Cindy Calcutti Character Analysis in This Is How It Always Is

Nick Calcutti’s wife and Nicky Calcutti’s mother. After Claude begins wearing a dress to school and transitions into Poppy, Cindy Calcutti calls Rosie and invites Poppy over for ice cream and to play with her son, Nicky. After Rosie drops Poppy off, Cindy’s husband calls Poppy and “faggot” and threatens her with a gun. Cindy later texts Rosie to apologize, but Rosie doesn’t bother to respond. Cindy Calcutti represents those Rosie says are only nice to Poppy because of “PC bullshit and a strange Poppy cachet.” Cindy invites Poppy over not because she really wants Poppy to be friends with her son, but because she is curious about Poppy and wants to appear open-minded.

Cindy Calcutti Character Timeline in This Is How It Always Is

The timeline below shows where the character Cindy Calcutti appears in This Is How It Always Is. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...play with Nicky Calcutti, a boy Poppy has known since before her transition. Nicky’s mom, Cindy, sent Rosie a message and asked how she was after Claude’s transition to Poppy. She... (full context)

...“and this,” he says, lifting his shirt and revealing a gun on his hip. Suddenly, Cindy pulls up, clearly aware of what is happening. She glances at Rosie with embarrassment and... (full context)

...what to do. He asks how they are supposed to tell the difference between the Cindy Calcuttis of the world and the Nick Calcuttis, but Rosie says there is no way... (full context)