How have Chesney and Gemma been coping everything in the run up to this?
Their lives are hectic and it is always a struggle to survive and keep their heads above water. They are definitely feeling the strain financially as any family would with 5 children. As much as they are a solid family they are feeling very stressed.
Have they not noticed that Joseph is the one who has been forgotten about a bit in all of the struggles?
With everything that has gone before, from having the quads and then the worries over Aled and how much it puts demands on them it has been a hectic time. Nothing is intentional but Joseph has slipped through the cracks a bit. He has had no quality time with Chesney, between looking after the quads and doing as many hours as he can Chesney hasn’t had time to take him to the red rec or just play a game of footie with him. Joseph is probably feeling a bit left out. It is a tricky one.
Money is very tight, how does Chesney feel about not being able to give Joseph money for the school trip or even buy a school jumper?
Chesney feels terrible he is trying his best to provide for his family and he sees this as a failure to do that. The £10 for the school trip he is having to use for hospital parking for Aled’s appointment, that is how bad things have got. Joseph is frustrated and feels pushed out. Chesney’s reaction is that he will try and take another job, he even talks about working on a building yard as overnight security, so he wants to work in the day, then overnight too which is ludicrous. Really he should probably be looking at spending time with the family but all he wants to do is provide for them. It is a vicious circle and they are people out there going through this.
How would he feel if he knew Joseph felt bad enough to consider stealing from Fiz?
He doesn't have time to think about how people are being affected; he just wants to push on and solve the financial problems. So when he realises Joseph is prepared to consider stealing from his Aunty he is shocked and upset. It comes as a massive shock to him as it is the last thing he would think Joseph is capable of and he is livid.
Chesney and Gemma find out that Joseph is being bullied at school - does Chesney feel like he has let Joseph down not spotting this earlier?
Yes he feels like a failure he is devastated that their problems have led to Joseph being bullied. He is determined to make things better for Joseph and speak to the school but really that is the last thing Joseph wants him to do. He speaks to the teacher and it makes everything worse for Joseph as he is singled out and made to feel different again.
Why does Chesney speak to the school - what happens when Joseph confronts him about it?
Joseph is really upset and then there is also a situation where he tells Chesney he hasn’t got a tablet to do his homework and Chesney says he will message the school about Joseph using the school ones at the back of the classroom. Joseph doesn't want him to do that as it singles him out again in front of his classmates. He says “I will look like a right povo if I do that’ but Chesney can’t see why it’s a problem, Bernie understands more than Chesney does and she is trying to think of a way of getting a tablet for Joseph. So that on top of speaking to the teacher causes the problem. Joseph comes in from school really angry, he slams the door and bangs his bag down and that wakes the quads up. He is upset with Chesney and tackles him for telling the teacher about the bullying when he asked him not to. He feels betrayed by his dad and he storms off out to his little den in the garden. Gemma and Chesney have a little heart to heart and he says he will go and speak to him and apologise and tell him that he will try and spend more time with him but when he gets out there he’s gone.
Talk me through how Chesney feels when he realises Joseph is missing and the police find his jumper?
At first he is a bit annoyed because he feels like he is doing it to get one back on him and he knows Chesney is going to panic. But as time goes on he starts to get really worried and feel really bad. When the police find his jumper that is a terrible moment, it is January and freezing cold why would Joseph take his jumper off? That is when the nightmare begins, he is missing. Chesney is also frustrated as the police are saying he is better off waiting at home and all he wants to do is be out there looking for his son. This is a real wake up call for them, Joseph has been left to feel so bad that he has run away and now he could be in serious danger. It’s a really hard thing to deal with.
It is great that the community all pull together, how does Ches feel about Dev’s fundraising?
He thinks it is a good thing but then again his pride gets in the way. He doesn’t want Dev to be the one helping financially, he thinks that's his job. So he actually starts to get quite annoyed with Dev, as nice as it is he wants to sort it out.
As a parent yourself can you imagine what Ches and Gemma have to cope with a house full of children?
I grew up in a large family, but with us there was always three years or so between each one and by the time number 5 or 6 came along the older ones were able to help out. Chesney and Gemma have four the same age and an older one I can't imagine the chaos they must be living in. I know what it is like just with one, when I get him down to sleep finally and something wakes him up, he was woken up by a delivery the other day and he was over tired. I can’t imagine what that would be like with four, I often imagine doing all of this times four!
Do you think the family will pull together to get through this?
They are strong but this is such a difficult thing to deal with and as time goes on it is going to get hard for them. If Joseph is not found or comes to some harm then Chesney and Gemma are not going to be able to forgive themselves as they feel they are to blame.
Glenda Young
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