23 November 2023

Mathew is doing a bit of vacuuming

Mathew is vacuuming when Rhys comes into the flat, carrying a great many packets of crisps, and unplugs the vacuum cleaner;  

"Do you think this will be enough?"

“Do you think this will be enough?” Rhys asks and Matthew points out that it is a party for them, not for the whole village.  “It’s better to have plenty, rather than to run out,” Rhys insists.

"Are you sure about this, Rhys?"

Mathew wonders if he is sure about this party;  “It’s the first party since the hot tub and the murder mystery.”   

"Where's your party spirit?"

Rhys simply demands where is his party spirit;  

"The excitement, guessing who will turn up"

he maintains that the preparation is the best bit – the excitement, guessing who will turn up, what will happen.

“As long as there’s not as much excitement as last time,” Mathew points out, and Rhys’ phone sounds;  

He receive a troubling text

it is obviously something which concerns him, but he dismisses it as nothing.   Then there is another text tone;  meanwhile Mathew continues with his cleaning.

"Any progress with this 'spiking' business?"

In the Deri, Kath enquires whether there is any progress in finding out who has been ‘spiking’ drinks.   

"You know I can't tell you that"

“You know I can’t tell you that, Kath,” replies Delyth.   

“Look – a lot of people round here think it was Howard,” Kath stresses and she is thanked for the information, 

"I just want an orange juice"

but Delyth would just like an orange juice.

“Are you serious?   How do you have time to drink orange juice in the middle of the afternoon when someone’s out there ‘spiking’ people’s drinks?” Kath demands, 

"I'm trying to run a business here"

“I’m trying to run a business here – people don’t want to take the risk – and I don’t blame them!”

Delyth comes out with the usual, “We’re doing everything we can,” and is told by Kath that it is not enough.

"Lasagne and chips, please"

Cai enters, asking if they are still serving food;  “Can I have lasagne and chips and an orange juice, please – 

"Do you want salad with that?"

“with some salad?”   Delyth is pleased to see him at looking so well;  he agrees that things are going in the right direction.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't . . . you know"

“Listen, I wanted to say thank you for everything you did,” Cai tells her, “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t . . . you know.”   She is very glad that things are getting better.   

"Well, you look well and healthy"

He is on tablets and there is a long way to go yet;  she is glad that he is here, feeling well and looking healthy.

"I've started doing some boxing . . ."

“I’ve started doing some boxing – I think it helps – it gives me focus 

". . . it's something positive"

“and it channels my energy towards something positive,” he goes on, 

"Let me know if there are any criminals you want me to sort out!"

“Let me know if there are any criminals you want me to sort out!”

"I'm making the punch"

Mathew now seems to be in the party spirit and is about to start preparing the punch;  

"I don't think that's a good idea"

Rhys does not think that is a good idea, but is told that is not a party without punch.   

"You haven't tasted it yet"

“You haven’t tasted it yet – have some faith!” Mathew urges him.

“It’s not the taste, but that would be very easy to ‘spike’,” says Rhys and Mathew is anxious that he is OK and whether he still wants to do this.

"We need punch . . ."

“If we’re going to do this, we’re doing it properly – if we’re doing it properly, we need punch!” is Mathew’s argument, “And I promise you, if it makes you feel safer, 

". . . I'll keep an eye on this all night"

“I’ll keep an eye on this all night.   Now, stand back and watch the master at work.”   

Rhys is still not happy

Rhys still looks very uneasy.

"I've been thinking – not about Howard"

As Delyth stands at the bar, she tells Kath that she has been thinking – not about Howard – but rather about Cai.   “He’s been having boxing lessons, hasn’t he?”   

"Don't make me think!"

Kath does not want to be kept guessing, as she already has a headache, without being made to think.

"Self-defence classes for women"

“I’ve had an idea,” Delyth continues, “If I started self-defence classes for women here, would you support me?   The Deri could play a big rôle in raising awareness about women’s safety on a night out.”   

"Yeah – and what's in it for the Deri?"

Kath is in favour of this, but wants to know what the Deri will get out of it.

“Well, if fewer people were scared of going out, you’d have more customers.”   

"I shall have to talk to Cassie first"

This reasoning appeals to Kath, but she will have to consult Cassie first, to see what she thinks.   

Now Delyth will have a pint;  

"Maya's meeting her language buddy"

“Crikey – are you here for the day, or what?” Kath asks, and is told that Maya is meeting her new language buddy.   Kath has obviously not come across the term ‘Bydi iaith’ before.     

"What's one of them when it's at home?"

“What’s one of them when it’s at home?” she demands.

"A friend who helps you learn Welsh"

Delyth explains to her that it is a friend who helps you to learn Welsh.   

"John Lennon glasses and dreadlocks, is it?"

“Like a hippie who’s taught himself to speak Welsh and wears John Lennon glasses and has dreadlocks, is it?” says Kath.

Cai's phone rings

Cai comes out of the Deri and walks along the road;  his phone rings and he finds that it is Nesta.   “Nice to hear from you – forgot what?” he says, 

He has missed his son's birthday . . .

“Oh – yesterday?   Is Twm with you now?   I’m so sorry – can you ask him to FaceTime me later so I can apologise?”   

. . . and then Nesta ends the call

Then he finds that she has already ended the call.

"Now I've missed it!"

At that moment Ffion emerges from the shop and he confesses that he has forgotten Twm’s birthday;  “I’ve been reminding myself for days – and now I’ve missed it – how could I?”

"It's probably the tablets"

She reminds him that he has been through a lot and should not be so hard on himself;  “You don’t know if those tablets are affecting your memory,” but he does not regard that as an excuse.

"You can't forget important things like that!"

“You can’t forget important things like that!” he snaps, 

"It's just one little mistake . . ."

but she insists that it is just one little mistake, which is completely understandable after what he has been through.

". . . and you're going to sort it out"

“And you’re going to sort it – come with me!” she instructs him, 

"First we'll get a card"

“To the shop to get Twm a card – and then we’ll go from there.”   He maintains that it is too late now.

Rather rash – leaving Gaynor in charge of the pharmacy

As they walk out of the pharmacy, Maya and Sioned are heading towards the Deri.   

"Where's this 'language buddy, then?"

Inside, Kath is wondering where this ‘language buddy’ is, suggesting, “Perhaps John Lennon is her singing buddy, too!”

"Where have you been?"

When Delyth sees Maya with Sioned, she asks where she has been;  “With my language buddy,” is the reply, 

"Sioned's my language buddy – she's very good"

“Sioned is my language buddy – she’s very good.” 

"White wine, please"

They each order a white wine, 

Delyth is scowling

while Delyth is not looking at all happy.

"Oh, Rhys!"

Mathew comes into the flat with a couple more bottles and notices that Rhys has left his jacket on the armchair;  

Something falls from a  pocket

he picks it up and something falls from its pocket – a small plastic bag containing white powder.   

Mathew looks at it . . .

He looks at it with concern;  

This surprises Rhys

when Rhys comes into the room, he is shown the bag and looks guilty.

"It's great . . ."

Sioned is at the bar while Delyth and Maya sit together;  “That’s a surprise,” says Delyth and Maya describes the arrangement as great.

". . . I think it will work out really well"

“With the rugby and everything, I think it will work out really well,” she enthuses, but Delyth reminds her that rugby is just a small part of her life.

"Why restrict yourself?"

“You’re a superstar – you’re multi-talented – you’ve got tonnes of interests – why restrict yourself?”   

"I'm doing the opposite by learning Welsh"

Maya was under the impression that she was  doing the opposite of restricting herself by learning Welsh.

"You need a different language buddy"

“I was just thinking that a different language buddy might help broaden your horizons,” Delyth suggests 

Sioned brings the drinks . . .

as Sioned comes over with the drinks.   

. . . and Maya grimaces at Delyth 

Maya looks reproachfully at Delyth.

"You had no right to go through my pockets!"

“You had no right to go through my pockets!” shouts Rhys, 

"It fell out of your jacket . . ."

but Mathew makes it clear that it fell out of his jacket when he picked it up.   “And why did you do that?”

". . . at least it explains the mood swings!"

Mathew is now becoming very angry;  “Because it was in the way – at least it explains the mood swings!”   

"I didn't know I had it, Math!"

Rhys swears that he has not touched the stuff since he got ‘’spiked’ and maintains that he did not know he had it.   “You would say that, wouldn’t you?” roars Math.

“Yes – because it’s true – how can I prove it to you, then?” yells Rhys and is told that he cannot and also that the party is being cancelled.

"I don't know if I want to live with you!"

“I don’t know if I want to live with you,” he goes on, “You know I hate drugs and you still bring this rubbish here.”

Rhys promises that he did not know he had it, and begs Mathew to believe him;  

"Why do I bother?"

“Why do I bother?   You’ve already made your decision.”

"You don't have to do this, Ffion"

“You don’t have to do this,” says Cai, as Ffion is looking on her laptop and advises that she has got next day delivery, so Twm will get it quicker.

She finds an item which she recommends, 

"He's bound to like this one, isn't he?"

but then adds, “No – he’s bound to like this one, isn’t it?”   Cai regrets that he has no idea what his son would like – 

"I don't know my son any more"

he does not know his own son any more, but she is confident that they will find the right thing.   

"Let's have a cup of tea"

“Do you know what would help?   A cup of tea!” she suggests.

Fancy putting an empty bottle in the fridge!

However, then she finds that she has run out of milk and will go to the shop for more;  “I won’t be long, OK?”   

Cai studies the laptop

He is left studying the laptop.

Crisps are replaced in their packet

Mathew is replacing crisps in their packet when Rhys comes back into the room;  “It’s probably a good thing that you cancelled – 

"I don't think anyone was going to turn uo"

“I don’t think anyone was going to turn up,” he groans.

“A lot of people texted earlier to say they were ‘busy’ – and some didn’t answer at all.   They obviously think it was me spiking everyone.   Look, I’m really grateful to you for standing up for me about the Rohypnol.   

"I thought we were friends"

“But I can’t stand the fact you don’t believe me about this – I thought we were friends.”

"I hate being deceived!"

Mathew thought exactly the same;  “But I hate being deceived.”   

"I'm not deceiving you, Math"

Again Rhys insists that he is not deceiving his friend.   He takes out the packet from his pocket;  

Rhys flushes away the powder

“This doesn’t prove anything, but . . .”  He empties the packet contents down the sink.   

"I never want to see that stuff again!

“I never want to see that stuff again.”   Mathew warns him that this is his last chance.

"Sorry I was so long"

Ffion arrives back at Cysgod y Glyn and says that she is sorry she was so long, but Colin would keep talking, 

Cai is no longer there

then finds that Cai is no longer there.

They are still practising Welsh

Maya and Sioned continue their language session on the sofa in the Deri;  Maya complains that mutations are hard work.   

"Maya is keen to learn"

Sioned informs Delyth that Maya is keen to learn, but she is told to relax.   Maya insists that she is enjoying herself.

"How long have you been doing this sort of thing?"

“How long have you been doing this sort of thing?” Delyth asks, and Sioned replies that this is her first time.   “So you have no experience of teaching Welsh?   That’s odd, isn’t it?”   

"It's just something informal"

Sioned points out that it is just something informal and she is glad that she can help;  “We’re enjoying it, aren’t we, Maya?    And looking forward to the next session.” 

"Are you looking forward to your next session, Maya?"

Delyth sarcastically asks, “Are you looking forward to your next session, Maya?” 

"Yes, definitely!

to which she replies that she definitely is.

Bird's-eye-view of Ffion 

We have an unusual high-level view of Ffion emerging from her front door and walking along the street, going in search of Cai, when he suddenly appears from round the corner;  

"I've been to post Twm's birthday card"

“Where have you been?” she demands and he says that he has been to post Twm’s birthday card.

“Where did you think I’d gone?” he asks, and she says that he just disappeared;  

"Shall we have that cup of tea?"

now they will have that cup of tea.

Rhys is watching the television

Rhys is glumly watching football on television when Mathew comes in and joins him;  “I wasn’t in the mood for a party anyway,” he says 

"How about we watch a film?"

and turns off the television, suggesting that they choose a film instead.

"James Bond – Casino Royale?"

“There’s plenty of choice – what do you fancy?   James Bond – Casino Royale?”   

"I prefer Live and Let Die"

Rhys would prefer ‘Live and Let Die’.

“Look, Rhys, I should have believed you straightaway – I just want you to be OK.”   Rhys snarls that he is OK, but he confesses that he is on bit of a ‘downer’ at the moment.

"I want everyone to know I'm not the 'spiker'!"

“I want everyone to know that I’m not the ‘spiker.”   Mathew is sorry that he is going through this and puts on the film,   “No – I don’t want you to choose that because you feel sorry for me,” says Rhys, 

They settle down to their film

but Mathew replies that he also likes it.

"I'm sorry – I panicked"

Ffion is sorry that she was angry;  “I panicked earlier because I didn’t know where you were.”   He explains that, as he said, he went to post the card, then wanted to text Twm to tell him that his father had a present for him.   

"A present?"

Ffion is surprised about this.

"A boxing lesson for him in North Wales"

“I got some inspiration – boxing lesson for him in North Wales – I just hope Nesta will let me take him, perhaps in the New Year.   What do you think?”   

"That's a lovely idea"

Although Ffion has been looking somewhat disapproving, she says that is a lovely idea.

"And an Everton shirt, too"

“And I got him an Everton shirt too, in case he’s not keen on boxing,” Cai adds;  

"Sorry I thought you might have done something stupid"

Ffion is pleased that he has got it all covered and again apologises for thinking that he might have done something stupid.

He stresses that there is no need for her to be sorry;  “I’ve hurt you enough with everything – but I am much better, and I’m still getting better.   

"I appreciate the good friend I have here"

“As a result, I can appreciate the good friend I have here – 

Ffion is pleased to have helped

“thank you.”

Then he has a FaceTime call on his phone from Twm;  “Hey, Twm – happy birthday – I can’t apologise enough.”

Maya is certainly not happy

Maya sits in the pharmacy flat with a face like thunder as Delyth says that she is starving;  

"I haven't drunk so much in the afternoon for ages"

“I don’t think I’ve drunk so much in the afternoon for ages.   

"A more suitable language buddy"

“Would you agree that it would be better to have a more suitable language buddy?   You know – maximise your potential.”

"Don't do this, Dee – not again!"

Maya snarls, “Don’t do this, Dee – not again!   You know damn well what you’re doing!   I am not going through that all over again – 

"I'm going have close female friends whether you like or not!"

“I am going to have close female friends whether you like it or not!   

"Do you understand me?"

“Do you understand me?”