Mariel narrates in 1996.

Mariel watches Cayla work and fantasizes that she has a daughter of her own. Florence is still insistently remaining at the church, which has a shower stall; Mariel counted on desire for cleanliness to force Florence to return home. Kyle comes to the Lakeside and asks if Mariel will still be there after closing; Brenda wishes to avoid any crowd. Kyle makes a comment about Minneapolis nightlife, leading Mariel to wonder if he is gay, which she knows would be difficult in prejudiced Bear Jaw. The pride sticker she has placed on the Lakeside door might lose her business, for example.

Kyle asks about Florence’s stay at the church. He compliments Mariel on not retrieving Florence and urges her to “stand her ground,” citing that he “[knows] how these people think” (252). He lives across the street from the church and offers to give accounts of Florence’s stay. When a family with a young boy comes in, Mariel instinctively grabs him as he reaches for a sharp-toothed mounted fish, but then catches herself, glad that his parents didn’t notice her emotional turmoil. When she cleans off a highchair for the child, however, she begins to weep. A stranger enters the bathroom and wordlessly hugs a sobbing Mariel, who is grateful and reminds herself of her long-given permission to “break again and again, as often as she damn well pleased” (255).