19 February 2025

"Good luck for today"

As Lleucu and her father walk along the street, he wishes her good luck today, 

"We haven't spent much time together recently"

adding that he is looking forward to going out tonight to celebrate her finishing her work experience.   “We haven’t spent much time together recently,” 

"It's been a busy time"

but she replies that it has been a busy time.

She leaves him outside the deli and Mark is approaching, 

Mark espies Jinx in the alley . . .

then crosses the road to the alley, noticing that Jinx is standing there, 

. . . who is revisiting the scene of the crime

looking at the spot where he was assaulted some weeks ago.   

"You probably think I'm 'doo-lally'!"

“You probably think I’m ‘doo-lally’,”says Jinx, “I keep coming back here, to see if it will help me to remember something.”

"The best thing is to move on"

Mark is relieved to hear that it has not worked and advises that the best thing is probably to move on, but Jinx finds that impossible;  

"I don't think I'll ever be able to move on"

“I still have nightmares about that night – unless I get answers, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move on – but it’s not your problem, Mark,” he comments as he walks away.   

Mark is feeling his guilt

The burden of guilt is weighing heavily upon Mark.

Dani gives Lleucu a hug

In the Deri, Lleucu puts on her tabard for work and is given a hug by Dani.   Lleucu thinks that there must be something wrong, 

"I'm going to miss you, that's all"

but is told, “I’m going to miss you, that’s all.   It’s been lovely to have your company and I can’t believe the time’s gone so fast.”

"Is there something on your mind?"

Lleucu still suspects that there is something on Dani’s mind, but she is intent on getting started;  “Do you want to start over there?   

"Just don't touch any photos!"

“Just don’t touch any photos!”   Lleucu replies that she is still traumatised after last week.

Jinx tidies outside the shop

Jinx is sweeping up outside The Pizza Place when he sees Ffion approaching and not looking very happy.   

"There's an inspection on the way"

She explains, “I needed to get painkillers before school – I’ve just been told there’s an inspection on the way.”

"Now I understand why you're feeling sick"

“Now I understand why you’re feeling sick,” he sympathises;  all the things she needs to do are giving her a headache.    He tries to convince her that everything will be OK, 

"There's no point trying to explain"

as she sighs that there is no point trying to explain to someone who is not a teacher.

'I'll make a nice meal of us tonight"

“Let me help, then – I’ll make a nice meal for us tonight – at least then you won’t have to worry about cooking,” he offers.   

"I can't think further ahead than this morning"

Unfortunately, Eleri is walking towards them as Ffion protest that she cannot think further ahead than this morning 

"No fuss, just good food"

but he insists, “No fuss, just good food – and a few hours of not worrying about Mr Estyn.  [the significance of this name is difficult to ascertain]   She agrees that she will see him tonight.

"What was that all about?"

Eleri has been waiting until Ffion departs, then enquires, “What was that all about?”    Jinx explains that she is worried about an inspection.   She comes straight to the point;  

"What are you doing tonight?"

“What are you doing tonight?”

"I offered to cook her a meal"

“I offered to cook her a meal, because she is really stressed,” he answers and now has to fire up the oven for his pizzas.   

This gives Eleri an idea

It appears that Eleri has a plan in mind.

"He's not sleeping and having nightmares"

In the Deri flat, Mark tells his mother, “Mam, he’s not sleeping, he’s having nightmares.”   Kath regards that as completely natural, 

"I can't live with this guilt, Mam"

but Mark continues, “You know what?   I can’t live with this guilt I’m feeling – I thought perhaps I could, but I can’t!”

Kath understands that seeing Jinx around the place every day does not help;  

"Jinx is not going anywhere"

he stresses that Jinx is not going anywhere.   

"No – but you can"

She comes to the conclusion that instead he could go somewhere;  “Spain, perhaps, to stay with your father.”

"I've got no money"

He protests that he has no money, but she says that she is willing to help him, which he finds rather surprising.

"I thought I'd invite myself to dinner"

Jinx is peeling carrots when Eleri comes in;  “I thought I’d invite myself to dinner with you and Ffion,” she tells him, “She’s an important friend to you, isn’t she?   

"I thought I would make the effort"

“So I thought I should make the effort – and tonight will be a chance for us to get to know each other better.   That would make life much easier for you, wouldn’t it?”

"Well, I can't deny that"

Jinx cannot deny that;  she will get some glasses, while Jinx continues with the veg.

"To see if the urinals are shining"

Cai has been chatting to Lleucu in the Deri and says that he will pop to the toilet before he leaves, “To see if the urinals are shining.”

"You men need to learn how to aim!"

Lleucu is confident that they are;  “And so is the floor – you men need to learn how to aim – it’s disgusting!”   He is quite confident that she will not have to do that job ever again,” 

"I enjoyed it, actually"

but she protests that she enjoyed it, actually.

“Don’t start getting any ideas,” he warns and she accuses him of being a job snob.   “You’ve got a lot to offer,” he goes on, 

"You could make such a difference"

“You could make such a difference to this world in the right job – don’t roll your eyes – I’m just trying to say that I’m very proud of you.”

"Could we invite her to join us?"

Then Lleucu notices Dani, sitting rather dolefully nearby and suggests that they could invite her to join them;  “She asked me to go for a few drinks with her after work.”   

"This is a night for the two of us"

Her father reminds her that she is under 18, but she tells him, “Chill, Dad – will you invite her over?”

Cai insists that this is a night for the two of them, 

but is reminded that Dani is on her own and has been so nice to Lleucu, so that it is the least they can do.   “Please, Dad – for me?”

Cai goes across

Cai reluctantly gets up and goes across to Dani, 

"What do you want?"

who demands what he wants;  

"Lleucu was wondering if you'd like to join us"

“Lleucu was wondering whether you would like to join us – don’t worry if you don’t want to.”   She does not reply, so he continues, “Suit yourself.”

"Why would I want to have a drink with you?"

As he is about to return to his daughter, she snarls at him, “ Get lost, Cai!   Why would I want to have a drink with you?”

"All right – forget it!"

He dismisses it as a stupid idea, and tells her to forget it but she goes on, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?   For me to forget everything – 

"Forget it's your fault my daughter isn't here!"

“forget that it’s your fault my daughter isn’t here!   

Attention is being drawn to her

“Leave me alone.”   Now Lleucu wishes that she had not said anything.

"Can you answer that, please?"

Eleri is drinking wine when there is a knock at the door and she goes to answer it;  “Ffion, welcome – come in!” she says.

"You didn't mention it this morning"

Ffion is surprised that there are three of them for dinner and is told by Jinx that Eleri is joining them.   “You didn’t mention that this morning,” Ffion complains, 

"So we could get to know each other"

but Eleri points out that it was her idea, so they would have a chance to get to know each other.

“Oh, what would you like to know about me, then?” Ffion asks.   Eleri understands that she has an inspection coming up and that she is stressed about it.   

"The whole point was not to talk about that"

“The whole point was not to talk about that tonight,” she is informed.

“OK – we can talk about whatever you want – 

"Apart from the dam"

“apart from the dam – we don’t want to fall out, do we?”   

Ffion has lost her enthusiasm

Ffion is now not particularly looking forward to this meal.

Lleucu is off her food

Cai is now eating his meal in the Deri, but Lleucu seems to have lost her appetite;  

"Can we leave now, please"

“Can we leave now, please?” she asks, trying to hold back the tears.   

"We should try to have a nice meal together"

He is anxious that they should try to have a nice meal tonight, but her response is to get up and walk out of the pub,  

Dani is watching

as Dani watches her go;  

Cai follows his daughter out

then Cai does the same,

"So when would you want to go?"

Kath is studying the laptop and asks Mark, “So when would you want to go – tonight?   Tomorrow morning?”   

"Are you going to be all right?"

He is worried whether his mother is going to be all right, 

"Of course I will"

but she says of course she will be.   

"What was that about sticking together?"

Then he reminds her of what she said about sticking together after everything that has happened.

"He's stupid at times – but he's the only one I've got"

“Listen – I’ve only got one son, OK?   He’s stupid at times – but he’s the only one I’ve got.   If you have to go to Spain for whatever reason, that’s what’s going to happen, OK?”   

"Right, I'd better go home and pack"

He will go back to Maes-y-Deri and pack his bag;  

"Don't forget your passport"

she reminds him to bring his passport with him.

"It reminds me of that meal we had in Aber"

As they eat their meal together around the table, Ffion compliments Jinx on the food, calling it wonderful.   “It reminds me of that meal we had in Aber, when I was expecting Arwen.”

"That place had a Michelin star"

He tells her not to be daft;  “That place had a Michelin star – although, I have to admit, this food has turned out much better than I was expecting.’

"You can cook this for me any time"

Eleri chimes up, “You can cook this for me any time – the wine goes lovely with it, too.   Do you want some, Ffion?   You’re missing out.”

Jinx does not like that jibe at Ffion 

Jinx objects this, but she maintains she was only joking.   Ffion does not exactly appreciate it;  

"You have a very odd sense of humour!"

“You have a very odd sense of humour!”   

"I didn't mean to upset you"  — not half you didn't!

Eleri alleges that she did not mean to upset Ffion.

"As our grandfather used to say . . ."

“As our grandfather used to say, Jinx, ‘you learn from your mistakes’,” remarks Ffion, 

"Your grandfather, you mean!"

and he rather sternly corrects her that she means her grandfather.

At this juncture, Eleri conveniently needs to use the toilet and goes upstairs.   Jinx and Ffion look at each other;  

"Ffion – what are you doing?"

“Ffion – what are you doing?” Jinx growls, “She doesn’t know we’re related.”   

"I didn't know that, did I?"

Ffion is shocked to hear this, 

"I need to explain in my own time"

so he argues that he needs to explain to her in his own time. 

Ffion thought that she would have heard already;  “Sorry, I won’t say anything –but you’d better tell her soon – 

"You don't want her to hear it from someone else"

“you don’t want her to hear it from someone else, do you?”

"I'm sorry, Lleucs"

At Y Felin, Lleucu comes downstairs and her father apologises to her, but she concedes that he only did what she asked him to do.   

"She'd obviously been drinking"

“She’d obviously been drinking,” he adds and Lleucu says that she is worried about Dani.

"Che's been acting really oddly"

“She’s been acting really oddly.”   

"She has just lost a child, remember"

He reminds her that Dani has lost a child.   

"I just want all this arguing to stop"

“I just want all this arguing to stop,” she says.

"I hope I took your mind off the inspection"

"Now Eleri has returned;  “I hope I took your mind off the inspection,” Jinx  tells Ffion 

"I appreciate your support"

and she agrees that he did.   “I also appreciate the support you’ve both given me since the attack,” he adds  

Oh – it's empty"

Then he discovers that the bottle is empty, and he does not have another one, 

"Make sure it's chilled"

so Eleri recommends that he could get another one.   “Go to the Deri and get a takeout – Sauvignon Blanc – and make sure it’s chilled.   

Ffion is not looking forward to this

“Ffi and I will be  champion!”

Mark arrives with his small bag

Mark comes back into the Deri, with his very small amount of luggage;  

He sees Dani, looking depressed

he sees Dani, still looking very depressed, 

"Why are you on your own, Dan?"

wondering why she is drinking on her own;  “I asked a friend to join me, but things didn’t work out, so . . .   

'I've made a mess of things, Mark"

“I’ve made a mess of things, Mark – I behaved terribly in front of her.”

Mark tells her not to talk nonsense, but she points out that she lost her temper.   He tells her not to be so hard on herself;  

"A good friend would understand"

“A good friend would understand that you’re going through a hard time and that you need some support.”

Jinx walks in

Jinx arrives to get the bottle as instructed by Eleri, 

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Mark"

as Dani continues, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Mark – thanks.”   

Dani leaves the Deri

She gets up and leaves the Deri.   

"Are you feeling any better?"

Mark comes to the bar and picks up his luggage, asking if Jinx is feeling better;  he replies that he thinks he is.

Cai is dealing with school work

At Y Felin there is a knock at the door and Lleucu answers it.   She finds that it is Dani who is Colin.   

"Sorry about earlier"

“I just wanted to say sorry about earlier,” she tells Lleucu, “You were only trying to be nice.   Listen, I don’t know if this is a good time, 

"I'd like  to offer you a part-time job"

“but I’d like to offer you a job – part-time, you know, around school hours.”

This takes Lleucu by surprise

Lleucu cannot believe this;  Dani adds, “If you’re happy with that – 

"And if your father is happy with it"

“and if your father is happy with it.   Look, think about it – I don’t need an answer now, OK?”

She is about to go . . .

With that, she is about to leave again, 

. . . but Cai thanks her . . .

but Cai says, “Dani, thank you.”   

. . . now Lleucu is smiling

Lleucu closes the door and smiles at her father.

"You and Rhys were in a relationship"

“You and Rhys were in a relationship, weren’t you?” asks Eleri, “I can’t imagine you together – 

"People must have thought the same about Jinx and me"

“everyone must have thought that about Jinx and me at the start.”

"Especially as he was in a relationship with Dani!"

“Well, especially as he was in a relationship with Dani at the time!” Ffion is quick to remind her.   

"I'm trying to make an effort here"

“OK, I’m trying to make an effort here,” Eleri insists, 

"I know exactly what your game is!"

but Ffion knows exactly what her game is.

“And I know what your game is, too – it’s embarrassing and quite tragic!” says Eleri, in a patronising manner, 

"He's not interested in you!"

“He’s not interested in you.”

"I don't want Jinx, all right?"

Ffion makes it crystal clear, “I don’t want Jinx, all right?”

"But you don't want anyone else to have him!"

“But you don’t want anyone else to have him either, do you?” sneers Eleri 

"Is everything all right""

and at that point, the door opens as he returns, apologising that he was so long.

“Is everything all right?” he wonders 

"I have a busy day tomorrow"

and Ffion thinks it is time she left, but he points out that there is still pudding.   She replies that she has a busy day tomorrow 

"Thank you for the meal"

and thanks him for the meal.   As she goes, he wishes her good luck with everything tomorrow.

"Has something happened?"

He senses that something happened while he was out and Eleri tartly announces, “I don’t think we can be friends after all – 

"She's impossible – I think we should see less of her!"

“she’s impossible, Jinx – I tried my best, sorry.   And for a more quiet life, I think we should see less of her.   She’s never going to be civil to me, 

"It's completely obvious . . ."

“because it’s completely obvious that she still likes you – and not as a friend!”

"I'm not going to see less of Ffion . . ."

Jinx stresses that she is talking nonsense now, but Eleri will not have it.   He spells it out, “I’m not going to see less of Ffion, OK?   So if you can’t find a way of getting along with her, 

". . . I don't see much of a future for us"

I don’t see much of a future for our relationship.”

That was rather a shock

That was definitely not what she had been expecting.

"I'm not going to Spain, Mam"

Mark comes back into the Deri flat, where his mother is watching the television, and informs her, “I’m not going – thanks for offering to pay, but I’m not going to Spain.”   

"Where are you going, then?"

Kath enquires where he is going, in that case.

"Other people need me here"

“Back home,” he replies, “Look, I can’t run away while other people need me here.”   

"I said I shall be fine"

Kath assures him that she will be fine, but he reveals that he is talking about Dani;  

"I can't leave Dani!"

“I can’t leave her, Mam,” he declares.

Dani dilutes the water . . .

Dani prepares for bed, taking a bottle of water (plus something stronger) with her;  

. . . then takes it with her up to bed

she walks up the stairs.