(Strip Number 7102, Original Publication Date, 6 December 1981)
Panel 1: As Elly puts Lizzie's Raggedy Anne away, we find John sitting in his armchair drinking coffee and laughing at something in his newspaper.
Panel 2: She looks over his shoulder and asks him what he's reading.
Panel 3: She laughs, says that's a funny article and sets up the conflict by asking if she can read over his shoulder.
Panel 4: She next asks him to move over so she can see better.
Panel 5: He rolls his eyes in irritation as she tells him to not move the pages so fast because she's still reading the one he was on.
Panel 6: He smiles and tells her that he'll read it later; this confuses her.
Panel 7: She explains why by saying "No, wait; it's okay! Really!" as he rises from his chair.
Panel 8: She telling him that she doesn't want to read it if he's not doing so baffles him slightly.
Summary: It sort of doesn't baffle me. That's because I realize something John doesn't; I realize she wants to share an enjoyable experience with her husband but doesn't quite get that she's making it less enjoyable. His attempt to be "fair" is thus the wrong thing to do because it's coming from being irritated and not understanding what the other party needs. Sadly, this sort of depressing minor inconvenience and trivial misunderstanding has happened so often that it will no doubt be the inspiration for a lot of letters on next week's Coffee Talk.