15 January 2025

DJ is being watched

As DJ goes to open up Fflamingos, he is being watched by Ioan;  

DJ searches for something

he goes inside and starts looking for something, then Jason arrives.   

"Oh, there you are!"

“Oh, there you are!” he says.

"Don't creep up on me like that!"

DJ angrily tells him, “Don’t creep up on me like that – you almost gave me a heart attack,” but Jason denies that he was creeping.   He points out that the wood is being delivered this morning and he cannot deal with it on his own;  he wonders what DJ is doing there.

"I was looking for my watch"

DJ comes up with an unconvincing excuse;  “I was looking for my watch – I thought I’d left it here, but I can’t find it anywhere.”   

Jason has been thinking and suggests that they could sell the van to get some money.

"I couldn't sleep last night"

“I couldn’t sleep last night, worrying about this debt,” he moans, “And I’ve promised to take Ifan to one of those Safari parks.”   DJ thinks that he means in Kenya, but is told, “No – in England!   Things aren’t going to get any better, are they?”

They are still under surveillance

DJ says that they will discuss it another time and they leave for APD, still watched by Ioan.

"Is there a mansion that would suit you?"

Cassie is standing outside Tomos ac Ellis, looking at her phone when Cai approaches, asking her, “Is there a mansion that would suit you?”   She replies that it is nice to have dreams.   “Is the flat in the Deri not finished yet?” he continues.   

"I'm staying with Hywel next door"

Cassie advises that she is staying with Hywel until it is ready for occupation.

Cai has not had a chance to call in the Deri for a pint yet, so she promises him one on the house when he does drop in.   

"I'll be there later"

He will probably do so later, but is informed that she will not be working today.   “Even better – I won’t have to talk to you across the bar,” he replies 

"Make it about five"

and they agree on about five.

Sioned speaks to her therapist

Sioned is on a FaceTime call to her therapist, Marian and after ending it, looks rather tearful, but tells Howard that she is all right.   

"You're really selling this therapy to me"

“You’re really selling this therapy to me – it makes you cry,” he comments.   She regards it as healthy to let these things come to the surface, instead of pushing them down.

"Cup of tea?"

He will make a cup of tea and Sioned asks if the twins are all right;  “Poor Lili’s not too special,” he reports.   She is very grateful for him checking up on them.

He maintains, “Between me and this Marian, you’ve got a good support team.”   

"I feel a lot better after that"

She in turn stresses that she does feel a lot better after that session, 

"I could never to that!"

but he declares that he could never do that;  “Discuss personal things with someone like that.”

She reminds him that he talks to her sometimes, 

"Talking to a stranger is totally different"

but he regards talking to a stranger as totally different.   

"Have you considered joining the talking shed?"

Sioned wonders whether he has ever considered joining the Talking Shed, stressing that they are all boys he knows and what they say is confidential.   

Is he being convinced?

Perhaps he should just ask Mathew.

"Do you fancy a little trip?"

Cassie is still looking at her phone at number 21;  she asks Hywel, “Listen, do you fancy a little trip?”   

"Where are we going?"

When he enquires where they are going, she replies, “Stoke!”   

"You're still fixated on Cheryl, then"

He realises that she is still fixated on Cheryl.

Cassie is convinced that something is wrong, but he reminds her that the police are looking into it, 

"OK, forget about it"

so she tells him to forget about it.   

"Fancy going out for a meal tonight?"

He proposes that they should discuss the matter tonight and ask whether she fancies going out for a meal somewhere.

"I'm meeting Cai tonight"

He is very amused when she advises that she is meeting Cai tonight, but she does not regard it as funny.   

When he asks if she is serious, she answers, “Are you jealous?”   

"My heart is breaking!"

He jokes that his heart is breaking, but before he leaves the house, 

"Are you looking forward to it?"

he further asks if she is looking forward to her evening.   

"You are jealous, aren't you?"

Cassie laughs, “You are jealous, aren’t you?”

"We need to know how much work we're going to get"

Round the back of APD, Jason tells Mathew, “Until we know how much extra work we are going to get, we can’t discuss the size of the new extension.”

"We're going to get a lot of extra work"

Howard cannot understand why they want an extension.   “We’re going to get a lot of extra work because of the dam,” Mathew points out, “We shall need somewhere to put the stock.”

"Are you still running this Talking Shed thing?"

Jason hears the APD phone ringing, so goes to answer it;  in his absence Howard rather reluctantly asks Mathew, “Are you still running this Talking Shed thing?”   

"Not since that camping trip"

Mathew’s reply is that they have not had a session since that ill-fated camping trip and wonders why he is asking.

"Sioned keeps going on about it"

“Nothing, really, just Sioned keeps going on about me needing to talk to someone – but just forget it.”   

"It's important for people to talk"

Mathew insists that it is important for people to talk and there is no shame in it;  none of them are professional therapists, 

"We support each other"

but they support each other and it is a safe place to talk for them all.

“You don’t have to talk, either – a lot turn up just for the company,” he adds, 

"What are you doing later?"

“What are you doing later?”   

"What – tonight?"

Howard looks rather sheepish;  “What –tonight?”

Ioan has been waiting for DJ

DJ walks round the corner towards the Fflamingos van and finds that Ioan has been waiting for him;  

They go into the van

“At last,” he moans, and quickly follows DJ inside, checking to make sure they have not been seen.

"I've brought you this from the boss"

“Aren’t you pleased to see me?” he asks and takes an envelope from his pocket.   “I’ve brought you this from the boss.”   

"What boss?"

DJ wonders what boss this is.

"You didn't think I was running this operation?"

“You didn’t think I was running this operation, did you?   This is your chance to make up for stealing from us.   Directions and a pass for a festival outside Llanelli tomorrow.   Your job will be to use this van to deliver a little parcel into the festival,” 

"Drug smuggling?"

which DJ takes to be drug smuggling.

"You learn quickly, mate"

“You learn quickly, mate,” he is told, “They check bags – but food vans get in without a problem.”   He will not be expected to sell the drugs;  

"I'm not that stupid!"

“I’m not that stupid – I’ll meet you inside to pick up the stuff.   Don’t worry about the rest.”

DJ doubts whether he can get the van ready for tomorrow, but is informed that is his problem.   

"There might be a little bonus for you"

“If you do a good job, there might be a little bonus for you,” Ioan suggests.

“Are you sure they don’t check inside vans?” DJ demands;  he is told that they are talking about Llanelli here, not Wembley Stadium.   

"Your partner doesn't know anything, does he?"

When asked whether his business partner knows anything about the arrangement, 

"No"

DJ replies that he does not, and is cautioned to keep it that way.

"See you later, mate"

“I’ll come over later with the parcel,” says Ioan, “See you later, mate.”

Howard arrives at APD . . .

Howard comes into APD, demanding whether he is the only one there;   he is handed a bottle of beer and invited to sit down.   

. . . and Mathew locks the door

Mathew locks the door and turn the sign to read ‘Closed’.

"Does this mean I have to talk?"

“Does this mean I have to talk?” Howard nervously asks and Mathew agrees to do the talking, if he wants.

"The only rule is no phones"

“Right, the only rule is no phones – no phones, no distractions.   

"A lot of boys found it difficult to discuss things"

“Welcome to the Talking Shed [Sied Siarad]   We started the talking shed because a lot of boys found it hard to discuss things.”

"I don't like to talk about myself"

Howard remarks that he is not one who likes to talk about himself – especially about things like this – that was not the way he was brought up.   

"Tegwen said you had a hard time with your Dad"

Mathew recalls that Tegwen said that Howard had a hard time with his father. 

"Step-father, not Dad!"

“Step-father,” stresses Howard, “Not Dad!   I think that was part of the problem – I think a lot of dogs were brought up better than I was.   

"Seeing how much effort Sioned puts in"

“And I realise now, after seeing how much effort Sioned puts into her own children.”

"You think a lot of Sioned, don't you?"

Mathew can see that he thinks a lot of Sioned;  “You know – you’ve got a good relationship, obviously.”   

"At least, she's not scared of me"

Howard is glad that at least she is not scared of him, admitting that some women are scared.

“I know that – and it’s my fault – I’ve just never understood them.   I’ve never mixed with women much.   With my sisters, I just babysat them when they were young and that’s it.   I was out working the rest of the time.   

"She makes me feel like I'm a decent person"

“But Sioned makes me feel like I’m a decent person – I’ve never had that before”.

Jason is exceedingly hungry

In the Deri, Jason is ravenously eating his lunch when DJ comes in;  “I’ve ordered you a sandwich,” Jason tells him.

"Can we get the van ready for tomorrow?"

“Do you think we can get the van ready for tomorrow?   A Food Festival in Llanelli – a pitch has come up.”   Jason is working this afternoon so he cannot help;  

"How can we afford that?"

he also wonders how they can afford a pitch.   

"It's a last-minute thing"

DJ says that it is free, as it is a last-minute thing and is expected to be quite busy.   

"We could make a lot of money"

“We’ve got nothing to lose – and we could make a lot of money,” he argues, 

"Right – better get straight back to work, then"

so Jason wants them to get straight back to work in that case and tells DJ to follow him as soon as his sandwich arrives.

"You could have made a bit of an effort!"

As Cassie prepares to go out, Hywel sarcastically comments, “Poor Cai – you could have made a bit of an effort, Cassie.”   She asks him to check that her necklace is fastened at the back.   

It is obvious what is coming

She turns around to thank him and they are about to kiss when there is a knock at the door;  Cai has come to collect Cassie.   

"Perfect timing!"

“Perfect timing!” Hywel mutters.

When Cai comes into the room, Hywel asks how things are with him;  

"I think it would be easier to retire"

“Plenty of school paperwork – sometimes I think it would be easier to retire and do something else – but I have no idea what.”   

"Enjoy yourselves!"

Hywel says he  hopes that they enjoy themselves.

"I think Mam hated me"

At the Talking Shed, Howard is actually talking;  “I think Mam hated me – I was the connection to Dad, wasn’t I?   The bloke who left her and ran away.   

"I'm the spitting image of him"

“I’ve seen a couple of photos and I’m the spitting image of him.”

"Are you still in touch?"

Mathew wonders whether he is still in touch with his father;  Howard shakes his head, then realises, 

"Now I've started, I can't stop!"

“Heavens – now I’ve started, I can’t stop!   It’s like one big purge!”   Mathew asks whether he feels better now, but Howard does not know.

"Jason is into this 'manifestation' technique"

“Jason is into this ‘manifestation’ technique – that’s what helps him through,” Mathew relates 

"What on earth's that?"

and Howard wants to know what on earth that is.

“Well, from what I understand, he encourages himself to see the things he wants in life and then tries to get them to happen,” Mathew explains, but this does not mean a lot to Howard.   

"Is there something you really want in life?"

“Is there something you really want in life?   Something which you want to ‘manifest’?

Howard cannot really explain his answer to that , and is told that he does not need to decide now.   

"To find someone – settle down"

“To find someone, perhaps, you know, settle down.”   Mathew assumes that he has always been single, but at first Howard maintains that he has been with a lot of women, 

"I've always been single – embarrassing!"

“before confessing that he has not – he has always been single – which is embarrassing at his age.

"I've never done anything with a woman"

“I’ve never done anything with a woman – do you understand?”   Indeed, Mathew does, but points out that Howard has plenty of time.

Sioned comes on silently . . .

What they do not know is that Sioned has arrived by the back of APD, which is still open 

. . . and hears Howard speaking

and she walks in, 

"32 years old and no experience with women"

just as Howard goes on, “Think about it – 32 years old and I have no experience with women at all.”   

"What are you doing here?"

He suddenly becomes aware that she is standing there and shouts, “What are you doing here?”

"Honestly – I didn't hear a word!"

She protests that honestly she did not hear a word;  

"I thought you had locked the door!"

Howard rages, “I thought you had locked the door!”   He rushes out of APD, 

"Howard!"

with Sioned explaining that she only came to see if he would check on the cows.

DJ's dinner is disturbed

DJ is eating his dinner at Bryntirion when he hears a knock at the door and discovers that it is Ioan again.   

"Don't worry – I saw Jason leave"

“Don’t worry – I saw Jason leave,” he says, then unzips his jacket to produce another brown envelope, 

"For you"

“For you,” he says.

“And after tomorrow?” DJ enquires;  he is told that the job is done, 

"See you in Llanelli – sleep well"

“See you in Llanelli – sleep well.”   

DJ has got himself in rather a spot here

DJ is not happy about this.

"I'm a lot happier since I stopped drinking"

“I am a lot happier since I stopped drinking,” Cai admits to Cassie, 

"Especially all this business with the Monks"

“I can handle things better, especially all this business with the Monks – the row between two families.”

"I don't know how Dani is coping"

Cassie appreciates that it has been hard for Dani;  “I don’t know how she’s coping after losing Seren – and Garry of course, although he’s in jail.”

"If Garry had not done what he did . . ."

Cai insists, “If Garry had not done what he did, Seren would not . . .”   Cassie appreciates that and he continues, “That’s what was difficult when Danny was blaming me – the whole family blames me.”

"It's been difficult for Dani as well"

Cassie reiterates that it has been difficult for Dani as well.   

"What was I supposed to do?"

Cai goes on, “What was I supposed to do?   Lleucu, my daughter, was in there!”

Cassie is now eager to change the subject and asks what the 0% lager is like, as it is very popular at the Deri.   

Cassie is saved by a text . . .

Then she receives a message on her phone and thinks that she had better deal with it;  

. . . actually from Hywel 

it is actually from Hywel, enquiring whether she is enjoying herself.

"Her husband has left her . . ."

Obviously, she is not, so she manufactures an excuse that the message was from a friend of hers, whose husband has left her;  

". . . I'd better go next door – it could take some time"

she would prefer to go next door to call back, as it might take some time.

"Are you working tomorrow night?"

Cai asks if she is working tomorrow night, as he is taking part in the Plygain, which might be a bit of fun.   Her excuse is that she is more of a cocktail woman than a Plygain one 

"Sorry I have to rush off"

and is sorry that she has to rush off like this.

"I'm making some pasta"

Howard hurries into the shop flat and grabs a can from the fridge;.     Mathew is making some pasta, if he would like some;  “It would do you good to eat something.”

"I don't want anything!"

Howard is adamant that he does not want anything;  

"That's the last time I'm going to talk about anything!"

“That’s the last time I’m going to  talk about anything!” he shouts.   

"It was confidential"

When Mathew assures him that it was confidential, Howard points out that Sioned heard.   

"I don't care what she said – she heard!"

“I don’t care what she said – she heard!”

Mathew insists that she will not tell anyone;  “But that’s not the point – I feel such a fool!”   When he is told not to feel like that, 

"Says the man who looks like a boy band member!"

Howard rages, “Says the man who looks like a boy band member and has women throwing themselves at him!   

"Do you know what?   I'm going out!"

“Do you know what?   I’m going out!”   

That did not work out well

Mathew regrets how this has turned out.

Hywel is all alone again

Hywel is sitting at home, alone, again, with a glass of wine in his hand when he hears the front door closing and Cassie walks in.   “Did you have a nice night?” he asks.

"It was all right"

Cassie describes it as, “All right,” 

"How was your evening?"

and wonders about him.   

Yet another notch on Hywel's bedpost?

They waste no time, but get down to some serious kissing.