Book Timeline

Unlike the television show, the novel The Leftovers never specifies a year when the present day, the Departure, or any other event takes place. The present-day events of the novel take place beginning on October 14 three years after the Sudden Departure, through roughly April of the following year. Tom Perrotta began writing the novel October 14, 2008 (hence his choice of month and day for the Sudden Departure), and the novel was released on August 30, 2011. The only pairing of date and day of the week which might aid in identifying a calendar year is Valentine's Day (February 14) occurring on a Thursday, which occurred in 2008, and before that in 2002; the next time it happened after 2008 was in 2013, a year and a half after the novel was published. However, it is extremely unlikely that the novel takes place from 2007-08 (or 2001-02), as the chapter "Dirtbags" mentions the Disney animated film Bolt, which was released to theaters November 21, 2008, playing on a bus two days before Thanksgiving. It is very unlikely the film would be playing on a bus until months after its release, arguably placing "Dirtbags" in November 2009 at the earliest. The novel also mentions Kevin in December reading the Andrew Jackson biography American Lion, which was released on November 11, 2008. The novel also references a 2007 episode of SpongeBob Squarepants. Notably, Laurie says the Garveys moved into their Lovell Terrace house (five years before the novel's present-day) "before the market tanked"--i.e., the novel's present-day is less than five years after the recession that began circa December 2007.

Since the novel is vague on the year, this timeline simply measures events by year from BSD (Before the Sudden Departure) and ASD (After the Sudden Departure), for the sake of simplicity.

Timeline[]

56 BSD[]

Henry Foster born (59 in "Vow of Silence")

53 BSD[]

Arthur Donovan born (56 in "Vow of Silence")

43 BSD[]

Laurie (maiden name unknown) born (46 in "Vow of Silence")
Kevin Garvey born (45 when he sold Patriot Liquor Megastores, per "Snowflakes and Candy Canes")
Gus Jenkins born (46, as of "Any Minute Now")

42 BSD[]

Melissa Hulbert born (she is a year behind Kevin in school, per “The Carpe Diem”)

41 BSD[]

Phil Crowther born (42 at his death, per "Vow of Silence")

Evan Balzer's father leaves (when he is two, per "The Balzer Method"; he is presumably the same age as Kevin, since they are in the same year in college)

Circa 37 BSD[]

Matt Jamison born (he is about 40 in "Heroes' Day")

34 BSD[]

Lance Mikulski born (37 in "Vow of Silence")

32 BSD[]

Nora (maiden name unknown) born (35 in "Heroes' Day")

Circa 30-28 BSD[]

Ginny is born (28 when she marries Bob, per “The Carpe Diem”)

29 BSD[]

Wendy Halsey born (32 in "The Carpe Diem")

28 BSD[]

Kevin kisses Debbie DeRosa (his sophomore year, per "The Carpe Diem")

26 BSD[]

Kevin and Melissa Hulbert make out the summer before their senior year of high school (per "The Carpe Diem")

24 BSD[]

Evan Balzer is on Kevin's floor sophomore year of college at Rutgers (per "The Balzer Method")

23 BSD[]

Evan Balzer and Kevin become close spring semester (per "The Balzer Method")
Evan Balzer rents a tiny off-campus apartment junior year (per "The Balzer Method")

22 BSD[]

Liz Yamamoto born (25 in "The Carpe Diem")

21 BSD[]

Evan Balzer goes directly to law school after graduating (per "The Balzer Method")

Circa 22-20 BSD[]

Melissa Hulbert marries Bob (twenty years of marriage, per “The Carpe Diem”)

Circa 21-20 BSD[]

Meg Lomax born (Laurie estimates that she was a high school sophomore--i.e., 15 years old--8 or 9 years ago in "Vow of Silence")

20 BSD[]

Laurie marries Kevin Garvey (23 years of marriage as of when she left, per "The Outpost")
Martha Cohen born (23 in "Vow of Silence")
Jason Falzone born (23 at death, per "Snowflakes and Candy Canes")
Bruce Hardin begins serving as public health inspector (23 years as of "A Better-than-average Girlfriend")

Circa 20 BSD[]

Trevor "Hubbs" Hubbard born (he is a junior when Tom is a freshman, per "Special Someone")

18 BSD[]

Tom Garvey born to Kevin and Laurie Garvey (18 the year of the Departure, per “Special Someone”)
Jon Verbecki born (was in Tom's class, per "Special Someone")
Judy Dolan born (was in Tom's class, per "The Carpe Diem")
Brianna born to Melissa Hulbert and Bob (same age as Tom, “The Carpe Diem”)

Prior to 17 BSD[]

Daily Journal ceases publication (more than twenty years ago, as of “A Better-than-average Girlfriend”)

17 BSD[]

Daisy’s Diner is renovated (about twenty years ago, per “Snowflakes and Candy Canes”)

Circa 17-15 BSD[]

Meg claims she sees Santa Claus (she is 4-5, per “The Balzer Method”)

16 BSD[]

Mark Henning born (19 in “Dirtbags”)
Kevin, Laurie and Tom move home to Mapleton (when Tom is 2, per “The Carpe Diem”)
Melissa Hulbert and Bob move back to Mapleton around the same time as the Garveys (per “The Carpe Diem”)

14 BSD[]

Jill Garvey born to Kevin and Laurie Garvey (17 in “Heroes’ Day”)
Barbara Santangelo’s son born (in Jill’s class, per “Prologue”)
Dr. Hillary Edgers’s twin sons born (the same age as Jill, per “Heroes’ Day”)

Tom meets Jon Verbecki (since preschool, per "Special Someone")

Circa 13 BSD[]

Christine born (she is 16 “at most” in “Special Someone”)

Nora dates Brian her sophomore year of college (per “A Better-than-average Girlfriend”)
Kevin inherits his family's chain, Patriot Liquor Megastores (he has a 15-year tenure, per “Heroes’ Day”)

Circa 12 BSD[]

Brian tells Nora they should see other people (spring semester, per “A Better-than-average Girlfriend”)
Nora and Doug Durst get together (they were together 12 years, per "Get a Room")

Anna Ford born (14 when Wayne "marries" her, per "Special Someone")

Circa 12-11 BSD[]

Photo of Jon Verbecki with a sparkler is taken (when he and Tom were six or seven, per "Special Someone")

Circa 10 BSD[]

Jill and Jen Sussman begin their "makeshift alliance" (beginning in Pre-K, per "A Whole Class of Jills")

8 BSD[]

June

Henry Gilchrest born to Wayne Gilchrest and Tori (8 at Departure, birthday celebrated in June, per "Special Someone")

6 BSD[]

Jon Verbecki moves to New Hampshire (the summer after he and Tom are in sixth grade, per "Special Someone")
Jeremy Durst born to Nora and Doug Durst (6 at Departure, per "Heroes' Day" and "Blue Ribbon")
Tina Green born (9 in "Vow of Silence")
Wayne's wife Tori has a hysterectomy (when Henry is 2, per "Special Someone")

Circa 6-5 BSD[]

Meg and Gary meet (she is a sophomore, he is a senior, per "Vow of Silence")

4 BSD[]

Erin Durst born to Nora and Doug Durst (4 at Departure, per "Heroes' Day"; in "Blue Ribbon," it is said that Jeremy is three years older than Erin)
Holly Maffey takes over Jill's 4th-grade class in January when Mrs. Frederickson goes on maternity; she leaves to take a job in Stonewood Heights in September when Mrs. Frederickson returns (per "So Much to Let Go Of")
Laurie takes Jill and Jen Sussman apple picking when they are 10 (per "The Balzer Method")

3 BSD[]

Martha Reeder's granddaughter Ashley born (3 at Departure, per "Heroes' Day")

2 BSD[]

The Garveys move to Lovell Terrace (5 years ago, per "Heroes' Day")

1 BSD[]

Jen Sussman finds a new group of friends led by Hillary Beardon, and she and Jill drift apart (per "A Whole Class of Jills," eighth grade)
The Dursts begin watching SpongeBob Squarepants before bed (they did this for about a year, per "Blue Ribbon")
After a holiday party at Little Sprouts Academy, Doug and Kylie Mannheim go out for drinks and begin their affair (they kept it up for almost a year, per "Get a Room")
Tom's senior year of high school, Wardell Brown leads their basketball team the Pirates to the state tournament, only to sit out the championship game with a sprained ankle, leading to a humiliating blowout for the team (per "At the Grapefruit")

Circa 2 BSD-0 ASD[]

Bob leaves Melissa Hulbert for Ginny (Melissa is in her early forties, and it is before Bob departs, per “The Carpe Diem”)

0 ASD[]

March

Saturday. The Durst family puke-a-thon, when the entire family is laid low by a stomach bug (per "Heroes' Day")

Spring

Nora takes the kids to her parents'; Doug has Kylie over (per "Get a Room")

Late Summer

The single best day of Nora's life: the Durst family vacation to the Jersey Shore (per "Heroes' Day," late summer a couple of months before the Departure)
The Garveys buy a new LCD HD-TV (a couple of months before the Departure, per "The Balzer Method")

September

Jill starts high school (per "A Whole Class of Jills")
Tom first arrives at college in Syracuse. The Saturday after classes begin, he goes to a football game, and goes home with a girl he meets at a kegger (per "Special Someone")

October 14

The Sudden Departure occurs.
Doug, Jeremy and Erin all depart during a family dinner, while Nora is getting paper towels after yelling at Erin for spilling her apple juice. (per "Heroes' Day," "Blue Ribbon," "So Much to Let Go Of")
Jen Sussman departs while Jill is sitting next to her watching YouTube videos; Laurie is upstairs dropping off yarn for Rosalie. (per "Prologue," "Heroes' Day," "A Whole Class of Jills")
Aimee's mother departs. (per "A Whole Class of Jills")
Wayne's son Henry departs. (per "Special Someone")
Meg's mother departs. Meg and Gary subsequently postpone their planned wedding. (per "Vow of Silence")
Jon Verbecki departs from the elliptical while at the gym. (per "Special Someone")
Chip Gleason departs, allegedly while Stacy Greenglass is riding him reverse cowgirl-style. (per "Special Someone")
Bob departs while riding the elevator in the parking garage next to his office. ("per "The Carpe Diem")

October 15

Tom's classes are cancelled and he is given seven days to vacate campus (per "Special Someone")

Circa early December

The President's Jump-Start America announcement (per "Special Someone," nearly two months after October 14, a couple of weeks before Tom receives the letter from college)

Early December

Matt Testa tells Tom that Jon Verbecki departed. Around the same time, Tom receives a letter from the university informing him classes will resume February 1. (per "Special Someone")

1 ASD[]

January

Kevin and Laurie drive Tom back to college (per "Special Someone")

February 1

Classes resume at Syracuse for spring semester (per "Special Someone")

End of February

Tom has pretty much stopped going to classes, and the Alpha Tau Omega pledge process is his only remaining link to normal college life (per "Special Someone")

March

On a Saturday, Tom and Hubbs meet Wayne at a small lecture in a church basement (per "Special Someone")
After several heavily-medicated months at her sister Karen's, Nora returns home (per "Blue Ribbon")

Spring

Matt Jamison helps Nora through the spring (per "Blue Ribbon")

Summer

Tom and Hubbs sublet an apartment in Syracuse, working as detailers at a car dealership and volunteering for Wayne in their spare time (per "Special Someone")
A YouTube video of Wayne goes viral (per "Special Someone")
Tom phones a couple of times to let his parents know he's doing okay (per "Prologue")

Later in the summer

Karen informs Nora Matt Jamison suffered a nervous breakdown and took a leave of absence (per "Blue Ribbon")

September

Wayne rents an Episcopal church in Rochester to hold his Hugfests every Saturday and Sunday (per "Special Someone")

Autumn

The Guilty Remnant begins to appear in Mapleton (per "Prologue")
Wayne travels a lot, giving lectures all over the country (per "Special Someone")
Matt's newsletter makes its first appearance (right around the first anniversary of the Departure, per "Blue Ribbon")
Following tv the botched police raid on the G.R. complex that results in Phil Crowther's death, the G.R. puts security measures in place (a couple of years earlier, as of "Vow of Silence")

Winter

Rosalie Sussman checks the G.R. website a lot (per "Prologue")

Circa 1 ASD-2ASD[]

Kevin sells Patriot Liquor Megastores franchise ( a few months before being presented with the petition to run for mayor, per "Heroes' Day")

2 ASD[]

Kevin is presented with a petition to run for mayor of Mapleton. He runs for the newly-formed Hopeful Party, and unseats three-term incumbent Rick Malvern by a landslide (last year, as of "Heroes' Day")
Nora tries helping out at Erin's old day care center, and is respectfully asked to take a leave of absence (last year, as of "Blue Ribbon")
Nora visits Miami on her own (last year, as of "Blue Ribbon")
Meg and Gary decide to plan their wedding (after two years, per "Vow of Silence")
Jill takes a self-defense course (a couple of years ago, as of "At the Grapefruit")

Spring

Rosalie Sussman joins the G.R. (per "Prologue")
Tom and Hubbs are put in charge of the Boston chapter of the Healing Hug movement (per "Special Someone")

Summer

Tom and Hubbs begin hearing disturbing rumors about Wayne letting fame go to his head, calling himself "Holy Wayne," and paying too much attention to young women (per "Special Someone")

September

Wayne arrives to give his first Boston lecture at Northeaster. A few days later, Hubbs quits the movement (per "Special Someone")

Circa December

Nora tries going back to her masseuse Arno and finds she can no longer stand to be touched intimately (about a year ago, as of "The Best Chair in the World")

3 ASD[]

Holly Maffey leaves her job teaching in Stonewood Heights (a year ago, as of "So Much to Let Go Of")

Circa April

Laurie joins the G.R. (spring almost a year after Rosalie, per "Prologue"; six months ago as of October 14, per "Heroes' Day"; nine months ago as of late January, per "The Outpost")

Early Summer

Jill gets to know Aimee working at the frozen yogurt store (per "A Whole Class of Jills")

Mid-June

Wayne holds a celebration for what would have been Henry Gilchrest's eleventh birthday at his ranch. For the only time, Tom goes to Wayne's ranch for the celebration. Wayne's six teenage "spiritual brides" are now living with him and his wife Tori, and Wayne prophecies that one of them will bear him a son, a "miracle child" who will fix the broken world (per "Special Someone")

Summer

Melissa Hulbert's daughter Brianna meets her boyfriend on a survivors' network (per "The Carpe Diem")
Kevin last hears from Tom (per "The Balzer Method")
Roy Grandy's wife gets an order of protection against him; she later lets it lapse (per "Snowflakes and Candy Canes")

Circa July

Wayne impregnates Christine (she is four months pregnant in late November, "Dirtbags"; her due date is 10 weeks away on February 14, "Barefoot and Pregnant")

Late July

Kevin finds Jill passed out on the front lawn and grounds her, but she ignores it and he never mentions it again (per "A Whole Class of Jills")

Circa August

Kevin goes home with Melissa Hulbert, and has trouble performing, then avoids her for three months (as of "The Carpe Diem")
Kevin sees Laurie (as of "Heroes' Day," he hasn't seen her for a couple of months; in "The Balzer Method," Laurie is said to have learned over the summer to avoid unnecessary encounters with the people she'd left behind)
Aimee moves in with Jill and Kevin (she has been living there for three months as of "The Carpe Diem"; since the end of the summer, per "The Balzer Method")

Last Two Weeks of August

Jill cuts her hair off. Three days later, she has sex for the first time during a spin-the-bottle marathon at Jessica Marinetti's house, with a college guy she barely knows (per "A Whole Class of Jills")
The "Get a Room" game has close to thirty players some nights at Mark Sollers's house. Jill's first night, she ends up with a college friend of Tom's, and they fool around a bit then discuss Tom. Her second night, she ends up with Nick Lazarro (summer, per "Get a Room"; per "At the Grapefruit," Jill and Nick had sex; since Nick was not Jill's first, this presumably happened after the "spin-the-bottle marathon" mentioned above)
Dmitri's house becomes Jill's home away from home (for six months as of Valentine's Day, per "At the Grapefruit")

Late August

Anna Ford disappears from Wayne's ranch; she turns up a couple of weeks later on 60 Minutes (per "Special Someone")

Circa September

On the first day of school, several G.R. members stage a sit-in at Kingman Elementary School, occupying a second grade classroom for an entire morning (per "Heroes' Day")

September

The "Get a Room" game gets smaller and duller when the college kids go back to school (per "Get a Room")

Circa September-October

The G.R. wanders onto the high school football field in the middle of a game, lying down on the turf until they are forcibly removed (per "Heroes' Day," a few weeks after the school sit-in)

October

Kevin's neighbor Pam Westerfield dies (last month, as of "The Carpe Diem")

October 14

"Heroes' Day." The First Annual Departed Heroes' Day of Remembrance and Reflection is held. After a parade, there is a wreath-laying by Kevin, a benediction, a moment of silence, pealing of church bells, and a keynote address by Nora. The G.R. silently protests, displaying poster boards with the message, "STOP WASTING YOUR BREATH."

Late October

"Special Someone." Christine arrives at Tom's doorstep in San Francisco and tells him he is her babysitter. Two days later, Wayne is arrested by the FBI and Oregon State Police in an early-morning raid. He is charged with multiple counts of second- and third-degree rape and sodomy, tax evasion, and illegal transportation of a minor across state lines (as of late November in "Dirtbags," more than a month has passed since Wayne's arrest; Wayne is arrested before the events of "A Whole Class of Jills")

Circa October-November

Meg tells Gary she needs another postponement on the wedding. He tells her they can get married or break up. She joins the G.R. (last week, as of "Vow of Silence")

November

"A Whole Class of Jills." Jill and Aimee take their time heading to school, smoking a joint behind the Safeway and stopping at Dunkin' Donuts. Scott and Adam Frost lure Aimee to their house with promises of Vicodin and Ping-Pong. Jill goes to school late and misses her chemistry test.
"The Carpe Diem." Kevin meets Pete Thorne and Steve Wiscziewski for beers at the Carpe Diem and debates spring softball strategy and the merits of going co-ed. Kevin goes home with Melissa Hulbert, but two G.R. Watchers follow them and kill the mood. (month not specified, but it is in between several other chapters set in November; softball season is 5-6 months away)
"Blue Ribbon." After Nora's daily bike ride, Matt visits and gives her the latest edition of his newsletter, revealing Doug's infidelity.
"Vow of Silence." On Meg's first Night Watch shift, Laurie and Meg are assigned to watch Steven Grice. They lose him and go to the Safeway, then follow people in the town center. During their Unburdening Period back at the complex, they discuss Meg's adjustment so far. (month not specified, but it is between several other chapters set in November)
"Get a Room." Nora and Karen attend the Mapleton Means Fun November Adult Mixer in the Hawthorne school cafeteria. Kylie approaches Nora, and they discuss Kylie's affair with Doug. Kevin and Nora chat, and dance. Jill, Aimee, Nick Lazarro, Zoe Grantham, Jason Waldron, Dmitri, Max Connolly, and Jeannie Chun play their nightly game of Get a Room. Jill and Max get a room, while Aimee and Nick have sex.
- Note: This chapter takes place two weeks after Matt brings Nora the newsletter about Doug in "Blue Ribbon."

G.R. Watcher Jason Falzone is found shot near the Monument to the Departed in Greenway Park (three weeks earlier, as of "Snowflakes and Candy Canes"; "last month," as of December 25 in "The Balzer Method")

Circa late November

Tom and Christine stop showering to prepare for their "Barefoot People" cover identities (three days before leaving San Francisco, "Dirtbags")
Tom and Christine go on the road, heading for the Falks's in Boston; they hitchhike from San Francisco to Denver (they have been on the road four days as of "Dirtbags")

Two days before Thanksgiving

"Dirtbags." Tom and Christine meet soldier Mark Henning in the Denver bus terminal. On the bus to Omaha, they talk over a pint of Jim Beam. Henning is due to ship out to Yemen in ten days, but Tom inadvertently converts him to the Barefoot People way of life.

One day before Thanksgiving

"Dirtbags." At 4am, Henning leaves the bus in the middle of nowhere, planning to hitchhike to San Francisco and join the Barefoot People. Tom and Christine arrive in Omaha, and see Henning's family waiting for him.

December

"Snowflakes and Candy Canes." Kevin gets to Town Hall an hour early, and meets with Chief Ed Rogers. He leaves work early to meet with Jill's guidance counselor, then takes Jill out of school to talk over lunch at Daisy's Diner about her poor grades and college prospects. Jill decides to stay home next year, maybe commuting to Bridgeton State and getting a part-time job. On their way out of the diner, Nora zips past them on her bike but does not stop. After taking Jill back to school, Kevin lifts weights, cooks dinner for the girls, reads, and goes to the Carpe Diem. In bed at night, he imagines that Nora called him a coward for not calling her since the dance.
- Note: It has been three weeks since the dance in "Get a Room."

"The Best Chair in the World." Nora and Karen go Christmas shopping at the mall. Nora goes into the Feel Better Store and tries out a $10,000 massage chair.
- Note: A month has passed since the dance in "Get a Room."

Circa mid-December

Gary, Meg's cousin Gina, and some others go to Massimo's. Gina is drunk and Gary drives her home, and they begin hanging out (two weeks ago, as of December 25, per "The Balzer Method")

Circa late December

Julian Adams and Gus Jenkins become the sole occupants of Outpost 17 (nearly a month before Laurie and Meg move in in late January, per "The Outpost")

December 25

"The Balzer Method." Laurie and Meg watch the G.R. Christmas slideshow. Kevin, Jill and Aimee exchange gifts, then make pancakes, walk around the lake, and play Yahtzee. Laurie and Meg go to Gary's house; when he returns home, he is with Gina. Nora begs out of going to Karen's house for presents and breakfast, and ultimately also decides not to go to her mother's, instead going for a long bike ride. About an hour after Jill and Aimee go out, Laurie and Meg visit Kevin. Kevin unsuccessfully tries to call Jill, and equally unsuccessfully tries to persuade Laurie to stay the night. Nora calls Kevin and invites him to Florida; they agree to go the day after tomorrow. Kevin feeds Laurie and Meg, and gives Laurie Jill's gift. Laurie opens it on the street: a Red Bic lighter with the words "Don't Forget Me" written in Wite-Out. After Laurie and Meg light cigarettes with it, Laurie drops the lighter into a storm drain.

Circa December 27

Kevin and Nora have sex for the first time their first night in Florida (per "A Better-than-average Girlfriend")

Circa December 3ASD-January 4ASD

Christine gets sick in Harrisburg, and she and Tom spend three weeks in a run-down Barefoot People group house near the state capitol (per "Barefoot and Pregnant")

4 ASD[]

New Year's

Jill and Aimee throw a party while Kevin is away (per "The Outpost")

Circa mid-January

"A Better-than-average Girlfriend." Kevin presides over the January town meeting. Afterward, he goes to Nora's and they watch SpongeBob Squarepants, then she sends him home.
- Note on dating: Kevin and Nora were away for five days and were gone for New Year's (per "The Outpost"). They have now been back from Florida for two weeks as of this chapter.

Tom and Christine arrive at Terrence and Marcella Falks's home in Cambridge (they have been there a month as of February 14, per "Barefoot and Pregnant")
"The Outpost." Over dinner, Aimee tells Kevin and Jill she is quitting school and going to work at Applebee's in Stonewood Plaza.
- Note on dating: Weeks have passed since New Year's. In "At the Grapefruit," on February 14, Aimee has been out of the Get a Room game for a month since starting at Applebee's.

January 15

"The Outpost." Meg's Graduation Day. Laurie and Meg report to Patti Levin's office. They are told that, because they have formed too close a connection, they are to be reassigned to Outpost 17 as part of the Neighborhood Settlement Program. Patti hands Laurie a Joint Petition for Divorce to get signed by Kevin.

Late January: the first Tuesday following January 15

"The Outpost." Laurie and Meg move to Outpost 17 on Parker Road, joining Julian and Gus.

Late January: Wednesday of the same week

Gus has an asthma attack during dinner ("just the day before" Laurie's third night there, "The Outpost")

Late January: Thursday of the same week

"The Outpost." Meg wakes Laurie up: through Meg's radiator, they can hear Julian and Gus having sex. Meg moves into Laurie's room.
- Note on dating: It is Laurie's third night at the Outpost.

February 2

Jill and Max Get a Room (on February 14, he says it has been twelve days since the last time, "At the Grapefruit")

Early-to-mid February (last week, as of February 14)

When Aimee asks her daily morning question about how Nora is, Kevin confesses that Nora is pushing him away and he wants to see her outside her house once in awhile. Aimee advises him to tell her he is taking her to dinner and has already made the reservations (per "At the Grapefruit")
Laurie and partner (presumably Meg) follow Max home from his guitar lesson (last Friday as of February 14, per "At the Grapefruit")

A few days before February 14

Kevin springs Valentine's Day reservations on Nora as he walks out the door (per "At the Grapefruit")

February 14 (a Thursday)

"Barefoot and Pregnant." Tom goes to hang out at the Mandrake on Harvard Square (Christine, as usual, is discouraged from accompanying him by Marcella Falk). Tom joins his Barefoot friends Eggy and Kermit, playing backgammon, along with a girl named Lucy (nicknamed "Ouch") whom Eggy met the night before. After discussing her past as a Harvard flagellant, Ouch encourages Tom to call his parents.
- Note on dating: The chapter explicitly takes place in February. Due to the way the chapter ends, it is implicitly February 14, since Tom calls Kevin that afternoon, per "At the Grapefruit."

"At the Grapefruit." Nora and Kevin have dinner at the Pamplemousse. Kevin makes Nora uncomfortable with questions. Kevin tells Nora Tom called him that afternoon, and begins to cry. He goes to the men's room, and returns to find Nora gone. As Kevin returns to his car, he finds Laurie and Meg. Laurie gives him the divorce papers and breaks her vow of silence: "I'm sorry. I wish there was some other way." Jill plays Get a Room, watching Nick and Zoe make out. She and Max Get a Room; Max is mad that Jill "pounced" on Nick as soon as he became available. Max tells Jill about Laurie following him home. Jill decides not to get into bed with Max, going home instead. Jill bids goodbye to Dmitri's house, and refuses a ride from the Frosts. She passes Gus recovering from an asthma attack. After she crosses the railroad tracks, she finds Julian's corpse behind Walgreens.
Jill calls 911 and waits until the cops arrive. She subsequently submits to multiple interviews with detectives, working with a sketch artist to produce a picture of Gus, and doing a series of lineups at the G.R.'s Gingko Street compound. Gus never comes home (per "Any Minute Now")

February 25

Dine Out in Mapleton Day (per "A Better-than-average Girlfriend")

Circa late February

Jill encounters Holly Maffey on her way out of the G.R. building after a lineup set up by Detective Ferguson; Holly slips a note into Jill's coat pocket (a couple of months ago, as of "So Much to Let Go Of")

Circa February-March

In the weeks following Valentine's Day, Nora ignores Kevin's calls and e-mails, and sits in the dark until he stops ringing the doorbell and slips notes under the door. (per "So Much to let Go Of")

March

Kevin finds this month especially bleak. The people of Mapleton are convinced that a serial killer with a grudge against the Guilty Remnant is on the loose (per "Any Minute Now")

Circa early to mid-April

Christine persuades the Falks to take her for a drive in the country; they are so nervous that it is no fun for anyone (just last week, per "Any Minute Now")

Circa mid-April

"Any Minute Now." Kevin still has not signed the divorce papers, not wanting to dump more bad news on Jill. In the morning, he sits on the back deck drinking coffee. Aimee joins him; she was out late at a bar with Derek and others the night before. Aimee says it will be cold for softball that night, and they discuss Aimee potentially joining the team next year if it goes coed. Tom wakes Christine up and lies beside her. Laurie and Meg meet with Patti (after receiving a terse, ominous summons the night before and worrying if they are in trouble): Patti notes that their new housemates will be arriving next week, and that now would be the time for Laurie and Meg to make a move to the master bedroom. Patti makes clear to Laurie and Meg what the "beautiful tradition" of Outpost 17 is. Kevin reads the paper with the TV on and his laptop open while eating his pregame sandwich. Jill arrives home and says Holy Wayne pled guilty: prosecutors recommend a twenty-year sentence (eligible for parole in twelve).
- Notes on dating: It has been two months without any breakthrough in Julian Adams's murder case (from February 14: see "At the Grapefruit"). Christine's due date is a week away (her due date is circa April 25, given that it was ten weeks away on February 14: see "Barefoot and Pregnant"). Tom and Christine have been at the Falks's for three and a half months (they arrived circa mid-January: see "Barefoot and Pregnant"). It is spring.

The day after Wayne's guilty plea, Christine goes into labor and demands to be taken to the hospital. The demoralized Falks don't object, and she gives birth to a girl, in contravention of the prophecy that Wayne would have a son (per "I'm Glad You're Here")

The day after Christine gives birth, Tom and Christine return to the Falks's the following afternoon. The Falks are gone. There is an envelope with $1000 cash and a note: "Hope it went okay. We're out of town until Monday. Please be gone when we return!" Christine resolves to return to her family in Ohio (per "I'm Glad You're Here")

"So Much to Let Go Of." Nora has her hair dyed blond, planning to leave Mapleton and start a new identity. Jill has sat with The Scarlet Letter on three separate occasions in the past week and hasn't made it through the introduction. She started up an I.M. chat with Holly Maffey about the G.R. a few days ago. The day after becoming a blonde, Nora writes her goodbye letters, including one to Kevin. Laurie and Meg have moved to the master bedroom; their new roommates have not yet arrived. Jill agrees to visit Holly for a "sleepover" next week.

Circa mid- to late April

Tom and Christine stay at the Falks's for four more days. Christine mostly just sleeps while Tom takes care of the baby (per "I'm Glad You're Here")
Al and Josh move into Outpost 17 (three days ago, as of "I'm Glad You're Here")
"I'm Glad You're Here." In the morning, Aimee checks the fridge for yogurt, and Kevin ends up pressed against her and places his hand on her hip. Tom and Christine head to Mapleton for a one-night stopover in the Falks's BMW. Christine is almost catatonic, refusing to acknowledge the baby. They pull into a rest area in Connecticut. While Christine is in the restroom, Tom encounters some Barefoot People headed for the monthlong solstice festival at Mount Pocono. When Christine gets back, Tom forces her to hold the baby while he goes to the men's room. He returns to find the baby in the car, and both Christine and the van of Barefoot People gone. Nora, having taken no further steps toward leaving Mapleton due to her inability to sell the house, comes up with a compromise: she will rent it through an agency. Kevin sits in his car watching his house, wondering why Aimee has not left for work, not trusting himself to be alone in the house with her. Jill finally shows up, and Kevin quickly goes in and changes for softball. Laurie, Meg, Al and Josh get pizza delivered. At softball, Carpe Diem's ace pitcher Bob "Gonzo" Gonzalves walks Rick Sansome, loading the bases. Larry Tallerico hits the ball and Kevin catches it, ending the third inning. As Jill heads out for her G.R. sleepover, she encounters Aimee moving out, to go crash at her coworker Mimi's basement apartment. Outside Bailey Elementary, Laurie finds herself incapable of martyring Meg. Meg takes the gun and shoots herself. Jill hears the gunshot and convinces herself it was a firecracker. The Frosts pull up, and Jill decides to go watch them play ping-pong instead of going to the G.R. compound. Laurie gets in the getaway car and heads for an unknown destination. Tom leaves the baby on Kevin's stoop, then circles back three times to check on her before finally driving out of Mapleton and heading for the solstice festival. Nora walks to Kevin's to leave her goodbye note. She finds the baby on Kevin's stoop with a note: "This little girl has no name. Please take good care of her." Kevin receives a text from Jill saying that Aimee moved out and Jill is at a friend's. Kevin leaves the Carpe Diem after one celebratory beer and goes home. He finds Nora outside with the baby. She says, "Look what I found."
- Notes on dating: The baby is said to be "barely a week old" and "almost a week old." Nora's "manic burst of energy" imagining a blonde future for herself was last week. It is unclear what solstice the Barefoot People are celebrating (spring solstice would be around March 20, and summer solstice June 21).

Other[]

In the late 20th century, Mapleton transformed from a factory town to a bedroom community (per "The Carpe Diem")