2 December 2016

Kelly comes round the corner . . .

Kelly walks round the corner and sees Sioned, 

. . . and Sioned makes sure her arm is on display 

who rather conspicuously displays her bruised and scratched arm;  

"What's going on?"

“What’s going on?” Kelly demands, “Ed with a black eye – and you with bruises?”   

"Meet me in the Deri at one"

Sioned invites her to meet at the Deri at one o’clock.

Siôn is on his way to a spot of plumbing

Siôn comes downstairs and sends Iolo a text, ‘On my way’, 

"Will you be all right on your own?"

then asks Gwyneth if she will be all right while he is out.   

"Translation work will be worth the stress"

She replies, “If you get some translation work, it will be worth the stress.   I can’t leave the house, Siôn, I think it’s getting worse – when will it all end?   I’m not asking for a miracle – just a sign that I’m getting better!”   

"I won't be long"

Siôn assures her he will be back as soon as he can.

"Can I come to see you?"

Immediately he has gone, she phones Cadno;  “I’m fine, but I heard about your bad news.   Can I come to see you later?”

The prison visit is preying on Colin's mind

Vicky bumps into Colin by the Antur;  he is worried about going to the prison.   “Why?   What have you done?” she asks.   He explains that he is going to visit Chester, and she tells him, “I don’t blame you for being nervous – 

"Just a schoolboy who's been locked up"

“but he’s just a schoolboy who’s been locked up, not much of a threat.”

Siôn is in a hurry

Siôn joins Iolo by the van and wants to get moving before someone sees him;  “Are you as scared of Gwyneth as that?” says Iolo.

Colin is becoming less keen

In the chippy, Britt asks Colin if he is ready to go, and she wonders if he knows what he has to ask.   

"You must ask specific questions"

“If you want specific answers, you have to ask specific questions.   Has he made friends?   Has he been bullied?   Why doesn’t he want to see anyone?”   

He is given a list of them

She hands him a list, and Colin tries to chicken out of going, but is reminded that he offered – and is told he is going.

"Cut the pipe just underneath the old joint"

As Siôn works under the sink in Penrhewl, Iolo issues instructions;  “Cut the pipe underneath the old joint. Eifion has done a good job – perhaps I should be employing him!”   They are surprised when Gwyneth comes to visit Cadno.

Who should arrive but Gwyneth?

Gwyneth apologises for not coming sooner, maintaining that today is the first day she has felt well enough.

"You said you were getting worse!"

Siôn emerges from under the sink and comments, “That’s not what you said earlier – you said you were getting worse!”   

"It wasn't as bad as I thought"

Gwyneth insists she had to make an effort for Cadno, and when she got out it was not as bad as she feared.

"Very convenient!"

“Very convenient!” is Iolo’s reaction, “Don’t believe her, Dad!”   Siôn announces that she has been lying for weeks, and now she has been found out.   Cadno judges that they need to talk, so Iolo agrees to finish the job.

"What advice can I give to a boy that age?"

Tyler finds Colin sitting glumly in the café;  “What do you wear to go to prison?” he asks, “I’m visiting Chester this afternoon – what advice can I give to a boy that age?”

"You've got a natural charm"

Tyler tries to encourage him with, “You’ve got a natural charm, haven’t you?   

"Have I?"

“People find it easy to talk to you.   He needs consistency, and to know that his family loves and supports him.”   

Colin is now more confident

Colin feels reassured after this pep talk.

"Consistency, love, support"

That afternoon, the visitors file into the Young Offenders’ Institution;  Colin walks in, muttering to himself, “Consistency, love, support,” and sits opposite Chester.

"Well, here I am"

“Well, here I am – are you all right?   Have you made any friends?”   

But answer came there none

There is no reply, so Colin continues, “Anything bothering you?   I appreciate you inviting me, as we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but clearly there’s some respect there, on both sides, or I wouldn’t be here, would I?   

"We could grow to be good friends"

“I think you and I could grow to be good friends, couldn’t we?”   Chester cannot resist smirking.

Colin soldiers on, “Listen Chester, your mother is worried sick about you – she’s afraid you’re being bullied – are you?   It’s hard in prison – I know it is – 

"We all love you"

“but no matter how hard it is, I want you to remember this – we all love you.”

"What are you – a pervert?"

Chester replies, “What are you – a pervert?   

Colin wishes he were somewhere else

“Tell Mam that I’m fine – enjoying the break from everyone, and I don’t want anyone wasting their time coming here.   You haven’t spoken any sense at all!   

"I'm the bully round here!"

“I’m not being bullied – I’m the bully round here!   Prison toughens you up – that’s why you should be careful when I get out!   I’m going to keep an eye on you;  

"There's only going to be one boss in our house!"

“there’s only going to be one boss in our house – and it won’t be you!”

"What shall we discuss first?"

When Siôn and Gwyneth return home to Y Felin, Siôn asks, What do you want to discuss first – the fake trip or the fake mental condition?”   She argues that she feels let down by his lies to her.   

"How will people feel when they know?"

“There’s a lot of difference between a small plumbing job and deceiving people over your mental health.   Have you any idea how concerned people have been about you?   How will they feel when they know you deceived them?   Have you forgotten how people treated Angela?”

"I'm not a bad person – you know that!"

Gwyneth pleads that he knows she is not a bad person;  “Do I?” he demands.   She argues that she loves him, 

"A last-ditch attempt!"

but this he describes as, “A last-ditch attempt from someone losing an argument!”

“I won’t stand in your way if you really want to be a plumbing apprentice,” she says, but he doubts that he can trust her.   

"I'll go and talk to Iolo if you want"

“I’ll go and talk to Iolo if you want,” she offers, so he decides they can go and do that right now, but Gwyneth insists she wants an apology first.   “Maybe what I did was worse, but that doesn’t make what you did right.”   

"I'm sorry for deceiving you"

He concedes and says he is sorry for deceiving her.

Sioned continues with her elaborate charade

Sioned tells Kelly that she does not know whether this is the right thing to do, but alleges, “Ed has been violent towards me for months now, doing all sorts of things, 

"Including this arm"

“including this arm.   He insisted we move into the café flat, so as to make sure I’m stuck there with him on my own.”

"What about the black eye?"

Sceptical, Kelly asks how Ed came by his black eye. and is told, 

"He's cleverer than me"

“I had to defend myself, but he’s cleverer than me.   He hits parts of my body that no-one else can see.”

"You need to phone the cops now!"

“You need to phone the cops now!” advises Kelly, and when Sioned refuses to consider this option, Kelly adds, “If you don’t tell them it would look like you’re making it up.”   

"Fetching a menu at a time like this?"

Desperate to change the subject, Sioned hurries off to get a menu.

Gwyneth catches up with Iolo

Gwyneth catches up with Iolo in the village, informing him that Siôn has admitted doing plumbing work behind her back;  

"That's nothing, compared to your act!"

“That’s nothing, compared to your act!” Iolo replies.   She is adamant that she is not here to make trouble, insisting that she and Siôn understand each other, and she  is happy to let him do the plumbing.

"Well done, Dad!"

“Well done Dad!” laughs Iolo.   She argues that as his father will be working with him, it is important that he gets on with her.   “So it makes life easier for you!” he says, 

He smiles, before going home

with a smile, walking away, and going into number 7.

Apparently no longer the bully round here

The visitors have all gone from the prison, and the other inmates are laughing and pointing at Chester, who sits, crying.

Sioned piles on the emotion

In the Deri, Sioned is still trying to convince Kelly;  I haven’t eaten properly for I don’t know how long!   You don’t believe me, do you?   No matter how much I pour my heart out to you, you think I’m lying.   

"Ed is a good man!"

“And don’t start about the police– it’s not that simple.   Ed is a good man – it’s just that he can turn on me when I push him.”

"Happily ever after!"

Kelly is exasperated;  “So that’s sorted – you’re going to live in fear of him for the rest of your life, are you? Happily ever after! Nobody’s bad when someone’s making excuses for them!”

"I love him, Kelly!"

Sioned insists, “I love him, Kelly!   I want him to have the chance to change without dragging his name through the mud.   I know how it looks, but I feel strongly about this – if you went to the police, I’d never admit the truth.

"I need a friend now, more than ever!"

“The only reason I’m telling you the truth is that I need a friend now more than ever – there are not many in the village, I know that – they don’t like me and wouldn’t sympathise if they knew the truth, but I thought you would.”

Is Kelly really taken in by this?

Kelly admits that she knows what it is like to be in love, and promises she will not mention this to Ed, which is a relief to Sioned.

Colin seems more interested in making a cup of tea

Britt welcomes Colin home and demands answers to all her questions;  Colin confirms that the meeting went well, that Chester is not being bullied, but would prefer that people did not see him in there.   

"He was a real gentleman"

She is surprised to hear that Chester was fine with Colin;  “A real gentleman,” he says.

Britt is convinced that they have bonded, and looks forward to seeing them do things together when he comes out;  

"Just what he needs – you're his rôle model!"

“That’s what he needs – a father figure to be a rôle model!”   Colin protests that he already has that, with Garry and Siôn, 

"What have I let myself in for?"

but she tells him, “You’re a better influence than those two put together!”

"It's lonely here without you"

Back in the café flat, Sioned leaves yet another message for Ed;  “Hi love, where are you?   You’ve not answered any of my messages, and it’s lonely here without you – there’s no-one to talk to, not properly.   

"I might go down the police station for a chat"

“But I was thinking, maybe the thing to do is go to the police station for a chat.   I’d try not to say anything stupid about you and Dewi, but you know how the police make me nervous.   Goodness only knows what I’ll say, but I’m sure I’ll feel better after a chat

"Come home, will you?"

“Anyway, come home, will you?   Can’t wait for us to be together again – love you!”