Two women sit in a coffee shop when one receives a text message.
It's purportedly from Tony Windsor, the former independent MP contesting his old seat of New England again.
What does he want, the friend asks.
"He wants me to take him back," she replies.
"It was OK for a time I guess, but then he ran off with Julia."
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The woman then responds with a curt text message: Not this time Tony.
As far as political attack ads go, this would appear run-of-the-mill.
But the TV advertisement - from the Nationals desperate to stave off Mr Windsor's rise and keep leader Barnaby Joyce in parliament - has caused a stir in the hotly-contested northern NSW electorate.
Mr Windsor says the "offensive gutter ad" inferring philandering on his part has deeply upset his wife Lyn, and has called for it to be withdrawn.
A number of people unrelated to his campaign had been concerned and disgusted at the commercial, which set a new low in the bag of Nationals campaign tricks, he said.
"They can throw whatever criticism at me but when it involves and upsets my family, that's another matter.
"Mr Joyce and (campaign committee member James) Treloar should be the last to raise this issue - it's not politics."
The Nationals hit back, saying Mr Windsor is crying faux outrage and any reasonable person could see the ad is tongue-in-cheek.
Besides, he has five attack ads on air - they have one.
"The commercial never suggests Mr Windsor has been unfaithful to his wife," NSW Nationals director Nathan Quigley said.
"It does suggest he has been unfaithful to his electorate."
And no - neither side would call a truce.
"An offer to Mr Windsor's camp for both sides to withdraw all negative material has been declined."
