Ted and Louisa stand at the door as Joar appears, visibly aged and worn, with restless eyes and the exhausted look of a longtime drinker. Ted greets him cautiously, and the two trade barbed jokes about age and appearance that mask emotion. Their banter cracks Ted open into a loud laugh he has not used in years, and Joar finally acknowledges Louisa, revealing Ted called him from the station to warn they were coming.

Joar explains he is sober despite looking hungover, and Ted admits he has told Louisa about their past. The awkwardness grows as Louisa complains about their evasiveness and notices Ted’s bruised face, which she bluntly attributes to a mugging. She also points out the ramp to the veranda, which Joar brushes off as a “long story,” a phrase that increasingly frustrates her.

When Joar recognizes the box as the painting, he refuses to look at it yet. He offers coffee and spars with Louisa over her request for soda. Their exchanges reveal old dynamics: Ted’s gentle patience, Joar’s rough humor, and Louisa’s insistence on clarity. Louisa spots an ankle monitor on Joar; he confirms he has been in prison but dodges details, again calling it a long story, prompting Louisa to demand a pillow and theatrically punch it to vent her frustration.

Joar offhandedly mentions “Kimkim,” prompting Louisa to demand who that is. Joar gently reveals that C. Jat was the artist’s public name, but among them he was simply Kimkim. Ted and Joar recount how the nickname arose the first day on the pier when Ted misheard “Kim,” and how Ali typically just said “Kim.” Ted quietly notes he rarely said the name at all, implying deep feeling.

Inside, Joar finds a lone can of orange soda for Louisa, while Ted drinks coffee and makes frequent bathroom trips. Louisa questions the ankle monitor’s restrictions; Joar jokes darkly before admitting it keeps him confined. Ted asks if she wants the rest of the story of that summer. Louisa agrees, and Ted summarizes that he has told her up to their first trip to the museum, the farting joke, and Joar discovering his knife was missing from his backpack.

Joar, craving whiskey but staying sober, is reluctant to narrate. Ted insists this part belongs to Joar. The chapter closes with Joar agreeing to tell Louisa the rest, in his own, rougher voice.