A Good Clean Heart

Alun Saunders

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781783198320
• eBook ISBN: 9781783198337
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

"This one time, I just know she's gonna hit the roof. I just put you in the pushchair and get out the place quick as I can. Neighbours all out on the balcony wonderin' what's happenin', and this eight-year-old kid's walkin' past 'em all smilin' with a kid in his pushchair, like tha'... "Mornin'! Mornin'!"

This brand new bilingual play by young playwright Alun Saunders is a coming of age story about two brothers raised apart, in different families speaking different languages. With animated surtitles in both languages that move around the set and even onto the actors' bodies, this is a funny, moving play and truly accessible for Welsh and non-Welsh speakers alike.

A GOOD CLEAN HEART
(BILINGUAL ENGLISH AND WELSH VERSION)

1.

HEFIN: Ma’ Dad yn canu Penblwydd Hapus nerth ei ben. Dyw Mam ddim.

Beth y’f fi ‘di neud?

Wrth i Dad roi gogoniant o frecwast lawr o ‘mlaen i, mae’n gwasgu’n ysgwydd. Popeth yn ok.

“Nawr – y treial,” ma’ Dad yn dechre.

“Gwilym…” ma Mam yn gweud. “Ma’ hyn yn fwy na blincin’ rygbi.”

Mae’n bwrw’i llaw ar yr amlen o’i blaen hi ar y gair ‘rygbi’. Os oedd set o allweddi yn yr amlen yna base fe’n brifo. Ond …

“Hefin, s’mo ni ishe sbwylo heddi i ti, ond ma’ rhwbeth ma’n rhaid i ni ddweud. Mae’n amser.”

Fi ‘di pisho ar y landing radiator eto, do? Ma’ Dad yn syllu ar yr amlen brown nawr. Pam s’mo nhw jyst yn rhoi e i fi? Ma’ nhw ‘di anghofio rhoi’r siec mewn.

“Bwriadon ni gadw popeth yn agored, yn onest.”

Woah. Ma’ ‘mola i’n troi. Mae’n swnio fel’se hi’n mynd i weud bo fi’n adopted.

“Ond y drafferth oedd, baset ti’n troi,” ma’ Mam yn gweud. “Mwy na stranc … Damweinie yn gwely, pallu siarad am ddyddie’ ar y tro …”

Y gwir yw wy’n gwbod bo’ fi’n adopted … Wastod wedi, so beth yw’r ffys?

“Mae y llythyron wedi bod yn dod drwy’r asiantaeth ers peth amser … ”

Llythyrau, Dad.

Mae e dal angen ‘i gywiro weithie. Ma’ Mam yn dal i fynd. A ma’ mhen i’n throbban.

Mam – sa’i ishe gwbod. Sa’i erioed wedi ishe gwbod, beth yw’r pwynt? Drychwch, fi ‘di bod trw’r brecwast a’r canu and all that. Alla’i jyst gael y’n anrheg a mynd i’r ysgol?

Dad sy’n dod mas ag e.

“Mae gen ti frawd.”

‘Sdim cyfieithiad Cymraeg o rai geirie. Y ferf ‘to unhear’, er enghraifft.

“Hefin? Y llythyrau yma … Ma’ nhw wedi bod yn dod o Lundain.”

So?

“Ma dy frawd di yn Llundain … ”

A ma’ nhw’n cario ‘mlaen i siarad, yn dweud rhywbeth am, sai’mo … Pa mor anodd mae e wedi bod arnyn nhw, ryw crap. Ma’ Mam yn rhoi’r llythyr reit dan ‘y ‘nhrwyn i, a wy’n syllu arno fe, ar y ‘sgrifen.

“Ma’r lleill i gyd mewn bocs i ti. Co’r dwetha. Ma’n ddrwg ‘da ni. Caru ti.”

Ma’ Dad yn rhoi ‘i law ar y’n llaw i. “Cuppa tea,” mae’n gweud. Wy’n dal i edrych ar yr enw ar flaen yr amlen, yn ‘i bigo fe lan felse’n i’n methu’i weld e.

Are you real??

“Hefin!”

Wy’n tynnu’r drws tu ôl i fi, yn slammo fe ar gau. Wy’n brasgamu lawr y dreif rhwng ‘u ceir nhw gyda ‘mag ysgol ar ‘y nghefn a’r llythyr yn y’n llaw.

Sai’n gwbod lle fi’n mynd. Fi jyst yn mynd.

2.

JAY: Hey,

how you doin bro. im good. real busy.

your birthday comin up again innit. you know that lol.

18 man. im 25 now. Just wait youll be catchin up with me soon enuff lol

i think about you a lot. where you are. what you look like. if you think bout me.

i know i shudna, but you know i said last year i was gonna look for you on Facebook. well i did. looked thru like 300 Kevins, but I figurd I didn’t know if you was in London or Scotland or Australlia or whatever so …

thort about makin this a long letter but i aint good wiv words

look i’ll give you my Email. is it a big E in Email? E! lol

I cant check it all the time but i promise to get back to you as soon as i can. if ur gettin these letters then please send somethin. anythin.

if i dont hear nothin then thats cool. Not cool. But … Forget that.

HEFIN: Happy birthday bruvva. love you

Jay

3.

JAY: I could be a bus driver.

Minute we leave Brixton Hill I feel the eyes on me. I look at the red button on the pole and think, ejector seats, yeh. Ting!

I keep on catchin’ ’em, out the corner of my eye, these faces, lookin’ at me like I just escaped from somewhere, y’know?

HEFIN: “Hef … Hef!”

JAY: I get off at Elephant and Castle and get on the four five three. There’s seats, but I like standin’. I get off at Penny’s, but I just ain’t sure which way to go. Market’s gonna be busy, which could be trouble, but then I actually see it, smell it, and this urge to walk down the high street just takes over. Fuck it.

Market’s buzzin’. It’s a small place, but a good place. Same faces, same smells, Deptford smells.

Down by the Albany, Mr Frank been tryin’a sell this platinum disc about two years: MmmBop. Catches me lookin’ at it.

“You know you want it, Jay boy,” he goes.

Too right mate.

(SINGS) Mmmbop ba dubadop ba du bop ba duba dop…

(SPOKEN) Next week, yeh?

HEF...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Production History
• Author’s notes
• A Good Clean Heart (Bilingual English and Welsh Version)
• A Good Clean Heart (English Version)