22 August 2024

"It's not every day my little girl gets her GCSE results"

Cai comes in with breakfast for Lleucu, commenting, “It’s not every day my little girl gets her GCSE results – 

"It only seems like yesterday . . ."

“it feels like yesterday when you came home from school with a row of gold stars on your jumper.   When is the school up north going to phone you?”

Lleucu tells him that it will be about 11 o’clock, which he thinks is a bit late – all her friends will have had their results by then. 

"Well, I'm the one causing the faff"

“Well, I’m the one causing a faff – they’ll have to phone me, because I’m here,” she says.   Cai has to go, because he is covering for Ffion at school today, but he will be home by then.

"You've got Dad's brains"

“You’ll be fine – you’ve got Dad’s brains!” he assures her, 

Lleucu is not so sure about that

but she thinks otherwise.

"Can't I eat my breakfast first?"

At the shop flat Mathew is ready to leave for Deri Fawr, but Howard would like some time to eat his breakfast first.   

"I've promised to be there before Ffion leaves"

“Bring it with you – I’ve promised to be there before Ffion leaves,” Mathew tells him.

"But why do I have to be with you?"

“But I don’t understand why I have to be with you,” Howard protests and is told that he is needed to sort out the scrap in the sheds.   

"I want to see if`APD can make some money"

Mathew wants to know what is there in case APD can make some money out of it;  “We definitely need it – so come on!”

"You're not still angry with me?"

In the deli, Sioned is temporarily not speaking to her mother;  “Sioned – you’re not still angry with me?   It was only right that DJ was told when the scan was.”

"When are you going to let me make my own decisions?"

“When are you going to let me make my own decisions?” Sioned demands, but her mother does not trust her to make them, judging by the way she has been behaving.

"Or that Dan either!"

“Or that Dan either!” she snarls.

Sioned tells her to stop this obsession with Dan;  

"And you say I'm childish"

“You say I’m childish, but you hid his number from me – and he wanted me to have that!”   

"It's inappropriate!"

Eileen considers that it is inappropriate for Sioned to have his personal number.

"Some people like to help"

“He wants to help me, Mam – I know it doesn’t come naturally to you, but some people like to help.”   

"|Do you know he's from Spain?"

Eileen reminds her she does not know him at all;  “Do you know he’s from Spain?”   Sioned wonders what that has to do with anything and her mother goes on, “His whole story is on Facebook – he doesn’t sound like a Spaniard – there’s something odd about him.”

"Dan knows everything about me"

Sioned is disgusted that she has been stalking him on Facebook;  “Dan is the only one who can tell me that these babies are safe, as a doctor, and he knows everything – my pregnancy history, everything that happened with John – and it’s nice to have someone on my side, for once!”

"Don't answer that, Sioned"

At that moment Sioned phone rings, with Eileen advising her not to answer it, so of course she does.   

Sioned takes delight in answering it . . .

“Hiya, Dan – how are you?   Yes, I still want to see you later – four is great.   

. . . while her mother glowers at her

“Are you sure you’re all right to pick me up?”   Eileen is looking disapproving in the background.

Another phone rings . . .

Another mobile phone is ringing, this time on the table in Y Felin;  

. . . and Lleucu looks at it with horror

Lleucu approaches it with great trepidation 

"Yes, this is Lleucu Rossiter"

and confirms that she is Lleucu Rossiter.   We do not hear what the GCSE results are.

Ffion is moving some boxes

At Deri Fawr, Ffion is moving some boxes around 

"Are you all right to stay with Arwen?"

and asks Mathew if he is all right to stay with Arwen while she is at her appointment.   “Yes, it will keep me busy,” he replies, 

"It will stop me worrying about you"

“It will stop me worrying about you.”

"You can't be as worried as me"

“You can’t be as worried as me,” she sighs, 

"It's weird, coming to see you here"

just as Kelly arrives, remarking that it is weird coming to see Ffion there.   

"Well, get used to it"

“Well, get used to it,” says Ffion, “I’m fine, but nervous.”

Kelly is confident that she will feel better after seeing the doc.   

"Tell Arwen I've gone to the village or something"

Ffion instructs Mathew to tell Arwen that she has gone to the village or something;  “I haven’t told her – and I’m hoping that I won’t have to.”

"We're all here for you, Ffi"

Once again Mathew emphasises that if there is something wrong, they are all here for her.   

"You don't have to face anything alone. all right?"

As he hugs her, he continues, “You don’t have to face anything alone, all right?”   She leaves the house with Kelly.

Dr Dan gets a surprise

Doctor Dan comes out of his consulting room to find Eileen waiting for him;  

"What's going on between you and Sioned?"

“What’s going on between you and Sioned?” she demands.   

"There's nothing going on"

The answer is that there is nothing going on.

"Part of the service, is it?"

“So meeting your clients outside work hours is part of the service, is it?” she goes on.   

"Can we continue this somewhere else?"

Dan is obviously concerned that the receptionist is nearby and is listening to all this;  he would like to continue the discussion somewhere else.

"You're taking advantage of her!"

is undeterred;  “Sioned has been through hell – and you’re taking advantage of the fact she needs comforting.”   

"I'm just trying to help"

He points out that he is just trying to help her, so Eileen snarls, “By taking her on a date?”

When he insists that it is not date, Eileen wonders, “Does Sioned know that?”   He explains that Sioned was pushing him to meet for a cup of tea and he does not want to upset her by refusing.

"I'm here to tell you to stay away!"

Eileen spells it out very clearly to him, “Well, I’m here to tell you to stay away – she’s vulnerable, pregnant and she doesn’t need a new relationship – especially with you!   If you don’t take note of what I’m saying, I’ll report you to the GMC for gross misconduct!   

"You don't strike me as a fool"

“You don’t strike me as a fool, Dr Morris.”   She turns and walks out of the office.

"You heard what Mathew said . . ."

In another waiting room in another hospital Ffion sits nervously as she is told by Kelly, “You heard what Mathew said – we’re all here for you, all right?   

". . . he's lush, mind, isn't he?"

“He’s lush, mind, isn’t he?   Proper husband material – I’m sure you’re just friends with benefits – because he’d do anything for you – 

"He'd cut your toenails if you asked him to"

“he’d cut your toenails if you asked him to.”

"Ffion Llywelyn"

Then Ffion’s name is called, Kelly assures her that everything is fine;  “Tell him what your symptoms are – 

"He'll have a miracle cure under his desk"

“and I’m sure he’ll have a miracle cure under his desk.”   

Kelly sits back and waits

Ffion goes to see the doctor.

"I'm looking for Lleucu . . ."

Cassie comes out of the shop and is met by Cai;  “I’m looking for Lleucu – you haven’t seen her, have you?” he asks, “She’s not answering her phone  and it’s GCSE results day.   

". . . there's no sign of her"

“They said they’d phone at eleven, but there’s no sign of her, so I’m a bit worried.”   

"I'm sure she's done very well"

Cassie is sure that she will have done very well.

Dan approaches Penrhewl . . . 

Dan walks towards the farmhouse at Penrhewl, 

. . . where Sioned is loading produce

where he encounters Sioned who is loading some Cae Glas produce into the car.   

"You're a bit early"

She is surprised to see him.   “Sorry to disturb you” he says and she points out that he is a bit early.   

"We'll have to cancel that cup of tea"

“Look, we’ll have to cancel that cup of tea,” he says.

"Never mind – we can reschedule"

When she suggests that they can reschedule, he continues that he cannot;  

"I can't keep seeing you"

“I’m more than happy to continue treating you at the hospital, but I can’t keep seeing you outside appointments.”

She had been under the impression that they were friends;  he replies, “I’ve worked hard to reach where I am in my career . . .”

Eileen is listening

At this point, Eileen appears with another box of produce, and he continues, “But I can’t risk losing my good name or my livelihood.”

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't undermine me"

He turns to look at Eileen and goes on, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t undermine me in front of my colleagues again.”

Sioned realises what has happened, 

"It was for your own good, Sioned"

but Eileen insists that it was for her good.   “How many times do I have to tell you . . .” but Dan intervenes, begging her to stop.

"I don't blame your mother"

“To be clear, I don’t blame your mother – she’s obviously worried about you.   What she did today – that’s a mother’s love – she wants to protect you.   Look, I know there isn’t much support available for women who are pregnant after losing a child – and worrying is natural, 

"Please, don't let this take over your life"

“but, please, don’t let this take over your life.   There are ways to minimise the worry you feel, but being over-reliant on your doctor isn’t one of them.   I can send you the advice to see whether it works – and I’ll see you at your next appointment.”

He walks out of the farmyard . . .

He walks out of the farmyard as Sioned and her mother look at each other, 

. . . and Sioned goes back into the farmhouse

then Sioned storms back to the house.

Cassie brings some change to Geraint

Cassie brings some small change to Geraint, behind the bar, which should last until she gets a chance to go to the bank tomorrow.   

"Your father's looking for you"

Then she notices Lleucu sitting nearby and informs her that her father is looking for her.

"I'm trying to ignore him"

“I’m trying to ignore him,” Lleucu groans and is asked what results she got.   

"I did terribly!"

“I did terribly, all right?   Happy now?” the girl exclaims.

Then she calms down and confesses, “I failed English and Business.”   

"There's too much English in this old world!"

Cassie is of the opinion that there is too much English in this old world, anyway, plus she will not learn about business from books.   

"Dad's going to kill me!"

“Dad’s going to kill me!” Lleucu frets, but Cassie does not think it will come to that.

“I don’t want to let him down,” she says 

He is trying to contact her again

and then receives yet another phone call from him.

“Are you going to answer that – or do you want me to?” asks Cassie, 

"Hello!"

then takes the phone and speaks to Cai.

"She's always moody"

At Deri Fawr, Mathew asks Arwen,” How has your mother been since you moved?   Less moody?”

Arwen groans, “She’s always moody – but better when you’re here – 

"Perhaps because it's her birthday"

“perhaps she’s just moody because it’s her birthday.”   This comes as a surprise to Mathew;   

"48 next month"

Arwen confirms, “48 next month.”

“What are you doing to celebrate?” Mathew enquires, 

"Come on – you have to do something"

“Come on – you have to do something.”

Howard comes in with his dirty boots

Howard appears and is immediately warned not to come in without removing his dirty wellies.   

"It's all junk"

He is given a cup of tea and advises, “I’ll have a full truck to take to the dump.”   Mathew enquires if there is anything of value and is told, “It’s all junk – John sold everything else.   

"I'm going up to the top shed next"

“I’m going up to the top shed next.”

"You've got a message from Melfa Richards"

Matthew has left his phone on the worktop, where it rings;  Arwen has been looking at it and asks, “Who’s Melfa?   You’ve got a message from Melfa Richards – who’s she?”

"It's no-one for you to worry about"

He takes the phone from her, insisting that it is no-one for her to worry about;  

Arwen is suspicious

as he looks at the message, Arwen is suspicious.

Ffion returns . . .

Kelly is anxiously waiting when Ffion returns up the stairs from seeing the doctor, 

. . . in a kind of daze

in a kind of dazed state;  

"I'm glad I came"

“I’m glad I came – some of the symptoms are consistent with liver problems.”   

"What happens now?"

Kelly asks what happens now;  she is told, “They’re going to fit me in for a blood test with a nurse this afternoon and he wants to send me for a scan as well – 

"An urgent referral, Kel!"

“an urgent referral, Kel – he wants me seen immediately!”   

Kelly puts an arm round her

Kelly puts a comforting arm around her.

Cai comes in . . .

Cai comes into the Deri 

. . . to Lleucu's consternation

and Lleucu looks very apprehensive;  he is carrying a box of chocolates and some flowers, which he puts down on the table.   

"Why didn't you tell me you were worried, monkey?"

“Why didn’t you tell me you were worried, monkey?” he asks Lleucu.

"I failed Business and English, Dad"

She replies, “I failed Business and English, Dad,” but he insists that it is not important.

"None of it is important"

“I’m so proud of you – none of it it is important,” he tells her, so she wonders why teachers make it seem like a matter of life and death.   

"That's our job"

He explains that it is their job and wants to know the other results.

"That's better than I did!"

She shows him the list and he laughs, “You got a B in history and physics – that’s better than I did!”   

He gives his daughter flowers

He presents his daughter with the flowers 

"For being such a good friend, Cassie"

and gives the chocolates to Cassie for being such a good friend.

Cassie swaps them over

Cassie suggests that they swap;  I think it’s better that way.

"Is Arwen here?"

Ffion returns to Deri Fawr and the first thing she wants to know is whether Arwen is there.   

"I have to go for a scan tomorrow"

“I had to stay for a blood test and I have to go for a scan tomorrow, as well.”   

"Just to rule stuff out, isn't it?"

Kelly adds that it is just to rule stuff out.

"The abuse to my liver"

“I know, but they’re worried because of the abuse I’ve put my liver through over the years,” says Ffion.   

"Are you sure you're all right?"

Mathew is concerned that she is all right, 

"I always fear the worst, don't I?"

and she acknowledges, “I always fear the worst, don’t I?”

Ffion insists that Kelly has spent enough time today holding her hand;  

"You know where I am, all right?"

“You know where I am, all right?” Kelly says as she leaves.   

Ffion also wants Mathew to go;  “You’ve done enough today as well, with all the unpacking – and I could do with some time on my own just to take it all in.”

"Phone me if you need anything"

Matthew is reluctant to leave;  “Phone me if you need anything.”   

Ffion breaks down in tears

As soon as they have gone, Ffion dissolves into tears.

Eileen brings out cups of tea

Sioned is sitting on the bench outside Penrhewl overlooking the farm’s rolling acres and her mother brings out a cup of tea;  “I’m sorry,” says Eileen, but Sioned can see that she was actually right.

"The way I was relying on Dan wasn't healthy"

“The way I was relying on Dan wasn’t healthy – but he was the only one who could give me peace of mind.   I’m scared, Mam – and I know you’re going to say it’s a natural part of being a mother, but this fear is different.   

"What if history repeats itself?"

“What if history repeats itself?”

"We can't live in fear, Sioned"

Eileen explains that things happen without reason;  “And we can’t live in fear that the worst is going to happen every time.   Dr Morris is right, not enough is done for women in your situation – so I’ve been looking online and it suggests doing things to occupy yourself.   So I thought we could go for a walk every day, just you and me.”

"I'm here for you, remember that"

She is becoming emotional as she assures Sioned, “I’m here for you, remember that,” and Sioned is also close to tears.

Mathew looks at the message

Mathew looks at his phone, where the message from Melfa Richards is displayed.   

"Not playing happy families at Deri Fawr?"

Howard destroys the atmosphere as he comes in and comments, “Not playing happy families at Deri Fawr tonight, then?”

He is asked whether he sorted out the scrap and replies that it was hard work;  

"There was nothing worth keeping!"

“There was nothing worth keeping – honest, it was a real mess – we might as well get rid of it all.”

"We can't catch a break these days"

Mathew moans that they cannot catch a break these days, but when he has left the room and goes downstairs, 

"Did you see the photo of that scrap?"

Howard takes out his phone and makes a call.   “Hey, Bonzo?   I’ve been trying to phone you all day – why didn’t you answer the phone, you clown.   Did you see the photo of the scrap I sent you?   How much are you offering?   

"£300 for the lot – deal?"

“£300 for the lot – deal?”

Arwen comes down

At Deri Fawr, Arwen comes downstairs and is told by her mother that the new sofa will not be arriving until next week, but she did not want to miss out on a film night.   Arwen will get the snacks;  

"Will you be happy here?"

“You know where everything is after unpacking today,” says her mother, “What do you think, then?   Will you be happy here?”

“I don’t know how we lived in a sardine tin for so long!” is Arwen’s answer, 

"Are you happy here?"

then she asks her mother, “Are you happy here?”

"I will be"

“I will be,” Ffion replies, but Arwen maintains that she has been quiet lately.   “I’ve got things on my mind, with the move,” and Arwen gets the impression that she may have fallen out with Mathew.

"No – why do you think that?"

“No – why do you think that?” asks Ffion.

"He was talking to another woman"

Arwen says that he was talking to another woman;  “Melfa something – he had a message from her earlier.”   

"He can talk to whoever he wants"

Ffion replies that Matthew can talk to whoever he wants, but Arwen’s main concern is that her mother is happy.

"And I am – with you – in our new home"

“And I am – with you – in our new home,” Ffion assures her.

"You look happier when Mathew's here"

“It’s just sometimes you look happier when Mathew’s here,” comments Arwen, 

"Should I be worried?"

and Ffion wonders if she has any cause to worry.