Cwmderi Diary 2016: 4 April 2016

"I'm ashamed to show my face!"

“I’m not going to work today,” Eifion announces, “They will all know, and I’m ashamed to show my face!”

"How can you carry on as if nothing's happened?"

Seeing Angela behaving as if nothing has happened, he asks, “How can you carry on like this?”

"I'm going to apologise to everyone"

She replies that she is going to apologise to everyone, and give back the money, in the hope that everyone will forgive her in time. She maintains that there are people out there who have done far worse; he demands, “Like what?”

Kelly thinks she is brave . . .

Kelly arrives, and Angela explains her plan,

. . . and Eifion calls it 'stupid'

which Eifion decribes as ‘stupid’; Kelly suggests,

"You could give your side of the story to the Post"

“You could do an interview for the Post, and give your side of the story. There are nasty things being said, and I bet half of them aren’t true!”

Kelly does not like being chucked out

Eifion orders her out of the house, but she leaves her card, in case they change their mind.

"Don't you dare talk to Kelly!"

He warns Angela, “Don’t you dare! You’ve caused enough problems as it is!”

"Diane paid for Mark and Ricky to go on holiday!"

The atmosphere is fraught over the Bryntirion breakfast table; Dai is angry after finding out from the bank statement that Diane financed the holiday for Mark and Ricky. “He’s just had a long break at one of the Queen’s hotels!” Then he opens the electricity bill;

"Nefi Wen! £800!"

“Nefi Wen! What’s this? It’s £800! Between Mark Jones’ gallivanting and this, the money is flowing out!”

As Jim becomes more and more dejected, listening to this, Diane blames Sara;

"That must be Sara – she's always cold"

“She’s always complaining that it’s cold – she must have had the heater on up there day and night! You’ll have to tell Sara to pay it!” she instructs Dai.

"Well, it wasn't drying your hair!"

Jim remarks to Dai, “Well, you haven’t run up that bill drying your hair! And don’t forget to tell Eifion that he’s been dropped from the team – you insisted that he should be dropped!”

Sioned calls, and Diane apologises that they have not yet got a wedding present; Sioned says they could give her money instead,

"What? More expense?"

at which comment Dai almost chokes on his toast. Then she sits down opposite Jim,

"It's driving me doolally!"

who confesses, “Living with these two is driving me doolally!”

"Move back in with Mam, then"

Sioned has the answer; “Move back in with Mam, then,” but he refuses. “You’re blaming her for what Angela did,” Sioned continues, “Mam tried to tell me, but I didn’t believe her – if you want to blame anyone, blame me! Come to the wedding on Friday and let’s try to put this family back together again.”

Mark is told he can go back to work

Mark and Ricky return home from their holiday, and Mark has good news – he can start back at work. Ricky hails this as the opportunity to get back to normal again,

"Not until they catch Dewi's murderer"

but Mark insists, “Not until they catch Dewi’s murderer – someone out there is trying to frame me!”

"Hang on – someone's been here!"

Then he abruptly gets up, looks around and announces, “Someone’s been here while we were away – things have been moved.”

Dai wants a replacement rugby player . . .

Dai goes to see Jason, attempting to enlist him to replace Eifion in the rugby team;

. . . but Jason is adamant it will not be him

“You don’t want him playing because of what Angela has done?” demands Jason, considering this to be unfair.

"Eifion's eyes are too close together!"

“He’s always been a sly dog – his eyes are too close together!” is Dai’s considered evaluation, “You can’t trust him – not too long ago he tried claiming from APD for an injury. We’re better off without him.”

"Your mother sent this for you"

Jason refuses to play, and Dai presents him with the electricity bill; “Your mother said to give you this.”

The size of the wedding has shrunk somewhat

In the café, Sioned tells Debbie that the wedding has been scaled down, as her family is quite small and Ed’s side are not coming. She maintains that it will be more special this way.

Sara is not keen on mothers-in-law

Sara, sitting nearby, comments, “A wedding without a mother-in-law sounds perfect!”

Bad news for Debbie – the loan has to be repaid

Debbie opens a letter and her face falls as she reads that the first instalment of the loan repayment is now due. She takes no notice as Sioned announces that this time on Friday she hopes to be flying somewhere hot, as Ed is organising a surprise honeymoon.

"We need to talk"

Angela comes in, wanting to talk to Debbie,

"I've wasted enough time on you!"

but meets with a hostile reception; “I’ve wasted enough time on you!”

Sara mentions a non-existent charity

Sara reminds her she could be in trouble for raising money for a non-existent charity. Debbie laments, “Don’t say that – I’ve got enough on my plate already!”

"Well, I'm not paying her bill!"

Jason arrives and gives the bill to Sara; “You had the heater on day and night – how much should we give?” She is adamant they will not pay a penny.

Dai tries to get hold of the electricity company

As Dai dials the electricity company about this exorbitant bill,

"Where's the dehumidifier?"

Jim comes in, asking where the extension leads and dehumidifier are, as he has to dry out the walls in Heol y Felin. Diane thinks they may be in the shed at Bryntirion.

"I've come to apologise"

Then Angela comes in; Dai, still hanging on the phone, tells her, “If you’re collecting, we’ve already given. What it is today – Bubonic Plague?” She insists that she has come to apologise and give back the money.

It does not go down well with Jim

Jim comments, “That won’t make up for what you’ve done to Courtney and Eileen!” and Dai thinks she could pay his electricity bill – that would qualify as a ‘good cause’.

Angela maintains that she did not intend to deceive anyone,

"Yes – and I'm Lord Lucan!"

upon which Dai retorts, “And I’m Lord Lucan!”

"I had been ill"

She adds that she had been ill, and suspected an aneurysm, but Eifion was the one who spread that rumour. Still with the phone in his hand, Dai says, “They’re both in cahoots!”

Diane considers that perhaps they should not go to the wedding, as it might reflect badly on her as a councillor, with the bride’s mother being in the middle of the scam.

Diane muses that it might be better not to attend the wedding

Dai agrees with this, “It will save us money – we won’t have to buy a present!”

When Jim protests that Eileen has never taken money through deception, Dai reminds him that he left Eileen because he did not trust her.

At a loss to know what to do . . .

Meanwhile, Angela sits alone in tears,

. . . Angela considers contacting Kelly

then picks up Kelly’s business card.

A gift for Debbie

Mark takes Debbie a thank-you gift, and sees the letter;

"I don't know how I'm going to pay!"

“I had to get a loan to pay the solicitor,” she admits, “But I don’t know how I’m going to pay it back!”

"The only hope is Stacey"

Mark replies that their only hope is Stacey, but she has not been answering her phone. When Eifion walks into the café,

"I could tell everyone I'm ill!"

Debbie suggests, “I could tell everyone that I’m ill, so they all contribute.” Mark confesses that he was amazed when he heard about Angela.

Eifion warns him, “Don’t point the finger at me – you’ve only just got out of prison!”

Mark protests his innocence

Mark is at pains to stress that he was innocent, and Eifion storms off.

"Oh, Gaynor, you can't come?"

When Eifion goes to see Sioned, she has just had a call, advising that Gaynor will not be coming to the wedding;

Everyone has turned against Eifion

he moans, “I always wanted to know wht it felt like to be hated by everyone – even the rugby team have turned against me.

"She thinks saying sorry will make it all right"

“Angela thinks she can just say sorry, and everything will be back to normal.”

"Auntie Marian would turn in her grave!"

Sioned is similarly dejected; “Mam and Jim have split up over this – Auntie Marian would turn in her grave!” Eifion tells her that he has come to wish her and Ed well for Friday, but judges that it would be for the best if he stays away.

That wedding is going to be an even smaller affair

Then a text from Diane contains the same sentiment; Sioned is depressed.

Dai whistles along to 'Greensleeves'

Dai is determined to speak to someone at the electricity company, and whistles along to the tune of ‘Greensleeves’. Jim advises that the extensions leads and dehumidifier were in his shed at home –

"The dehumidifier was still turned on!"

“And the dehumidifier was still turned on! When was the last time you went in that shed?”

Dai has not been in there for ages; “Exactly – no wonder the bill is so high!” says Jim. Dai puts down the phone and decides that Diane does not need to know this.

"I don't want to hear another word against Eileen!"

Jim’s reaction to this is, “You criticised Eileen for keeping a secret – I don’t want to hear another word against her, and I won’t tell Diane!”

"When were you going to tell me I'd been dropped?"

Eifion comes in, asking when Dai was going to tell him he was dropped from the team. Dai’s answer is that the rest of the team do not want to play with him, emphasising that it was a case of either him or the team. “Stuff you, Dai – and stuff your club!” snarls Eifion and walks out.

"There is a problem with Stacey's landline"

Debbie visits Maes-y-Deri, asking if Mark has been able to contact Stacey; there seems to be something wrong with her landline.

"If I don't pay, I could end up in clink!"

She tells him, “I’m sorry Mark, but I need help with this debt – if I don’t pay it, I could end up in clink!”

Kelly has it all written down

Kelly has completed her interview with Angela when Eifion comes home, complaining bitterly that she is talking to the press. “I’ve heard that you’re saying it’s my fault,” he alleges,

"I never said that!"

and when Angela denies this, he adds,

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

“I don’t believe a word you say – and now I’ve been kicked out of the rugby team!”

"It's only a game – get over it!"

Kelly rather naïvely remarks, “It’s only a game – get over it!” Eifion emphatically orders her out of the house again.

They adjourn to the Deri

Dai, Diane and Jim are in the Deri when Jason and Sara join them;

"Dai's buying the drinks!"

Jim announces that Dai is buying the drinks. Jason says that he has given some thought to the electricity bill,

Jason makes a contribution to the electricity bill

and puts £200 on the table towards it, much to Sara’s consternation.

Dai almost takes it

Dai stretches out a hand, but Jim enquires, “You’re not taking it?” Dai replies that no such thought entered his head and pushes the money away; it is quickly snatched by Sara.

"Some things are more important than money"

“Some things are more important than money – family comes first!” states Dai.

"Yes, I've got this fab story!"

Kelly phones the paper to advise of her ‘fab story’; “Nurse faked illness – villagers up in arms!” She tells Debbie, “She wanted to do the interview, and I felt sorry for her.” Debbie hopes that she will not get dirt thrown at her for the fund-raising.

"Auntie Marian gave her £50,000!"

Then Sioned pipes up, “She didn’t just get the money Debbie raised – Auntie Marian gave her £50,000 just before she died, for treatment – she hasn’t given that back!”