(Strip Number 4171, Original Publication Date, 14 May 1982)
Panel 1: About a second after a panicked Ted yelled "WHAT?" instead of asking John if he was psychic, John tells him that he should be glad that Connie has found someone new; after all, she wanted to get married and he didn't.
Panel 2: Ted's response of "Wait a minute! I just needed time to think, that's all" tells me that he was trying to screw up his courage to tell his mother that he was going to marry her and if she didn't like it, well, "Shady Pines, Ma!!"
Panel 3: Since John doesn't care about his frienemy, he makes an assholish remark about there being no stimulus for thought better than competition.
Summary: That must explain why he didn't do much thinking when he married Elly; after all, no one was lining up to date a prickly ignoramus like her.