Cwmderi Diary 2018: 27 November 2018

Breakfast is about to be shattered

At breakfast time in Maes-y-Deri , there is a hammering on the door, and they find it is Dai, who exclaims, “Now look here! Someone is taking advantage!”

"Here's a bill for you – for the engagement party!"

He hands over the bill for the engagement party,

"£200? You don't expect us to pay, do you?"

and Mark gasps, “£200? You don’t expect us to pay, do you?”

"No-one from our family got engaged"

Debbie points out that no-one from their family got engaged, so it is nothing to do with them.

"Don't even try to get out of this!"

Dai is becoming even more angry; “Don’t even try to get out of this!”

"How about we split it?"

and Ricky suggests that they split it. “No chance – it’s your responsibility,

"I'll tell Garry Monk that you're paying!"

“and I shall tell Garry Monk that you’re paying!”

Debbie makes it quite clear that they will not paying it; Mark snarls at Geraint the owl, “I don’t know what you’re staring at!”

Mark covers up the offending owl

and throws a tea towel over it.

"What were you thinking, DJ?"

DJ arrives for breakfast, still obviously in a fragile state, and Diane demands, “What were you thinking?”

"Gwyneth, of all people!"

He is concerned that his father should not be told, and she advises him, “If he knew, you would have already heard about it – Gwyneth, of all people!

"She tried to frame you for rape!"

“Do I have to remind you of what she did? – she tried to frame you for rape!”

He demands, “What else can I do? Sit here and think about Non?”

"You can't go on like this"

She insists that he cannot carry on like this, but he goes on, “One minute I thought I was about to get married,

"As if someone pulled out the carpet from under my feet"

“and the next it was as if someone pulled the carpet out from under my feet. I’m not supposed to be happy, Diane.”

She argues that he has just been unlucky;

"Have you considered going to talk to Non?"

“Have you considered going to talk to Non?”

"She is not who I thought she was"

but he points out that she is not who he thought she was, so there is nothing more to say. “It doesn’t look like that to me,” she replies,

"Don't make the same mistake again"

“Don’t make the same mistake again – you know where she is.”

As Jason and Sara arrive, Diane sends DJ out to get some fresh air;

"I wondered how long it would take you"

“I was wondering how long take you to find the guts to face us,” Diane tells her son, and she immediately phones Dai,

"Come home quickly!"

instructing him, “Come home quickly!”

"He doesn't look much like his Dad"

Kath shows Debbie a photo of Huwi-John on her phone, and is told that he does not look much like his Dad, which they agree is a good thing.
Ricky comes in, disgusted that his trainers are falling apart,

"I've got to save up for the dentist"

and Kath says she cannot afford to pay for a new pair, as she has to save up for the dentist.

Debbie reports that the washing machine is on the way out, and they are going to be skint.

We've had nothing but bad luck since that blooming bird's been here!"

“As I said, we’ve had nothing but bad luck since that blooming bird’s been here!” moans Kath, “Ricky’s shoes, the Deri bill, my toothache, and now the washing machine.”

Debbie maintains that she should not blame an innocent little owl,

"Who did that?"

and then finds he has been covered up,

"It gives us all the creeps!"

with Mark repeating his comment, “It gives me the creeps – and Mam and Ricky!”

"Gareth wouldn't hurt anyone"

On the contrary, Debbie regards it as a piece of art, which could not harm anyone.

As she goes off to work, she warns them not to touch Gareth, but Mark does not want to stay there, “With that staring at me!”

Ricky soon covers it up again

When they have gone, Ricky covers it up again.

"Where was Dai? Papua New Guinea?"

At Bryntirion, they sit in silence over a cup of tea, waiting for Dai to appear; “Where was Dai when you phoned him? Papua New Guinea?” asks Jason, “We all know what will happen now –

"He didn't need to know about it in the first place"

“he’s going to blow his top over something he didn’t need to know about in the first place. Do we have to tell him?”

The others both emphatically tell him the answer is yes, and that he has to face what he has done, and say sorry;

"You lied to my face, Jason!"

“You lied to my face, Jason!” Diane reminds him, but he maintains that the money is all back in APD’s account now.

Dai rushes in through the back door and announces that nobody has to worry about the party bill;

"That bill is where it should be – with the Joneses!"

“It’s where it should be – with the Joneses!”

Dai is told to sit down

Diane gets him to sit down,

"Jason has something to tell you"

and Sara informs him that Jason has something to say.

"I borrowed money from APD, but now I've paid it all back"

After some prompting, Jason begins, “I borrowed money from APD, but now I’ve paid it all back.” Dai is suspicious,

"How much money?"

and asks how much money is involved; Sara has to tell him that it is £15,000, which Dai finds quite astonishing.

“For gambling – he’s got a problem – he’s an addict!” Sara continues, but Jason protests that he is not an addict.

"You took £15,000 of my money to gamble with?"

“You took £15,000 of my money to gamble with?” roars Dai, “This is a joke, isn’t it? Crikey Moses!”

"It won't happen again"

Jason continues that he is really sorry, but as he said he will not let anything like this happen ever again.

Jason is peremptorily dismissed from APD

Dai is not placated; “What do you think you’re doing? Saying sorry won’t cover this – who the hell do you think you are? You’re sacked!”

"I expect you blame Gareth for this junk mail!"

Mark hands the post for the salon to Debbie, and tells her, “That owl is cursed or something – think about it!” She jokingly remarks that she is sure Gareth winked at her the other night, and Mark is ready to believe her.

"He's a stuffed dead animal!"

“No he didn’t – because he’s a stuffed dead animal!” she emphasises, “Can we discuss proper things, like the Deri bill? It’s got Dai’s name on it, as far as Garry’s concerned – we’re going to give it back to him.” Mark suggests that could send it to that girl in Brecon, and thy could send the owl at the same time, before he throws it in the bin.

Then a seagull targets Mark

Just at that moment, a passing seagull leaves a deposit on the shoulder of his uniform, which he regards as conclusive proof of the evil influence of Gareth.

"Come on, Dad, let's clean you up"

Ricky will take him over to the café to clean him up.

“Right – I honestly don’t see what the problem is,” insists Jason, “All the money is back there in the account, and I promise I’ll never touch it.”

"You're never going near APD again!"

Dai informs him that he will not get a chance to touch it, as he is never going near APD again – he is out!

"You can't do that – he's a partner"

Diane point out that he cannot do that, as Jason is a partner in the business;

"I don't care if he's the next Archbishop of Canterbury!"

“Partner! I don’t care if he’s the next Archbishop of Canterbury!” rants Dai, “He’s not getting his hands anywhere near my money ever again! Show some sense!”

"Right – I've done what I was supposed to do"

Jason maintains that he has done what he was supposed to do; he has confessed and apologised, and now he wants to go. Sara says, “It’s important that we all understand each other, so that we can move on sensibly.”

"What he has done is not sensible!"

Dai reminds her that what Jason has done is not sensible – taking money from APD, and spending it all on poker and blackjack.

Jason again stresses that he has paid it all back;

"He also lost £7,000 of our money as well"

Sara adds, “It wasn’t just your money, Dai, he has lost £7,000 of our money as well.”

"You will not come near APD ever again!"

Dai is quite adamant, “You will not come near APD ever again – if it’s the last thing I do!” Jason wonders if he has never made a mistake,

"How about that £30,000 fine for the gas canisters?"

querying that £30,000 fine about the gas canisters.

"Look here, Ronnie Biggs, that was completely different!"

“Look here, Ronnie Biggs, that was completely different!” Dai roars, but Jason replies that some would call that hypocrisy.

Both of them agree that Jason should go home, and Sara is somewhat despairing,

DJ approaches the front door of a house

DJ consults a piece of paper, and arrives at the front door of a house;

Non is surprised to see him

it is opened by Non, who is surprised to see him.

"We cannot leave things as they are"

He says that they need to talk, as they cannot leave things as they are,

She invites him into the house

and she invites him in.

Dai is checking the accounts on the laptop when Diane arrives at APD;

"There's something wrong with the boy, if you ask me"

“£15,000 on betting! There’s something wrong with the boy, if you ask me. Hold on a minute – this isn’t news to you, is it?” She tells him that she only found out properly yesterday,

"Nefi wen, Diane! You knew that there was something wrong!"

and he exclaims, “Nefi wen, Diane! You knew there was something wrong before that!”

"Jason lied to me"

She says that it was only suspicions that something was not right; “I saw money going in and out of the account, but Jason lied to me.”

"I can't trust anyone here now!"

He points out that she also lied; “I can’t trust anyone her now – what a family! Liars and thieves, the whole job lot of you!”

"How is Mark?"

Over a cup of tea, Non enquires about Dai and Diane, and Mark; DJ reports that Mark is rather disappointed, and has been hurt. She admits that she made a mistake,

"How did you think it would all end?"

but DJ asks, “How did you think it would all end?” She says that she tried not to think about that, and he wonders what he is supposed to call her now – Non or Bethan.

"When she died, I was lost"

Non explains, “As I said, Mererid was the only mother I had – when she died, I was lost. I was on my own again, is there is no family on her side.”

"So you went looking for Dyff's family"

DJ realises that was when she went looking for Dyff’s family.

She says that it felt like the natural next step;

"The other Non always intended to do that"

“The other Non always intended to do that. I was afraid at the start – I didn’t get much of welcome as it was from the Joneses. But then they started to accept me, I felt part of a real family again.”

"If you told me, I would have understood"

DJ maintains that if she had told him, he would have understood, but she doubts that, as sometimes she does not understand it herself. He says that it is the lying which hurt.

Kath is busy ironing

Kath is ironing when Mark returns from his round, carefully steering clear of the owl; “I’m starting to think you’re right, Mam, I think he’s cursed us.

"One of his mates pooed on me earlier!"

“One of his mates pooed on me earlier! We have to do something – all right?”

Debbie and Ricky arrive

When Debbie and Ricky come in,

"We've had enough of that flipping budgie freaking us out!"

Kath insists, “We’ve had enough of that flipping budgie freaking us out – he has to go!” Debbie is adamant that the owl is not going anywhere,

They struggle for possession of the stuffed owl . . .

so in their animosity they both wrestle with the bird,

. . . which becomes apart, depositing something on the floor

and inevitably, it parts with its stand, depositing some jewellery on the floor.

Ricky picks up the items of jewellery

Ricky picks up the scattered items, as they all look at each other incredulously.

"You should explain to the Joneses as well"

DJ suggests that Non should explain what she has said to him to the Joneses as well, but she maintains there is no point.

"I understand – and Mark might, too"

He protests, “Of course there is – perhaps I do understand why you did it – I don’t agree, but I understand, and Mark might too.”

"He will never forgive me"

She cannot imagine Mark ever forgiving her; “No-one has ever looked at me like that before – I’m no-one to him now –

"I can't put myself through that again!"

“I can’t put myself through that again!”

DJ emphasises that they had all had a shock, and the longer she stays away, the angrier Mark will get with her.

"Tell him what you just told me"

“Tell him what you just told me – you saved his life – that must be worth something.”

"I'm never going back to Cwmderi"

She cannot face him again, and vows never to go back to Cwmderi.

"What about me? Don't I count?"

“What about me? Don’t I count? Do I just have to accept that it’s all over, and that you have left for ever?” She reminds him that he did not want anything to do with her, and he explains he was heartbroken.

"Non reaches across to hold his hand"

“I’m heartbroken now!” she assures him, and reaches out to hold his hand; “I miss you!” she murmurs,

"Please don't say it's all over!"

and he pleads for her not to say that it is all over.

"I don't know how it could have been worse!"

As Sara loads the washing machine, and Jason scrubs potatoes for baking, he says that it could have been worse, but she does not know how.

"I know this is not easy for you"

“I know this is not easy for you,” he goes on, but she assures him she is doing it for Ifan.

They are going to the bank tomorrow

“We’ve got a meeting at the bank tomorrow,” she announces, “To put my name on the accounts. We’re turning them into joint accounts, then we’re going to cut up your cards, OK?”

"You've thought of everything"

He says that she has thought of everything,

"It's the only way, Jason"

and she explains that it is the only way.

Dai ignores Diane

Dai is watching the television when Diane returns home; she says there is the choice of lamb chops or a bacon joint for dinner, but he does not want to talk to her.