Summary

Sweetland watches the ferry arrive in the rain carrying the Priddle brothers, who have been away for several months working in Alberta. He plays online poker and is soon interrupted by Reet Verge at the door, whom he hasn't seen since his last haircut eight months previous. He has been avoiding her because she pushed him to take the resettlement package when he was sitting in her chair getting a haircut, and he thinks she took advantage of him.

When she comes in to see him at the computer, she teases him that she hopes he isn't watching pornography. He isn't sure how old she is, but remembers that she was old enough to hang out with the reporters who came to Sweetland to cover the Sri Lankan boat people incident. One reporter had gotten stranded on the island for three days...