Long Island

Francesca, Eilis’s mother-in-law, stops by from across the street to tell Eilis that the Irishman is asking for her again. After she leaves, the doorbell rings, and Eilis opens the door to find the man on her stoop. He tells her that Tony, her husband, did an excellent job as his plumber but that he also got his wife pregnant. The man tells Eilis that when the baby is born in August, he will bring the baby to her and leave it, not wanting it in his family. After the man leaves, Eilis sits and wishes she had someone to talk to about the man, wondering what do to, whether to kick Tony out or wait to see what happens.

Eilis’s daughter, Rosella comes home and makes tea for herself and Eilis, asking what has Eilis so preoccupied. Later, when Tony and their son Larry return home for the day, Eilis prepares dinner, dreading any interaction with Tony. She wonders if he realizes that she knows about the child, and while he jokes with the children, Eilis brings bowls of stew to the table. She intentionally spills Tony’s on the floor, watching as her family scrambles to clean it up. The rest of dinner is silent, though Eilis focuses on Tony, sure that he must know.