12 March 2025

Alex arrives in the Deri . . .

Obviously further meeting arrangements have been made and Alex walks into the Deri, immediately going across to Iolo and introducing herself as Alex.   

. . . and introduces herself to Iolo

He looks extremely surprised.   “Sorry – for some reason I was expecting . . .”

"A man?"

“A man?” she answers, “Surely I said?”   He does not think that she mentioned it – or he just thought . . . 

"It's nice to meet you"

He says that it is nice to meet her at last and apologises for the other day.   \

"I'm just freaking out a bit, actually"

“Don’t worry – I’m just freaking out a bit, actually,” she admits.

Iolo will get her a coffee and she would like three sugars;  

"My dentist hates me"

“My dentist hates me, but I need it.”   He has so many questions to ask her.

"They'll want something to eat at half time . . ."

In the Fflamingos van, Jason remarks to DJ, “I know that half the village is going on the rugby trip tomorrow, but the other half will be drinking here and wanting something to eat at half time – 

". . . so what are we going to do?"

“so what are we going to do?”

"Some with haggis . . ."

DJ suggests ‘Six Nations’ tacos, with Jason wondering what they are;  DJ replies, “Some with haggis, some with French fromage,” 

"Bolognese and Cawl?"

to which Jason adds Bolognese and Cawl.

DJ concedes that perhaps they need to give the subject a bit more thought, then he notices a couple of men in high-vis jackets and wonders what they are doing.   

Two workmen are by the bus stop

They appear to be putting a length of piping down a roadside drain 

"Something to do with the dam?"

and Jason assumes that it is something to do with the dam, but they do appear rather suspicious.

"What are we doing with this?"

He picks up a box marked ‘tomato ketchup’ which has been left on the counter 

DJ is quick to take it from him

and DJ immediately takes charge of it.   As there is nothing further for him to do now, Jason will go and have a chat with Rhys to see if he has any ideas;  he suggests perhaps they could do a special offer – “10% off if you drink in Ceffyl Du,” 

"We can't afford that!"

but DJ protests that they cannot afford that.

He finds what the box really contains . . . 

Then he picks up the box of tomato ketchup and finds that under the top layer of sachets there are small bags of drugs;  

. . . and dials a number

he gets out his phone.

"It's odd you like 80s music"

In the Deri, Iolo tells Alex, “It’s odd you like 80’s music – it must be in the genes – you need to meet my friend, Maya, who loves that, too.”

"I used to go to gigs with Mam all the time"

“Mam does, too – I used to go to gigs with her all the time,” Alex says, “Until she couldn’t go any more – she’s got MS and it’s only ever been me and her.   Aunties and Uncles, yeah, but only her and me in the house, so it has been difficult at times.”

Iolo can see that she and her mother are close;  

"Except when we want to watch something different"

“Except when we want to watch something different on the telly!” explains Alex, then enquires about Iolo’s little girl.

"Greta is fab"

“Greta is fab!” he enthuses 

"Are you close to your father?"

and Alex wonders if he is close to his father.   She says that one of them had to mention it and he replies that he is close to his father, in a way.   

"I don't understand him at times"

“Mind you, I don’t understand him at times – he can be a bit . . .”

"Hiya, Iols!"

At that moment, who should walk in but his father, who is with Eileen;  “Hiya, Iols,” he says 

Just the person he did not want to see

and Iolo is far from pleased to see him.   

"Are you friends?"

“Are you friends?” Siôn asks, “How do you know each other?”

"I'm Iolo's half-sister"

Iolo is lost for words, so Alex answers, “I’m Iolo’s half-sister.”   

Siôn is shocked

Siôn is horrified;

"This is Alex, your daughter"

Iolo confirms that this is Alex, his daughter and he looks very surprised. 

Siôn runs away

Siôn simply turns and rushes out of the pub, followed by Eileen.   

Not what she had hoped for

Alex finds the whole thing very surreal.

"How has more stuff arrived?"

Ioan meets DJ in the back street;  “How has more stuff arrived in the van?” DJ demands 

"That's the deal, mate"

and he is told that is the deal.   

"I told you I didn't want more than usual"

“Last week I told you I didn’t want more than usual – there’s loads here!”

He is reminded that it means more cash;  “It was too good an offer to refuse,” says Ioan, 

"There's a little extra in there"

“before I forget, there’s a little extra in there,” he adds, handing over another rucksack, but DJ protests that he does not want it.

“What do you want me to do, then?”   

"They may be 'pigs'!"

DJ points out that there are two guys in high-vis jackets hanging around and he suspects that they might be ‘pigs’ – what is he supposed to do if they are?

"You've got a brain, haven't you?"

“You’ve got a brain, haven’t you?” laughs Ioan and walks away, leaving DJ holding the rucksack.

"What's going on, Siôn?"

Siôn and Eileen arrive back at the shop flat and Eileen wants to know if he is going to explain what has just happened.   

"I know how it looks"

“I know how it looks,” he begins and she points out that he said he had not had an affair.   “It wasn’t a lie,” he insists, so she enquires what he would call it.

"I don't know where to start"

“It’s complicated,” he goes on, “I don’t know where to start,” 

"When you got Alex's mother pregnant"

so Eileen considers that he could start with the night he got Alex’s mother pregnant.

The atmosphere is now rather subdued

Meanwhile in the Deri, things have gone quiet 

"I feared my father would reject me"

and Alex reveals, “I’ve always had this fear that my father would reject me – and I was right.”   Iolo is absolutely furious with his father, 

"He's had a great shock, Iolo"

but she reminds him that Siôn has had a great shock.

“If I told you how many nights I lay in bed as a little girl, 

"Wondering where my father was"

looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars wondering my father was in Wales, Spain, Australia.   And then when I went on that DNA website, I never thought I’d actually find him, but there’s always hope with things like that, isn’t there?   

"A fairy-tale ending"

“A hidden hope in the back of your mind – a little voice saying ‘You’re going to find him and have that fairy-tale ending’.”

"I think you're fab!"

Iolo assures her, “You’ve definitely found me and I think you’re fab.”  

"You're just being nice"

She imagines that he is just being nice.

He raises the subject of Siôn's affair"

He protests that he is not, explaining, “The second we met I felt a connection – they say that can happen.   Look, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did your mother ever mention the affair with Dad?”

"It's a bit more complicated than that"

Alex has some further news for him;  “It’s a bit more complicated than that, to be honest.”

"I'm not judging you, Siôn"

Back in the shop flat, Eileen tells Siôn that she is not judging him;  “If it was a one night stand, don’t worry – we’ve all had them.”   He denies that is what it was, and she cannot imagine that. whatever it was could be that bad.

"It's personal"

“It’s personal – and it takes me back to a difficult time,” he groans.

"I asked Auntie Moira"

Another switch to the Deri;  “So I didn’t ask Mam for years because of her illness, but then, one Christmas, I asked Auntie Moira, Mam’s sister.   She said that no-one knows who my father is – 

"Mam used a sperm bank in Cardiff"

“because Mam used a sperm bank in Cardiff.”

Now it is Iolo's turn to be shocked

Iolo cannot believe his ears 

"Siôn donated his sperm"

and she explains that she is a donor baby;  “Siôn donated his sperm.”   This comes as another severe shock to Iolo.

DJ hides the 'ketchup'

DJ is hiding away the box of ‘tomato ketchup’ in a small cupboard with a rather inadequate padlock in the Fflamingos van;  

Jason runs back in the rain

Jason comes running back, as it is raining, and is asked how it went with Rhys, but apparently he was not there.   “I went for a quick visit to the bungalow instead – 

"Dai's sciatica is bad!"

“goodness me, Dai’s sciatica is bad – he deserves a medal, fair play.”

"These anti-drugs leaflets"

Jason puts down some leaflets on the counter and explains that they are more of the anti-drugs things which his mother gave him.   “Did you find out any more about those guys in high-vis?” DJ asks and is told that they are from the council, something to do with the drains.

"They'll pop over later for tacos"

“They said they were going to pop over later on for tacos,” which makes DJ look very nervous.

Iolo returns home

Iolo arrives home at Y Felin and confronts his father;  

"When were you going to tell us?"

“When were you going to tell us that you donated to a sperm bank during the 80s?”   Siôn does not know where to start, 

"How about the truth?"

so his son continues, “Let me help you – with the truth!”

“It wasn’t a lie, Iolo – I needed the money,” he explains.   

"How many times did you do it?"

Iolo demands how many times his father did it;  “Only a couple of times,” is the reply.

"You knew there was a chance"

“Right – so you knew that there was a chance you had another child – children, even?”   

Siôn tries to explain

Siôn stresses that he did not do it to have more children, as Macs was on the way, Iolo’s mother was doing a course in medicine and 

"I was desperate, Iolo"

he did not have a penny to his name – he was desperate.

“So Mam was OK with it, was she?” Iolo goes on and, 

Siôn does not reply . . .

as his father does not say anything, 

. . . so Iolo realises his mother did not know

he adds, “Mam knew, didn’t she?”   Siôn maintains that she did not need to know.

Iolo is adamant that his mother, of all people, would have understood, 

"There was a lot of stigma at that time"

but it is explained to him that there was a lot of stigma to such things at the time;  Siôn had been applying for jobs, had not managed to get anything and then he heard about this.

"You should feel ashamed of the way you walked out on Alex"

He felt ashamed about it, but Iolo tells him that he should not feel that way;  “But you should feel ashamed of the way you walked out on Alex earlier – like it or not, Dad, Alex is my sister!”

"Half-sister – if she's telling the truth!"

“Half-sister – if she’s telling the truth,” Siôn warns him, “Let’s discuss this properly,” 

"I don't want to hear this"

but already Iolo is going upstairs

Jason charges £12

Jason serves one of the mystery men with his tacos, for which he charges £12;  

"I hate to think of that sort of thing going on"

as the man looks at one of the leaflets on the counter, Jason remarks that he hates to think of that sort of thing taking place on their streets.

"Did he have nachos with his tacos?"

When the man has gone, DJ suddenly asks, “Did he have nachos with his tacos?   Give him these, or they will go to waste.”   

"Are you feeling all right, DJ?"

Jason suspects that he is not feeling all right, giving something away for free.   

DJ opens the cupboard

DJ opens the padlocked cupboard.

Eileen arrives at Y Felin 

Eileen arrives at Y Felin as Siôn is saving something on his laptop;  “You would think they could come up with a better system by now,” he complains, 

"Cwm Ni drives me mad sometimes"

“Cwm Ni drives me mad sometimes – we’re two pages short.   Ronald Jones forgot to remind Megan about Bethania’s page – and she won’t do anything at the last minute.”

"So you're too busy to come for a drink?"

Eileen assumes that he is too busy to come for a drink, which he had forgotten about, explaining that Iolo was scolding him until about half an hour ago and now he is behind with the magazine.   

"It's the least I can do after that scene"

Nevertheless, he will have a drink with Eileen;  he says that it is the least he can do after that scene today.

Eileen is anxious to understand the situation;  “And it means the world to me that you accept it,” he replies, 

"I can't deny that it scares me"

“But I can’t deny that it scares me – I might have more relatives than Alex.”   

"There's no point thinking like that"

She advises that there is no point thinking like that, but he is worried that if he lets Alex into his life, more might follow;  

"I don't think I've got the love to give"

“I don’t think I’ve got the energy or the love to give to more children.”

Eileen imagines that she probably wants to learn more about herself and does not expect him to be anything to her;  

"I pushed Angela away at the start"

“You see, I pushed Angela away at the start – I was scared and worried and I felt ashamed.”

"I'm sorry I brought back those memories"

He regrets that he has brought back those memories and she replies that difficult experiences bring them closer together;  

The he kisses her

Siôn kisses her.   

"Let's forget about the Deri"

She maintains that Siôn looks tired and proposes that they should forget about the Deri, simply having a glass of wine there, so he takes off his coat again.

"What's the matter now?"

DJ is waiting in the alley, having summoned Ioan, who demands what is wrong.   “There’s something going on with those high-vis boys,” DJ is convinced, 

"One of them came and bought tacos"

“One of them came and bought tacos.”

"Because someone is buying tacos from a tacos van?"

“You’ve called me back here because people are buying tacos from a tacos van?” Ioan snarls, but DJ does not want the stuff in his van, trying to give it back to Ioan.

"You've had your money, so it's your job!"

“You’ve had your money, so it’s your job!” he is told 

"I would never be able to hide them"

and he whimpers that if they searched the van, he would never be able to hide them.   

"The more you panic, the more suspicious you are!"

“I told you last week, the more you panic, the more suspicious you are!” Ioan snarls.

DJ demands why he was brought more stuff when he said last week that he did not want it, 

"You don't even know they're cops"

but is told, “You don’t even know they are cops – so cool head!”

"But what if they are?"

“What if they are police?” DJ asks and is told that they would ‘clock’ him, marching around with that bag – and it will be ‘game over’ then!

"Just carry on as normal"

“Just carry on as normal!” Ioan instructs him.   DJ mutters that they might as well catch him now – 

"I'm going to show them the bag"

he intends to show them the bag, but Ioan grabs him.

“I can’t do this any more – I’ve got children – I’m a father – I can’t bear it any more!”

"There's no way you'd cope in jail, mate!"

“If you can’t cope with this, there’s no way you’d last in jail, mate!” Ioan informs him, “They’ll eat you alive?   Do you understand?   You’d be a goner – especially if you grass on people.”

"Is it because you're scared?"

DJ laughs, “Is that why you’re dumping more stuff on me?   Because you’re scared?   

"You're the coward, aren't you?"

“You’re the coward, aren’t you?   I no longer care if they catch me or not.”

Ioan prevents him from going anywhere, promising, “They’ll go after your children, I’m telling you – there’s no telling what they will do – to them, you’re just scum – like me.  

 

"Your life won't be worth living!"

“If the stuff isn’t in the van when the boys come to pick it up, believe me, your life won’t be worth living!”

He hurries away, leaving DJ to digest what he has said

"Tremendously spicy Malbec!"

As they sit at Y Felin, Siôn comments, “That’s a tremendously spicy Malbec – can you taste the cherries?”   Eileen does not think she can and at that moment, 

Iolo will not join them

Iolo comes downstairs, but does not want to join them.   Eileen points out that it has been a difficult day and they need to relax.

"Eileen, this is none of your business"

Iolo tell her, “Look, I don’t want to be nasty, Eileen, but this is none of your business,” then he reminds his father that she has only been around for two minutes.   

"Longer than you've known Alex"

Eileen stresses that is longer than Alex, but Siôn wants to stop the tension;  

"Eileen's been through something similar with Angela"

he would like Iolo to remember that Eileen has been through something similar with Angela.

"Your father had a shock"

She insists, “You need time – I’m sure of that.   Your father didn’t cope very well today because he had a shock, with no warning at all.”   

"The family history has changed overnight"

Iolo agrees that they all need time, because the family history has changed overnight;  

"Alex is here to stay"

“Like it or not, Dad, Alex is here to stay and you need to start considering her feelings.”

"Are you all right to lock up?"

Jason is cleaning up the counter of Fflamingos and asks DJ if he is sure that he is all right to lock up on his own.   “See you in the morning,” he says as he leaves.

DJ puts the 'ketchup' in the rucksack . . .

DJ retrieves from the locked cupboard the box of ‘tomato ketchup’, puts it into the rucksack and there is a knock to alert him that the collection is to be made.   

. . . then it is collected . . .

He hands the rucksack to someone in a black hoody, who walks away without a word.

. . . but they are under surveillance

We see that this transaction has been witnessed by one of the ‘council workers’ who is still located by the drain