Cwmderi Diary 2017: 3 July 2017

Boiled egg for breakfast

In the shop flat, Eileen sits dejectedly with her breakfast; she picks up the phone and calls Adrian in Scotland. She leaves a message, “How’s it going in Aberdeen? The gravedigger has been on the phone –

Eileen leaves a message for Adrian

“Courtney’s gravestone has been put in place. I thought it would be better if you told Jim, as he’s staying with you.”

Britt is also having her breakfast

Britt is eating her breakfast when Chester comes in, wanting to know where his sleeping bag is.

"Where's my sleeping bag, Mam?"

He is dismayed when she tells him that Catrin left it in Glan-llyn last year, and she could not tell him at the time, as he was in prison.

"We're going camping"

“Hannah and I are going camping – I shall have to borrow one,” he tells her,

"You didn't mention that"

and she is concerned that she has not heard about this trip before. “It’s no big deal,” Chester replies, “I’m 16, basically an adult, and you’re fine about me and Hannah, aren’t you?” He picks up his rucksack.

Jim is back, and is in the cemetery . . .

In the cemetery, Jim approaches

. . . where he looks at Courtney's gravestone

a shiny new gravestone;

"I hope you like it, love"

“I hope you like it, love,” he says, and just then,

Eileen sees him there

Eileen comes round the corner with some flowers. She first hesitates, then walks towards him.

"How long have you been back?"

“How long have you been back?” she asks, and it transpires that he remembered that the gravestone would be erected today;

"I wouldn't forget something like that"

he remarks that he would not forget something like that. She goes on, “I left a message with Adrian, just in case – I got the answering machine.

"I'm glad you're back"

“I’m glad you're back – I’ve been very worried.”

He apologises, admitting that he should have been in touch, but she replies that he is here now, and that he looks tired.

He runs his fingers over the memorial

“How is a man supposed to know what to put on his daughter’s gravestone?” he asks.

"We are staying until Friday, or even longer"

Chester hopes that he has remembered everything, and reveals to his mother that they are staying until Friday, or perhaps even longer. She enquires where they are going, and he tells her it is Craig yr Wylan (Seagull Rock) campsite, near Kidwelly. “It looks lush on the website, by the sea,” he says, and Britt remembers when she took him camping when he was younger.

"Here come a happy camper!"

Then Hannah arrives, with an enormous rucksack; Colin describes her as a happy camper. She has even brought a sleeping bag for Chester,

"Oh, Mam – do you have to?"

and Britt asks if he has enough boxer shorts.

"I'll look after Chester!"

Hannah assures her that she will look after Chester, and they leave on their adventure.

"Young love – just like us!"

“Young love – just like us!” comments Colin, and Britt suddenly decides that they too should go away for a few days.

"Garry owes me a few favours"

Garry can look after Catrin and Aaron, as he owes her a few favours. She suggests they could go camping with Chester and Hannah.

Colin doubts that Chester would be in favour of that

“I doubt that Chester would want his mother joining him on his first holiday with his girlfriend,” Colin points out, “Just leave them be.”

Nevertheless, Britt does some online research

She immediately sits down in front of the laptop and does some research.

Eileen places the flowers on the grave

Eileen has arranged the flowers by the gravestone, and asks Jim how were Adrian and Claire; he seems evasive.

"Let's go back to the flat"

“I think we need to talk,” he says, and Eileen agrees, so they go back to the flat.

"This camping site is lovely, with chalets and everything"

Colin brings Britt a cup of tea, and she tells him that the camping site is lovely; “They’ve got chalets and everything,”

The plumbing in the bathroom is on Colin's mind

but Colin is more interested in getting Iolo to look at the bathroom sink; he is concerned as hot water is coming out of the cold tap.

"Half price – if we go today!"

“There’s a half price chalet if we go today!” Britt announces,

"The chalets are a long way from the tents"

“At the same place where Chester has gone – but the chalets are a long way from the tents.” (Marconi Holiday Village, Lavernock Point) Colin says this is a bad idea, and argues that there must be other places they could go. “I need a holiday – and I’ll go without you if I have to,” she warns him.

"Keep away from Chester . . ."

He reluctantly agrees, on two conditions; “Promise to keep away from Chester –

". . . and I want to take the bike!"

“and I want to take the bike!”

Eileen points out that Jim is rather malodorous

Eileen and Jim arrive in the flat, and she urges him to take a bath; “I didn’t want to say anything, but you smell! You’ll feel better after a bath, and I’ll make you some breakfast.”

"There's plenty of stuff here I can wear"

He says that his clothes are in the hire car, but there are plenty of things in the flat he can wear now. He goes to the bathroom.

"It's OK – Jim's here now"

Eileen’s phone rings, and she tells Adrian that Jim is here now,

"What? He wasn't with you?"

but learns that he has not been anywhere near Aberdeen.

Chester and Hannah have reached the campsite

At the campsite, Chester and Hannah have erected their tent;

"Our home for the summer"

“That’s our home for the summer,” Chester says, “Festivals, gigs – we can even go to Maes B (Youth section of the Eisteddfod). I know it’s on Anglesey, but it won’t be just Gogs – there’ll be people like us too.”

Hannah seems less keen than him

She is not too sure about this.

Eileen goes to look at the hire car . . .

Eileen comes out of the flat and takes a look at the car in which Jim has arrived;

. . . with its sleeping bag and pizza boxes

she finds a sleeping bag, various pizza boxes and empty bottles.

They stroll towards the bar

As they walk along the cliff top, past the chalets, Chester remarks that it is open mic night in the bar, and suggests that they try to get served there.

Hannah reveals what she has brought with her

“There’s no need,” Hannah replies, and pulls a bottle of vodka from her bag.

"This place is lovely" (said with an Australian accent)

“This place is lovely, looking out over the sea,” she enthuses.

Colin is impressed with the view

At that moment, Britt and Colin arrive at their half-price chalet, admiring the view.

"Chest, is that your mother and Colin?"

Hannah turns and sees them; “Chest, is that your mother and Colin?” she enquires, then shouts to them.

"Well, fancy seeing you here!"

Britt pretends to be surprised, and Colin mutters to her about leaving them alone. “We fancied a holiday, and this place offered a cheap deal,” she explains,

Chester is less than enthralled

and Chester remarks that she is so embarrassing. Colin’s assurances that they will stay out of his way do not cheer him.

"Where have you been, Jim?"

Jim returns from his bath, and Eileen asks him where he has been over the last few weeks.

"You haven't been near Scotland"

“Be honest with me, because I know you haven’t been near Scotland.”

"Er . . . a B&B in Carmarthen"

He reluctantly explains that he needed some time alone, and did not want her to look for him, alleging that he has stayed in a B&B in Carmarthen.

"I've looked in your car!"

“Stop lying!” she orders him, “I’ve looked in your car! I’ve been worried about you – why would you choose to live like that? You could have stayed with friends and family – I want to understand, Jim!”

"After a while, it was easier to stay away"

He tells her that when he left, all he wanted to do was to be on his own. “Staying in the car one night became two nights. After a while it was easier to stay away – I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone.

"I couldn't face you"

“I wanted to come home – I came back several times, but I couldn’t face you.

"Why did you do this to us, Eileen?"

“Why did you do this to us, Eileen?”

Why only six sausages out of eight?

While Colin cooks sausages on the barbecue, the others are all on their phones,

He objects to them being on their phones . . .

and he becomes angry.

. . . and decides they should be confiscated . . .

“I don’t think anyone should be on their phones during this holiday,” and he confiscates Chester’s. Hannah judges this to be a good idea, but as she gets her phone,

. . . then takes charge of Hannah's vodka

he sees the bottle of vodka and takes that as well, even though she explains that it is for her Gran.

"I'll keep it safe for Diane"

Colin determines that he will keep it safe for Diane.

“You don’t need vodka to have a good time, do you?” declares Britt.

Chester is not looking forward to this week

Chester looks as if he is anticipating an unpleasant week. Britt asks Hannah if she is going to get a job for the summer, but Chester replies that they will not have time,

"We're going camping for the summer"

as they are going camping to festivals and gigs.

"Not all the summer"

“Maybe not all summer,” Hannah remarks, “We have to do other things – I’m going back to Australia for a while – Mam bought me a ticket recently, but only for a couple of weeks.

"I'm going to tell them about you, of course"

“I want to catch up with family and friends – and tell them about you, of course!”

"I could come with you"

“Meeting me might be better than hearing about me,” Chester suggests, “I could come with you – I’ll find a way to afford the plane ticket.

"You wouldn't let me in, Jim"

Eileen explains, “I was so lonely, Jim, and I was trying to help you, but you wouldn’t let me in. I doubted everything about myself – as a mother, as a wife.”

"But Sam was there for you!"

Jim replies that Sam was there for her.

"It wasn't like that"

She continues, “Yes, but not like that – we drank wine and he listened to me. He wasn’t feeling well and asked me to stay with him – he looked so pale, I couldn’t say no. Then I fell asleep, that’s all.”

"So why all the lies?"

“So why all the lies?” Jim demands, and she says she simply panicked, because what happened was entirely innocent, and she should never have dealt with it like that. She is sorry for telling lies, but will not apologise for anything else, because nothing else happened.

"I don't know if that is enough"

Jim does believe her, but he does not know if that is enough.

"Look, Mam, I'll work at the Deri and the chippy"

Chester offers to work in the Deri and the chippy to finance the trip to Australia, but his mother insists she cannot afford that. He suggests asking Colin, as he is loaded;

"Don't ask Colin for the money!"

she forbids him to ask. “He has done more than enough for us since getting that money,” she stresses.

Chester has had enough of this

When Colin and Hannah return from some shopping, Chester decides they are going to leave,

"He's only sixteen!"

and Britt tells Colin and that he is upset as she will not play for him to go to Australia. “It’s on the other side of the world, and he’s only sixteen!”

"He would be fine with Hannah's family"

but Colin is confident that he would be fine with Hannah’s family.

“I know it’s hard to accept when your children are growing up, but you have to let them go some day,” he tells her,

"I was the same when Izzy left"

“I was the same when Izzy left – but travelling was the best thing she ever did.” Britt replies that she cannot afford to buy a ticket anyway,

"Well, he's not going!"

and that he is not going, proposing that they forget about it

Colin likes the sound of the hot tub

and go for a dip in the hot tub.

"We've been through far worse than this"

Eileen tells Jim that they are a team, and have been through worse than this. She says that they can go back to how they were, and that she is here for him.