Sally Brooks

* Adult
* Young adult

**Sally Brooks** is the former girlfriend of Nicky Pearson.

## History

#### Early life

As a young adult, Sally was heavily influenced by the hippie culture of the 1960s. She began traveling the country in her van, starting in Kansas and temporarily settling in Pennsylvania.

During the summer of 1969, Sally worked at a vet clinic located in Pittsburgh. There, she became acquainted with her coworker, Nicky Pearson. A day after the moon landing, they grew closer after a spontaneous moment cleaning one of the dogs at the clinic. Nicky was too nervous to ask her out or accept her hints at a date, so after arriving to pick him up from work, Jack attempted to do so instead. Sally insisted that she was capable of asking Nicky out herself, and invited Nicky to visit her in the neighborhood of Mount Washington to gaze at the moon.

Nicky located her later that night, and she invited him inside of her van. After discussing her photography skills and sharing their love of the moon, they eventually shared their first kiss, igniting a romance. A short time after this encounter, Sally came over to visit Nicky’s family. His parents appeared to be impressed with her, along with Jack, and after dinner, she took a photo of Nicky and his brother for them to look back on in the future.

Further into their relationship, Sally insisted that they went to Woodstock and then headed for California, claiming they could go anywhere they wanted. Initially Nicky agreed, though he would flake on her last minute when he realized his presence at his parents' home made his mother safer from his father's abuse. Disappointed, Sally eventually chose to leave without him. Months later, Nicky was drafted. During the war, they apparently wrote letters to each other, though this detail appeared to be revised later.

After returning home from the war, Nicky bought a trailer with his savings with the intentions of it being for the two of them to live in. He went to Sally’s house, but she wasn’t home, and he took it as a sign they weren’t meant to be. It's likely this detail was also revised within the series, as it was later established that Sally lived in her van and later moved to California. At some point, she had married a man named Eric and they settled down together, Sally finding work in the pharmaceutical industry.

#### Later life

Throughout the decades, Sally's memory of Nicky seemed to have faded. Around 2021, about fifty years after their initial encounter, he showed up at her doorstep unexpectedly alongside Rebecca Pearson and Miguel Rivas. Bewildered at first, she eventually welcomed the trio inside after Nicky gifted her a camera and Rebecca explained to her who he was.

Once Nicky realized Sally was married, he became eager to leave; however, he and his guests were invited to stay for dinner. While the five ate their meal, Sally asked Nicky more about their shared past, and made a remark about having Alzheimer's disease once more details came to her. Rebecca clarified that she genuinely had the disease herself, and Sally was mortified. This led to everybody lamenting about the years wasted to their personal fears, though Nicky insisted he did not regret the years he’d spent pining after Sally.

The conversation shifted into Sally and Eric making snide remarks about their deteriorating relationship. Angry and fed up, Sally left the table and was swiftly followed by Rebecca. They talked alone and reiterated their fears about growing older. By the time night had rolled around, they were bubbly and had taken polaroids together for fun. Nicky came in and exclaimed that Miguel was ready to go home, much to their disappointment. Sally insisted that Rebecca took some of their polaroids for the road, and walked the trio outside. After saying goodbye to Rebecca and Miguel, she had a private farewell with Nicky, assuring him she was happy he had showed. He pointed out the full moon that was visible, and kissed her on the cheek before leaving.

## Personality

Sally is charismatic and free-spirited, particularly as a young woman. She is compassionate and at ease with the world around her.

## Relationships

### Romantic

#### Nicky Pearson

Though they only dated for a brief period in 1969, Nicky held onto their love for many years. Despite his view on the romance, Sally did not seem to view their relationship the same way, and is not able to recall who Nicky is at first when they reunite. She was very sexually liberated, and bounced from place to place, dating many men along the way, before she finally settled with her current husband. Due to this, it's likely Nicky was simply a "fling" from her point of view, though she was moved by him finding her again and professing his memory of their past.

#### Eric

Sally claimed they had been far closer and more intimate in the earlier stages of their marriage. Eric appears to lack any desire for her and a strain has wedged its way into their marriage.

Familial

Not much is known about her family, except that she had a cousin with a farm in San Francisco, and a grandmother.

### Friendships

Sally briefly mentioned having friends, and specifically, one named Bernadette, though none were shown on screen. She became very acquainted with Rebecca by the end of One Giant Leap.

## Trivia

* Her van, Pearl, was named after her grandmother
* She is a cancer (♋︎), meaning her birthday is between June 21 and July 22

## Episode Appearances

Sally Brooks/Gallery