Cwmderi Diary 2018: 18 October 2018

Sara thinks things have improved . . .

Sara comes downstairs, quite happy after their night of passion;

. . . but Jason is engrossed with his phone

however, Jason seems rather quiet, and is engrossed with his phone.

"Shall I get you some toast?"

She asks if he wants some toast and he refuses;

"I had hoped, after last night . . ."

“I had hoped, after last night . . .” she begins, but Ifan cries and Jason goes up to him.

What is it with Cwmderi residents – leaving off the milk bottle top?

Aaron tells his mother that he does not want to go to school today, and he really does not like school at the moment, but Britt is too busy, doing something with her phone;
“What? Can’t you see I’m busy?” she snarls at him, “Hurry up and eat your breakfast or we’ll be late again!”

"Aren't I even allowed to do that?"

Colin comes in and demands what she is doing with that phone, and she tells him that it is food shopping; “Aren’t I even allowed to do that?

"Take it, then, if you don't trust me!"

“Take it, then, if you don’t trust me with it!”

Colin waits until they have gone . . .

They hurry off to school and Colin looks at the phone,

. . . then looks at the phone

where there are several messages she has sent to Chester.

"I'm not paying for it"

Kath is making elaborate arrangements for the wedding, including a chocolate fountain; “Don’t worry about the cost, because I’m not paying for it,” she says.

Non has work to do

Then Non returns to the house, as she has so much work to do, and she could not concentrate in the library.

Kath maintains that Non will not know that she is there, but asks if she and DJ like chocolate,

Kath lists the things she has arranged

then reveals that she has made a few wedding arrangements, such as a chocolate fountain, and a balloon stall for the children; “And a magician!”

Non is not in favour of all this fuss

Non is not impressed by this,

"I want the day to be perfect"

despite Kath going on about wanting the day to be perfect, but does not object at this stage.

Sara arrives at the café and asks Kelly for a large cappuccino and the biggest cake she has;

"You and I are going to sit down"

“Come and sit down,” Kelly tells her, and listens to Sara’s tale of woe.

"I'm getting more messages each day"

“I don’t know where to start – I’m getting more messages every day. And Jason’s behaviour is weird – yesterday he had no interest in me at all, and then last night we slept together.

"This morning he was back to how he was"

“But this morning he was back to how he was – he couldn’t look at me. I tried asking him what was wrong, but I feel such a fool.”

"You're the last person who should feel like that"

Kelly assures her that she is the last person who should feel like that;

Kelly has an impatient customer

there is a customer at the counter who is becoming impatient,

"Deri, one o'clock – be there!"

so Kelly arranges to meet with Sara in the Deri this afternoon.

"You have to sound as if you mean it"

In the salon, Debbie advises Gwyneth that if she wants people to like her, she has to sound as if she means it; when Gwyneth tries this,

"Compliments from you make me feel nervous"

Debbie comments, “No – getting a compliment from you just makes me feel nervous.”

Gwyneth demands, “Why am I getting tips from you? Half of Cwmderi doesn’t like you!”

Debbie laughs, “That’s the Gwyneth I know!”

"I'm on my own in the shop all day"

But she is determined to prove Debbie wrong, and rushes outside, where Megan is passing. She insists that Megan should not be carrying heavy bags, but she wonders who else will do it, as she is on her own in the shop every day. She laments that all of her helpers are getting too old or dying on her.

"Gwyneth would like a new hobby"

“Gwyneth was just saying she would like a new hobby,” alleges Debbie,

"Yes, I could do a couple of shifts"

and Gwyneth reluctantly offers to work a couple of shifts at Apêl Maenan.

Megan remembers being ripped off last time . . .

Megan does not consider this a good idea, after the last time, but Debbie insists that Gwyneth has changed now.

. . . but Gwyneth blames Sioned for that incident

“That was years ago, and I regret it – it was Sioned’s idea to steal that stuff to upcycle,” says Gwyneth, and Debbie reminds Megan that she is always wittering on about forgiveness in the chapel.

"How about this afternoon?"

Megan asks if Gwyneth is available this afternoon, so she could go to a friend’s funeral, and she agrees that she can manage this afternoon. Megan is very grateful,

Gwyneth thinks she put up a good show

and Gwyneth is quite amused by her own performance.

"I'm not allowed to use the phone, remember?"

Colin encounters Britt outside the shop, but she refuses to let him carry her bags; he wants to apologise,

"Chester is probably enjoying himself"

and knows she has a lot on her mind at the moment, but there is no need to worry about Chester. “He is probably enjoying himself too much to contact you,” he says and hands her phone back.

"I'm not worried about him, Col"

She tries to give the impression that she is not worried about him, and wants him to enjoy himself; Colin assures her that he is here to help, and suggest that they could go somewhere, just the two of them.

"It's just a bit of peace I want!"

“No thanks, Colin, it’s just a bit of peace I want!” she exclaims.

Jason is glad he is not the only one wth woman trouble

Jason is passing, and remarks to Colin, “I’m glad it’s not just me who has to put up with the mood swings of these women. You try living with Sara!” This makes Colin think.

"Look at this lovely dress!"

Now Kath is looking at extravagant wedding dresses,

Debbie arrives with more suggestions . . .

and Debbie comes in with suggestions for more of them;

. . . and the two of them squabble

Kath points out that she is arranging the wedding, and lots of things have been organised already.

"Stop it, both of you!"

This is enough for Non, who explodes, “Stop it, both of you! I appreciate that you’re trying to help, but what DJ and I want is a small wedding – no fuss, no balloons,

"No chocolate fountain – or magician!"

“no chocolate fountain – or magician! I don’t want to spend a lot – I’d rather give the money to charity. I just want to marry DJ with my family around me –

"That's not too much to ask, is it?"

“that’s not too much to ask, is it? Now can I have some peace to finish my work?”

It is chips for lunch in the Deri

Sara and Kelly arrive at the Deri, where Kelly orders a bottle of white wine, a large chips and the dessert menu from Dan.

"Now I don't know what to think"

“I honestly thought he was telling the truth last week,” Sara begins, “But now I don’t know what to think. If he is having an affair, why sleep with me last night? And what about everything else – the lipstick, those text messages, his odd behaviour?”

Colin is becoming concerned

In the background we see Colin who is listening to this conversation; Sara continues, “I’ve tried to talk to him, but he’s not interested at all.

Kelly does not have any constructive suggestions

“What if he is having an affair, Kel? What am I going to do?” Colin is torn between two opinions.

They have been deprived of the wedding they anticipated

Debbie and Kath had been really looking forward to this wedding; Debbie groans, “But now we’ll end up in Bethania with a couple of sausage rolls afterwards – Ricky’s first birthday party was more exciting than that!

"We could have had a great party with Diane's money!"

“We could have had a great party with Diane’s money!”

Kath predicts that all Non wants is a party back at the house, and Debbie moans that she would have to clear up after it as well.

Gwyneth is trying to be nice

They are just passing Megan’s shop and are greeted by Gwyneth, who is still trying to be nice;

"Stop it! You're giving me the creeps!"

“Well, stop it! You’re giving me the creeps!” is Kath’s response, and Debbie advises her that Gwyneth is volunteering at the shop now.

"Have you got an old piece of material?"

Kath asked whether she has an old piece of material, and Gwyneth invites them into the shop.

Kelly sees the messages

As she shows Kelly the messages on her phone, Sara demands who would do such a thing,

"Someone who doesn't like you or Jason"

and Kelly answers, “Someone who doesn’t like you or Jason. There are loads of weirdos out there.” Sara has received three more today, and realises that whoever is doing it knows a lot about her;

"What if they turn up at the house?"

she fears that they may turn up at the house when only she and Ifan are there.

Kelly's next comment goads Colin into action

Kelly recommends that she should involve the police, just in case, and this is what persuades Colin to intervene;

"They might be trying to have a bit of fun"

“Sorry, I overheard the conversation – have you thought that this person might just be trying to have a bit of fun? You know, a bad joke that’s gone too far – if it was me, I’d ignore it – I’m sure they would stop then.”

"And how would you know that, Colin?"

Sara enquires how he would know that, and he replies that they are bound to get bored. “You know who it is, don’t you?” she demands, and Kelly emphasises that involving the police would be the best course of action, as they will catch whoever is doing it.

Colin takes the blame

Colin capitulates and admits that it was him; “Sorry, Sara, it was meant to be a joke, but ...”

"What did the last text say, then?"

Sara replies that, in that case, he will know the content of the last text. He is confused and is unable to answer.

"You're obviously trying to protect someone"

“Drop it, Col!” says Kelly, “You’re obviously trying to protect someone!” and Sara knows exactly who it is, as he would not cover for anyone else.

Colin explains that Britt is not thinking straight, and it has been stressful for her since Chester left;

"It's going get much more stressful!"

Sara snarls that it is about to get much more stressful, as she hurries out of the Deri, with Colin in hot pursuit.

"I hope you're all right, Chester"

In the chip shop, Britt is leaving yet another message for Chester; “I hope you’re all right, and enjoying yourself, of course.”

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

Sara marches in and demands, “I want a word with you! What on earth do you think you’re doing? These messages –

"Colin's told me everything!"

“and don’t deny it – Colin’s told me everything!”

"I'm not ashamed – after what you've done!"

Britt admits, “Yes, I’ve been sending them – and I’m not ashamed, after what you’ve done!

"How did it feel to think you'd lost everything?"

“How did it feel to think you’d lost everything? Because that’s what you’ve done to me – if it wasn’t for you, my son would still be here where he belongs!”

"He wanted to leave!"

Sara asks, “Do you honestly believe that he left because of me?” and Britt wonders why she wanted to get rid of him. “He wanted to leave!” screams Sara, “He wasn’t happy, Britt, and do you know what?

"He left because he's got a mother like you!"

“I don’t blame him – he left because he’s got a mother like you!

Does Britt actually feel remorse?

“I feel really sorry for you – you’ve got big problems, Britt! And they don’t have anything to do with Jason and me.”

She wishes Colin good luck as she walks out of the chippy. Then Britt starts on him; “You couldn’t keep your mouth shut for five minutes, could you?”

"You're with the wrong woman!"

Colin reminds her that she promised to stop, but her retort is, “If you want a woman who listens to everything a man says, you’re with the wrong woman!” He protests that he is worried about her,

"Curry and chips, please"

but she insists on serving a customer who has just arrived, with curry and chips.

"No-one will believe that Gwyneth is nice!"

As they return to Maes-y-Deri, Kath and Debbie agree that no one will believe that Gwyneth is nice. They tell Non that as she wants a small, cheap – simple – wedding,

"We'll make bunting out of this"

they are going to start making bunting out of the things they picked up at Apêl Maenan. Debbie will bake a cake and style her hair on the day.

Non is glad they agree with her

Non is pleased that they have come around to her way of thinking, and hugs them.

"I got rid of quite a bit of junk"

When Megan returns to the shop she finds Gwyneth counting the day’s takings; “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure,” Megan remarks,

"I haven't seen so many £20 notes for some time"

and has not seen so many £20 notes for a long time.”

"What else do you expect from a businesswoman like me?"

“What else do you expect from a businesswoman like me?” Gwyneth asks, and Megan would like her to help once a week, perhaps, as she has heard it is rather quiet at the salon. She suggests that they could encourage their customers to go over to the salon.

Colin is cooking pasta, Chester's favourite

Colin is preparing pasta for dinner when Britt and Aaron come home; “I’m doing Chester’s favourite,” he says,

"But we don't know where he is"

but Britt protests that he is not here – and they do not know where he is, or if he is all right.

"He's having a meal at a friend's house in Cardiff"

Aaron remarks that he is fine, and is having a meal at a friend’s house in Cardiff; “He texted me – doesn’t he text you?

"I needed to talk to someone about what happened last week"

“I texted him first – I needed to talk to someone about what happened at school last week.”

"You can talk to us as well, you know"

Colin enquires what happened, and assures him that they are here for him as well;

Of course, Britt is preoccupied with her precious Chester

but Britt is preoccupied with sending another message to Chester. Aaron replies that it does not matter now, and seems to have lost his appetite.

"Look, I'm worried about Aaron"

Colin is worried about him,

"Don't pretend you care!"

but Britt comments, “Don’t pretend you care!” He apologises for telling Sara, but he was trying to stop her from going to the police. “And what was she going to tell them?” Britt demands, “I’m shaking in my boots!

"You're a long way from being a Monk!"

“You’re a long way from being a Monk, aren’t you?”

That is definitely the last thing Colin wants to be

He replies that he is proud of it, as he does not want to be a Monk; she growls, “Good – we’re not grassers and cowards like you! What do you see when you look at yourself in the mirror?”

"Everything that you used to like"

“Everything that you used to like,” he replies, and at that moment her phone sounds;

Chester has actually communicated with her

there is finally a message from Chester, “I’m OK. Mam. Love you. X”

Her demeanour suddenly changes, and she says she will have some pasta after she has been for a bath; Colin wonders what is going on.

"What have I done now?"

At number 9, Jason comes in, having been summoned by Sara; “Right – what have I done now?” he asks,

"It was Britt who sent the messages"

and she says she wants to apologise.

She reveals that Britt sent the messages, and confesses that she should not have doubted him.

"But put yourself in my shoes . . ."

“But put yourself in my shoes – I was getting more and more texts – three or four a day – and they were getting more and more scary. I tried talking to you, several times, but you wouldn’t listen.”