Source: BBC Radio 4 "The Archers" Archers: 2013-04-11 Thursday http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/archers archers_20130411-1920a.mp3

You are listening to Thursday's episode of The Archers from BBC Radio 4.

Thank heavens you finally answered.

What do you want, Paul?

I've been so worried. Why haven't you been picking up?

I've been busy.

I've rung so often, Lilian, ...

I'm in a hurry now.

Oh.

 ... 'd get some bread ... before the shop shuts.

I won't hold you up. All I want to say...

Alice.

.... way ... Lilian.

How did you ...?

Want me to call back?

If you've got something to say, say it.

Where do you think I'm calling from?

I have no idea.

The flat. Our flat.

You are in ... ?

Yes.

What are you doing there?

I behaved so badly on Tuesday.  I had to come up to say sorry, face to face.  It's all right.  I'm not stupid. I know there's little chance of your coming over, not on this short notice.  Is there?

 

Oh hi. You are back early.

Is that a bad thing?

No, except I haven't ... ... tea.

I've been ordering

Can you make space please?

Sure. That smells great, Alice.

Yeah. Chicken ... ... and ...

Brilliant.

And, a nice bottle of

wine

stock

OK. You've had your meeting with Brendan.

Oh, uh, yeah.

So is this a celebration? Or are we drowning your sighs?

 

Come on. That's it. Go on. In you go.

Oh. Hi Bren.

Have I caught you at a bad time?

No, not at all.

Are you sure?  Sounds like you are with the pigs.

I've got to replace an ear tag.  It's all right, as long as she stays where she is.

I thought I'd better ring. You've got a lot of voice mails stacking up here.

oh

let's see

couple of messages from Maurice.

Terry Bingham rang

back from work

trying to get hold of you all afternoon.

Uh, yeah. Stay still. Stop it.

Tom?

Yeah, yeah, sorry. I've been screening my calls. I didn't really want to talk to him.

in the right place?

No. Not

very

I wish it wasn't like this.

No, no, no.

I don't wanna bother you, but I did promise Terry.

No. That's great. Thanks. Stay there.

You will ring him back?

Yes, yes, yes of course I will when I get home. And, maybe we can talk about this ... ... ... as well.

No, don't!  Sorry Bren.  I've got to go. 

 

So, go on.

Well.  I went to his office at two o'clock, like he'd asked me to. 

But he wasn't there?

No. He was stuck in Birmingham according to Mel.

Just what you needed.

horrible when you are all psyched up

great shape

pieces

I was so nervous, Chris.

Oh.

As soon as

his office,

why did I want to leave

did ... say

found

No.

You can prove

Brendan was so surprised I was applying elsewhere, wanted to know why I wasn't happy at ... ...

proper

Oh year, please.  And, I thought about my job

going

So, I told him what I really thought about my job.

Good for you.

Yeah.

how I feel

dead end

using my degree

real works done

You didn't say that.

I did.

How did he take it?

Well, when I finally shut up, he just sat there, shell-shocked.

Poor guy.

Then he started to laugh.

What?

Yeah. It was amazing.  He said he was delighted

passionate about the job

one of the reasons

... ... are determined not to let anyone else headhunt me.

Nice.

Yeah. And he

give me reason to stay, like offering me fast-track promotion within the department.

Brilliant.

Isn't it? Oh, and, ... is going ... ... a salary bump pretty soon.

Alice, well done.

even better.  I get some creative responsibility on the CFOP project.

The...?

The fuselage thing.

And, he saved the best bit to the last.

What's that?

our European subsidiaries

I think so.

Well, if Brendan keeps his promise, I've the chance

How about that?  A nice few months in Paris.

Paris? Oh wow!

Yeah.

That'd be so much easier than Vancouver

You don't mind?

Of course not.

New challenges, new responsibilities ..... Oh, it's everything I wanted in Canada but without...

All the problems.

Oh, I'm so pleased, Chris

really

And you can come over some of the time, if you want to.

OK.

come home

at weekends

We'll work something out.  That's great. Well done, you.

Thank you.

What for?

Being wonderful.

Oh that. Yeah.

Oh It's gonna be so good.

So I can ditch the lumberjack shirts.

Oh yeah. And start brushing up on your French, like Je t'aime.

What's French for "you are ...ing my ribs"?

Oh, sorry.

 

Thank you so much, Lilian.

Lucky. That's all. ... meeting ... golf ... anyway. Oh!

I thought a few flowers might help.

For you?

To show how sorry I am.

You must have spent a fortune.

No, it was....

Why?

Lilian?

I don't want flowers.

... make ...

I don't want flowers, or chocolate, or champagne.

OK.  I've ... ? 

How about I'm so sorry. I really am, Lilian. I'm ashamed of being so awful on Tuesday.

Why did you cut yourself off?

I didn't mean to.

Well, look at me.  You hardly said a word.

I didn't realize till afterwards.

If you want to shout at me, go ahead.  You know, anytime.  Have a ... ... I can give as good as I can get. But the silent treatment?  That hurts too much.

I'm so sorry.

I've had too much of that.  I won't take any more.

You won't have to.

Why did you do it to me?

You'd think it's stupid.

Just tell me.

I was in a foul mood when I got here. I had an awful phone call on the train.

Who from?

Guy from the council. Building inspector. ... Victorian houses we are doing up.

yeah

wrong

pull down and down again

one

of the job.

Are you in money trouble?

No.

Then why ... ... so important?

My reputation's at stake, Lilian. ... ... good name ... council, but, well, apparently

spending so much time up here, I trusted someone else to run the job.  I shouldn't have.  He messed it up.

That's why you were so ....

Yes.

might have

tell me

see that side of me.

What side?

When I get anxious, depressed.  I hate myself for it.

What is the point of being together if we can't be honest to each other?

I know.

I thought it was me.

Oh no.

thought you didn't want me there.

Oh, Darling, .............. Darling?

I'm sure you've stopped loving me.

No. I love you more than ever.

Do you really mean that?

Yes.

'Cause if you ever treat me like that again, .....

I won't.  I swear it.  Believe me, darling.  From now on, I'll tell you everything.  Absolutely everything.

 

Bren.

I'm so sorry, Tom.

When did you take your stuff off the bedroom?

After I phoned you.

You said you weren't going to rush things.

I was gonna tell you when you came in but you went straight upstairs.

You don't have to do this.

I do. It's better like this.

How is it better?  What could be worse?

Everything's so difficult.  It's fairer to you if I sleep in the spare room. I've been selfish to want you beside me at night.

No.

I have.

I just ..... I can't get my head around it.

I know.

I keep going over what you've said.  It doesn't make sense.

I wish I could explain better.

Look.  We can make this work.  I know we can, Bren.  I don't know why you can't see that.

We have such different dreams.

Why ... we have ... everything we wanted.  What are your dreams?

Good question. I wish I knew the answer.

Well. There you are. You are mixed up.

No, it's not that, Tom. I don't quite know what I want, but I know what I don't want. There's got to be more to life than having my brain stuck in ... ... all the time.  I've got so much energy, so many ideas.  I want a job that uses that, that actually means something.

Right.

And no matter how hard we try, this isn't quite right for me either.

It is for me.

I know. But it only works if I am not really me.  ... ... with you.

I can change. Now I know.

You'd give up your dreams to follow mine?

Yes.

Forget about the farm? Your business?

If that's what you really want me to do.

Give up wanting children, Haveing a family of your own? ...... No?  And I don't want you to. Our ... ... such different ways.

Oh, Bren.

No, it's for both our sakes, Tom. I'm so sorry.

You actually mean this, don't you?  You really think we are finished.