15 January 2026

Eileen comes into the room . . .

Siôn is looking exceptionally happy when Eileen comes into the room;  he tells her that it is because she just walked in and she accuses him of being a sycophant.   

. . . and Siôn thanks her for talking to Sioned 

He thanks her for talking to Sioned;  “It means everything that you support me.”

"There's no need to thank me"

She assures him that there is no need to thank her, as they are a team;  “Sioned’s going to talk to Mathew to find out what’s wrong.”   

"I don't want to make the situation more awkward"

Siôn hopes that he is fine about things, as he does not want to make the situation more awkward.

"We an go to the curry night at the Deri"

Eileen goes on that Sioned has agreed to look after Huwi tonight, “So that we can go to the curry night in the Deri,” and he is pleased to hear it.

Iolo comes in to see his father

Iolo comes in just as Eileen is leaving;  

"Why didn't you say you'd won?"

“I’ve just seen photos of you getting up to win a ‘chair’ in Llanarthur – why didn’t you say that you’d won?”

"I hoped no-one would find out"

Siôn had been hoping that no-one would find out, as no-one in Cwmderi reads the compositions.   However, Iolo announces., “The poems are up on the Eisteddfod’s Facebook page – and someone has sent the link to the Cwmderi pages.”   

Siôn is horrified

His father is horrified to hear this.

"Kale and spinach balti"

In the Deri flat, Kath asks Cassie what she thinks of this;  “Kale and spinach balti?”   Her answer is that it is too many leaves.   

"We have to make a decision"

“Come on, Cassie, we have to make a decision – I have to go out and buy this stuff.”

"People have asked about takeaways"

Cassie comments that some people have asked if they are doing takeaways, which Kath regards as a good idea, as they need every penny at this time of year.   She will add it to the Facebook page.

"Has Mark posted about Cheryl's vigil?"

Cassie asks if Mark has posted about Cheryl’s vigil;  “Yes – and he’s chosen a beautiful picture of her.”   Cassie is nervous, as she has agreed to say a few words, but wonders what someone is supposed to say on such an occasion.

"What on earth is this?"

Meanwhile, Kath has discovered something else on Facebook;  “What on earth is this?   John White has won a ‘chair’ for writing poetry – 

"Poems of the unfaithful"

and look at the title!   ‘Poems of the unfaithful’.   The wine man came to pour his milk over her – what on earth does that mean?”

"It's 'magic', not milk'!"

Cassie corrects her that it is ‘magic’ [lledrith], not ‘milk’ [llefrith] – the two words are very similar in Welsh.   

"Eileen and this Beaujolais guy!"

Kath realises that this is about Eileen and that Beaujolais guy, 

Kath falls about laughing

which causes her to laugh uproariously.

Anita is back at the shop

Anita is back at the shop and tells Colin, “I’ve put a couple of things to one side already, OK?   

"We don't need a lot, because we've got each other"

“Don’t worry, I haven’t packed a lot – we don’t need a lot, do we?   Because we’ve got each other.”

"This has to stop, Anita"

Colin warns her that this has to stop, 

"By the time Meic finds out . . ."

but she goes on, “By the time Meic finds out, we’ll be a long way from here!”   

"I work int the shop now"

Lleucu interrupts to ask if she can go for her lunch now and is told by Anita that she works in the shop as well now.

"She helps out now and then"

Colin explains that she is just helping out now and again;  “Yes, that’s it – every now and again!” Anita sniggers.   Colin tells Lleucu to go for her lunch, but she seems reluctant to do so, 

"You heard what he said!"

until Anita snarls, “You heard what he said – it’s lunchtime!  Go on!”

"We have a lot to organise"

Anita insists that they have a lot to organise, 

"We're not running away"

so Colin points out to her, as gently as possible, “We’re not going anywhere – we’re not running away,” 

"Why not?"

and she demands why not.

"What would Ieuan and Britt do without us?"

“What would Ieuan and Britt do without us?   

"I'll make is a cup of tea"

“Look, come and sit down and I’ll make us a cup of tea – what to do you say?”

Cassie is surreptitiously ay MFC

Cassie comes into MFC, asking Britt if she got the text;  

"Typical Siôn flippin' White"

“Yes, typical Siôn flippin’ White,” is the reply.   Britt is going somewhere and is leaving the shop in the hands of a young chap called Owain.

"I'm going to see Catrin in London"

When asked where she is going, she answers that it is to Catrin in London;  they are going to have a late Christmas together.   

"Behave yourself in the big, bad city"

Cassie advises her, “Behave yourself in the big, bad city!”

"You had no right to put them up!"

In the High Street, Siôn is speaking on the phone, complaining, “You had no right to put them up in the first place – I don’t care about the small print!   Take them down!”

Cassie comes out of MFC just as he angrily ends the call and congratulates him;  

"Some kind of revenge"

“I know better than anyone how powerful words can be – it may be comforting or some kind of revenge against Eileen . . .”

"I'm trying to get them taken down"

insists that it was not that and he is doing his best, trying to get them taken down before Eileen sees them.

"I'd have a word with her, before someone else does"

“I’d have a word with her before anyone else sees them and tells her,” is Cassie’s recommendation.”

"Hey, Dad, did you get rid of them?"

As she walks away, Iolo is approaching and asks if his father got rid of them.   

"I have to explains to her, don't I?"

“I have to explain to her, don’t I?” Siôn groans.

Colin brings tea for Anita

Colin brings Anita a cup of tea, which she says is just the way she likes it;  

"You're not one of these vegans, are you?"

“You’re not one of these vegans, are you?” he asks, 

"No, I do go to chapel sometimes"

and she replies that, on the contrary, she does go to chapel sometimes.

"You are a character, Anita"

He says that she is a ‘haden’ [character],

"As long as I'm not a duck!"

to which she answers, “As long as I’m not a ‘hwyaden’ [duck]

"I feel as if I'm suffocating at home"

“It’s nice to be able to talk to you, because I feel like I’m suffocating at home,” she complains;  Colin says that he enjoys a chat.   

"Things are a bit skew-whiff, aren't they

“Things aren’t easy – things are a bit skew-whiff, aren’t they?”

He agrees that she is right and she continues, “I just hope everything will work out all right, you know?”

Colin is sure that it will, guaranteed, 

"Where's that smile gone?"

wondering where her smile has gone;  

"There it is – I can see it"

he lifts up her head and remarks, “There it is – I can see it.”

Then Colin gets rather a shock . . . 

Anita kisses him, which causes some surprise – 

. . . and so does Lleucu

at that moment the door opens as Lleucu is back from her lunch

"Does this suit me?"

Eileen is looking at a dress when Siôn returns and she asks him if those colours suit her;  

Siôn is rather preoccupied

however, he has something else on his mind.   

"You're not still worried about Mathew?"

“You’re not still worried about Mathew, are you?” she asks.

"I have something to tell you"

“Listen, I have something to tell you,” he begins, “You know I sometimes express my feelings through poetry?”   Eileen was aware that he wrote, but did not know that it was poetry;  

"You could write a poem about me"

she imagines that he could write a poem about her.

"After what happened in Swansea . . ."

“While we were separated, after what happened in Swansea, I wrote quite a lot.   I got things off my chest.”   

"About me?"

She suspects that it was about her, and he goes on, “About being unfaithful and disappointment.”

"But that's all water under the bridge now"

“But that’s all water under the bridge now, isn’t it?” she says.

"A few things were . . . not so nice"

He admits that he did write some nice things, “But a few things were . . . not so nice.”   She can understand that, considering what she did, but he is adamant that now he does not mean the things which he wrote before.

"I'd like to read them"

She is glad about that and says that she would like to read them;  he is not so sure about that.

Anita is taken home

Colin is taking Anita back home, much against her will;  

"Your shift is over"

he tells her that her shift is over as he knocks on the door of number 7.   “Are you angry with me?” Anita demands.

"Is everything all right?"

Ieuan comes out and asks if everything is all right, then notices that Anita’s lanyard with the key is not hanging around her neck;  

"What if Colin hadn't brought you home?"

“You know how important it is that you wear it.   What if Colin hadn’t brought you home?”

"I would have knocked, like anyone else!"

“I’d knock on the door like anyone else!” she scowls and goes inside.   

"Thanks for looking after her, Col"

Ieuan thanks Colin for looking after her.   

He returns to the shop

He walks back across the road where Lleucu is watching;  “Why did you do that?” she asks him, 

"Why didn't you tell him what happened?"

Why didn’t you tell him what happened?”   Colin just dismisses it as a kiss between friends, but Lleucu insists that it was more than that – and he knows it.   

"Yoi should have told him or Kelly"

“You should have told him the truth – him or Kelly.”

"She didn't mean any harm"

He insists that Anita didn’t mean any harm, but Lleucu maintains that is not the point.   “She’s dangerous!” which Colin regards as a stupid thing to say, arguing that she would not hurt anyone.

"She's a danger to herself"

“A danger to herself, I mean – can’t you see that?”   Colin goes back into the shop.

Siôn and Eileen  enter the Deri

Eileen and Siôn arrive at the Deri and he orders a bottle of white wine;  “She’s taken it very well,” Cassie comments, 

"You haven't told her, have you?"

“You haven’t told her, have you?”   Eileen joins him at the bar and Cassie was under the impression that they were having a dry January.

"I forgot all about it"

“Well, we went out last week and I forgot all about it,” Eileen replies.   Cassie says that she and Kath decided to do Veganuary instead, 

"The Deri is going vegan"

explaining that the Deri is going to be vegan throughout January.

"You've got vegan curries?"

Eileen distastefully remarks, “So you’re saying that you’ve got vegan curries tonight?”   

Cassie points to the notice

Cassie draws her attention to the notice which indicates ‘Veganuary Curry Night’.

"Don't you have any meat curries at all?"

“Don’t you have any meat curries at all?”   She is informed that was the idea.   “Did you know about this?” she asks Siôn, “There’s no sense in it!”

"You make cooking with vegetables sound like murder"

“You make cooking with vegetables sound like murder,” says Cassie 

"It's murdering the countryside!"

and that is how Eileen regards it – as murdering the countryside.   

"It's a bit of fun, trying new recipés"

However, Cassie suggests, “It’s a bit of fun, trying new recipes we haven’t tried before.”

“What would we do without farmers?” demands Eileen, 

Siôn brings the endangered Welsh lanhuage into this

while Siôn gets in on the act by pointing out that there is no future for the Welsh language without rural areas.

"If it's too hot to grow crops!"

Apparently, Cassie has swallowed the global warming propaganda;  “There won’t be much of a future for the countryside if it’s too hot to grow crops.”

"I'm not eating here, Siôn"

Eileen has decided that she will not be eating there, so Siôn suggests that they can pick up a pizza, but first he will visit the gents.

"People can live however they want"

In his absence, Eileen continues, “Look, Cassie, people can live however they want – but that’s the point, it’s a choice.”   

"Not having this stupid curry, are you?"

At this point, Iolo comes in to collect his takeaway order, while she sneers, “You’re not having this stupid curry, are you?   There’s no meat in it, for one thing.”

He was under the impression that was the idea of Veganuary, 

"I don't think I could have forgiven him so easily"

then casually adds, “Anyway, it’s nice to see that you and Dad are friends again.   I don’t think I could have forgiven him as easily if I knew everyone had read what he wrote about you.”

He realises he has let the cat out of the bag

Her puzzled expression reveals that she does not know what he is talking about, so he quickly grabs his order and leaves.   

"Do you know what that was all about"

“Do you know what that was all about?” Eileen asks Cassie, but she does not reply.

"I fancy trying the Deri's curry"

In the MFC flat, Colin fancies going over to the Deri to sample their curries;  

"I've just had a toasty, Col"

“They do takeaways if you fancy something to eat on the train.”   Britt says that she has just had a toasty and refuses a lift to the railway station as she has booked a taxi and was not sure when he would finish work.

"Off you go, or there won't be any left"

“Off you go, Col, or there won’t be any curries left.”   He tells her to give his love to Catrin and to text him the minute she gets there.   

"I'm going to miss you so much"

He gives her a hug and tells her to enjoy herself;  he is going to miss her so much.   

"Don't forget the presents"

He reminds her not to forget the presents, which are on the table.

She places them in the cupboard

As soon as he has gone, she puts the presents in one of the kitchen cupboards (where he will probably find them in due course).

"I've ordered the pizza"

Eileen is looking with some concern at her phone when Siôn returns, having ordered their pizza from Jinx.

Eileen reads his poem . . .

Eileen quotes one of his poems to him, “She threw her flesh into the pit of her shallow desire,” as his look turns to one of horror.   

. . . which attracts everyone's attention

Others are listening with interest 

"And her sin, like her lace knickers . . ."

as she goes on, “And her sin, like her lace knickers, drying to a crisp outside.”

She picks up her coat and rushes out of the Deri.

"Are there any more poppadoms?"

Upstairs in the flat, Cassie asks if there are any more poppadoms in the cupboard, 

Kath has found the remains of the visit to MFC

just as Kath discovers in the bin an MFC box.

"Don't say anything"

She is admonished not to say anything, but Kath remarks, “I knew you were struggling with this Veganuary!”   Cassie feels like a failure, 

"Now I can stop that nonsense as well!"

but Kath is glad that now she can stop that nonsense as well.   

"We can always pretend"

“We can always pretend that we’re vegans in the bar and then eat whatever we want up here.   No-one will be any the wiser.”

"It's not working down there either"

Cassie agrees that is what they will do, but also points out, “We have to confess that it’s not working down there, either.   We are losing customers, not attracting them.”

Kath wonders what she suggests and Cassie replies, 

"Eileen had a very good idea"

“Well, this doesn’t happen very often, but Eileen had a very good idea.”

"Lots of my poems say lovely things"

Back home at the shop flat, Siôn is insisting that lots of his other poems say lovely things;  

"You lit the flame of my imagination"

“You lit the flame of my imagination, you ignited my passion,” but Eileen grimaces.   

"It's part of being with a poet"

He maintains that this is part of being with a poet;  “Where would Dafydd be without his Morfudd? [figures in Arthurian legend]   The difference here is that I’m the cuckold!”

"Don't you justify it!"

Eileen warns him not to justify it, but he continues, “I was reacting to what happened at the time – 

"You must see that"

“you must see that!”

“But it’s not about the way I see it, is it, that’s important?   

"Everyone else has seen it!"

“Everyone else has seen it!”   He says that he is sorry, but she is determined that she wants him to leave.

He cannot believe that she is serious, but she assures him that she has never been more serious.   

"You have another choice here, Eileen"

He points out that she has another choice here;  she can forgive him.   

"For making me a laughing stock?"

“Forgive you?   For making me a laughing stock?” she snarls.

He appreciates that it will be difficult, but he is willing to wait for her forgiveness;  

"I'm willing to sleep on the sofa"

“I’m willing to sleep on the sofa over there until you’re ready to accept me back – like I did with you.”

"How much did you get?"

She asks how much he got for winning in the Eisteddfod and he replies that it was £150.   “You sold your love very cheaply,” she sneers, 

"It can go towards a new trombone for Huwi"

“It can go towards a new trombone for Huwi.”   

Siôn resists the urge to protest

Siôn looks as if he is about to raise an objection to that, but in fact remains silent.

"Thanks for being so good with Anita . . ."

In the Deri, Ieuan thanks Colin for being so good with Anita;  “She was so happy after coming home – and high spirits are hard to come by these days.   

". . . it's a relief to know she was somewhere safe"

“It’s a relief to know that she was somewhere safe.”

Cassie brings across their takeaways, which Ieuan says smell lovely.   

Cassie calls for a bit of hush

Then Cassie calls for the attention of all the customers;  

"Meat and vegan curries from next week"

“Just to let you know, there will be a selection of meat and vegan curries from next week.   

The customers take notice

“We always want to make our customers happy.   

"Kath and I will continue to eat vegan"

Kath and I will continue to eat vegan food until the end of the month.”

Iolo arrives

Iolo arrives at the MFC flat just as Britt is putting on her scarf;  

"I could never have told Colin "

“Thanks, Iolo – I could never have told Colin where I’m going.   

"I feel so guilty!"

“I feel so guilty,” 

"You're doing the right thing, Britt"

but he assures her that she is doing the right thing.

“Don’t tell him, will you?” she says as she puts on her woolly hat, 

Britt turns out the lights

turns out the lights and they leave the flat.