For some households in the Comoros, islands in the Indian Ocean, remittances from relatives abroad help sustain daily life. But a message saying money has been sent is not the same as cash in the recipient’s hand. Opening hours, identity checks and available banknotes can intervene. Family members across the sea are linked by one transfer but live through different waiting times. The importance of remittances alone does not prove a queue at any particular counter. A dated account of where people waited and for what is needed to turn this financial story into a record of a line.