Cwmderi Diary 2015: 17 December 2015

Sheryl pushes Nicky's pram . . .

After a reprise of the end of the last episode (accompanied by John Taverner’s The Lamb),

. . . to the cemetery

Sheryl arrives with the pram at Meilyr’s grave. She picks up the toy from the grave and gives it to Nicky. She addresses Meilyr,

"Nicky needs me to look after him now"

“I bought you this, didn’t I? I’ll never forget you, but Nicky needs me to look after him now. Ta-ra, love!”

Debbie posts Christmas cards

As Debbie posts Christmas cards in the pillarbox,

Vicky alights from the taxi

she sees Vicky getting out of a taxi; Vicky tells her, “I got changed at Y Glyndwr, as I’m going to a party at the Deri.

"My boss gave me this"

“My boss gave me this necklace as a present.”

“Make sure he only wants you as a waitress!” Debbie replies, “You can’t carry on as if you don’t have a child!’ but Vicky insists she is only going for a few drinks.

"I didn't sleep a wink last night"

Colin struggles out of the door of number 7; “This blinking back! I didn’t sleep a wink last night!” he tells Gaynor, and she insists he should see someone about it.

"I don't want some quack fiddling with it!"

He replies, “It always sorts itself out in the end – and I don’t want some quack fiddling with my back!”

Gaynor has an idea

As he stumbles off towards the Deri, Gaynor catches sight of Gwyneth coming out of her front door.

Nicky has been taken to Llwyncelyn

Sheryl takes the baby to Llwyncelyn, where she removes him from the pram and cuddles him, which does not stop him from crying.

"Can you come to Llwyncelyn, please?"

She rings Hywel; “Can you come to Llwyncelyn, please? I’ll explain when you get here.”

Sioned's Christmas present . . .

Ed attaches a label to his present for Sioned,

. . . but Ed looks rather pleased with this one . . .

then looks at the contents of a small black box,

. . . and this one has two kisses on it

and writes a label for that too.

"They weren't looking after him"

Nicky is holding the toy from Meilyr’s grave when Hywel arrives; he is horrified to see Sheryl with Vicky’s baby. “I couldn’t leave him – they weren’t looking after him. Mark was fast asleep – and the hob was turned on – it wasn’t safe.”

"You abducted him?"

“So you just took him? You abducted him?” demands Hywel, incredulously. However, when Sheryl hands the baby to him, his attitude seems to change;

"Does anyone else know he's here?"

“He’s perfect – does anyone else know he’s here?” Sheryl says that no-one saw them, and in any case they do not care about him.

“We must take him to the car, before anyone realises he is missing!” demands Hywel, “The police will be looking for him, so we’ll have to leave. If we drive far enough, we can find a safe place!”

"I just wanted to make sure he's safe"

Sheryl says that she only wanted to make sure he was safe, and muses, “Llwyncelyn is the perfect place for a baby – Meilyr would have been so happy here!”

"We'll be a family – somewhere else"

Hywel insists that they will be a family – but somewhere else. “Nicky will be much better off with us – we were supposed to have a baby!” Then they hear a car outside, so Hywel sends Sheryl out the back way, promising to pick her up later at the back of the salon.

"What are you doing here, Hywel?"

Gaynor is surprised to find Hywel there, and he rather unconvincingly tells her that he has come to collect his post,

He fiddles nervously with the toy

as he fiddles with the cuddly toy. Gaynor assures him that she is there if he needs to talk to anyone. As he judges that he has given Sheryl enough time to get away, he leaves.

"New necklace?"

Ed finds Vicky in the Deri, waiting for Dani to arrive for their little Christmas party. Vicky boasts that she went out last night, all night, with Dewi, and he gave her the necklace, which not appreciated by Ed. She maintains it is the loveliest thing she has ever been given,

Ed has been splashing out a bit

so Ed gives her his present, a pair of expensive earrings. “They suit you better than that necklace!” is his opinion.

"Another pint, please"

Colin orders another drink,

"You're coming with me!"

but Gwyneth arrives and tells him she has a present for him. “You’re coming with me,” she orders, and he painfully follows her.

Celebrating a successful escort agency

Dani comes in and orders champagne with three glasses, “We’re celebrating a successful escort business in Cwmderi, of all places!” she tells Ed and Vicky.

Vicky show off her new earrings . . .

Dani notices Vicky’s earrings and remarks they do not quite go with the necklace. Ed is quick to point out that he gave them to her, and that he also has a present for Dani.

. . . but Dani's do not in any way compare

Dani is obviously unimpressed with these very inferior earrings;

"Claire's really soft with babies"

“I can’t believe that Claire chose babysitting over a night out,” she says, “She’s really soft with babies – and it will be worse when she has her own.

"I'm glad you're not a boring mother, Vicky"

“I’m glad you’re not a boring mother, Vicky, who goes on and on about children. You’ve got more personality than just being a mother.”

Vicky makes an excuse to leave

Vicky appears to suffer a pang of conscience; making the excuse that afternoon drinking does not suit her, she leaves, despite Dani’s protests.

Mark must have been absolutely exhausted

Mark is still asleep when Ricky returns home to collect a file for school. Mark stirs, and mumbles, “Is Nicky still asleep?”

"Not a sound from the baby monitor"

Ricky listens to the baby monitor and hears no sound, so confirms the baby is still sleeping, and returns to school.

Sheryl cannot scuttle across to the salon

Sheryl skulks in the back street behind the shop, unable to reach the back door of the salon while Debbie and Vicky talk at the other end of the alley.

"I'm on my way home to see my baby"

“I’m on the way home to see my baby,” says Vicky, “I don’t want to waste any more money – I want him to have the best.”

"Oh, what am I doing?"

Sheryl is beginning to have second thoughts, and as Vicky goes with her mother to the café to collect some leftover lasagne,

She executes an about turn

she turns the pram through 180 degrees and returns from whence she came.

Colin is face-downwards . . .

We see Colin, lying face-downwards, just as his Reiki massage is complete,

. . . amongst the accoutrements of Reiki

with incense sticks smouldering. “Don’t move too quickly,” advises Gwyneth, “Take your time, and I’ll put the kettle on.”

He eases himself up, and exclaims . . .

As Colin gingerly eases himself up, he exclaims, “Gwyneth, you’re an angel!

"My back is really better!"

“I can’t believe it – my back is really better! I wasn’t really sure about this mumbo-jumbo.”

Then Gaynor, who arrange for this consultation, arrives to see if it has worked.

He is not so sure about this mint tea, though

Colin, who is attempting to drink the mint tea he has been given, admits, “I was very dubious about this Reiki – I don’t know how it works, but it does.

"I could go clubbing all night in Swansea!"

“I could go clubbing all night in Swansea now!”

"Don't try doing the splits in the Deri!"

Gaynor warns him against doing the splits in the Deri and setting back his recovery.

The pram is replaced, just where it was

Mark’s deep sleep continues unabated, as Sheryl creeps back in with the pram and leaves it in its original position. She has to make a speedy exit as she hears Vicky returning.

"I could have sworn I left the hob turned on"

As Vicky greets her son, Mark jumps up, convinced that he left the hob turned on, but finds it is not.

"He hasn't made a sound for hours"

“He hasn’t made a sound for hours,” he says.

Hywel finds the salon locked

Hywel tries the back door of the salon, but finds it locked,

"I couldn't do it!"

then Sheryl returns, admitting, “I couldn’t do it! Sorry! I took him back to Maes-y-Deri, and Mark was still asleep. We can forget this happened.”

"He needs to be rescued!"

Hywel is furious; “The baby was taken and the family didn’t notice? He needs to be rescued!” Sheryl reminds him that if things had been different, they might well have had a nap in the afternoon and left Meilyr in the pram.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this"

She apologises, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this – I wasn’t coping and I saw an opportunity, but my arms are so empty without Meilyr.” Hywel insists that they would have given Nicky a wonderful home and wonderful life; they would have been excellent parents.

Sheryl simply says, “We would never be Nicky’s parents! That feeling I’ve had since Meilyr left us – Vicky would have had that feeling for ever if we took her baby away! No-one deserves that!”