High and Dry

Summary

• Cameron comes unexpectedly back to work late, surprising Tova who is finishing her cleaning chores. His return raises questions as he was supposed to have been at work hours ago and his demeanor is tense and agitated.
• Confused and defensive, Cameron shares a flurry of personal grievances he’s been dealing with, ranging from issues with his friends and girlfriend, to past family troubles and his unsuccessful search for his biological father.
• Getting more confrontational, Cameron reveals that he visited his supposed father only to find that he had tracked down not his biological father but an old friend of his mother's. He shows Tova a chunky man's class ring that he thought belonged to his father only to find out it didn't.
• While seemingly unaffected by Cameron's outburst, Tova tries to empathize with him and offers to discuss the day's work that needs to be done the next day, which will be her last day at the job.
• Cameron heads to the pump room where he drops the class ring into the wolf eels enclosure with a bitter remark. The ring sinks and disappears.
• He stays put at work to retrieve his forgotten personal items. Cameron reveals that, despite his commitment and workload, he had not been officially offered employment and plans to leave and return to California.
• The talk of him leaving abruptly doesn't sit well with Tova who advises him against leaving his boss without proper notice. She tries to remind him of the responsibilities he would be leaving behind, especially feeding the animals.
• Regardless of his defensive and confrontational demeanor, Tova still tries to encourage Cameron to act responsibly and to think of the consequences of his actions. He heard Tova's advice but seems to be rejecting it with bitterness and defeat.