Dai had a choice, he could lie and hope to get away with it, or he
could tell the truth and face the consequences. It was the biggest dilemma of
his life and he really didn't know what to do and what’s worse, there was no one he could
turn to for help. Dai was as Welsh as Welsh could be, all his life he had waved
the flag, banged the drum, thumped the tub for his country in sport, politics,
everything. Despite living in England since he was 23, despite being married to
a beautiful English woman, he'd retained his Welshness, if anything being an
exile had only made it stronger. Cut him in half and he would bleed red.
But, and there's always a but, Dai had a little secret, he wasn’t actually born in Wales. He was born in spit spit England. He'd never told a soul of that fact, no one outside his immediate family knew and they were all dead now, not even his wife, his son and daughter knew about his place of birth.
But now it was a problem, because now Aled, his grandson, had been picked to play for Wales, both a dream and a nightmare for Dai. Dai's dream had always been to play for Wales himself, a dream he'd passed on to his son when he realised that he was too old and then to his grandson when he realised Bryn that had the sporting ability of a frog. Dai had taken Aled to his first game, had taken him to his first training session, had helped him wth his kicking, his passing, everything. Now all that hard work had paid off. The problem was Aled had been born in England, as had his father, so he only qualified for Wales through his grandfather - Dai, the Welshest man in the whole of England. Except technically, Dai was not Welsh because to be Welsh you had to be born in Wales and buried deep in a chest in the loft was the birth certificate that proved otherwise,
So Dai could lie, after all surely it was what you felt not where you were born that mattered. And he’d felt he was Welsh since the very first day he could feel. All the heartbreak he endured, all the teasing and abuse that had bordered on racism that he’d put up with, all the sheep noises; surely that allowed him to lie. But he was in a quandary, if he was caught, it would destroy his grandson's career. But if he told the truth, he might live to see his beloved Aled pull on the white jersey with the red rose of England on it and that was too unpalatable for words.
But, and there's always a but, Dai had a little secret, he wasn’t actually born in Wales. He was born in spit spit England. He'd never told a soul of that fact, no one outside his immediate family knew and they were all dead now, not even his wife, his son and daughter knew about his place of birth.
But now it was a problem, because now Aled, his grandson, had been picked to play for Wales, both a dream and a nightmare for Dai. Dai's dream had always been to play for Wales himself, a dream he'd passed on to his son when he realised that he was too old and then to his grandson when he realised Bryn that had the sporting ability of a frog. Dai had taken Aled to his first game, had taken him to his first training session, had helped him wth his kicking, his passing, everything. Now all that hard work had paid off. The problem was Aled had been born in England, as had his father, so he only qualified for Wales through his grandfather - Dai, the Welshest man in the whole of England. Except technically, Dai was not Welsh because to be Welsh you had to be born in Wales and buried deep in a chest in the loft was the birth certificate that proved otherwise,
So Dai could lie, after all surely it was what you felt not where you were born that mattered. And he’d felt he was Welsh since the very first day he could feel. All the heartbreak he endured, all the teasing and abuse that had bordered on racism that he’d put up with, all the sheep noises; surely that allowed him to lie. But he was in a quandary, if he was caught, it would destroy his grandson's career. But if he told the truth, he might live to see his beloved Aled pull on the white jersey with the red rose of England on it and that was too unpalatable for words.
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