Cwmderi Diary 2018: 9 January 2018

Garry seeks Britt's opinion

Garry goes to visit Britt early in the morning, wanting her opinion on an idea he has had;

"A surprise party for Dani – and Carol"

“A surprise party for Dani at the end of the week – it will be for Carol too, to welcome her to the world.”

"Dani's not in the mood for a party"

Britt does not think this will work; “Dani’s not in the mood for a party these days – it’s really stressful caring for a baby 24/7.” He maintains that is exactly what she should have one, so that she can relax.

"You like parties, don't you?"

Garry asks for Aaron’s opinion, and he is all in favour of parties.

Kelly arrives at number seven, apologising for the early hour;

"Is this a good look, Iolo?"

“I really need your advice,” she tells Iolo, “Is this a good look?”

"It's too much, isn't it?"

“It’s too much, isn’t it?” He is on his way to work, and says she should talk to Tyler. “I should have thought – first impressions are so important.

"I should be more subtle"

“I should be more subtle!”

"Subtle is not how anyone would describe you!"

Tyler advises her that she needs to be herself – and subtle is not how anyone would describe her. He has to take Greta to see the doctor, and Kelly thinks that she should pull out altogether, as she is unsure.

"Think about why you're doing this"

“Think about why you’re doing this – if you’re not sure, then cancel it,” adds Tyler.

"I've got to move on after Ed!"

She insists that she has to move on after all this business with Ed, and begs him to give her tips, as she has not done this sort of thing for ages.

"Just listen to him"

He suggests that she should listen to the man she is meeting, and she agrees that she does talk too much when she is nervous. Then he adds, “Perhaps count up to five before answering questions,”

"I don't want him thinking I'm slow"

but she does not want him to think that she is slow. Tyler asks what is his name, and is told that it is Iestyn.

His only advice is that she should be herself,

"That's the most difficult part sometimes"

and she comments, “That’s the most difficult part sometimes.”

"Have you been staying with Hannah?"

Chester comes sauntering into the chip shop flat, and assures his mother that there is plenty of time to put on his school uniform. “Have you been staying with Hannah?” she demands, “You’re not allowed to go to Bryntirion – you’re grounded!”

"I shall go and check"

Garry is quite amused by this, but Britt decides to go to the shop, to check if he has been with Hannah;

"I don't believe a word you say!"

“I don’t believe a word you say these days!” she snarls.

"You ought to hide that love bite"

“If I were you, I would lift my shirt collar to hide that love bite,” Garry tells him,

"Oh!"

and Chester is horrified to see it.

"That part you wanted is in stock, Iolo"

Iolo comes into the shop and Jim tells him that the part he ordered is now at APD. Britt bursts in, asking about Chester, then notices the newspaper on the counter;

APD publicity in the Western Post

a headline reads, “Ashurst Family Business Sponsors Dry January at Rugby Club.”

She is incensed that there is no mention of sponsorship from the chip shop. “There’s no mention of other businesses here!”

"Nice photo of Chester and Hannah"

Iolo points out that it is a nice photo of Chester and Hannah, but Britt moans that Chester is not part of that family.

Iestyn has met Kelly in the Deri

Kelly is talking to Iestyn in the Deri; he enquires about her foreign travel; she replies that she has been to South America and Bali, but it is hard to say which is her favourite place.

Kelly is rather nervous

She becomes tongue-tied, and he assures her that there is no need to be nervous; “I’m just here to suss you out, to get to know you. What about the Balkans – the old Yugoslavia? Have you travelled there at all?”

Kelly has not, but thinks it sounds amazing; he points out there are wonderful views there,

"The view from here isn't bad either"

and she cannot resist commenting, “The view from here isn’t bad either.”

Garry follows the conversation with interest

As Garry watches with amusement from behind the bar, she again apologises for her nervousness.

"Only APD has been given any publicity!"

Britt accosts Diane, complaining that no business except APD has been given any publicity in the paper, and not everyone had a photo. “You’re tempting Chester to APD all the time, and Bryntirion!”

"Chester does not come to see me!"

Diane enlightens her that Chester is not visiting her, but Britt continues ranting, “Do you know he’s grounded, and he’s not supposed to go over there?

"You're enticing my son over there!"

“You and your family entice my son over to you every chance you get!”

Diane is becoming enraged; “If it upsets you so much, you should keep better tabs on him.”

Eileen smiles

Then Eileen comes out of the shop door, smiling, which elicits another mouthful from Britt.

"At least, my child isn't in prison!"

“What are you smiling about? At least my child isn’t in prison!” Eileen is not standing for this, and reminds her that Chester is not an angel. Diane remarks that Britt got out of the wrong side of bed this morning,

Debbie investigates

and Debbie comes out of the café to investigate the commotion.

“At least my child is not crazy!” shouts Britt, “Domestic abuse – you should be ashamed for bringing up such a girl!” Then she notices Debbie across the road,

"You can go to hell, too!"

and bawls at her, “You can go to hell, too! Standing there, poking your nose in!”

Debbie enjoys the entertainment

Debbie laughs as Britt storms off along the street.

"I need a coffee!"

Diane crosses the road and tells Debbie she needs a coffee, but when she gets into the café she sees Chester,

"He's the cause of all this trouble"

and accuses him of being the cause of all the trouble. “Do you remember you promised me a few hours work in APD? Does your mother know?” Debbie recommends that he tells the truth, as Britt is wound up as tight as a top.

"You're not to sleep at Bryntirion!"

“You’re not to sleep at Bryntirion,” Diane continues, “And I don’t want any arguments!”

This is quite a blow to Chester

Chester is very upset to hear this.

Iestyn continues his ‘interview’ with Kelly, asking specifically what she wants to see in Bosnia;

"I'd love to see the Mostar Bridge"

“It would really be something else to see the Mostar bridge,” she replies,

Ed definitely does not like the look of this

just as Ed walks into the Deri. Iestyn thinks that could be arranged, and, although excited,
Kelly cannot resist a few glances at Ed, who obviously does not like the look of Iestyn.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves"

“They seem to be enjoying themselves,” comments Garry, “They’ve been like that for half an hour.” Iestyn comes to the conclusion that Ed is an ex,

"No, just a friend"

but Kelly calls him a friend. Ed cannot stand any more of this, and leaves,

But one she cannot keep her eyes off

much to Kelly’s discomfiture.

"I feel like giving her a bit of my mind!"

Jim is furious about what Britt said to Eileen, but she expects everyone is saying that behind her back. “I feel like going over there and giving her a piece of my mind!” he roars,

"No – leave it, Jim!"

but Eileen tries to dissuade him. “The Monks taking the moral high ground – it’s laughable!” he exclaims.

She explains that Chester has been winding up Britt,

"I'm grateful I don't have a teenager"

and says she is grateful she does not have a teenager. Then, realising what she has said, she apologises to Jim,

"It's best to forget all this quarrelling!"

and he thinks that it is best to forget all this quarrelling.

"How about going to the Deri for lunch?"

She proposes that they go to the Deri for lunch, on the condition that he does not say a word to Britt;

"That sounds like a good plan"

they should not lower themselves to her level.

"I cannot believe Mam and Diane"

On the bench, Chester tells Hannah he cannot believe his mother and Diane this morning;

"Friday night will be epic!"

she attempts to cheer him up by saying, “Friday night will be epic! I’m really looking forward to it!” She leaves for school.

Garry comes across the road

Garry sees Chester there alone, and crosses the road to talk to him; “Come on, I’ll buy you some chips,” he says,

"I'm expecting you at the party on Friday"

“Have you heard about the surprise party for Dani and Carol on Friday? In the Deri at six – I’m expecting you there!”

"I can't – I'm going to Cardiff with Hannah"

Chester replies that he is going to Cardiff with Hannah to see a band, and as he is not allowed to sleep at Bryntirion any more, he cannot cancel it.

"You need to decide who your real family is"

“I think your mother’s right – you need to decide who your real family is,” Garry informs him, handing him £5 to buy some chips.

"Two tradition stews, please"

In the Deri, Jim orders two traditional stews, then he tells Eileen, “I’m not crossing Britt while she’s in that mood! I heard that trouble was brewing on the street today.” Eileen tries to stop him,

"You should be ashamed of yourself!"

but he continues, “You should be ashamed of yourself!”

"Hey, don't talk to my sister like that!"

Garry comes in and tells Jim to stop talking about his sister like that.

“Don’t you apologise,” Jim rebukes Eileen, “She should be the one doing that!”

Suddenly, Britt is all apologetic

Britt admits that he is right, and she picked on Eileen unnecessarily this morning, but she did not mean it.

"Did you know that Chester is going to Cardiff?"

Garry demands, “Did you know Chester is going to Cardiff instead of Dani’s party?” and is told that it is a Christmas present from Hannah. “But Carol is his cousin!” stresses Garry, “What’s wrong with him?

"The Monks stick together, he knows that!"

“The Monks stick together, he knows that!” Britt confesses that she does not know what to do with him at the moment;

"Putting my foot down doesn't work"

she has tried putting her foot down, but it does not work.

He suggests, “Perhaps you should try being nice to him – it worked with Eileen just now, didn’t it?”

"Bosnia?"

In the café, Debbie is incredulous; “Bosnia? This is all very sudden – are you doing the right thing?”

"I've always wanted to travel"

Kelly replies that she can feel it in her bones, and she has always wanted to travel more. She will work two weeks’ notice, and will then be off. “You don’t know much about this Iestyn,” Debbie warns her,

"There's nothing to keep me in Cwmderi"

but Kelly is confident that they will get to know each other in Bosnia, and there is nothing to keep her in Cwmderi now.

Ed thinks otherwise

Ed has been eavesdropping on this conversation; he abruptly gets up and on his way out of the café looks intently at Kelly.

Chester has tried to disguise the evidence

Chester appears apprehensive when his mother returns to the flat;

"Vampires in Bryntirion, are there?"

“Oh yeah – there are vampires in Bryntirion, are there?” she asks, “It was only a joke – I don’t want this tension between us any more than you do.”

"Well, stop wittering on and on, then"

He tells her in that case to stop wittering on and on about Bryntirion, and she supposes that it is only natural for youngsters to lie to their parents. “But it’s also normal for them to sleep under the same roof,” she adds.

"You're so embarrassing, Mam!"

Chester explains that she is so embarrassing, making a fuss all the time, and she admits that she does not want to embarrass him.

"Now, if you were to apologise to Diane"

“What would really help is if you would apologise to Diane too,” he tells her, “So she’ll let me sleep over there again.”

"She should be apologising to me!"

However, Britt refuses to do this, and accuses Diane of stealing her son.

Chester storms out

Chester gets up and walks out of the flat, as she shouts that he should be at home, doing his schoolwork.

Jim has strained his shoulder

Jim comes into APD, having strained his shoulder lifting cement bags; Diane says that Chester can do the stacking, if he comes. “Unless Britt’s chained him to the wall!” he comments.

"I feel sorry for Chester"

Diane maintains that she feel sorry for him, having to put up with a possessive mother.

Chester comes in, wanting a word with Diane; “You know you and Mam were on the street this morning –

"I don't suppose you could apologise to her?"

“I don’t suppose you could, maybe, apologise to her?”

Diane is not at all receptive to this suggestion, insisting that Britt should be the one to apologise. “You’re as bad as each other,” Chester sighs,

"Certainly not! Go out in the yard!"

and she orders him out to the yard, while Jim chuckles.

Kelly reads about Bosnia

Kelly is sitting at number 10, looking at the leaflet about Bosnia,

She always looks like that when Ed is on the doorstep

when Ed arrives; “When were you going to tell me?” he asks,

"How long have you been seeing each other?"

“How long have you been seeing each other?” She explains that he has got it wrong;

"YoungPoorInEurope.org"

he picks up the leaflet and reads, “YoungPoorInEurope.org.”

"He's given me a job"

Looking very uncomfortable, Kelly says that he has given her a job; “Working for a charity that helps poor young children across Europe. I want to travel and it will be an amazing experience.”

She explains something about the job . . .

She shows him another leaflet, “A chance to learn new skills while teaching skills to young people.”

. , , and Ed looks very dubious

She is not exactly sure what skills these will be; “Iestyn says there’s a lot of work to do there – you should get to know him – he’s a scream.”

"Anyway, Iestyn is gay"

Ed could see that they were getting on well, but then she announces that he is gay, not that it is any business of Ed’s.

"I don't want you to go!"

He says, “Sorry, I’m just . . . I don’t want you to go! What’s wrong with staying here with me?”

"What – staying here as a friend?"

She replies, “Staying here as . . . a friend?”

Tell her how you feel, you idiot!

As he says nothing, she thinks he had better leave. “What exactly is going on here? “You can’t control my life! You have no right to tell me what to do! It’s not relevant! What if I fancied Iestyn anyway?