 |
| Jason is engrossed in something |
At number 9, Jason is working out figures
 |
| His is making calculations . . . |
with the help of a calculator;
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| . . . and writing down the results |
on a notepad in front of him is written the sum of £93,000, and he is adding up a column of figures.
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| "I didn't fancy going to the café" |
Over in number 10, Jaclyn is doing the vacuuming when Gerwyn returns home; he says that he did not fancy going to the café, and she assumes he was worried he would bump into Ricky.
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| "The only thing he did was make the same mistake as us" |
“Listen, Anita said that he and Courtney had been going out with each other for a while,” she says, “The only thing he did was to make the same mistake we did. Is there anything else worrying you? Not even your mother?”
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| "She's probably anxious about the court case" |
He replies that she is probably anxious that next week is the court case, so she advises him to phone his mother; “I don’t want her here under my feet.” It so happens that he has to pick up some car parts in Carmarthen, so he could make a detour.
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| "Don't give her my regards!" |
Jaclyn warns him, “Don’t give her my regards! I don’t think I’m very popular at the moment.”
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| "She'll be happy now she's with her friends" |
He seems to be under the impression that his mother will be happy now she is back amongst her friends.
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| Brenda cannot get anyone to come to bingo with her |
Meanwhile, in her flat at Llandysul, Brenda is trying to persuade her friend Maggie to go to bingo with her, but is unsuccessful.
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| "Where do you thing you're going?" |
Aaron picks up his coat and is about to go out when Colin, who has just come home, asks, “Where do you think you’re going?” Aaron maintains that he is going to see Ben in the park, and was going to call in at the shop to tell Colin of this.
“There, you know exactly where I’m going – so there’s no problem,” he says,
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| "When will you be home?" |
and Colin wants to know when he will be home; he must have some idea.
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| "You're not my father!" |
Aaron points out that Colin is not his father and cannot stop him going out.
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| "Right, you're not going anywhere!" |
“Right – you’re not going anywhere until you finish your homework,” Colin orders him, but he says he has no homework.
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| "I'll phone the school to check" |
In that case, Colin will phone the school to check; “Why do you have to go and spoil everything?” Aaron demands, and goes back to his room.
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| Jason sorts out the contents of APD's van |
Jason is sorting out items in the APD van, and putting them into a blue plastic box;
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| He picks up a coil of rope |
he hesitates when he picks up a coil of rope.
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| Gwyneth wants the house keys |
Then Gwyneth appears behind him, asking for the house keys, and he is very apologetic for what he said yesterday;
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| "Perhaps I was a bit impulsive" |
“Perhaps I was a bit impulsive, saying I’d move out straightaway – I’d like to stay just until we can find somewhere else.”
She suggests the salon flat, but he is of the opinion that it is rather small;
 |
| "As I'm in a good mood . . ." |
surprisingly, Gwyneth, who says that she is in a good mood, gives him a few months. “But if you find somewhere sooner, you will still have to pay the rent until Easter,” she tells him,
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| "I wasn't seeing things very clearly recently" |
for which he is very grateful, explaining that he was not seeing things very clearly yesterday.
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| He closes the door of the van |
He takes the box, complete with the length of rope, from the van and closes the door.
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| "Don't forget to take this to your mother" |
When Gerwyn is preparing to leave, Jaclyn reminds him to take the bill from the Deri with him; “Even if we wanted to pay it, we can’t afford to –we’ve spent every spare penny on paint and wallpaper,” she says. He suggests they could get a loan from her brother Dylan,
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| "She arranged the party – she should pay for it!" |
but she is adamant, “Your mother arranged the party, and she should pay for it!”
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| Colin is peeling potatoes |
Colin is peeling potatoes when Garry comes in with next weeks rotas for Britt; noticing Colin’s downcast expression,
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| "Have you and my dear sister quarrelled again?" |
Garry asks, “Don’t tell me you and my dear sister have quarrelled again?”
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| "No, it's Aaron – he's sulking in his room" |
Colin admits that he has quarrelled with Aaron, who is sulking in his room.
Garry points out that he is a teenager, and that is how they behave, but Colin feels bad because he stopped Aaron from meeting Ben.
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| "Ben – the friend who never turns up!" |
“The friend who never turns up!” Garry sarcastically comments, “I’ll have a word with him, cheer him up.”
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| But he finds that Aaron is not there |
However, he finds that Aaron is not in his room, and tells Colin to stop what he is doing; “We’d better go and look for him!”
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| Cwm Ni headline about a Defibrillator |
In the salon, Gwyneth is looking at the latest issue of Cwm Ni, which bears the headline, “Llanarthur’s plan to save lives.”
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| "Can I make an appointment?" |
Jaclyn comes in wanting to make an appointment, and points out that whatever Brenda said is nothing to do with her.
Gwyneth gains the impression Jaclyn does not get on with the mother-in-law, and is told, “Life’s easier now she’s back in Llandysul.”
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| "My cousin had a heart attack" |
Then she sees a leaflet about the Defibrillator on the counter, and comments, “Every village should have one of these – my cousin had a heart attack, and if one of these had been at hand, she might still be here!”
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| "We should have one outside the Deri" |
Gwyneth sympathises as she had a heart attack herself a while ago; “I think we should raise money to have one outside the Deri – but it’s too much work for one, we need a committee – you’re welcome to join.”
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| "I'm not a committee person" |
Jaclyn replies that she is not a committee person, and is quite busy, anyway. She is given an appointment on Saturday at 10 o’clock.
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| The search party arrives at the park . . . |
Colin and Garry arrive at the park,
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| . . . and Garry thinks it advisable that they split up |
and they split up;
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| Aaron is waiting in that same shelter again . . . |
meanwhile, in the rather grubby curved shelter, Aaron is sitting, looking at his phone, and waiting yet again for the mythical ‘Ben’ to appear.
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| . . . and who should turn up – again – but Neville? |
Coincidentally, Neville happens to be passing, and asks him what he is doing there; Aaron answers that he keeps missing his friend, and is surprised to see that Neville has no cans with him today.
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| Colin has them under surveillance |
Colin suddenly notices the two of them talking, and hides himself behind a tree; Neville asks, “How’s your Mam?
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| "Is she still tight-fisted with pocket money?" |
“Is she still tight-fisted with pocket money? I’ve been busking, and I’ve done quite well, here you are!”
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| "Every penny helps" |
He hands over some money, in the form of a tightly-rolled note, remarking, “Every penny helps.”
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| "He's given something to Aaron" |
From his vantage point, Colin is watching this, and is joined by Garry, who comments, “That’s Neville!” Colin says that he has just given something to Aaron, which he suspects may be drugs. Garry is of the opinion that he is not a dealer, but Colin points out that he is not a good influence on anyone.
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| When someone else arrives, Neville goes |
When another couple come and sit down in the shelter, Neville decides to leave,
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| "I've got a gig later" |
saying that he has a gig later, and Aaron thanks him for the money. Colin walks towards the shelter, followed by Garry.
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| Brenda sits at home . . . |
Brenda is sitting in front of her imitation log fire when she has a visitor,
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| . . . but then Gerwyn arrives |
and is delighted to find that it is her son, who says he was passing and thought he would say hello. She lies that she is just on her way out to bingo, and assures him that she is settling back in.
 |
| 'Ronnie the Rat' passes by |
Another resident passes by, and she explains that he is known as ‘Ronnie the Rat’ as he keeps rats in his flat;
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| "I hear them running about the place!" |
“I hear them when I’m in bed, running about the place!” she says.
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| "It's Chicken Bingo tonight!" |
“I must go – it’s Chicken Bingo tonight – a chicken for the first house win – a bargain, especially if you cheat!”
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| "Can I come in for five minutes?" |
He wonders if he can come in for five minutes; after all, he has come all this way.
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| "So you weren't just passing, then?" |
“So you weren’t just passing, then” she grins.
 |
| Jason has been deploying the Dyson DC04 . . . |
Jason has just finished vacuuming, with his Dyson DC04,
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| . . . and coils up its lead |
when there is a knock at the door; he looks worried, but finds it is his mother.
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| "Whys is APD closed? Dai isn't happy about that!" |
“I’ve tried phoning you more than once today!” she complains, but he says he has been busy.
“Not busy working!” she goes on, “Why is APD closed? Dai isn’t happy about that!”
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| "Dai is never happy, is he, Mam?" |
He replies that Dai is never happy,
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| "He could dissolve the patnership!" |
and she warns him, “One more step out of line, and he could dissolve the partnership!”
“Well, you can tell him there’s no need to worry any more,” Jason reassures her, “I’m sorting it out – all right?”
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| "I've sorted everything out with Sara" |
He puts away the vacuum cleaner, and continues, “You’ll be glad to hear I’ve sorted everything out with Sara as well.”
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| "Are Sara and Ifan coming home?" |
Diane is surprised to hear this; “Are Sara and Ifan coming home?” and he says that they are, before long. She is very pleased to hear it, and he explains that is why he had to take the day off work, tidying and cleaning, getting the house ready for them.
“I’d better leave, to let you finish – and Dai will want his dinner,” she tells Jason,
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| "Dai can cook his own dinner for once!" |
but he suggests that Dai can cook his own dinner for once – and in any case, Dai has rugby later, so his mother might as well stay there to keep him company.
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| Diane appears to believe him |
He seems to have convinced her.
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| "You're destroying my life, do you know that?" |
As Aaron arrives home, he tells Colin and Garry, “You’re destroying my life, do you know that?” Colin demands what Neville gave to him, suspecting it was drugs.
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| Aaron denies it was drugs |
Aaron replies, “No!” but then is ordered to empty his pockets, at which point he admits that he was given some money, which he throws on to the floor.
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| "Why would Neville give you money?" |
Garry wants to know why Neville would give Aaron money, and the reply is, “Because, unlike you two, he wants me to enjoy my life! He actually likes me.”
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| "I'm telling Ben that I missed him" |
Aaron sits on the sofa, gets out his phone and begins texting; “I’m telling Ben that I missed him, because you two dragged me out of the park before he arrived.”
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| "You're not texting anyone!" |
Colin informs him that he is not texting anyone, because that ‘Ben’ is a bad influence on him; “You were a nice lad before you became friends with him.”
 |
| Garry confiscates his phone |
Garry, who is sitting by Aaron on the sofa, grabs his phone; “You heard what Colin said – you’re not allowed to text anyone.
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| "Until you start listening to us . . ." |
“Until you start listening to us, we have every right to take away your phone.”
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| The pathetic thing is that Gerwyn believes every word |
Brenda is relating her fantasies to Gerwyn; “I’m beginning to think Clive’s taken a fancy to me – he’s a vet – two left feet, but a hefty wallet! We went to a tea dance in Cardigan – his hands were everywhere!”
Gerwyn thinks he will have to have a word with this Clive, and tries to change the subject;
 |
| "Have you heard anything about the court case?" |
“Have you heard anything about the court case?”
 |
| Suddenly, she is very eager to get rid of him |
As soon as that subject is raised, she decides that he has to go, as she does not want to miss Chicken Bingo, and lies that someone is picking her up.
 |
| "Garry keeps hassling me for money for the party" |
He says that the children miss her, and she wants to ask him a favour; “Can you have a word with Garry? He keeps sending texts, hassling me for the money for the party.”
 |
| As she intended, little Gerwyn will pay up |
Gerwyn assures her that it has all been sorted out, which she is pleased to hear.
 |
| "Phone before you come next time" |
As he goes out of the door, she tells him to phone before he comes next time;
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| She returns to her solitary existance |
then she goes back inside and takes off her coat.
 |
| Garry sets a trap for this 'Ben' |
Back in the Deri flat, Garry is sending a text message to ‘Ben’ on Aaron’s phone; “Fancy meeting up tomorrow morning? I’m going to mitch.”
 |
| "Don't tell me he's gone missing again?" |
Colin comes in, and Garry is afraid that he is going to say Aaron has gone missing again,
 |
| "I think we went too far, Gar" |
but Colin thinks they may have gone too far.
Garry insists that he needs to be taught a lesson; Colin argues, “Perhaps he should get his phone back – he’s going to Llangrannog tomorrow.” Garry will bring it over before Aaron goes.
 |
| "He might as well have it back now" |
When Colin suggests that he might as well have it back now,
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| "You're too soft, Colin!" |
he is told, “I know you, Colin – you’re too soft! You’ll forgive him before he learns his lesson! You’d better go – before he disappears again.”
 |
| 'Ben' wants to meet in the morning |
Just as Colin is leaving, the phone sounds, and Garry sees that it is a reply to his text; “See you at 11 under the old Mynach Bridge.”
 |
| "We don't spend enough time together" |
Diane has enjoyed her meal with Jason, and makes the observation, “We don’t spend enough time together, you know, just the two of us.”
 |
| "I'm sure there's some icecream in the freexer" |
Jason says that if she fancies some pudding, he is sure there is some icecream in the freezer somewhere.
 |
| "Thanks, Mam – for everything" |
“I just want to say thanks, Mam, that’s all – for everything. You’ve done a lot for me.” She replies that she does not have anyone else to spoil; he takes the plates into the kitchen, and searches in the freezer.
 |
| "You still manage to keep a smile on your face" |
“I’m proud of you,” Diane begins, “Even when everything is against you, you still manage to keep a smile on your face.”
 |
| But he is not smiling now |
Jason, in front of the freezer, does not appear to be smiling at the moment.
 |
| "Strawberry or Vanilla?" |
“Right, then, what do you fancy – strawberry or vanilla?” he asks.
 |
| "Why do you want to help the community?" |
In the Deri, Gwyneth asks Garry put up a flyer about the Defibrillator; “Why do you want to help the community?” he demands, and she maintains that every village should have one.
 |
| "Right – it's just self-help!" |
“I had a fright when I had my heart attack,” she explains, so he realises that it is simply self help. She points out that this is about looking after Gwern; “It could happen to any one of us –
 |
| "But if it's too much bother . . ." |
“but if it’s too much bother, I’ll go to Tapas and ask Anita for help!” He agrees that he will put up the flyer, but she wants him to persuade people to come to a meeting.
 |
| "Paid a debt with no argument?" |
Jaclyn and Gerwyn come in, with Jaclyn very surprised; “Brenda paid a debt with no argument?” she says, incredulously, but he relates that he had to persuade her.
 |
| "It's like getting Tes to do her homework!" |
Jaclyn adds, “Getting money out of her is like getting Tes to do her homework! At least, now we can come here without getting embarrassed.”
 |
| Gerwyn has a quiet word with Garry |
Gerwyn quietly asks Garry, “Can you take the money for the party out of my wages every week?”
 |
| "So the missus won't notice, is it?" |
“So the missus won’t notice, is it?” Garry comments, “An easy life – that’s what we all want.
 |
| Garry has one condition |
“On one condition – that you join the campaign for a defibrillator in the village.” Gerwyn realises that he does not have a choice.
On the table at number 9 are three envelopes,
 |
| A letter for Ifan . . . |
marked with the names of Ifan,
 |
| . . . one for Jason's mother . . . |
Mam
 |
| . . . and a third for Sara |
and Sara;
 |
| He wears a determined look |
Jason sits, looking at them,
 |
| A sight which appears to me redolent of a coffin |
and the table looks, from this angle, strangely reminiscent of a coffin.
