11 April 2024

"Where is she?   I said four o'clock"

Ffion and three other members of the rugby team are waiting outside the Deri;  “Where is she?   I said four o’clock,” Ffion complains and is about to go inside to look for Cassie.

Sioned dashes towards them

Sioned comes running across, apologising for being late;  “What are you doing here?” Ffion demands, and Sioned points out that she paid her deposit.   

"Your mother said you'd changed your mind"

“Your mother asked for it back and said you’d changed your mind – she said that you’re worried about your health and your heart.”

"I'm going to kill her!"

Sioned declares, “I’m going to kill her!” and rushes away.

Cassie has a lot of luggage

Ffion goes inside the Deri and finds that Cassie is equipped with a large case;  

“We’re only going for one night!”

"We'e only going for one night"

“It may surprise you, but I don’t wake up looking like this,” Cassie replies, “It takes a lot of maintenance to look so fabulous!”   

"This is a rugby trip"

Ffion reminds her that this is a rugby trip, not a fashion show.   

"If in doubt, overdress"

“As Vivienne Westwood said, ‘If in doubt, overdress’,” is Cassie’s comment.

Ffion is anxious for them to go, or they will never get to Aber;  

"You and Gaynor are the last ones"

“You and Gaynor are the last ones – there was one spare seat, so I filled it, to keep costs down.”   Cassie says that it will be nice to have her company in the bar, and Ffion is rather disturbed that they will not be watching the game.

“I’m not going anywhere near a rugby pitch!” she promises, asking Ffion to take her case, while she fetches something else.   She is warned that the case is liable to go to Aber without her.

Then Ffion's phone rings

On her way through the door, 

She learns that she is one player short

Ffion receives a phone call to tell her that one of the team is unwell.   

"Have you got a pair of studs in your bag?"

Gaynor arrives, apologising for being late and is asked whether she has a pair of studs in her bag;  “One of the players is ill and we only had 15.”

Gaynor knows nothing about rugby, but is told that she has watched plenty of games.   

"I'm just escaping for the night"

“Sorry – I’m just escaping for the night,” she says.

“How are we supposed to play a game of rugby with only 14?” Ffion laments and is told that she will just have to find someone else.

"Something for the journey!"

Cassie emerges from the Deri, announcing that she has something for the journey and holding up a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin.   

"Are we going to swig it from the bottle?"

Gaynor grumbles, “How are we supposed to drink that?   Swig it from the bottle?”   

Cassie has tonic and plastic glasses

Cassie informs her that there is tonic and plastic glasses in her bag.

"No drinking on the bus!"

Ffion angrily reminds them that they have a game to play, so there will be no drinking on the bus.   Cassie concludes that there will be just the two of them.

A selfie for posterity

Half of the team is on the bus already, so Ffion takes a quick selfie on her phone.

Eileen has prepared a lavish spread

At Penrhewl, Eileen has prepared afternoon tea when she hears the text tone on her phone;  

The rugby club have uploaded the photo

she looks at it to see that there has been a new photo uploaded by the rugby club.

"When are you going to realise you can't control my life?"

At that moment Sioned storms into the farmhouse;  “When are you going to realise that you can’t control my life?” she shouts, “You know damn well what you’ve done – the rugby trip!”

"I tried to talk to you"

Eileen explains that she tried to talk to Sioned, but she would not listen.   

"I'm not a child, Mam!"

“That doesn’t mean you can make decisions behind my back!” Sioned exclaims, “I’m not a child, Mam!”

"Aren't you?"

“Aren’t you?   You’ve made rash and irresponsible decisions recently!” Eileen insists.

"Remember slapping me two weeks ago?"

“You’re a fine one to talk – do you remember slapping me two weeks ago?” Sioned recalls and her mother maintains that she regrets it now.   

"How long are you going to punish me?"

She wonders how long Sioned is going to punish her for it.

“It’s not that simple, is it?   This is exactly why I wanted to go to Aber – to get away from you!   You’re completely suffocating!”

Eileen gloats that the bus will have gone by now and was hoping that they could have a night together;  

"I've made afternoon tea"

“I’ve made afternoon tea.”

“What makes you think I want to eat sandwiches with you?” Sioned demands, 

"I'm going to Aber!"

“I’m going to Aber!”   Eileen looks disappointedly at the table full of food.

The unmistakable view of Aberystwyth

We see the seafront at Aberystwyth, with Constitution Hill in the background.   

"Can you tell him that Cassie phoned?"

As they check into the hotel, Cassie has contacted the hospital and asks them to tell Howard that she phoned.   She reports to Gaynor that he is still unwell.

Gaynor is dissatisfied with the accommodation

Gaynor is disappointed by the quality of the hotel;  “I thought they would have found us somewhere nicer than this,” but she is reminded that this is a rugby trip.   Ffion advises that breakfast is between seven and ten tomorrow morning and the bar is open until midnight.

Gaynor is not going to stand in a cold, muddy field

She tells Cassie and Gaynor that they will be leaving for the game in a moment, but Gaynor can think of better things to do than stand in a cold, muddy field.   

"We shall be fine"

Cassie is confident that she and Gaynor will be fine, with Gaynor adding that she has paid for the bus and the room, like everyone else, so can do as she likes.

"I shall go for a walk along the prom"

She will probably go for walk along the prom and might have a cocktail later.

"Did someone order a winger?"

At that moment Maya comes in through the door, enquiring, “Did somebody order a winger?”   Ffion is absolutely delighted to see her.

"Turning your phone off is childish!"

Eileen is attempting to contact her daughter;  “Sioned, turning your phone off is childish!   At least, get in touch to say you’ve arrived, please.”   

All that food gone to waste 

She looks furiously at all the food she has prepared.

"Two-for-one until seven o'clock"

In the hotel, Cassie brings four cocktails over to the table, announcing that it is two-for-one until seven o’clock, but Gaynor groans that she is trying to cut down on alcohol.   

"You're on holiday"

“You’re on holiday,” Cassie insists.

"There's a hottie over there . . ."

“Ooh – there’s a hottie over there – by the bar – a real hunk,” she notices, 

". . . is he looking at you or me?"

“Is he looking at you or me?”

Gaynor maintains that she is not interested;  “Why not?   You’re single,” says Cassie, but Gaynor does not know if she wants to be in a relationship.   

Cassie is taking about a fling

“Who’s talking about a relationship?   A fling!”

"With someone I've met in a bar?"

“What – with someone I’ve met in a bar?” Gaynor distastefully demands, “No, thanks!”

Cassie suggests, in that case, perhaps she should go to the library at the top of the hill;  [The National Library of Wales]  “You might find someone more to your liking there.”   

He smiles at them

She waves to the man at the bar, who smiles at them.    Gaynor is finding the whole thing rather unpleasant.

That was a very short rugby game

Later, the rugby team return to the hotel after the game and Maya is told that she can have whatever she wants as ‘player of the match’ and selects a vodka and orange.

“I can’t thank you enough,” says Ffion, “We wouldn’t have had a chance of winning otherwise.   

"You do have friends, OK?"

“I know it hasn’t been easy for you recently, but you do have friends, OK?”

"I'm very lucky to have you all . . ."

Maya replies that she is lucky to have them all 

". . . and I love playing rugby with you"

and loves playing rugby with them.   

"I assume you won"

Sioned walks in on the festivities and assumes from all the fun that they won the game.   “What are you doing here?” demands Maya 

"I could ask you the same thing"

and Sioned could ask the same thing;  

They hug each other 

they hug each other.

More cocktails have appeared

Gaynor is sitting alone at the table when a waitress brings more cocktails;  as Cassie passes the bar, she smiles at their admirer, then explains to Gaynor that she did not order the latest cocktails.   

"I told hm we're good company"

“I was passing and I told him that we’re good company if he’s lonely.”

Cassie entices him

She beckons him with one of the cocktails and he comes across to join them;  “I hope I got your order right,” he says 

"I'm Tom"

and introduces himself as Tom.

"What's a smart man like you doing on his own?"

“What is a smart man like you doing here on his own?” Cassie asks.   He replies that it is nothing interesting, 

"Business meeting tomorrow morning"

but he has a business meeting tomorrow morning.

"What business might that be?"

When Cassie enquires what business that might be, 

"You're not shy, are you?"

he remarks, “You’re not shy, are you?”   She replies that she is not if she finds someone interesting and can see that he is not local, with that accent.

“No, I’m from near Denbigh,” he informs her, and that she maintains that Gaynor is from Clwyd.

"No – Betws-y-Coed"

“No, I’m not,” Gaynor interrupts, “Betws-y-Coed.”   Cassie did not realise that they were still at school.

"You're a teacher, are you?"

“So you’re a teacher, are you?” Tom asks and Gayor admits that she was, but stopped a long time ago.   

"Tell us more"

Cassie is anxious to learn more about him, 

"I'll take my bag to the room"

 Gaynor proposes to take her bag to her room and is told not to hurry back, 

"Tom's interests seem to be in her direction"

although Tom does appear to be more interested in her than Cassie.

The wasted food goes in the bin

Eileen is not in a good mood as she disposes of the afternoon tea into the bin;  she takes down a glass from the shelf 

Then Eileen finds that the bottle is empty

and is about to pour herself a drink when she finds that the bottle is empty.   

"Huwi – we're going out!"

She calls to Huwi-John that they are going out.

In the hotel at Aberystwyth, the victorious rugby team are celebrating with quantities of alcohol.   “I would encourage you to drink responsibly . . .” Ffion begins, but they take no notice of this.   

Maya consumes Sioned's shot . . .

Then they encourage Sioned to join in, but she protests that she did not even play;  Maya swallows her ‘shot’ for her.

. . . and does not appear to like it

Maya is quite jubilant that she scored the only try of the game 

Ffion photographs the winning team . . .

and Ffion gathers them together 

. . . who appear in high spirits

for a celebration photo.

"Tell me what you do to keep fit . . ."

Elsewhere in the hotel, Cassie enquires of Tom, “Tell me what you do to keep fit – 

". . . plenty of stamina?"

“have you got plenty of stamina?”   

Ffion bring them each a 'shot'

Then Ffion comes across to bring them each a drink, which Cassie welcomes.

"I've promised to meet clients"

Tom, however, declines to join in, giving the excuse that he has promised to meet clients for a drink, which she regards as a shame, 

"We'll still be here later"

pointing out that they will still be here later if he wants a nightcap.

Ffion listens to Cassie

“I like a man who makes an effort,” Cassie tells Ffion, “If he makes an effort to look good, he probably makes an effort in other areas – it’s important to have fun!”   

Cassie downs both the shots

When she has finished her drink she also consumes the one intended for Tom.

"Help yourself to a cake"

Eileen unlocks the door of the deli and lets herself and Huwi-John in.   “Go to the fridge and help yourself to a cake,” she instructs him, and he would like a chocolate one.   

Eileen selects a couple of bottles

Then Eileen decides what she is going to have and selects a couple of bottles.

She finds the latest photo . . .

Her phone sounds and she finds the photo taken by Ffion;  

. . . and enlarging it

she looks at it more closely 

She is definitely disgruntled . . .

and is not pleased at what she sees.   

. . . and makes a phone call

She immediately dials a number.

"Where have you been?"

Maya joins Sioned, who is grateful for being rescued from the ‘shots’ earlier.   “Where have you been?”   

"Staying with friends"

Maya replies that she is staying with friends.   

"Dai told you to leave, did he?"

“Dai told you to leave, did he?” Sioned continues, and when Maya denies this, she adds, “You’re a terrible liar, do you know that?   Why are you lying for Dai, anyway?   And why did you leave in the first place?”

"I didn't want to cause trouble with your in-laws"

“I didn’t want to cause trouble for you with the in-laws,” is Maya’s answer;  

"We're not married"

she is informed that Sioned and DJ are not married.   “And to be honest I needed time to think – about you,” but Maya is reluctant to explain.

"Have you been thinking about me?"

“Have you been thinking about me?” she goes on, as she fondles Sioned’s knee.   When Sioned points out that people can see them, she adds, “Do you want me to stop?”

"I wouldn't mind some help with Cassie"

Gaynor is passing on her way back to the bar and invites them to join the rest of the group;  “I wouldn’t mind help with Cassie – she’s a bit of a handful.   

"We can continue this later"

Maya agrees, telling Sioned that they can continue their conversation later.   

Something is happening to Sioned 

Sioned is not quite sure what she is feeling.

"I thought I might change my top as well"

Gaynor gives the excuse that while she was in her room, she thought she might as well change her top as well.   Cassie imagines that she would do her hair and put on some lipstick as well;  

"I wonder why?   Tom?"

“I wonder why?   Tom?”

Gaynor maintains that they dress for themselves, not to impress men.   She tries to pretend that she had not noticed he had gone.   “Well, he’s going to have a drink with a client – but he might be back before the end of the night.”  

Gaynor suggests that Cassie could slow down bit with her drinking, 

"Loosen the elastic in your knickers"

but is told, “Loosen the elastic on your knickers a little bit, Gaynor.”

"Let's get this party started!"

she goes over to the rest of the party-goers;  “As one who knows what she’s doing, let’s get this party started!”   Gaynor does not want to get involved in drinking games, 

"Can I have a glass of red wine, please?"

but asks the barmaid if she could have a glass of red wine.   Tom is approaching and remarks that it seems to be a good night.

"You contributed to this mess"

“Well, if that’s what you call a ‘good night’,” Gaynor replies, “I don’t know what you’re laughing – you contributed to this mess with your cocktails!”

"Your friend didn't give me much choice"

Tom apologises for that;  “Your friend didn’t give me much choice.”   Gaynor heard that he was entertaining clients, but he said that they phoned to cancel.

"Anyone would think you wanted to get away from her"

“Anyone would think that you were trying to get away from Cassie,” Gaynor suspects and he admits that he might be a bit scared of her, describing her as ‘pretty full-on’, so Gaynor advises him not to encourage her.

"I was trying to encourage you"

“I was trying to encourage you, to be honest,” he says, just as Cassie happens to look across at them.   Gaynor offers to buy Tom a drink to thank him for the cocktail, but he tells her that unfortunately he has a meeting tomorrow and has to prepare.

"Is that an excuse to get away from me?"

“Is that an excuse to get away from me?” Gaynor wonders.   He confesses that he stays away with work a lot and it is always the same routine.

“Bland food, a couple of pints, watching rubbish on the telly – but tonight .  . .”   

"Good night"

He wishes her good night, and immediately Ffion comes across to ask whether she got his number.

"You looked as if you were getting on well"

“You looked as if you were getting on well – why did you let him leave without getting his number?”   

"I'm happy as I am"

Gaynor replies that she is happy as she is.

As the tide comes in . . .

In the darkness we see that the tide is high at Aberystwyth 

. . . the party is in full swing

and the rugby club are having a singsong.   

Sioned is leaving

Maya sees that Sioned is putting on her jacket;  

"It's happening again . . ."

“It’s happening again!” she says and Maya wants to know what she means.   

". . . I'm losing the baby!"

“I want to go – I’m losing the baby!”

"Right, we're going to the hospital!"

Maya insists that they are going to the hospital [Bronglais], but Sioned maintains that all they will do is send her home again;  

"Please, I just want to go home!"

“Please, I just want to go home!”

Maya cannot imagine how scared she is, 

"You need to see a doctor!"

but is adamant that Sioned needs to see a doctor;  “And you need to trust me!”   

Maya grabs her coat and bag

She goes to pick up her coat and bag;  they leave together.

Eileen pours a stiff drink . . .

At the farmhouse, Eileen is pouring herself a large drink 

. . . then hears a car arriving

when she hears a car arriving outside.   

All the way from Ireland as quickly as that?

DJ bursts in and demands, “Where is she, Eileen?”