It Ain't Just a River in Egypt

Well, I do declare! This strip leads me to believe that Ted and Sally have told Hilary they can't afford Kitty's surgery! I can't believe it! I know I said earlier that I was hoping the strip would take this direction, but seeing poor heartbroken Hilary really makes me wish they would save Kitty! Awwww . . . she'll sell her bike! PLEAAAASE pay for Kitty's operation.

I wish they would tell us how old Kitty is. Like, "Hilary, Kitty's 13 now, and she's lived a long life." That would make their decision OK. What would also make their decision OK would be if they really couldn't afford it. $3,400 IS a lot of money. But, since we know they are planning on a family vacation to Paris, the Forths aren't exactly pimping out Hilary to support their crack habit.

But what makes this even more intriguing is that the characters aren't aging in this strip. However old Kitty is, she's been that same age for years and years. And since she doesn't die every June, I don't understand why she has to die this June.

To help explain, here is a part of today's strip:


I think that's hard to read. Sally says, "Then before we know it, all of our friends' children will be getting married. . . not to mention Hilary." Ted replies, "Hilary's only ten." Sally: "Well, yeah, now, but I'm talking about . . ." Ted: "She's only 10, Sal." Sally: "Ted, there's a reason the phrase healthy denial is not in common use." Ted: "What's to deny? She's ten. End of story."

The joke, of course, is that Ted doesn't want to think of his little girl, all grown up, getting married . . . But the joke is on us, because that's not really what Ted means. He means just what he says: "She's ten. End of story." Hilary will always be 10. When I was 10, Hilary was 1o. Now I'm 32 and Hilary is . . . 10. Assuming that both Hilary and I continue to age at the same rate (me aging one year for every Earth year and Hilary aging zero years for every Earth year), when I am 64, Hilary will be TEN.

So, this isn't denial (healthy or otherwise) on Ted's part. It's just the truth. I wonder why Sally doesn't "get that" but Ted does. Sounds like Sally's the one in denial. Ted realizes they are stuck in the same year over and over, but Sally's blissfully unaware. She thinks Hilary really will grow up! Of course, Kitty will age and die, but not the humans . . .