10 February 2014

Courtney wants to borrow a heart-shaped cake tin from Eileen, but Angela tells her now Eileen and Jim have split up, she is not to go there.   Nevertheless, Courtney does so, and is very troubled by Eileen’s unhinged behaviour;  she says that she hurts people and destroys lives.   Despite Courtney’s protestations that she and Jim love her, Eileen describes herself as “poison”, and again says she destroys lives, “Why else would I have abandoned your mother?   You wonder why she hates me — because I turned my back on her as a little baby.   I can’t even love my only grand-daughter!”   

Courtney is distraught, and Eileen shouts at her to go

Courtney is reduced to tears, but Eileen continues ranting, “Crying won’t help – just get out!”

Back at Angela’s, Courtney demands, “Is Eileen your mam?”   Angela finally admits she is, and says she did not know how to tell Courtney.   “You knew my grandmother lived across the road for months?” she says incredulously, “No-one ever knows how I feel!” and walks out.

Angela chases her along the road, and they see Eileen coming out of the shop;  Eileen tries to apologise for her outburst, but Angela furiously calls her a “bitch”, among other things.   Courtney has had enough of this and runs off across the road;  

Blurred driver's-eye view of the accident

Eileen sees a car approaching her and pushes her out of its path, but it knocks her to the ground.   As all the onlookers rush to help, and Diane orders Gwynfor to call an ambulance, the driver of the car gets out.   Courtney is inconsolable, as she caused the accident.

Shocked onlookers

The driver is breathalysed, but tests negative, and as more villagers arrive, Dai recognises him, and asks, “What are you doing here?”   Eileen is put into the ambulance, and the paramedic asks if there are any relatives;  “I’m her daughter,” says Angela, and gets into the ambulance, as the crowd look at each other with incredulity.

"Angela is Eileen's daughter?"

Dai continues, “You’re in trouble – you travel all this way just to see me, and nearly kill one of the neighbours!   You’ve got a black eye — trouble follows you, and I don’t want it — out of the village, now!”   Diane insists on taking the driver home, then she learns he is DJ, Dic Deryn’s son, and Dai is his uncle.   Dai still wants him out, but Diane as usual has the final word.

Meanwhile, as light relief, Chester has asked Siôn to write a poem for him to put in a Valentine’s card, so Siôn comes up with a literary masterpiece

Without you, my life is insane;

Your beautiful smile hides all the pain;

On Valentine’s Day, I confess my devotion, 

While hoping you will return my passion.

When Chester reads these words, he says “I only want her to come to the disco with me!” and Britt is amused that the words are “a bit dramatic.”   Siôn says he was thinking of her when he penned them.

Eileen is in an induced coma in the hospital, with Angela and Jim watching;  they have been unable to contact Sioned.   Angela says they have to show Courtney they are not treating her like a child, and that the next few weeks are going to be very hard for her.   Jim says that tongues will be wagging now, but Angela fears that Eileen may never wake up.