Cwmderi Diary 2016: 24 November 2016

Inspecting the injury inflicted by his wife

Ed looks in the mirror to examine the results of Sioned’s onslaught; she comes in with the washing basket

"I had no choice – you deserved it!"

and tells him, “I had no choice, Ed, you deserved it! All I wanted was a happy marriage, a normal life.”

"It might be easier if you didn't treat me this way"

“It might be easier to have a normal life if you didn’t treat me this way,” he replies, “This is not the sign of a happy marriage.”

"It's not my fault!"

She argues that it is not her fault, and when he decides to go out to clear his head, she asks how he will explains his appearance, stressing that he must act normally. He says he will think of something.

They debate the right Welsh word for 'a shiner'

Kelly is on duty in the café when he comes downstairs and DJ remarks about the ‘real shiner’ Ed has developing. Kelly asks what he has been doing,

"It happened at the new gym"

but Sioned is close behind him and invents another story. “It was at that new Gym in Heol Cwrtmynach – he dropped a weight on his face!” Ed agrees that he was messing about.

"Better not tackle you too hard, then"

“I’d better not tackle you too hard tonight, then,” comments DJ, “Hywel wants you at training to practise for the game on Saturday.”

"Shouldn't you have a quiet night in?"

Sioned suggests that Ed ought rather to have a quiet night in.

Kelly's investigative journalist's brain at work

All this time, Kelly has been looking unconvinced.

'Annoyed' probably does not cover it

Diane tells Jason, “You and Sara have been annoyed with me these last few days.” Jason points out that she needs to consider the effect she is having on Sara – he loves her too, and does not want to have to choose between the two of them.

"That's why I had to be straight with you"

That is why he had to be straight with her yesterday.

"I had a chat with Anita yesterday"

Diane admits that it has been playing on her mind; “I had a long chat with Anita yesterday about raising children – she talks a lot of sense. I want to talk to Sara – and she’ll be pleased to hear what I have to say. “I remembered you and Emma – they were the happiest days of my life! I found this in an old box of toys!”

The teddy, a family relic

She produces a rather dog-eared teddy, which Jason recognises as Emma’s. Diane tells him, “Mam and Dad gave it to me, and I passed it on to Emma. I thought of you and Emma growing up – she used to follow me round the house – lovely girl!”

"Yeah, and how about me?"

Jason thinks he is being left out, but she adds, “You were a pack of trouble, but you always made me laugh with your antics and all the noise you made.

"That is what you and Sara want, isn't it?"

“Now that is what you and Sara want, isn’t it? Your chance to have those good days, no matter what comes.”

Cadno is feeling sorry for Eifion

Cadno takes a meal round to Eifion, as she does not like him being on his own, though she presumes his world is a better place now Jim has stopped his vendetta.

"Here will never be a better place again"

“Here will never be a better place again without Courtney,” Eifion laments, “I miss her so much! But Jim finally accepting the truth is like having a black cloud lifted. How could he think I would do such a thing? I wouldn’t have touched her – she was like a daughter!”

"That was a clever story"

Back up in the café flat, Ed says, “That was a clever story, about the gym,”

"I'm getting an expert at making up lies"

and Sioned boasts that she is becoming expert at making up lies to help him. “And to help yourself!” he adds.

"Don't you start another argument!"

She warns him not to start another argument, and points out that she is ironing his rugby shirt. “When I heard DJ say the game was important, I thought I would leave the decision whether to play or not up to you,” she advises.

"You were being unreasonable!"

“I’m not proud of what happened last night, but you were being unreasonable, when you said you didn’t care about Mam’s feelings! I couldn’t help myself – I want you to understand that.”

"I'll cook dinner tonight"

In conciliatory mood, Ed suggests that he should cook dinner tonight, as there is pesto in the fridge. However, Sioned advises, “By the time you’ve trained, come home and cooked, we won’t be eating until nine, and I could do with an early night – as it has been so stressful lately – but it’s up to you.”

"We should go to Bryntirion later"

At Awyr Iach, Jason is loading boxes, and tells Sara they should go to Bryntirion as they need to have a word with Diane;

"What – for another confrontation?"

“Why should we have another confrontation?” she demands. He pleads that Sara will be pleasantly surprised if she will give Diane one more chance.

She suddenly loses consciousness . . .

As he returns from loading boxes into the car, he finds that Sara has fainted at the keyboard,

. . . but quickly comes round again

but quickly rouses her.

"Still a few honest people in Cwmderi"

Ed again comes downstairs, as he left a magazine there which DJ brought for him; he is amazed that no-one has walked off with it. Kelly tells him there are still a few honest people in Cwmderi.

When he asks who is not honest,

"You for starters!"

she says, “You for starters! You lied about the gym – you were upstairs! I was here, making soup and smoothies – and I could hear you and her rattling around. So how did you get that? Come on – spill!”

The old 'slipping on the soap' routine

He has been learning from Sioned, and quickly fabricates a tale of slipping on the soap when coming out of the shower. “If the team know that, I’d never hear the end of it – they call me grandad as it is!” he ad-libs, for artistic effect.

"I'm taking you to the Deri!"

Kelly is due to clock off in ten minutes and insists that she is taking Ed to the Deri, as he is so miserable these days.

"I'mk going to cheer you up – all right, grandad?"

“You’re coming with me, and I’m going to cheer you up – all right, grandad?”

"Swansea – or Cardiff?"

Cadno is disturbed to see that Eifion has been looking at estate agent’s brochures of houses in Swansea and Cardiff.

"I wopuld have had to pack my bags"

“If Jim hadn’t stopped his accusations, I would have had to pack my bags,” he tells her, “It was not only the boys that kept me here, but you as well. Even if everyone in the village thought I was a monster, and crossed the road to avoid me, I would have stayed as long as you were here.

"You and the boys are the most important things"

“The big thing I have learned is that you and the boys are the most important things in my life.”

"Right, time to go and fetch the boys"

Cadno is eager to change the subject, and says it is time she picked up the boys from Elinor’s;

She hugs Eifion . . .

she hugs Eifion and is thinking about kissing him,

. . . and realises what she has just avoided

when she stops herself and hurries off.

"Come on – you're off duty now!"

In the Deri, Kelly buys Ed a pint; “You’re off duty now – you can enjoy it!” she says.

"Who's that coming in?"

He hears someone come in and looks round; “Why are you so jumpy?” Kelly asks.

"The lads round here are going soft!"

Ed tells DJ that he will not be training tonight, and DJ concludes that the local lads are going soft.

Jason orders Sara to rest . . .

Sara is at home, and Jason insists, “You still look pale to me – you’re not going to work tomorrow, and I want you to take next week off! You’re overdoing it and need to rest.” Sara is glad that at least she does not have to go to Bryntirion now.

. . . then has to try to dissuade his mother

Then Diane rings Jason, and is informed that Sara fainted earlier; “She’ll be fine, OK, Mam? No, we don’t need anything – she just needs to rest!” Sara does not want her coming round, as Diane is the cause of the stress.

"You said I had to act normally"

When Ed returns to the flat he is told that he smells of beer; “Kelly twisted my arm to go to the Deri, and I couldn’t refuse – you said to act normally – it would have been weird to say no. Anyway, you’ll be glad to know that I told DJ I was not training tonight.”

"I hope I didn't put too much pressure on you"

Sioned hopes that she did not put too much pressure on him.

"I put us before rugby"

“I put us before rugby,” he assures her, and Sioned looks forward to a night together with no interruptions.

Sara looks at the Cwm Delhi menu . . .

Jason brings Sara a cup of tea, and they are debating which curry to order from Cwm Delhi, when there is a knock on the door.

. . . then an unwelcome visitor appears . . .

Sara is not pleased to find it is Diane again.

. . . but this time in a more conciliatory mood

She fusses, “Jason said you fainted – you need to look after yourself, and I want to help. Let me work at Awyr Iach for a while. You and the baby are more important that anything else – I can see that now, and I’m ashamed of the way I reacted.

"I want to make up for that"

“I was being silly, not considering your feelings, and I want to make up for that.”

The presentation of the Dilapidated Teddy

She produces the teddy; “This has been in the family as long as I can remember, and means a great deal to me. I’d like you to have it for the little one when he comes – for the next generation of Francises.”

Friendly relations restored

Sara hugs her, and Jason is relieved that peace is restored.

"I was looking for you in the village"

DJ returns to Penrhewl, and finds Cadno there, after having looked for her in the village;

"Right, I'm off for training"

“I’m off for training now,” he tells her, but she asks if he has a minute to spare.

"I'd like to change the plans"

“I’ve been thinking about us, and the wedding, and I’d like to change the plans,” she begins; DJ seems to be anticipating bad news. “I want to get married earlier – before Christmas. What do you think?”