All the firsts are supposed to suck. This is known. But they could suck less. Her first birthday couldn’t have sucked more. The husband moved out the day before. That was as suck as it gets. She spent her first post-split wedding anniversary (her fourteenth with her husband, because they are still married) with her best friend, who came up from the city to go to lunch and get massages. This year there are a lot of massages. People give gifts to people going through a divorce, she learns, and often these gifts are massages, and it’s a good gift.
She spends her first post-split Thanksgiving with her best friend and her family. That goes fine until the husband texts to say Hope you’re having a nice Thanksgiving (tulip emoji). She has learned by this time to be fine with crying in front of whoever but they’ve all just sat down at the table and she doesn’t want to be rude, so she stuffs it this time. He’s probably alone. No way would he text her on Thanksgiving with a tulip emoji if he was with his girlfriend. They probably broke up. It doesn’t make her happy to think that he might be alone. It doesn’t make her happy to wonder what the fuck a tulip emoji means. She eats a bunch of turkey and pie. She’s with her best friend. This first is done.