23 October 2018

Hywel tries to contact Julie

Hywel (who has at last had a shave) is attempting to contact Julie, but only reaches her answerphone;  

He looks at photos of Esther

he sits down and looks at photos of Esther on his phone.   

"There's no point if you won't fight for her"

Rhys comes in after training and comments, “There’s no point pining for her if you won’t fight to keep her.’

"Julie has rights too"

Hywel maintains that they have to play this carefully, as Julie has rights too, but Rhys insists that Esther should be with them;  “Phone Julie and tell her.”   His father says that he only got the answering machine and did not leave a message.

Rhys takes the initiative

Rhys grabs his phone and dials the number, leaving the message, 

"Dad wants to talk to you about getting Esther back"

“Julie, this is Rhys.   Dad wants to talk to you about getting Esther back.   Arrange to see him as soon as possible.”   Hywel reminds him that she is Esther’s grandmother, and he is the one who turned his back on her, but Rhys points out that he has changed his mind, 

"We have to get her back!"

and they need to get Esther back.   

"Yes, you're right, Rhys"

Hywel acknowledges that he is right and thanks him.

Gaynor goes to see Britt

Gaynor visits Britt, who is doing the ironing;  “I wanted to explain face to face,” she begins, “Is Aaron here?”   Britt replies that he is not home yet, so Gaynor explains, “There was an incident at school two weeks ago, between Aaron and Paul Jameson.”   

"No – Aaron's never been any trouble"

Britt immediately stresses that she has never had any trouble with Aaron, but Gaynor tells her that there was a trouble between them;  “There was a fight, and a knife was involved.”

At that moment, Aaron arrives, and his mother bellows at him, “Come here, now!   Mrs Llywelyn wants to talk to you.”   

"The trouble between you and Paul Jameson"

Gaynor tells him that it is about the trouble between him and Paul Jameson.

"It was only a bit of fun last week"

Sioned informs Rhys that last week was just a bit of fun, and she did it for a bet;

"I might have a bet, too"

he replies that he knows;  “Aren’t you annoyed?” she adds, and he suggests that he might have a bet too.   

"If you do, you're not going to win"

“Well, if you do, you’re not going to win,” Sioned assures him.   He says that he is going to find Julie, and hands her a memory stick with some new music for the class;  

She is eager to be there tonight

she confirms that she will be there tonight, much to his delight.

Aaron tells them what happened

Aaron explains that Paul was bullying him; “He said that my father was a murderer and I was like him.   

"He said Dad slept with prostitutes . . ."

“He said that Dad was weird, that he slept with prostitutes, 

". . . and that's why he hanged himself"

“and that’s why he hanged himself – that he was evil.   He wanted a fight – we arranged to meet, but he found a knife somewhere – for self-defence, he said.   When I saw the knife, I kicked it away, and before anything could happen, Miss Ffion Llywelyn arrived and took the knife.”

"Why have you only found out now?"

Britt is angry that Ffion was there two weeks ago;  “If she was there, why have you only found out now?”   

"The investigation will continue"

Gaynor says that both Ffion’s and Aaron’s versions are consistent, and she will continue with the investigation, and the outcome will depend on the evidence.

"My son has been threatened with a knife!"

“My son has been threatened with a knife!” shouts Britt.

"Don't you treat Dad like dirt!"

In the café, Rhys discovers Julie, who is talking to Kath;  “Don’t you treat dad like dirt,” he warns, “Did you get my message?   You and Dad need to meet – to sort this out once and for all.”

"Hywel had his chance, and he didn't want her!"

She argues that he had his chance, but he did not want Esther;  “He can’t change his mind when it suits him!   She needs stability.”   

"Only Dad can give her stability"

Rhys points out that his father can give her that, and she should be with her brother and her father.   

"This is not the time or the place, Rhys"

Kath tells him this is not the time or the place for this discussion, and he leaves.

Colin has a bar of Deluxe chocolate for Aaron

As Colin gives Aaron a bar of DeLuxe Guatemalan chocolate, Britt asks why he did not tell them.   

"Miss told us to keep quiet"

“Miss told us to keep quiet,” he replies, 

This causes Britt to go off the deep end

and Britt immediately decides that she is going to see Ffion.   Colin urges her not to do anything stupid, and Aaron pleads, “You will only make it worse for me!”

"Gaynor will sort this out, Britt!"

Colin emphasises that Gaynor will sort this out, 

"This is your fault, Mam!"

and Aaron shouts, “This is your fault, Mam!   You should have told me what my father was like!”   He storms off to his room.

Julie and Esther leave the café 

Julie and Esther leave the café, and as Hywel comes out of his front door, 

Esther runs toward Hywel . . .

Esther runs towards him;  

A car is being reversed from the garage

a car is being reversed from the garage, and, seeing the danger, Julie screams, “Sheryl!” and runs forward to save her, 

. . . who saves her from danger

but Esther is already safely in the arms of Hywel, and cries with shock.

“You scared your Gran,” says Julie, 

"Rhys wants us to arrange a meeting"

and tells Hywel, “Rhys wants us to arrange a meeting – when is convenient for you?”   He tells her to come over about seven o’clock.

"I should have listened to you, Col"

Britt admits that she should have listened to Colin and told Aaron;  “I thought he was too young and would not understand.”   

"I didn't want to discuss Owen at all . . ."

Colin is sympathetic, telling her not to be too hard on herself.   “To be honest, I didn’t want to discuss Owen at all – 

". . . just to brush it under the carpet"

“I brushed it under the carpet as if it never happened,” she continues.

Colin reminds her that is what Ffion was trying to do with Paul and Aaron, but she insists that Ffion was wrong, and accuses him of being on her side.   

"She didn't want that ugly business to rear its head again"

“She didn’t want the ugly business with Owen to rear its head again – she was trying to defend Aaron,” Colin insists.

Britt is worried that he could be suspended, but Colin points out that he was not the one who brought the knife.   

"I hope he doesn't turn out like Chester!"

"“I hope he doesn’t turn out like Chester – I couldn’t cope with that,” wails Britt, and Colin stresses that he was the one who was being bullied;  

"Go and talk to him, Britt" 

he encourages her to go and have a word with him, as it is bad enough to have the headmistress here, without his mother being angry with him as well.

She settles down in the sofa

He will go out and fetch some more wine for them;  he seems to have successfully calmed Britt, who reclines on the sofa.

Esther is soon absorbed with the dolls' house

Julie and Esther arrive at Hywel’s house, and Esther settles down with her dolls’ house;  

"She's confused – and she's not the only one"

“She’s confused,” says Julie, “And she’s not the only one.”   

"I noticed you shouted 'Sheryl!'"

Hywel noticed that she had called Esther, ‘Sheryl’, and appreciates that things are not easy for either of them, but they have to reach an understanding.

"I want what's best for the little one"

“I’ve been thinking of the future, and what’s best for the little one,” Julie tells him, “I was being unfair, holding on to Esther – perhaps it was my way of holding on to Sheryl.”

Britt awakes from her reverie to hear . . .

Britt had fallen asleep on the sofa, but then hears Aaron talking on the phone;  

. . . Aaron on the phone to Chester

“If you were here, I’d be fine.   OK, I’ll try, Chester – but I’m worried Mam will make a fuss and Paul will start again.   

"He said Owen used prostitutes"

“He said Owen used prostitutes – no they’re not all nasty.”   

Britt has tears in her eyes

Britt listens, with tears in her eyes.

"I thought it would give me a second chance"

Julie confesses, “I thought looking after Esther would give me a second chance, to make up for the mess I made of raising Sheryl.   I made so many mistakes.”   

"We all make mistakes"

Hywel replies that they all make those, and she goes on, “That’s why I don’t want to make another one – it wouldn’t be fair to take her away from you, I can see that now.   

"She should be with you and Rhys"

“She should be with her family – with you and Rhys.”

Hywel is amazed by this news

Hywel is astounded by this change of heart, and very relieved;  he thanks her profusely, confirming that she will always be family as well.   She goes to say goodbye to Esther;  “Be a good girl for Dadi, all right?”   

"We'll be seeing a lot of your Gran"

Hywel adds that although her Gran is going now, they will see a lot of her in the next few days.

Gaynor did not appreciate the music . . .

In the Deri, Gaynor enjoyed the training session, but is not sure about the choice of music;  

"We have to get people out of their comfort zone"

Sioned is very quick to remark that she thought it was lovely.   Rhys maintains that he has to get people out of their comfort zone.   

Sioned leaves them for a moment, and Rhys asks what Gaynor thinks of the gym;  she replies that it is a pity the school gym is not available.   

"Sioned thought we could use a business unit"

He tells her that Sioned had the idea that they could use a business unit;  Gaynor remarks, 

"And Sioned can't do anything wrong, can she?"

“And Sioned can’t do anything wrong, can she?   It’s obvious – you can’t stop looking at her.”   He did not think it was that obvious, but again stresses they are ‘just friends’.

"She's back with your father – permanently"

Julie and Kath come in, and Rhys is informed that Esther is back with her father, permanently.   Kath informs him that it was not easy for Julie, who accepts that is where she should be.  

Rhys has to dash off home

Sioned is disappointed when Rhys says he has to go home, because Esther is back with his father.

Kath orders two large gin and tonics for them, and Gaynor is sure that it was not an easy decision for Julie to make;  “I think you’ve been very brave.”

Esther has now gone off to sleep

Back home, Rhys has read a bedtime story to Esther, and she is now asleep.   He hopes that they are not too late;  

"Stability will come with time"

“She hasn’t known where she is half the time for weeks.”   His father is confident that stability will come with time.

Gaynor brings a celebratory bottle

Then there is a knock at the door, and Gaynor comes in with a bottle for them to celebrate.   She just wanted to say how glad she is that Esther is home, 

"If I can help with anything . . ."

and assures them she will help in any way possible.   Hywel thanks her for everything and she leaves.

"I can't believe she changed her mind like that"

“I can’t believe Julie changed her mind like that,” muses Hywel, “It’s as if she realised,” 

They have a drink

and he opens the bottle.

"It's a relief to have her back with Hywel"

Kath brings another drink to Julie, who is sitting glumly on the Deri sofa;  Julie admits that it is a relief, if she is honest, to have things settled and the little girl back with Hywel.

"Raising her on your own would not have been easy"

“Raising her on your own would not have been easy,” predicts Kath, and Julie thanks her for being such a good friend.   

"I've started listening to myself"

“I’ve started to listen to myself more as well,” Julie adds, and Kath hopes that she has not started talking to herself, 

"When you start answering yourself, you have problems"

although it is when she starts answering herself really that she has problems.   

"Sheryl isn't coming back"

“I hadn’t realised until today, you know, not really, that Sheryl isn’t coming back,” says Julie.

Esther is not sleeping

Esther has woken, and is now on the sofa, playing with Rhys;  “Dadi has nights when he cannot get to sleep,” says Hywel, 

"I'm sorry I haven't given you enough attention"

“I’m sorry I haven’t given you enough attention lately.”   

"That's going to change from now on"

Rhys is determined that things are going to change, so that she will have all their attention from now on.

"I'll never leave you again"

“I’ll never leave you again – do you hear?” Hywel assures Esther.   

Britt is in desperate need of a cwtch

When Colin returns with another bottle of wine, Britt demands that he give her a cwtch;  she confesses that she did not have a talk with Aaron, 

"He misses Chester terribly"

but tells Colin, “He misses Chester terribly, because I heard him talking on the phone about Owen.   

"I sometimes feel like my family is cursed"

“I sometimes feel like my family is cursed – Owen was a murderer, Teg was murdered – and poor Brandon!   You were right, you know – I had no right to criticise Ffion for being a bad teacher, 

"I've been such a bad mother!"

“when I’ve been such a bad mother!   

"There must be something seriously wrong"

“There must be something seriously wrong if he turns to Chester for help, rather than his mother.”   

She hugs Colin again

She hugs Colin again.