despite her protests, Anita will not stop;  “You loved running the café, and you’re very experienced!”   

"You've said you're fed up with the Western Post"

Jason agrees that it does not sound like a bad idea, because she has said many times that she is fed up with the Western Post.

Jinx stares at Kelly

Kelly and Jinx look at each other helplessly, 

"Think of that extra money in your pocket"

as Jason goes on that it will be extra money in her pocket.   Jinx says he does not know how many staff he will need, so Kelly urges them to stop embarrassing him.

"Make sure you keep Kelly in mind"

nita is not put off, but goes on, “If you dso need anyone, keep Kelly in mind,” and when he prevaricates, she snaps, “Are you saying Kelly’s not good enough?”

"We can come to an agreement over the pricing"

Jason joins in with the reassurance that they can come to an agreement over the pricing of the job for Jinx, 

"Well, if Kelly was willing . . ."

so Jinx agrees, “If I did need someone – and if Kelly was willing . . .”

Jason regards this as a case of everybody helping each other, 

"Why bother asking at all?   Seriously!"

but Kelly snarls, “If you’re going to decide for me, why bother asking at all?   Seriously!”

Pizzas for dinner tonight

Jinx comes into Cysgod y Glyn, and informs Ffion that Anita asked for ingredients to make pizzas at home, so he thought they would do the same.   Also APD have agreed to do some work on Cwm Delhi.   

"Arwen and I will sort the pizzas out"

Then he notices that Ffion is taking some headache tablets;  “Don’t worry, Arwen and I will sort the pizzas out.”

“I’m not sure that she deserves a treat,” growls Ffion as she takes out her laptop, “You know this video of Cai that’s doing the rounds?”   

"Not Arwen?"

Jinx is surprised that Arwen did it, and wonders what came over her.

"If Kelly had got her way . . ."

“No-one knows it was her – and Cai did not get anything worse than an unofficial warming,” she answers, “But if Kelly got her way, he would have to fight for his job – she’s hassling me – wants me to comment on the video.”   

"She's only doing her job"

Jinx explains that she is only doing her job, 

"I knew you'd take her side"

and Ffion knew that he would take her side.

"What do you mean by theat?"

He demands what she means by that, 

"You have been in each other's pockets recently"

and she explains, “You have been in each other’s pockets recently.”   He emphasises that they were working on the ‘Mari Lwyd’ article, but she seems to have other ideas.

"There's no point talking to you  when you're like this"

“There’s no point talking to you when you’re like this,” he sighs, “I’ll come back later.”

Siôn comes to see how Tesni is

There is a knock at the door of number 9, and Tesni finds that it is Siôn, who has come to see how she is;  she reports that she feels much better.   “I’m so sorry,” he says.

"It's not your fault Cai's an idiot"

“About Cai?   It’s not your fault he’s an idiot,” Tesni replies, 

"I think I made a mess of things with the food"

but he thinks that it was he who made a mess of things with the food.

“I wanted to prove to Jinx the importance of Welsh food, so I added a few things without telling anyone – and I didn’t know which part of the table was earmarked for you.”

"What's your game, Siôn?"

She laughs, asking what is his game, 

"It was a mistake"

but he insists that it was simply a mistake.   “There’s always a game with you, Siôn,” she accuses him, 

"You can't be straight with people"

“You can’t be straight with people.   Why didn’t you just tell Jinx more Welsh produce was needed?   

"Just like you didn't tell me you'd had a vasectomy"

“Just like you didn’t tell me that you’d had a vasectomy – you had a point to prove then, too.”

He protests that was different, 

"You can't treat women like that, Siôn!"

but she continues, “Yes, it was a lot worse – you can’t treat women like that, Siôn!   You made me think there was something wrong with me, that I couldn’t get pregnant – 

"How do you think that affects a woman?"

“how you think that affects a woman?”

Siôn is surprised that she feels like that;  “How else would it make me feel?   You deceived me for months – it has taught me one thing – I won’t let a man treat me like that again.”

"I'm not a bad man"

He insists that he is not a bad man, 

"You're not an angel, either!"

but she maintains he is not an angel, either.   

He leaves the house 

This is enough for Siôn and he walks out of the house.

The peace at Bryntirion is shattered

Jason and Kelly are sitting on the sofa when Dai and Diane return from the appointment, with Dai moaning, “No wonder they call men like me ‘gammons’ – 

"My feet are like slabs of ham!"

“my feet are like slabs of ham!”   Diane shifts Jason off the sofa, so that Dai can sit down.

"Dai's overweight!"

Anita asks what the consultant said, and apparently Dai is fit to have surgery on his hands, but the knees will have to wait;  “They’re not bad enough,” complains Diane, “And he’s overweight!”

"He said 'a bit overweight'!"

Dai has managed to get his legs up on the table, and protests that the consultant said, “A bit overweight.”   He is told that was just politeness, and that he has to go down the ‘exercise and diet route’.

"Pizza for everyone tonight"

Anita announces that it is pizzas for everyone tonight, but Diane has already bought salad, as Dai is on a diet.   

"The lettuce will keep in the fridge"

He protests that the lettuce will keep in the fridge without wilting, 

"Kelly, could you take my shoes off, please?"

then he asks Kelly, “Could you take my shoes off, please, love?   I can’t reach.”

She is looking very disenchanted with the situation, and as she sets about removing Dai’s shoes, 

"She's possibly working with Jinx in the new pizza place"

her demeanour is not helped by Jason’s going on about Kelly possibly working with Jinx in the new pizza place, which he regards as a very good thing.

"Two for one – extra toppings!"

“Oh – remember about me while you’re there,” Dai urges her, “Two for one – extra toppings!”   It is obvious that one of Dai’s socks is in urgent need of darning.

Cai has survived the day

Cai collapses on the sofa after a day at school and Siôn remarks, “You don’t look any better than you did this morning.”   

"It's been a long day"|

Cai groans that it has been a long day.   

"I know – I've seen the video"

“I know – I’ve seen the video!” admonishes Siôn, and Cai assumes that everyone else has seen as well.

"You're going to hurt yourself"

Siôn warns him, “If you carry on like this, you’re going to hurt yourself – do you know that?   But I won’t let you do.   Of course I’m worried about you – you’re like a brother to me – but you’ve got a serious problem and you have to face it.”

"I can handle it"

Cai responds that he can handle it, but Siôn does not believe this;  

"You have to control this drinking"

“You have to control this drinking for your own good – and for Ffion!   Or you’ll have to end things with her.   It’s not fair on her – Ffion, of all people – or Arwen.”

"Don't you think I don't know that?"

“Don’t you think I don’t know that?” groans Cai, 

"Well, do something about it, then"

and Siôn puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder, instructing him to do something about it, one way or the other, before he hurts them.

"Are you reopening the chip shop?"

Jinx comes into the Deri and asks Garry, “Are you reopening the chip shop?”   

"Sourdough pizza – lovely!"

Garry winds him up with the reply that it will be a sourdough pizza shop, then laughs at Jinx’s expression.   

"I don't know what his plans are"

Gwyneth is behind the bar and points out that Garry is in a great mood, but she does not know what his plans are.

"I think I prefer the miserable version of Garry

Jinx believes that he prefers the miserable version of Garry, and he assumes that the Reiki business is quiet;  she explains that she is covering for Tesni.   

"Haven't you seen the video?"

However she is pleased to point out, “Cai has had his comeuppance – haven’t you seen the video?   And the comments – I didn’t realise he was quite that unpopular.”

"Whoever it is, they deserve a medal!"

Cassie asks if he knows who posted the video, and Jinx maintains that he does not have a clue.   “Whoever it was, he or she deserves a medal,” is Cassie’s evaluation.

Kelly arrives

Kelly comes strutting in;  

"What's your game?"

“What’s your game?” she demands, and as they go to table, 

"It was Jason's and Anita's idea"

Jinx emphasises that it was Anita’s and Jason’s idea.   

"Knock it on the head, man!"

“You could say no, Jinx – knock it on the head, man!”   

"They seemed very keen"

He points out that the two of them were very keen, so she snarls, “So if they’re keen, its hunky-dory, is it?”

"That's what scares me, Jinx"

He comments that she thinks they would make a good team, and that is what scares Kelly.   

"There will be no food fights"

He assures her that he can be professional and there will be no food fights – because people are starving and food is expensive.   “But if you’re really unhappy . . .”

"I'll do it – but I'm the boss!"

In a very sudden and unexpected change of mind, she announces, “I’ll do it!   But I’m the boss, not you!” she stipulates, 

"That's fair enough"

and he readily agrees, predicting that they will have fun.

"I wanted a word with Arwen"

Cai is back at Cysgod y Glyn, where he is told that Arwen is in her room, and will be there for a while.   Cai would like to have a word with her, if that is all right with Ffion;  

"I'm ashamed she had to see me like that"

“To say I’m not angry about the video – I’m ashamed that she had to see me like that.”

Ffion imagines that it is unlikely she will do anything like that again, and he hopes that she will not have the chance.   

"It's time for me to stop drinking"

sits down to face Ffion and continues, “Listen, we can’t carry on like this – that’s why I’m here – it’s time to stop – it’s time for me to stop drinking.”   

Ffion does not comment

Ffion says nothing.

"I thought you'd be pleased"

“I thought you’d be pleased,” he goes on, and she replies that she is;  she had thought for a second that he had come to tell her it was over between them.   “Why on earth would I want to do that?’ he asks, “Unless you want to – no-one would blame you.”

"There won't be any alcohol here to tempt you"

“Well, at least there won’t be any alcohol here to tempt you,” she comments;  he promises not to make such a fool of himself again, and thanks her for saving his skin, again.

"You do believe me, don't you?"

“I’ve learned my lesson – you do believe me, don’t you?”   

She has heard it all before

Ffion nods her head, but has heard all this before.   

"I'll have a chat with Arwen"

He will now go and have a chat with Arwen, 

Haven't you had enough of him, Ffion?

and Ffion looks as if she is ‘fed up to the back teeth’ with him – who can blame her?