Long Island

On the morning of the wedding, Eilis’ mother tells her she looks marvelous, and Eilis realizes that this is the first nice thing she has said since she arrived. At the wedding, Eilis finds Nancy distant and indifferent to her presence, and though she wants to speak to Jim, she stops herself from approaching him, not wanting to draw undue attention. During the ceremony, Eilis thinks of their meeting at the beach: She waited for him to turn around as he walked away, but he didn’t.

After the wedding, Eilis wants to speak with Jim, knowing that when her children arrive in two weeks, it will be impossible for them to meet. She reflects on the silence from Tony, who during her last trip sent her numerous letters, though she later discovers that they were in fact written by Frank. During the reception, Jim signals for Eilis to meet him in a stairwell and tells her that he wants to see her again, suggesting that she call him at his apartment.

Later, as Eilis prepares to leave, Jim asks for a ride home, saying he drank too much. Eilis believes this is a ruse but meets him at her car. They drive out to the beach they once went to years before with Nancy and George, but the weather is too poor to walk. Jim suggests that she drop him off at his pub and meet him there secretly afterwards. She drives them back to Enniscorthy, reminding herself that she does not have to meet him, though she doesn’t refuse.

As Jim waits for Eilis, he thinks it may be better if she stays away, giving him the opportunity to simply imagine their meeting rather than be disappointed. They exchange pleasantries, catching up, discussing Eilis’s children and life in America. Jim waits for mention of Eilis’s husband, prepared to move on if she is happily married. He thinks of his own happiness with Nancy but cannot suppress his need to be with Eilis. He finally asks if she still lives with her husband, and her half-hearted answer gives him hope. When she asks why he never married, he considers telling her about Nancy, believing she would tell no one. Eilis asks what his biggest regrets are, and Jim says he regrets not chasing after her and that they never spent a night together. He suggests that they meet at a hotel in Dublin on Monday and spend the night together before Eilis picks her children up at the airport on Tuesday. She tells him she will think about it, assuring him that he did not overstep.

Nancy meets with Father Walsh to discuss her plans to marry Jim in Rome, and he assures her that he has a connection there that can help. After her meeting, Nancy avoids going home, upset with Gerard for not helping her the previous Saturday at the chip shop. While Nancy was alone in the shop, a customer vomited, and in her rush to clean up, Nancy left the oil on, filling the shop with smoke. Nancy closed the shop early on her busiest night and hid upstairs while angry customers yelled outside.

Instead of going home, Nancy goes to visit Eilis, only to find that Eilis is in Dublin. When Nancy returns home, she tells Gerard that he should get a different job, as his failure to help her in the chip shop makes her unsure if he can take over the shop. She goes to Jim’s pub to plant it in his mind that once they are together, she should sell the shop, as she wants him to make this decision and push them to move out of town. In the pub, Shane tells her that Jim is away in Dublin and will not be back anytime soon. She finds it suspicious that both Eilis and Jim are in Dublin, but she dismisses her worries. She decides to find Gerard and tell him about her engagement.

On their way from the airport to her mother’s house, Eilis tells Larry and Rosella that their grandmother knows nothing of what is happening at home and that they are not to tell her. As she drives, Eilis remembers her time in Dublin with Jim, where they had sex before going to an Italian restaurant for dinner. There, he told her that he was willing to move to America with her.

When they arrive home, Eilis’s mother shows Larry his room in the attic and Rosella her bed in the front room, though Eilis switches with her, making it easier for her to sneak out of the house. Mrs. Lacey is very interested in Rosella’s life and introduces her to everyone she meets, and when Eilis’s brother, Martin, tells the family that Larry is sharing too much with the town in the pubs, his grandmother takes him on a walk to explain the gossipy nature of the town. While they walk, Rosella questions Eilis about what she is going to do. Eilis tells her she is unsure, and Rosella says that while she wants them to stay together, she also wants Eilis to be happy.

One morning, Eilis goes for a walk to see if she will run into Jim, and when she returns, Rosella shows her all the pictures of the Fiorello family Eilis sent that her grandmother saved. Eilis’s mother tells her that she got to know the entire family through the pictures. When Mrs. Lacey leaves the room, Rosella tells Eilis that during her walk with Larry, her grandmother learned the truth about Tony. Eilis waits for her mother to ask, but when she does not, Eilis herself does not bring it up. Eilis believes in a new life with Jim but is afraid that it will drive a rift between her and her children. She goes out late one night and calls him to tell him she needs more time to decide, but when he picks up, she says nothing.

Jim tells Gerard that he and his mother plan for him to take over the chip shop, supporting him for the first few years before giving it to him in its entirety. Gerard, now aware of their engagement, agrees to take the shop, and leaves promising not to tell anyone of the engagement. Jim agonizes over his split desires between Nancy and Eilis, willing to abandon Nancy and his pub for Eilis if she wants him but wracked with anxiety over leaving Nancy. Jim compares himself to the men in his pub who drink more than they know they should: Like them, he acts against his own best interests, wanting what he knows is not good for him. He decides that if Eilis says yes, he will leave without telling Nancy why, but if she says no, he will stay and proceed with Nancy.

Nancy once again brings up plans for a house, and Jim does not know if he should encourage her. One day, in the pub, Jim meets Larry and immediately leaves, drawing skepticism from Shane. Shane’s wife, Colette, comes to check on Jim the next day, and he tells her he will have news in a week, though he is afraid Eilis won’t decide before his engagement to Nancy. Later that night, he receives a phone call at 1:00 am, though no one says a word on the other end. He suspects it is Eilis calling from a payphone and goes out to find her, though the booth is empty when he arrives.