Summary

Conway remembers going to work the next morning, and getting in an argument with the city-councillor about a bridge whose building was delayed. Afterwards, one of Conway’s colleagues told Conway a politician was getting in the way of one of his engineering projects. Conway suggested shifting the responsibility onto the politician, which satisfied his colleague. Driving home from work, Conway listened to country music and decided that “for all your loneliness, you are still part of the wider human drama and that this is a genuine kinship” (62).

Conway then remembers talking with Mairead, who told him about a documentary in which one holy-woman has to live her life backwards, so that “the whole world [won’t] tip over” (6). Conway responded saying, “that makes sense, it’s basic engineering” (67). After Mairead went to bed, Conway skyped Darragh, saying that on skype, their...