(Strip Number 141, Original Publication Date, 4 June 2010)
Panel 1: It's John's turn to glare the Bug-Eyed Glare of Existential Horror™ and make the palms-out gesture. He does both as he tells a disbelieving Elly "It's true; when do I have time to make friends?"
Panel 2: We see the same bafflement and defensiveness from a differing angle as he explains that although he sees people every day, he never really has time to talk to them.
Panel 3: He's unaware that Mike has made the scene as he sits with head in hands and declares "Sometimes I think that I'm actually lonely."
Panel 4: Mike hands him Super Teddy and says "Here, Daddy!!" This leads to gobsmackage.
Summary: While this is a fairly cute ending, it really doesn't make up for the self-justification that preceded it. Lynn-as-John said a lot of similar things to justify to Rod her need to move away from Lynn Lake to her ideal community. North Bay has a population base large enough to have the shopping malls that Lynn loves but not so large that she feels lost in the crowd. Also, the buildings aren't so tall as to make her feel like an ant.
