9 November 2023

Breakfast time at Maes-y-Deri  

As Gaynor has prepared her breakfast, Cheryl comes in and says that she is feeling fine;  

"I'll have something later in the Deri"

she does not fancy any breakfast, but will have something in the Deri later.   

"You're not going into work?"

Gaynor is surprised that she is going into work;  “I’m sure Kath and Cassie wouldn’t mind you taking a break after what happened – you were ‘spiked’, Cheryl.”

"Far worse things happen every day"

“Yeah – and Kelly took me hospital and brought me home safely,” is the reply, “Far worse things happen every day.”

Gaynor still insists that it is not fair;  

"Don't you remember anything?"

“Don’t you remember anything?   Did you leave your drink somewhere?”   Cheryl wonders if she was supposed to carry it everywhere with her, but Gaynor maintains that she is just trying to get a full picture.   “It’s important to get these details clear in your head before you talk to the police.”

"I'm not talking to the cops!"

Cheryl declares, “I’m not talking to the cops – I’m me, you’re you – we deal with things in different ways, OK?”   

"You're just going to act as if nothing's happened?"

Gaynor cannot believe that she is just going to act as if nothing happened and Cheryl is becoming very angry;  

"That's just the way it is"

“Men do bad things to us – we get hurt – we move on – that’s just the way it is!”

"Drink after your shift?"

Gaynor looks very deflated, so Cheryl suggests that they have a drink tonight after her shift in the pharmacy;  “Is it a good idea to drink so soon?” Gaynor asks, 

"OK, then"

but acquiesces, “OK, then.”

"Don't you want the bacon, Mam?"

Jason brings his mother a cup of tea;  “Don’t you want the bacon?   Can I have it?”   

He wastes no time in seizing it . . .

He quickly grabs it and tells her that Kelly was up early this morning;  “She’s gone to Swansea to buy new clothes for Ifan.”   

. . . but has problems cutting it

He appears to be having difficulty cutting his bacon.

Diane wants a word with him, 

"Dai's responsible, not me!"

and he points out that if it is about the mess in the bathroom, Dai is responsible, not him.   She takes the packet of tablets from her pocket, 

"I know you 'spiked' Cheryl's drink!"

telling him, “I found this – Rohypnol – I know you ‘spiked’ Cheryl’s drink!”   

He is flabbergasted

Jason looks completely confused by this.

"It's not your fault someone 'spiked' her"

Dani brings Mark a cup of tea and tries to persuade him, “It’s not your fault somebody ‘spiked’ Cheryl, OK?”   

"I should have been there"

He is sure that if he had been there he might have been able to stop it, but she points out, “There’s scum everywhere – even in the Deri!”

"I'm still afraid of seeing Cheryl"

He is still insisting that he should have been there;  “I was supposed to be there, but I pretended to Mam that I was ill – I’m still afraid of seeing Cheryl.”

"What happened, then, Mark?"

Dani demands why that is;  “OK – I know you don’t want to talk about it, but what happened?”   

"I did something really stupid"

He admits that he did something stupid and wants to leave it there.   She, on the other hand, will not leave it;  “I think you’d make a really cute couple.”   

"That's not going to happen"

He is quite convinced that is not going to happen.

"Not with that attitude, it isn't"

“No, not with that attitude, it isn’t,” she agrees, “Do you know what women like?   Men who will say they like us – say sorry – flowers, balloons, the works, actually.”

Mark is not sure about that, but is urged, “You won’t win her back, sitting on the sofa – go big or go home, Mark!”

"I don't know where you got them"

Diane is ranting on, “I don’t know where you got them and I don’t want to know!”   

"They're not mine, Mam!"

Once again he points out that they are not his and he demands where she found them.   

"In the bin out the back"

“In the bin out the back,” she answers, so he points out that anyone could have put them there.

“Why would anyone put them in our bin?” she snarls, 

"Someone's trying to frame me!"

and he suggests that someone is deliberately trying to frame him.   

"You expect me to believe that?"

“You expect me to believe that?” his mother asks, 

"It's better than believing I'm 'spiking' people"

and he replies that it is better than believing her son is running around, ‘spiking’ people.

"When you stopped gambling . . ."

“Look, Jason, when you stopped gambling, I suspected something else would replace it,” she goes on, but he points out that it is a bit different to gambling.   “What I can’t understand is why ‘spike’ someone?”   

"I haven't!"

Once again he emphasises that he has not, but she will not listen.

“Whatever you’ve done, go to the doctor – you’ve got a problem!” Diane insists and he is equally adamant that he has not got a problem, neither is he going to a doctor.

"I'll have no choice but to go to the police!"

“Well, if you don’t, I won’t have a choice but to go to the police,” she threaten him.

Gaynor serves an elderly customer 

In the pharmacy, Gaynor has just served a customer and looks rather amused;  she tells Maya, “Guess what he bought?   

"Condoms – I mean, at his age?"

“Condoms – I mean, at his age?   He’s at least 80!   Does this happen often?   Old men buying . . . I wonder who is the lucky lady!”

"Can you restock the cough sweets?"

Maya angrily tells her to restock the cough sweets, which are getting low.   

Mark is at the Deri to carry out Dani's plan

In the Deri, Dani has accompanied Mark on his mission to win back Cheryl;  

"Here we go, then"

he thinks that he is now ready to face her, and she did not see them coming in.

Dani is convinced that is going to be perfect, but he is not sure about the balloons.   “Remember what I said, go big or go home,” Dani reminds him, 

He approaches the bar

so he picks up the flowers and approaches the bar.

She looks very apprehensive as he begins, “I just wanted to say . . .”   

♫Please forgive me, I know not what I do♫

He plays on his phone a song, ‘♫Please forgive me, I know not what I do.♫’   

Some people wonder what is going on

This attracts the attention of some of the customers.

"Do you think this is a joke?"

“Do you think this is a joke?” she growls, “Do you know how difficult it was to walk in here after what happened last night?   Do you think this is going to make me feel better?   

"Just go away, will you?"

“Just go away, will you?”

Mark beats a hasty retreat

Mark retreats from the Deri back to number 7, followed by Dani, 

"That didn't do according to plan"

who concedes that did not go exactly according to plan.   “Why did I listen to you?   

"I've made things worse now!"

“I’ve made things worse now!” he shouts.   She maintains that things obviously were not great before he went 

"What exactly did you do?"

and wonders what exactly he did to upset Cheryl.

"I linked the app to my phone"

“I installed a door bell camera on the front door of her house – and I linked the app to my phone to keep an eye on the house – security.”   

Dani says that it looks as if he was stalking her, but he insists that he was keeping her safe.   

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

Dani is angry that she was not told this before suggesting the big gesture.

"Perhaps it was a bit 'stalky'!"

He confesses that perhaps what he did was a bit ‘stalky’, “But the balloons were your idea!”

Another customer at the pharmacy

Now Gaynor has served another customer, 

"Her son –nothing but trouble!"

this time telling Maya, “I used to teach her son – nothing but trouble!”   

"Do you know the word 'Trafferth'?"

She introduces Maya to the word, ‘Trafferth’, meaning ‘trouble’, then asks her opinion on ADHD medication.   

"Just parents who can't control their children"

“It’s just parents who can’t control their children.”

"You need to stop this now!"

This is getting on Maya’s nerves;  “You need to stop this now!” she tells Gaynor, “You’re here to work, not to gossip and look down your nose at people!   

"If you're here just to pry . . ."

“Confidentiality and respect towards our customers is paramount to what we do here – if you’re here just to pry, 

". . . I suggest you find yourself another job"

“then I suggest you find yourself another job, ’cos there’s plenty of other people willing to do it.”

"Have you been to the police yet?"

Jason comes in through the back door of Bryntirion and asks his mother, “Have you been to the police yet?” 

"I'm waiting for you to make the right decision"

but she is still waiting for him to make the right decision and go to the doctor.

"And tell them my mother's gone doolally?"

“And say what?   That my mother has gone doolally?” he demands, 

"Right, where's this box?"

“Right, where is this box?”   

"I've put it somewhere safe"

She replies that she has put it somewhere safe, something which he regards as a fantastic idea;  “What if Kelly finds it?   How are we going to explain that?”

"Let's take it to the police"

“You can explain how it came into this house!” she snaps at him.   He considers that the best thing to do is to take this Rohypnol to the police to see if there are prints on it and whose prints they are.

“Then you might believe that I’m not responsible,” he says.   

"You're going to love what I bought for Ifan"

At that moment Kelly returns from her shopping, predicting that they are going to love what she has got for Ifan.

“And it was in the sale,” she adds, 

"What's wrong?"

then notices their serious faces;  “What’s wrong?”   

"I have some bad news"

Diane announces that she has bad news, 

"Don't listen to her, Kelly"

but Jason warns Kelly not to listen;  

"Jason 'spiked' Cheryl's drink"

“Jason is the one who ‘spiked’ Cheryl’s drink.”   

Kelly looks at Jason

Kelly looks expectantly at Jason.

"It had to be said"

Gaynor is just leaving the pharmacy at the end of her shift, and Maya will see her next week;  “I’m sorry if you feel that what I said was harsh, but I hope you understand that it had to be said.”   

Gaynor leaves without a word

Gaynor sadly leaves.

Mark is sitting at the bar

Mark is back at the Deri, having checked to make sure Cheryl was not there and has just ordered another one from Geraint.   

"No, I haven't seen her"

Gaynor walks in and asks if her sister is there.   “No, I haven’t seen her,” Geraint replies and she orders a large white wine.

"Hard shift, is it?"

Mark can see that she has had a hard shift; 

"Something like that"

“Yes, something like that – I was supposed to meet Cheryl here, but she’s gone.”   

Mark explains that the only reason he is there is because Cheryl is not;  

"I made a fool of myself in front of her"

“I made a fool of myself earlier in front of her.”   

"I don't know her that well"

Gaynor is sure that she will come to her senses, but does not really know why she is saying that;  “I don’t know her that well – I thought I knew her – 

"They all turn on me in the end"

“but I think I know a lot of people and they all turn on me in the end!”

"I'm being framed, Mam!"

Jason continues to protest, “I don’t know how they got there – the only thing that makes sense is that someone is framing me!”   Diane asks why they would do that.   

"Why are you so adamant I did it?"

“I don’t know – why are you so adamant I could have done something like this to Cheryl?”

"I'm trying to help you"

Diane continues to insist that she is trying to help him, but cannot do that until he is willing to admit he has a problem.   

"I believe Jason"

Kelly, who has been listening to this shouting match, speaks up, “I believe Jason – like you, I know him like the back of my hand.   

"I don't think he's a potential rapist"

“I don’t think he’s a potential rapist – that’s what you’re thinking!”

Diane walks out

Diane seems to go quiet after this and walks out of the room.   

Jason reaches out to Kelly

Jason reaches out for Kelly’s hand and thanks her;  

"I thought you would believe her"

“I was starting to worry that you would believe her.”

"I'd never believe something like that – never!"

“As if,” Kelly replies, “I’d never believe something like that about you – never!

"Taking that job might have been a mistake"

As they sit in the Deri, continuing to drink, Gaynor admits, “Yes, taking the job in the pharmacy might have been mistake.”   Mark was under the impression she was enjoying being at the heart of the community.   

"But to have her as a boss!"

“But to have her as a boss!” Gaynor groans, “All I’ve tried to do is be a friend to her – and help her with her Welsh – and what do I get?   I get a row for talking too much!   

"Excuse me for taking an interest!"

“Excuse me for taking an interest in my customers!”

Mark says he can sympathise;  

"An angry old witch as a boss"

“I know what it’s like to have an angry old witch as a boss,” and she imagines that is referring to her, when he was caretaker at the school, 

"No – I meant Mam!"

but he assures her, “No, I meant Mam,” and they both laugh.   She sends him to the bar to get another one while she goes to the toilet.

"Thank you for believing me"

Jason and Kelly are reclining together on the sofa;  “Thank you for believing me,” he says, and Kelly would believe that anyone else at the party was guilty before him.   

"Mam lost a lot of faith in me"

“Mam lost a lot of faith in me when I was having problems with gambling – I can’t blame her for thinking I could do something like that.   Will you come with me when I go to take the Rohypnol to the police, so they can work out who has done this?”

"The police won't do anything about it"

Kelly cannot see the point in doing that, as the police are not going to do anything about it.   “They have to do something, or this person will carry on,” he insists, 

"I've got a good idea who did it"

but she thinks that she has a good idea who did it.

“Howard – you think he tried to frame me?” and she agrees that it may be possible.

"It's all about the power"

“He saw his chance and he took it, exactly like he did with Cheryl – power – it’s all about the power,” she maintains.

"I don't see the point of college"

In the Deri, they have got through even more glasses of drink and Mark rather tipsily explains, “You see, even if I had my time again, I wouldn’t go to college!   I don’t see the point,” 

Gaynor starts giggling

and they both burst out laughing.

"Do you fancy Cheryl?"

Gaynor asks if he fancies Cheryl;  “You can tell me – I’m as secure as the bank.”   

"Yes, I do"

He confesses that he does, and she exclaims, “That’s fine with me – because I don’t care where someone comes from, or what they do, 

"If you and Cheryl want to . . . you know"

“we’re all people at the end of the day.   “If you and Cheryl want to . . . you know.   

"You're a good person, Mark"

“You’re a good person.   Right, I want to go now – where’s my bag?”   

Gaynor finds is difficult to stand up

Gaynor struggles to her feet with difficulty.

The Flunitrazepam . . .

The packet of Flunitrazepam is on the table in front of Diane, 

 . . . and Diane wondering what to do with it

as she tries to make up her mind what she is going to do.   She appears to reach a conclusion, 

She puts on her coat . . .

puts on her coat 

. . . roughly grabs the packet . . .

and stuffs the tablets in her pocket, 

. . . and leaves the house

before leaving the house.

Cheryl dials Gaynor's number

Cheryl comes into the Deri, carefully looking around to ensure Mark is not there, then stands by the bar and leaves a phone message for Gaynor;  

"Do you fancy a drink in the Deri?"

“Just phoning to see whether you fancy a drink in the Deri – you’re probably home.   Listen, sorry about this morning and for cancelling on you earlier.   

"See you in the morning"

“I’ve got a lot on my mind, but it’s not fair that I take it out on you.   Anyway, I’ll see you in the morning.”

"Are you going to be all right on your own?"

Gaynor and Mark arrive at Maes-y-Deri, and they find that Cheryl is not there.   Mark asks if she is going to be OK on her own, 

She does not look very 'all right'

and Gaynor thinks that she will be, but invites him to have another drink before he goes.   

"Make it a small one, then"

He thinks that it had better be a small one, before Cheryl gets home.

"I hated everyone at school!"

Under the influence of the alcohol, Gaynor confesses, “I hated everyone at school – Cai, Macs, Tyler – they were nothing but trouble – and all those clueless pupils!   

"We understood each other, didn't?"

“Then the parents were even worse – but you,” she says, handing Mark a glass, “You were all right – we understood each other, didn’t we?”

"You must be glad to be out of that hole"

He imagines that she must be glad to be out of that hole, and she mournfully replies, “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?   

"I knew who I was there"

“But I’d go back there in  a shot, because I knew who I was when I was there.   Who am I now?”

"You will always be Gaynor"

Mark points out that she is Gaynor and she will always be Gaynor;  she is almost in tears as she says that he is lovely and they drink a toast to each other.