gs_silva

Ella passes on the responsibility of educating Cathy in getting her drivers license

Jon is sitting on the couch, watching TV. I should've drawn his crutches in there. I keep intending to go back into panels and draw either his crutches or wheelchair, whichever is appropriate, while he's sitting on the couch. Ella comes to bother him.

"So, Jon," she says. "Know how you're considering applying for a Master's of Education?"

Jon sighs. "That's just a pipe dream, Ella."

"But what if it isn't?" insists Ella. "What if you got a little teaching practice in?"

Now Jon is standing on the sidewalk beside Ella's VW Rabbit. Cathy is awkwardly holding the keys. "You're only the second person Ella has allowed to drive her car," Jon observes. "Okay, hmm. Let's give 'er a spin and see what words you need to learn."

***

Jon's friendship with Cathy is a whole story arc unto itself. He's a very verbal communication oriented person, although he's not particularly talkative himself. He just insists on things being stated clearly, and resents confusion. Cathy, meanwhile, is a whirlwind of chaos. Sort of. She's only as chaotic as I am - internally consistent, but not up to the clarity standards of the people around her. So how do these two connect?

It might be that Jon perceives Cathy as a challenge, and one he takes very seriously. Can he find common ground with his good friend's new wife, even if they can't properly converse?

Also, talking to her is like talking to a dog; she's warmly attentive but can't understand very much of what he says. The perfect confidant! Maybe?

And what does Cathy see in Jon? Maybe she sees nonthreatening masculinity. In the book, Cathy has run-ins a couple of times with men that end up going badly for her, to the point where she actually tells Maurice that she's afraid to try again. (In French, and it goes right over his head.)