This intriguing play is another under consideration. An unflinching portrayal of loneliness and love, Sarah is a young girl who has been continually boarded out with families in the South Wales valleys during the early 1950s. Her last guardians are Mr&Mrs Priddy. Hannah Priddy is a formidable woman who undermines Sarah's new found romance with Johnny. She also starts to make belittling remarks about Sarah and her parents, including the brothers and sisters she has not seen in fourteen years. I have included an extract below.

Mrs. Priddy:   Well, if you will arrive an hour late, Sarah, you must not expect any food. The radio will not be put on until Mr. Priddy returns. Put your cardigan on,girl. I do not wish to see your arms.

Sarah:   I was twenty minutes late, that’s all.  The reason for that was the projector breaking down at the Plaza. That’s why Johnny and I were late returning home. We weren’t late on purpose.

Mrs. Priddy:  I can still smell fish and chips on your clothes.

Sarah:  Is there any harm in that? I felt famished and Johnny said he would treat me.

Mrs. Priddy:    Drinking Tizer will also stain your teeth. You could be very pretty if you put your mind to it.  Now, you know how strict Mr. Priddy is with having his meals punctually. He cannot abide tardiness. Stop your day-dreaming, Sarah.  You never ate properly until you boarded with us. When will you ever be grateful for all we have done?

Sarah:   I am in by half-past nine every Friday night. I work all through the week. Can I not be allowed some time to myself?

Mrs. Priddy: You would do well to look ashamed because you cannot stare at me. There are many people who would be envious of you with the cooked dinner you have every evening. Toast dipped in tea was all I had when I was your age. I don’t know what has become of young girls’ today. Lipstick was unheard of in my day. You should be seen and not heard.

Sarah:  What time is Mr. Priddy due home?

Mrs. Priddy:  It is all according to whom he speaks with on his way. His walk could last another twenty minutes.

Sarah:  He talks worse than an old apple woman on times when he meets his mates. He's probably having a quick pint in the pub.

Mrs. Priddy:  Who says such a thing?

Sarah:   That is what I heard.

Mrs. Priddy:  Well, you heard wrong, didn’t you? Neither of my boys would say such a thing about their father.

Sarah:    When was the last time Morgan and Harry visited?

Mrs. Priddy:   They have their own lives and families to look after, Sarah. I can tell you a few home-truths with your high-handed manner. Your parents did not want you. Have you ever thought why? You are still a child, pretending to be an adult. Why will you not look me in the eye?

Sarah:  Your problem is that you are forever trying to undermine my confidence. I have never been able to do anything right. I never go out of my way to earn your praise. You will never understand me. I know what happened between my parents and nothing will change that.

Mrs. Priddy:  You were just four years old when your mother jumped out of the back bedroom window and left you and your brothers and sisters in the middle of the night.

Sarah:   She did just that.

Mrs. Priddy:   Just look at the way you are standing there, not a care in the world. Mud sticks and you want to watch you don’t get the same reputation.

Sarah:    How dare you! I have done little wrong, Mrs. Priddy. You never liked Johnny because he questions you.

Mrs. Priddy:  I just call it rudeness. He is another one who slouches and never stands straight.

Sarah:   Whatever next will you lie about? His family like my company.

Mrs. Priddy:  I hope you speak more to them than you do to me and Mr. Priddy.

Sarah:   I heard the front door opening.

Mrs. Priddy:  That was just the letter-box rattling in the wind. Have Johnny’s family a spare bedroom for you if you ever get tired of living here?

Sarah:   How can I get married? I am not eighteen until next April. May I be excused?

Mrs. Priddy:  Just a moment. You were talking in your sleep last night. The bedroom door was open and I listened. Your words were childlike, as if you were being chastised by someone. A boy replied to your questioning. It seemed to be as if I was a part of your dream, Sarah. No-one came for any of you, did they? Whatever family you had, and there were many, they abandoned you children to the homes. Indeed, one of your mother’s sisters said that she would rather have a cat than a child in her home.

Sarah:  This is something you made up. You know nothing about my past or my family!

Mrs. Priddy:   Such unpleasantness never goes away. When you are frightened, the fear will come to mind and you will perceive a different understanding in which you may be the one who was to blame for your mother’s disappearance.

Sarah:   I had an uncle who worked on a farm in Somerset. He was a hurdle maker and he and his wife would have taken us in, you old cow. . .