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Rye Lane · 2023 — Chapter 3 of 16 · 3'19" · B2

Dom and Yas Meet in Peckham, Explained: pay my dues

Walking through Peckham, Yas introduces herself and immediately starts interviewing Dom: where is he going, does he still live at home, and what happened to his ambition? He admits he always wanted to be an accountant, and she confesses she wants to design costumes — once she has "paid her dues."

What happens

Dom and Yas meet while walking through Peckham towards Rye Lane Market. Yas is quick and nosy, asking where he is going and teasing him about still living with his mother. He says he is an accountant; she asks whether he has some thwarted ambition. He admits he always wanted this job, and she says she wants to design costumes.

First datesSmall talkAskingTeasingStrangersB2fastbritish
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pay my duesthwarted ambitiontingpeng

00:00 / 03:19
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Phrase of the scene

pay my dues

to earn your place by enduring the hard part first

雅丝说想当戏服设计师，但得先 pay my dues，把底层助理的苦先熬过去。

She paid her dues in small theatres before the big offer came.

Also in this scene

  • thwarted ambition

    ambition that was blocked before it could happen

  • ting

    a thing, interest, or matter, in British slang

  • peng

    very attractive or good-looking, in UK slang

Everything marked in this scene

27 notes across 59 lines

Phrase · B1where are you off toSo, where you off to?
Phrase · B2have someone out doing somethingWhat errands has your mum got you out here runnin'?
Phrase · B1pay billsOh, Nathan mentioned you don't pay bills, so I figured you still live at home?
Phrase · B1otherwise it sounds like ..."Back" is important, otherwise it sounds like I never left, and I did.
Phrase · B1cut throughI'm actually cutting through.
Phrase · B1lucky for someone- Yeah. Yeah. - [chuckles] Lucky for you, I'm going this way anyway.
Phrase · B2escape the clutches of someoneSo, what do you do now you've escaped the clutches of the Colonel?
Soundclutches of the Colonel

weak form

So, what do you do now you've escaped the clutches of the Colonel?
Phrase · B1a proper jobNo free popcorn chicken, but still, that's like a proper job.
Soundpopcorn chicken

liaison

No free popcorn chicken, but still, that's like a proper job.
Phrase · B2not particularly ...Yeah, it's not particularly glamorous.
Phrase · C1thwarted ambition

ambition that was blocked before it could happen

So, is that what you've always wanted to do, or have you got yourself some thwarted ambition burning away in ya gut?
Slang · B2Peng- You know, you're very-- - Peng?
Phrase · C1refreshingly disarmingRefreshingly disarming?
Phrase · B2someone's mess- You ask a lot of questions. - I'm interested in people's messes.
Phrase · B1make oneself somethingI made myself a little costume and everything.
Slang · B2wannabeSo, are you the only wannabe accountant in your crew?
Grammar · B2All my mates thought they were gonna be footballers

that-clause after thought

All my mates thought they were gonna be footballers or YouTube sensations, chilling on private jets, living extraordinary lives...
Phrase · B2the cost to run somethingDo you know how much they cost to run? Terrible investment.
Phrase · B2hence the somethingHence the Prince costume.
Grammar · B2that you wouldn't have heard of

relative clause with that

I am a buyer for an online brand that you wouldn't have heard of.
Phrase · B2the end gameBut I wanna design costumes. That's, like, the end game.
Slang · C1fuck allNot a lot divided by fuck all. [chuckles] Plus with your ting, the square root of ten is always, like, what-- 3.16-ish.
Phrase · B1take someone's word for itOkay. I'll take your word for it.
Phrase · B2pay one's dues

to earn your place by enduring the hard part first

I've gotta pay my dues.
Grammar · B1I've gotta pay my dues

have gotta

I've gotta pay my dues.
Soundget there

liaison

But I'll get there

Dom and Yas Meet in Peckham, explained

What's really going on

The scene is a first meeting played as an interrogation, and the roles are clear from the start. Yas asks the questions and Dom answers them honestly; she is amused by his life, he is disarmed by hers. His odd, careful correction — "'Back' is important, otherwise it sounds like I never left" — tells you he is still protecting his pride after moving home. Yas pushes further, asking about "thwarted ambition," and the two of them discover they are both stuck: he genuinely wanted a boring job, and she wants costumes but cannot yet afford "cute cocktails." Her line, "I've gotta pay my dues," is the honest centre of the scene, and his easy reply shows these two already fit together.

Theme

AmbitionBoth of them admit what they really want and how far they are from it, which is the bond the scene forms.
IdentityDom defends the story of his life, insisting he moved back home rather than never leaving, while Yas tries out versions of herself.

What you'll learn

  • Back is a defence against never-left.
  • Pay my dues here is rent, not a pep talk.
  • The Colonel joke only works as KFC.
  • Fuck all prices the costume job at zero.
  • Notice how "clutches of the Colonel" changes the exchange.

Listen for

  • clutches of the Colonel — weak form
  • popcorn chicken — liaison
  • get there — liaison
- What makes you think I've got a mess? - Everyone has a mess.

Yas's answer to Dom's protest: she assumes everyone, including him, has something they are hiding.

"Back" is important, otherwise it sounds like I never left, and I did.

Dom's careful correction about living at home again, protecting his pride in front of a stranger.

But I wanna design costumes. That's, like, the end game.

Yas tells him what she really wants to do, beyond her current job as a buyer.

Don't ask me. I wanted to be Prince when I was little.

Yas's reply to his question about being weird: she had an unlikely childhood dream of her own.

Questions about this scene

Why does Yas ask Dom so many questions?

She says she is interested in people's messes. She has just met him and wants to find out who he is, and his answers give her plenty to tease him about.

Why does Dom correct her about living at home?

He moved back home rather than never having left, and he wants that difference understood. It shows how much his pride depends on the story he tells about himself.

Why does Yas say she has to pay her dues?

Taking a low-paid costume-assistant job is the price of the career she wants. She says she cannot simply decide to become a designer, and paying dues means less rent and fewer treats.

What does "ting" mean?

It is British slang for a thing, a job, or a taste. Yas uses it to ask whether private jets are not Dom's kind of thing.

Do Dom and Yas have anything in common?

Yes. Both admit their real ambitions and how far they are from them, and both are quietly disappointed with where life has put them.

Rye Lane · 16 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4spill the teaDom Tells the Cinema Break-Up Story
Chapter 1prang outYas Teases Dom at His Gallery ShowChapter 2very youYas Buys Nathan's Photo at the ShowWatching · Chapter 3pay my duesDom and Yas Meet in PeckhamChapter 4spill the teaDom Tells the Cinema Break-Up StoryChapter 5off the hookYas Tries to Stop Dom's SummitChapter 6shelf lifeDom Confronts Gia and Eric at DinnerChapter 7up in the worldYas Invents a Karaoke Love StoryChapter 8in hindsightYas Confronts Gia at the TableChapter 9grand gestureDom and Yas Trade Break-Up StoriesChapter 10good for the soulYas Misses Her Costume InterviewChapter 11jump through hoopsYas Explains the Hummus Break-UpChapter 12say no moreDom and Yas Scam Jules's MumsChapter 13kick itDom Overhears Why Yas StayedChapter 14could murderYas Gets Caught in Jules's FlatChapter 15breaking and enteringDom and Yas Caught Stealing the RecordChapter 16start overDom Arrives on a Boat for Yas
Chapter 3 of 16 · about 37 min to go