After Annie: A Novel

Annemarie enjoys being in the car because it reminds her of all the times Annie rode shotgun while they sang along with the radio. Annemarie and Annie had plans to finish college and take a year to travel through Europe, but these plans changed when Annie got pregnant with Ali. After having her wisdom teeth removed, Annemarie became addicted to painkillers, and the two friends canceled their travel plans. However, after Annie lost her most recent baby, resulting in a hysterectomy, she began talking about their trip again. They made plans for a shorter trip once Ali and Ant were old enough to take care of themselves.

Now, seeing that Annemarie isn’t doing well, Tom offers to take her to Paris, but she declines. Annemarie asks Bill if she can take Ali on a trip, but he says it is too soon. Annemarie understands that Bill distrusts her because of her substance use disorder. However, Annemarie still remembers that Bill’s first reaction to Annie’s announcement that she was pregnant was, “What are you going to do about it?” (148). Annemarie has never forgiven him for this. In the present, Annemarie drives to the Mennonite community called Paschal Flowers and purchases handmade goods to resell.