At Mary Ann Minetti’s luncheon for the Knit-Wits, Mary Ann, Janice Kim, and Barb Vanderhoof notice marks on Tova Sullivan’s arm. Tova downplays them as a cleaning mishap, refusing medical referrals and pointed offers of financial help. The exchange underscores Tova’s pride, privacy, and determination to keep working at the aquarium.

Taking refuge in the powder room, Tova recalls how the Knit-Wits evolved from a knitting circle into a lifeline for empty nests. Memory pulls her to Erik’s disappearance at eighteen: last seen during a ferry shift, his booth left unlocked but undisturbed; later, a small boat washed ashore with its anchor line cut and Erik’s prints on the rudder. Despite the sheriff and townspeople assuming suicide, Tova has never believed it.

Tova returns to talk of pets and losses, reflecting on grief’s accumulation. As the afternoon ends, Mary Ann gently urges her to quit if the job becomes too strenuous; Tova politely affirms she will manage.

Driving home through clearing weather, Tova plans simple yard work. Checking her answering machine, she deletes trivial messages until a caller identifies herself as Maureen Cochran from Charter Village Long-Term Care Center and says, “I’m afraid I have some bad news.” Tova stops the playback; she understands it concerns her brother, Lars—a message she has long expected.