26 July 2023 (2nd)

"Is Mam awake yet?"

At Cysgod y Glyn, Arwen comes in and asks if her mother is awake;  Jinx does not think so, and offers her some breakfast.   

"Can you pick me up from Nel's house?"

“Can you pick me up from Nel’s house this afternoon?” Arwen enquires, “She lives near Carmarthen.”

Jinx regrets that he is unable to do that, as he is having lunch with Dani, and Arwen complains, “Great – so I can’t go now!”   

"I'd prefer it if you picked me up"

He suggests that her mother could possibly do it, and at that moment Ffion comes into the room, as Arwen says that she would prefer that Jinx picked her up.

“You two haven’t fallen out again, have you?” he groans and asks Ffion if she can give Arwen a lift later.   

"Of course I can"

She agrees that of course she can, but Arwen does not want Mam to drive her.   

"Forget about it, Jinx"

She tells Jinx to forget it and goes out for a long walk.

Jinx protests that she has not had any breakfast, but this has no effect;  

"What was that all about?"

“What was that all about?” he demands 

"No idea"

and Ffion maintains that she does not know.

"What's the occasion?"

Siôn is looking at a cookery book, which surprises Iolo, who asks what the occasion is;  

"I've invited Cai over for dinner"

“Nothing special – I’ve invited Cai over for dinner.   It’s important to keep in touch, so he knows we’re here for him.”

"Greta and I were going to have a film night"

Iolo wonders whether they cannot go out for dinner instead;  “Greta and I were going to have a film and popcorn night here.”   His father points out that it is only a meal, and Iolo decides that he and Greta will go to the cinema instead.   “Greta’s on holiday and she deserves a treat.”

"It would do Cai good to see you"

“It would do Cai good to see you,” his father argues, “I’m sure he’s very lonely in that hotel.”

"I don't want to let Greta down"

“Dad, Greta’s looking forward to a film night and I don’t want to let her down – 

"Enjoy yourself and I'll see you later"

“you enjoy yourself and I’ll see you later,” Iolo tells him.   Siôn is very disappointed.

Jason get a shock

Jason is sitting in the APD van, looking at his phone, when he is startled by a knock on the window;  it is Howard.   

He begins to unload the van

Jason gets out and begins by taking two bags of grout from the van, then a bag of cement.   

"Everything all right?"

“Everything all right?” asks Howard, 

"What's it to you?"

and is told that it is none of his business.

“You don’t want to spend all day here, do you?” Howard says 

He carries the bag of cement

and Jason follows him, carrying the bag of cement.

Eggs Benedict for Ffion

Jinx serves Eggs Benedict to Ffion;  “Your favourite,” he remarks and she wonders what she has done to deserve this.   

"I want your advice on something"

“I want your advice on something,” he begins, 

"Just read that letter"

“Just read that letter and tell me what you think.”

Ffion gasps, “No?” but he confirms that it is true;  

"No, I had no idea"

he had no idea until the letter arrived.   Dani thinks that Gwern will inherit the house, 

"Why would Gwyneth leave it to you?"

so Ffion asks, “Why would Gwyneth leave it to you?”

Jinx says that they were good friends at one point;  “And she wrote the will before Gwern was born – obviously should have changed it – must have forgotten.”

"I haven't told her yet"

When asked about Dani’s reaction, he reveals that he has not told her yet, 

"The sooner, the better"

and Ffion advises, “The sooner the better.”   

"I don't know what to say, or how to say it"

He does not know what to say, or how to say it, so is told to simply show her the letter;  “Now!” she adds, so he goes, telling her he will sort out the plates when he gets back.

What a waste of good food!

Ffion picks up her knife and fork, but then appears to lose her appetite and pushes away the plate.

Now Jason is pushing the wheelbarrow across the farmyard at Deri Fawr;  

Howard has been doing some baking

Howard brings across two plates, and noticing the dubious look on Jason’s face, 

"I haven't put poison on it"

informs him, “I haven’t put poison in it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”   Jason is surprised that he made this;  “Yes, it’s all part of the service,” says Howard, so Jason imagines that he is a fan of Mary Berry.   

"It's Mam-gu's recipé"

“Who?” Howard demands, “It’s Mam-gu’s recipé – this is what she made me when I had bad days.   I’d get into trouble at school and Mam wouldn’t talk to me for days, 

"Mam-gu would come over with a tart"

but Mam-gu would come over with a tart and everything was fine.”

"You could work on the presentation a bit"

Jason suggests that perhaps he could work on the presentation a bit 

"I really am sorry about Kelly"

and Howard goes on, “You might not believe me, but I really am sorry about what happened with Kelly.”

"You have no idea what she's been through"

“The thing is, Howard, you have no idea what she’s been through,” says Jason, but nevertheless he stresses that he is sorry and would like to put it behind them.   

"That's a big ask"

“That’s a big ask, especially for Kelly,” Jason replies.

"I'm not expecting forgiveness"

“I’m not expecting forgiveness – right, eat up – you’ll need your energy to empty the van.”   

Jason is rather puzzled

Jason does not appear to know what to make of him.

"At least Gwern know he has to go back to school"

Dani is looking at her phone and Jinx brings her a cup of tea;  “At least he knows he has to go back to school in September,” she says, “I just had a chat with him, really.”

"I'm not sure how it went with Mark"

She is not sure how it went with Mark last night;  “I think he realises now that we’re going to move out, but I went to bed at the same time as the kids to have a break.   

"I saw this sofa online"

“Do you know what?   I went online and I saw this sofa.”

"You don't need to spend money, Dani"

Jinx urges her not to spend money as there is plenty of furniture there, but she just wants to make it special and shows him the photo on her phone.   He is very lukewarm, pointing out that it is just a sofa.

"Wow – what enthusiasm!"

“Wow – what enthusiasm, Jinx!” she comments, “But you don’t have to like it, because . . .”

"There's something I want to tell you"

Jinx finally summons up the courage to interrupt her;  “There’s something I want to tell you.”   

"Come on – out with it!"

Then, as he hesitates further, she urges him to come out with it.

"Gwyneth's house – she's left it to me!"

“Gwyneth’s house,” he says, and takes the letter from his pocket, “I received a letter from the solicitors – she’s left it to me!”   

Dani is dumbstruck

Dani is totally speechless.

"How's the first week of the holidays going/"

Siôn visits Ffion and asks her how the first week of the holidays is going;  

"I haven't gathered my senses yet"

she says that she has not had a chance to gather her senses yet.   

"I'm making dinner for Cai tonight"

He is carrying two bags and explains that he is making dinner for Cai tonight.

“He’s back, then?” remarks Ffion, and is told that he came back almost a week ago.   “I haven’t heard from him since he went up north and left me in a hole,” she complains, “Did he see the kids?”

"He's not living at Y Felin now"

Siôn replies that he did not, and advises that is he is not now living at Y Felin, but hasn’t moved into a hotel.   

"Had an argument, did you?"

She assumes that they have had an argument;  

"Long story"

he describes it as a long story.   “Did he come to school at all last week?”

"The last thing I want is to think of work"

Ffion tells him that, to be honest, the last thing she wants to do now is to think of work;  “He’ll be fine – he has six weeks to see the kids and sort himself out,” she says, optimistically.   

"I didn't want to say the wrong thing"

Siôn will be seeing him later and did not want to say the wrong thing.   They will have a chat, and he is confident that Cai will be back in September.

As he leaves, he tells Ffion to put her feet up and enjoy the holiday;  

Enjoyment seems to be out of the question

she appears to think there is little chance of that.

They share the heavy load

Jason and Howard are between them carrying a heavy roll of netting;  “John working you hard, then?” Jason asks and Howard moans that he only gets paid a pittance for all the work.   

Howard extols the advantages of dogfighting

“That’s why I turned to that dogs business – I made more money in a month than I made farming for John in a year.   Enough for a new car, a holiday and the deposit on a  house.   Look, I heard about yours and Kelly’s situation this week.”

"If you want to make money . . ."

Jason accuses him of having big ears, and Howard continues, “Although it’s all behind me, if you want to make money . . .”   

"I'm not interested, Howard"

Jason makes it clear that he is not interested, but is told, “You sounded desperate for a house – and you can make money fast – I can give you some tips if you like.”

Again Jason insists he does not want to know;  

"I said no!"

“I said no!”   He is told that he knows where to come if he changes his mind.   “You’re not listening – use those ears – I can’t!” Jason exclaims, 

"I used to have a gambling problem, all right?"

“Because I used to have a gambling problem – all right?   

"Now you know!"

“Now you know!”   Howard is sorry that he mentioned it.

"I only found out last night"

Dani reads the letter again and Jinx explains, “I only found out last night.”   

"Why didn't Gwyneth leave to to Gwern?"

She demands why Gwyneth did not leave it to Gwern;  

"She wrote the will years ago"

“The solicitors say she wrote the will years ago.”

“So she didn’t have enough time to change it?” Dani rages, 

"OK, we're going to phone the solicitor"

“OK, we’re going to phone the solicitor and just sort it out!”   Jinx stresses that he did not ask Gwyneth to do this – he had no idea.   

"You already have a place to live"

She points out that he already has a place to live 

"And so does Gwern"

and he reminds her that so does Gwern.

"This house is his future!"

“Yeah, but this house is his future!” she insists, “Roots and a home – the things he doesn’t have at the moment.”   

Jinx rather apologetically adds that he does not have those things either.   

"Are you going to reject the house?"

“So what are you saying?   Are you going to reject the house?” she asks, and he thinks it unwise to discuss it with her as she also wants the house for Gwern.   She has already picked colours and a sofa.   “So you’re going to keep it?”

"I'm still processing it

He does not know and is still processing it.   

"You can go and process it somewhere else!"

“OK, do you know what?   You can go and process somewhere else!” she snarls, “Out, Jinx – now!”

Siôn is still waiting

Siôn sits alone at the meal table and looks at the food which he has prepared;  

He phones Cai . . .

he calls Cai’s number, 

. . . but simply gets a recorded message

but only receives a recorded message.

Jinx is back at Cysgod y Glyn 

Jinx returns to Cysgod y Glyn, 

Ffion is not feeling great

where Ffion has been back to bed as she did not feel great.   She asks how it went with Dani;  

"She's not happy, is she?"

“She’s not happy, is she?   She’ll come round.”

"Arwen was supposed to go to Nel's"

Then they hear the door slam, and he remembers that Arwen was supposed to go to Nel’s house today;  “I could have picked her up now.   Why did she refuse a lift with you if she was so desperate to go?”

"I'll go and talk to her"

Jinx decides that he will go and talk to Arwen, 

"No – I'll do it"

but Ffion dissuades him;  “I’ve had one girl scream me – one more won’t make any difference,” he says, but she tells him to just leave it.   He can see that Arwen is definitely worried about something, and he demands if her mother knows what it is.   

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Ffion rather vaguely says that she does not, so he sternly asks, “Are you going to tell me what’s going on here?”   

She is not keen to comply

She seems reluctant to do so.

The screen on that laptop should have turned off by now

Jason returns to APD, where the house details of Cross Terrace, Llanarthur are still displayed on the laptop;  

Jason closes it

he looks, then closes it.

"How many times has it happened?"

Ffion has explained her problem to Jinx, who demands, “How many times has it happened?” and she explains that once it happened in the car.   

"No wonder Arwen is worried about you driving"

“No wonder Arwen is nervous about you driving!” he emphasises, 

"I haven't had a blackout for weeks"

but she assures him that she has not had a blackout for weeks.

"This could be serious, Ffion!"

“So your symptoms are nothing to do with your blood sugar levels?” he continues, “This could be serious!”  She points out that, on the other hand, it could be nothing, as she has been under pressure at school, is tired and has not been eating.

"You haven't been looking after yourself"

“You haven’t been looking after yourself!” he scolds her, “You didn’t eat your breakfast.   At least I’ve found an answer to my problem – no way am I moving out.   You’ll need my help!”

"I couldn't live with myself"

She is surprised that he considered accepting the house and he replies that he could not live with himself.   

"You can't put your life on hold because of me"

She in turn informs him, “I couldn’t live with the guilt of you putting your life on hold because of me – especially as you’re about to move on.   

"We'll still be living in the same street"

“We’ll still be living in the same street.”

Jinx is adamant that he wants to help her;  “You can do that from Gwyneth’s house.   Look, it will do us both good – the flat is a bit small, to be honest.”

"Promise to tell me what the doctors say"

“Do you promise to tell me what the doctors say – and do exactly what they want?” he demands 

"Of course I will"

and she agrees, describing him as a good friend.   She is going to miss him, 

"Don't use me as an excuse, Jinx"

and warns him not to use her as an excuse not to do what he wants with his life.

"I think I gave Greta too much pick and mix"

Iolo comes downstairs at Y Felin, where his father is still sitting alone at the table;  “I think I gave Greta too much ‘pick and mix’ – she won’t be able to sleep.”

"I've tried to phone him"

Siôn says that he has tried to phone Cai many times and thinks that he should perhaps go and look for him.   Iolo reminds him that Cai said that he wanted some peace.   Siôn does not know how to help him, but Iolo reminds him that Cai has to want help.

"I'm useless at this kind of thing"

“Your mother would know what to do – I’m useless at this sort of thing,” Siôn groans, “But I want to help him for her sake – I want to help him get better.”   Iolo tells him that he cannot fix everything and everyone;  

"I can't fix anything at the moment"

“I can’t fix anything at the moment,” says Siôn.

"We only had a couple of chips"

Iolo wonders where his father is taking the food;  “We only had a couple of chips and a splash of ketchup,” 

This food will not be wasted

so they sit down to enjoy the meal together.

"He says he lost track of time"

A message arrives on Siôn’s phone to say that he went for a walk to Llyn y Fan [in the Brecon Beacons] and lost track of time;  he would like to reschedule.   

"It's a good thing that he's going out

Iolo regards it as a good thing that he is going out, and they get on with their meal.

"Have you been processing?"

Dani opens the door of number 7 and admits Jinx;  “So?   Have you been processing?” she asks, 

"Can I order that beautiful sofa?"

“Have you seen sense?   Can I order that beautiful sofa?”

"I've never felt that I belong anywhere"

He begins, “Throughout my life, I’ve never felt I belong anywhere.   I have always moved from place to place, never staying anywhere for long.   But since being back – I don’t know – I’ve started a business 

"People who mean something to me"

“and I want to be close to people who mean something to me.”

"And you need Gwern's house to do that?"

“And you need Gwern’s house to be able to do that, do you?” she demands.

"Sorry, Dani – I'm going to keep the house"

He is sorry, but he intends to keep the house, 

Dani is hugely offended

which predictably does not go down well with Dani.