Tell Me Everything

Bob keeps going to see Mrs. Hasselbeck, and Margaret continues preaching at her church. As summer approaches, the tourists start to return to the beaches. Matthew Beach receives two letters from women who have read about his story in the papers. Bob says that if the women seem nice, Matthew should answer their letters.

Charlene Bibber has a new boyfriend named Carl, a man she met on a political site. Carl and Charlene spend all their time together, and Carl is always kind, assuring her that every inch of her (even her stomach “flab”) is “beautiful.” The only thing is that Carl doesn’t like when Charlene volunteers at the food pantry—he thinks people steal food from such places just because they can. At Carl’s urging, Charlene stops going to the pantry, and eventually, she stops taking Lucy’s calls. “And in this way,” the narrator says, “the situation in the country divided itself further.”

Bob is increasingly distressed about his feelings for Lucy. Sometimes, he wonders if he is addicted to being with Lucy in the same way that Pam struggles with alcohol addiction. Bob is having trouble sleeping and eating, and he is losing weight. Worst of all, even when he does go on a walk with Lucy, it usually only makes Bob’s mood even darker.

There is a forest fire in Canada, and the smoke makes its way to New York City, turning the entire sky a sickly orange. On the second day of the fire, Ted arrives at their New York apartment, surprising Pam. Ted tells Pam that he misses her and asks her if she is having an affair. Pam scoffs, revealing that she knows about Ted’s betrayal with Lydia Robbins. “I can’t stand Lydia Robbins,” Ted says, and he sits down at the table and cries.