17 January 2024

Iolo has fallen asleep . . .

Iolo is asleep at the table 

. . .and when Cai comes in . . .

when Cai comes into the room 

. . . he has a job to wake Iolo

and has difficulty waking him;  he realises that Iolo has not been sleeping at night and asks whether he has any work to do today.   

"I've cancelled the jobs"

“Yes, but I’ve cancelled – until I feel better,” he mumbles.

"And when will that be?"

“And when will that be?” demands Cai;  Iolo does not know the answer to that, pointing out that it took him twice as long as it usually does to do a job yesterday and that he does not want to make a mistake.

"My business would be ruined!"

“I’d lose my customers and my business would be ruined!” he groans.   Cai emphasises that he needs professional help;  

"I'vetalked to Maya about 'tapering'"

“Yeah, I’ve talked to Maya about ‘tapering’, but she’s having difficulty finding tablets.”

"I've found you a place at an addiction clinic . . ."

“You need more than a pharmacist’s help this time, Iolo,” he is told, “I’ve found you a place at an addiction clinic – 

". . . they're expecting you – today"

“they’re expecting you – today.”   

Iolo does not welcome this

Iolo looks horrified at the prospect.

Now they cannot move in the shop flat

All the ‘Meddal’ products which have been cluttering up APD have now been transferred to the shop flat;  Rhys surveys the untidy scene and insists that something has to be done about it.   

"We might have sold everything by Christmas – 2025!"

“I sold some eye cream to Jason last week,” says Mathew, and Rhys maintains at that rate, they might have sold everything by Christmas – 2025!

"Well, I've sold more than you"

Mathew boasts that he has sold more than Rhys, 

"I could sell all this is a day!"

who rather extravagantly suggests, “If I put a bit of effort in, I could sell all this in a day!”   He is challenged to prove it;  they will take a box each and the first to sell it all wins.   However, first Rhys wants to know what is the prize.

"The loser washes the dishes for a year!"

“Whoever loses has to wash the dishes for a year!” proposes Mathew, as he looks at the growing pile on the sink awaiting washing.   Rhys immediately accepts the challenge, and Mathew advises him, “You’d better go downstairs and invest in pair of marigolds.”

"Why am I always late for everything?"

At the pharmacy, Maya complains, “Why am I always late everywhere?”   

"I though we could go to the meeting together"

Sioned remarks that she is always a bit optimistic when it comes to time;  she thought that they could go over to the rugby club Committee meeting together.

"I haven't seen you for a while"

“I haven’t seen you for a while,” she continues 

"Things have been a bit manic"

and Maya gives the excuse that it has been a bit manic.   

"I think we should just forget it"

“Listen, about what happened between us – I think we should just forget about it,” Sioned says, and Maya is in agreement.

“It should never have happened,” Sioned insists and Maya maintains that she was thinking exactly the same thing.   “Are you OK?” is the next question, 

"I don't want to ruin things between us"

“Because I don’t want to ruin things between us.”   

"Oh – Sioned!"

Predictably, Delyth walks in at that moment and is less than happy to see Sioned there.

“Rugby Committee – are you OK to lock up?” Maya asks Delyth, who enquires whether she gets a goodbye kiss.   

They kiss

Maya obliges, then as Delyth locks the door and turns round the sign, 

Delyth is decidedly not happy

she is obviously perturbed.

"That washing-up will be hard tonight!"

As they each come out of the shop, carrying their boxes of ‘Meddal’ products, Rhys points out that the washing-up will be harder tonight and Mathew will have a lot of scrubbing to do.   However, Mathew appears to have other ideas.

"Diane has more chance of winning Miss Wales!"

“Diane has more chance of winning ‘Miss Wales’, than you have of winning this contest!” Rhys loudly declares, just as Dai is approaching.   He is advised to keep his voice down, and asks why.

"In case Dai Sgaffalde gives you a hiding!"

A voice behind him thunders, “I’ll tell you why – in case Dai Sgaffalde gives you a hiding!”   

"Diane is a very beautiful woman"

Rhys now diametrically changes his opinion, claiming that he happens to think Diane is a very beautiful woman, whilst also trying to sell Dai some hand cream.

"Stuff your hand cream!"

Dai’s response is, “Stuff your hand cream!   Go on, get lost, you fool!”   

"Rhys Llywelyn, estate agent extraordinaire"

Then he asks Mathew, “Why is Rhys Llywelyn, estate agent extraordinaire, selling hand cream?”   It is explained that they have a bet – who can sell the most of this ‘Meddal’ stuff.

“Let the dog see the rabbit, as they say – what have you got?” insists Dai, 

Dai takes a sniff

taking a sniff at the moisturiser, 

"This smells nice"

“Good heavens – this smells nice!” is his verdict.   Mathew points out that it contains Rosemary and Jojoba, and is asked how much he wants for it.

“That pot is £12,” Mathew replies, so he finds the cash to pay for it, exclaiming that Mathew is a step closer to beating that idiot now.   demonstrates that he still has a lot of stuff to sell and Dai has an idea;  

"Come with me"

“Do you know what?   Come with me,” he tells Mathew.

"You need to pack some warm clothes"

In the Deri flat, Cassie warns Kath that she will need to pack some warm clothes 

"I've found your passport!"

and Brynmor comes in, triumphantly waving her passport, which he has managed to locate and advises, “Panic over.”   

"Thank you, love"

Kath does not seem particularly pleased that he has found it.

"I'm going for a walk round the village . . ."

“Right, I think I should shall go for a walk around the village to stretch my legs – we’ve got a long journey ahead of us, you know.   

". . . do you fancy coming?"

“Do you fancy coming with me to clear your head?”   She answers that she has a lot of packing to do.

“Remind me of what we said last night about the Deri,” says Cassie.   

"Exactly like you wanted to do"

Kath emphasises that they will still be partners, but Cassie will stay here to run the show;  “Exactly like you wanted to do when you were thinking of buying the place yourself in the first place.”   

"Does Mark know about this?"

“Will Mark be taking your place – does Mark know about this?   Oh, Kath, do you have to go?”   Kath is in a quandary and does not know the answer to that – 

"I don't know anything any more!"

“she maintains that she does not know anything any more.

"It's St Dwynwen's Day, isn't it?"

The rugby club committee are meeting at a pub – possibly The Bull at Llanarthur;  Ffion explains, “That’s why numbers are low for next Thursday night – it’s St Dwynwen’s Day, isn’t it?”   

"The Welsh Valentine's Day"

Sioned enlightens Maya about the Welsh ‘Valentine’s Day’.   When Ffion proposes that they cancel training, Sioned replies that she would rather come.

“What – you don’t mind missing out on DJ treating you?” Ffion demands, 

Sioned does not appreciate DJ's gifts

and Sioned predicts another soppy card and a bottle of perfume she is never likely to wear.   

"I'll come to training"

As Maya looks across at Sioned, she maintains that she will come to training as well;  Ffion will put some pressure on a few more and they might get enough to make training worthwhile.

"There they are – the clientèle"

The peace of the pub is shattered by the arrival of Dai and Mathew;  “Ah, there they are – the clientèle.   

"Beauty package!"

“I’ve got two words for you – Beauty Package – not that I’m suggesting you need one, but we all need some help sometimes.   

"We're throwing in eye gel for free!"

“Hand cream, face cream, shampoo – and as it’s the new year, we’re throwing in eye gel for free.   Less than £60 and we’ll accept IOUs!”

"Since when does Dai Ashurst sell beauty products?"

Ffion asks the obvious question, “Since when does Dai Ashurst sell beauty products?” but he tells her not to worry about that, but rather to treat themselves and their partners.

Sioned wonders why they are selling there, 

"We got chucked out of the Deri|"

with Dai reluctantly admitting, “We got chucked out of the Deri – and to tell the truth, 

"Kath Jones could have done with some face cream"

“Kath Jones could have done with some face cream, with her skin.”

"I might get some for Delyth"

Maya thinks that she might get something for Delyth for St Dwynwen’s Day;  “Now then, the chemist is talking sense!” he answers, “Nothing says ‘I love you,’ like a pot of Seabum!”   

"No, Dai – serum!"

Mathew informs him that it is ‘Serum’;  “Yeah, that as well!”   Maya says that she will take one of the packages.

"It's a bit small"

Cai comes downstairs carrying a case;  “It’s a bit small but it will be all right,” he tells Iolo, 

"I'm not going, Cai!"

who surprises him by insisting that he is not going.

"I know it's a lot to take it"

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cai replies, and discovers that Iolo thinks that this is some kind of revenge.

"Is this what you were plotting?"

“Is this what you were plotting the whole time you were away?   I knew the moment you walked in you were hiding something.”   

"You've been through a lot this year"

Cai appreciates that Iolo has been through a lot this year, 

"I don't need to go to a clinic"

but he maintains, “I don’t need to go to a clinic.

Cai poses the question, “What will you do when someone else challenges you?   Are you going to give them a hiding, too?   Going to hospital saved my life – getting help from professional people who know what they’re doing is a lot better than this.”

"Putting a plaster over your feelings won't work"

Iolo insists that he is not like Cai, but is emphatically told, “Putting a plaster over your feelings doesn’t work – losing Tyler – it’s obvious you haven’t dealt with it.   You find ways to avoid having to face it – social media, to start with – and now these tablets.”

Iolo is off again

Iolo refuses to listen to this, is is reminded that he cannot run away;  in a sudden fury, he turns on Cai, 

"Stop telling me what to do!"

screaming, “I’ve told you – stop telling me what to do and leave me alone!”   Then he stops abruptly, realising that this is turning into a repeat of what happened in the gym.

"I don't know what's happening to me"

“Sorry, Cai – I don’t know what’s happening to me!” he wails, 

Cai hugs him again

and once again Cai hugs him.

Delyth does some research . . .

Delyth is in the pharmacy, looking at the laptop, in particular the CCTV recording;  

. . . and finds Iolo helping himself . . .

she reaches the occasion when Iolo helps himself to the Diazepam tablets 

. . . which she finds enlightening

and comes to realise what has been happening.

These three have escaped to the Deri

Maya, Sioned and Ffion have moved to the Deri, to escape from Dai’s hard sell;  “I’d rather stay here than go home,” Sioned admits, 

"Mam's organising another hunt"

“Mam’s organising another hunt, so I want to stay out of it.”

Maya is thinking of giving the gift to Delyth on St Dwynwen’s Day and would appreciate some help to write a card for her;  

"I'd like to write a little poem"

she would like to write a little poem.

Unfortunately at that moment, who should come in but Delyth?   

"Come with me – now!"

“I thought you might be here – come with me – now!” she snarls at Maya, 

This shocks Ffion 

causing some raised eyebrows from Ffion.

"How long have you known Iolo was the thief?"

“How long have you know that Iolo was the thief?” Delyth demands before they both leave.

"When are you going to tell Brynmor?"

Behind the bar, Cassie demands, “When are you going to tell Brynmor how you feel about this?   Are you going to tell him at the airport – or in the air?   Or perhaps when you get to New York?   

"You know as well as I do that you don't want to go"

“Come on, Kath – you know as well as I do that you don’t want to go.”

Kath removes her glasses

Kath takes off her glasses and replies, 

"Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to"

“Listen, Cassie, sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do for your marriage, don’t you?

Cassie is on the opinion that going to live in America is taking things rather too far.   Kath is adamant, “Brynmor’s already been through so much with Eleri – 

"I don't want him to have to choose"

“I don’t want him to have to choose between me and his daughter.”

"Think about what you want to do"

Cassie recommends that she needs to stop thinking about other people – including Brynmor – and do what she wants to do.

"Nothing makes sense any more"

Iolo is looking at a photo of himself with Tyler and baby Greta;  “Nothing makes sense any more,” he tells Cai, “And I can’t believe he’s gone – I feel so guilty because I kept him and Greta apart.”

"You weren't to know what would happen"

Cai stresses that he was not to know what was going to happen;  “The last week of his life, he could have spent time with her – 

"I stopped them seeing each other"

“and I stopped them seeing each other, “Iolo whines.   

"It's not your fault, Iolo"

He will not accept that this was not his fault;  “I’ve got all these things in my head – every day and night – and the only thing that stops it are the tablets.   I can't live without them.”

“Well, you know what to do, then,” Cai tells him, but he is adamant he is not leaving Greta.   “Siôn and I will look after her until you get back,” 

"Don't force me, Cai!"

but Iolo begs Cai not to force him.

"Brynmor comes down and sees . . .

Brynmor comes downstairs to the bar, 

. . . to see Kath laughing and joking

at the other end of which he sees Kath laughing and joking with Dai and Mathew.   

"She's in her element, isn't she?"

“She’s in her element, isn’t she?” he comments to Cassie

“Well, it didn’t take her long to feel at home again behind the bar,” is the reply.   

"I've realised she doesn't want to go"

He reveals that she still has not packed, and he has realised that she does not want to go.   Cassie advises him to ask her that.

"What do you think she wants to do?"

“Yeah, but as her friend and mine, do you think she wants to go?”   

"She's being forced into a decision"

Cassie’s reply is that she feels that Kath is being pushed into a decision she does not want to make.

“Look, Brynmor, she’s head-over-heels in love with you, but, like you said, she’s in her element here – 

"This is where she should be"

“and this is where she should be.”   Brynmor returns upstairs without another word

"I'm celebrating!"

Rhys comes in and announces that he is celebrating as he only has one item left;  

"Interested in some hand cream, Dai?"

he wonders if Dai is interested in some hand cream.   Dai, in an unaccustomed good mood, answers, “Heavens – why not?   £12, isn’t it?”

Rhys decides that this round is on Mathew;  “I have just won – thanks to you, Dai!”

"I sold out an hour and a half ago!"

Mathew will also have a pint, plus a whisky chaser, “Because, unfortunately for you, I sold out about an hour and a half ago!”   

"Rugby boys – and women love this beauty stuff" 

Dai confirms that rugby boys – and women love this beauty stuff.   Rhys is angry because Mathew has had some help.   “There was no rule to say that’s not allowed, “he is quick to point out.

"All that washing-up you're going to have to do"

Dai donates his hand cream to Rhys, pointing out that it is full of jojoba, “Or ‘chochoba’, as they say in Acapulco.   But you’ll need more than one pot of that after all the washing-up you’re going to have to do!”

Brynmor is deep in thought

Brynmor is doing some serious thinking up in the Deri flat when Kath comes in;  

"You don't want to come, do you?"

“You don’t want to come, do you?” he asks, “This is where you’re happiest.”

"I didn't say that, Brynmor"

She protests that she has not said that, but he can see it in her face;  

"But I'm not going to live there"

“I have to go – but I’m not going to live there,” he goes on, which causes her some surprise.

"I'm not going to let you go as easily as that"

“I’ve spent my life waiting to meet you – do you think I’m going to let you go as easily as that?”   

Kath hugs him

The two of them hug each other, as he continues, “Eleri needs me at the moment – you do understand that?”   

"Of course I do, love"

Kath confirms that indeed she does and they hug again.

Iolo sits at the foot of the stairs

Iolo sits dolefully at the foot of the stairs as Cai promises that he will get the proper care there;  

"Not this 'tapering' business"

“Not this tapering business without any medical advice.”   Iolo asks if his father knows what is happening and there is a knock at the door, which Cai answers.

Delyth bursts in

Delyth’s voice rings out, “Right, is he here?”   She bursts into the room, followed by Maya, 

"He's been stealing from the pharmacy!"

and says, “You’re coming with me to the station – he’s been stealing from the pharmacy!”

"I was desperate"

Iolo looks at her with terror in his eyes, pleading that he was desperate and Maya wants to talk about this, but Delyth insists that there is nothing to discuss.

Iolo thinks that he should phone his father, 

"Perhaps you should phone a solicitor"

but is told, “Perhaps you should phone a solicitor!”   

"I'm not going to press charges"

Maya is adamant that she is not going to press charges, but Delyth continues to rant, “Come down to the station – now!”

"He needs help, not prosecution"

Cai stands between them and points out that these are not normal circumstances;  “He’s got an addiction – he’s suffering – he needs help,  not prosecution.   He was about to agree to go to an addiction clinic – we were just packing.”

"This will make him worse, Delyth!"

Maya maintains  that this will make him worse;  “He’s ill, Delyth,” 

"I'll go to the clinic"

and Iolo is willing to get to the clinic, which Cai assures him is for the best.

"Please, Delyth, just let him go"

“Please, Delyth, just let him go – it will do him a lot more good than being arrested!”

"Take care, love"

Brynmor is now ready to leave and Kath tells him to take care;  

"The taxi's here"

Cassie advises that the taxi has arrived and he goes downstairs.   

"He'll be back in no time"

“He’ll be back in no time, you’ll see,” Cassie comments.

"He'll be out of the clinic in a couple of weeks"

Cai continues, “He’ll be out of the clinic in a couple of weeks if you still want to take the matter further.”   Maya has no interest in taking matters further, 

"I have to follow protocol"

but as usual is overruled by Delyth.   “We all know that you don’t want to, but I have to follow protocol,” she snaps, “I can’t just let this go.”

“Why?   He’s my mate,” protests Maya, 

"That's not how the world works!"

but Delyth replies that we cannot just cover up for our friends;  that is not how the world works.   

"It seems too work all right for you!"

“It seems to work all right for you!” Maya growls vindictively.

Delyth is still insisting that Iolo should go to the station with her, 

He needs help, Delyth"

despite Maya’s pleas that he has admitted he needs help.   “On suspicion of burglary,” Delyth adds.

"OK, if you want to play dirty . . ."

“OK, if you want to play dirty, you’d better arrest her as well!” snarls Cai, “Iolo didn’t have a prescription and he was taking those pills for a long time before he stole some – 

"She was giving them away without a prescription"

“she was giving them away without a prescription.

"She was only trying to help"

Iolo whimpers that she was only trying to help, and Delyth finds herself in an very awkward position.   

"If Iolo goes down . . ."

Cai warns, “If Iolo goes down, I’ll make sure Maya goes with him – it’s up to you.”   

Now she is in a quandary

Delyth is left open-mouthed with frustration.