5. Love cancels all other plans. (Part VI) – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

5. Love cancels all other plans. (Part VI)

1. As narrator, Lynn writes, "And, I needed to look like I'd been BORN smoking before trying to hang with the cool girls." Young Lynn, in full color, looks at herself in an oval-shaped mirror, smoking a cigarette. Her head is tilted slightly to the side and she is smiling with her lips puffed out a bit. She thinks to herself, "I look so cool." 2. Three cool looking girls sit on a bench, dressed in flared jeans and simple seventies-style shirts. One wears sunglasses, another is lighting up a cigarette ("flick flick flick"), and the other is already smoking, blowing a puff to the side. From behind, we see young Lynn approach them. She is wearing flared jeans and a pink blouse tied with a bow in the back, holding a book in one arm and a lit cigarette at her side. She says, "Oh wow, man. What a drag."

Lynn narrates, "1975 is when I stopped tap dancing for Mom and Dad and started shuffle ball-changing for the burnout crowd. Up until then I loved my Mommy, and wanted to be like her. She was so pretty and chic. In retrospect, she often looked like she was off to the Newport Jazz Festival, whether she was on vacation or grocery shopping. She was not one of those women you saw with her hair in rollers at the Red Owl. She had lived out East." In the center of the page is a photograph, recreated in color pencil, of Lorraine standing next to Lynn and Adam as young kids. Lorraine is wearing a stylish burgundy blouse and skirt set, black pumps, and sunglasses; she holds a purse and a movie camera bag at her side. Lynn and Adam are dressed in somewhat matching blue kid outfits and saddle oxfords. Lynn is looking up at her move, head cocked to the side; Adam is looking in the opposite direction, arms crossed, but smiling slightly. Behind them is a huge crowd of Navy sailors in uniform. Almost all of the men are looking in different directions, but one of them is clearly checking out Lynn's mom. Lynn captions the photo, "Annapolis. 1966 from a 3D slide. I've always loved this image because it shows Adam looking like a normal little boy, perhaps imagining his future at sea. I don't mind remembering this Adam. As a side note, I can't help but wonder how many of these boys came back from Vietnam. And I love how Mom's being leered at by a sailor."

Lynn continues narrating, "As a girl and as a tween I lived in fear of losing her. She had bouts of pneumonia and trouble with kidney infections. I lost one mom. The likelihood of losing another wasn't far-fetched. Talk about a moment when you know things aren't right:" A four panel grid in color takes up most of the page. 1. Younger Lorraine is at the hair salon; she has her hair in curlers and her head in the 50s-style hair dryer. She is reading a magazine called Good Morning Starshine Hair, and she is singing, "La la la..." Lynn narrates, "One minute she was practing alto parts..." 2. "...and the next Dad was fixing our breakfasts." A hand is stirring a glass of brown liquid next to a box that reads, "Carnation Instant Breakfast." 3. Lorraine is walking through a hospital hall wearing a green trench coat over a hospital gown. She is holding a pee bag at her side. "That splodgey lost feeling roosted in my throat at the sight of her pee bag." 4. Lorraine is lying in her hospital bed, angled up slightly so she is sitting up a bit. She is looking at her nurse with blonde hair in a classic 50s white nurse uniform, who holds a chart in her arms. "But Mom took it in stride." The last panel on the page is in black and white. Lynn narrates, "I didn't want her to die then, and didn't want her to die that winter either. For as often as I pushed her away, I also tried to keep her close. It depended on how prickly she was feeling at that moment." Adult Lynn is sitting on her couch, looking off to the side solemnly. Her cat is curled up sleeping next to her. She thinks to herself, "I better get up."

Published On: January 16, 2024

Stylistically rendered with bright, flat colors, simplified shapes, and no line work: a man faces the reader across a cyan background with pink buildings and peach clouds. He stands on a pink road between cyan sidewalks. He is wearing aviator sunglasses and has a thick mustache with a stubbly chin. He wears a blue and black coat over a white Armani t-shirt; his hands are in his jacket pockets, to his side. We see down to his knees before the image cuts off. He is rendered with blue hair, peach skin, and a pink nose. He has an air of intimidating confidence.

Lorraine sits next to Lynn’s dad, both looking like young twenty-somethings. They are both dressed in formal wear - Lorraine in a floral print dress, Lynn’s dad in a suit and tie - and they smile for the camera.

Kim is reading from a book opened to a page full of pictures of different kinds of mushrooms. She is lounging, wearing comfy pants and sitting with her knees up. “September 8. Ordered mushroom cultivating supplies after doing some research. Worked until 7 p.m.”

Kim tends to a rack of bananas hanging from a rod in her house. “September 7. Felt crappy again. Made a big wall calendar to help manage time. Had class today.”

A zoomed in view of hands holding a plant’s steam with a leaf attached. In the background are more leaves and plants. “August 27.”

A sepia-toned family photograph, showing five people in formal wear posing stiffly for the camera.

Kim stands among banana trees outside. She is looking down, where a rack of bananas lies at her feet. “August 21. Worked. Blue java rack fell prematurely.”

From behind, we see Kim bend over as she steps into her bathtub. She is naked. “August 15. Sunday. Painted. Bath.”

Derek is in bed lying on his stomach. He holds the pillow over his head, pencil in hand, so he is buried under his blanket and pillow. In the background, the word "FLUSH" is written in large block letters. Derek asks, “What’s the point?”

1. Rory sits in the corner of a large sectional couch, holding her phone close to her face. She is covered in pillows. “August 9. Worked. I had planned on meeting Mom and Rory at the pool after but it was closed. Told my work I’ll need Mondays off (class).”

Close up of Lorraine's hand aggressively crushing her cigarette in her blue ash tray, surrounded by dramatic lighting and jagged lines.

Jasper sits on the foot of Derek's bed, elbow-deep in a bag of popcorn, which he munches on. He stares ahead blankly while chewing.

1. From behind, we see Kim sitting at a desk in a swivel office chair. She is bare foot. She sits in front of a keyboard using a computer mouse. A dog stands behind her, looking to the side. A dark, round table takes up the left foreground, balancing out the panel. “August 2. Worked. Went to UTC Mall after class to get school clothes for Enzo. August 3. Class down in Naples. Finished my journals at 7p.m. Sammi and Carlye took Enzo to registration at school.”

Young Lynn, in full color, looks at herself in an oval-shaped mirror, smoking a cigarette. Her head is tilted slightly to the side and she is smiling with her lips puffed out a bit. She thinks to herself, "I look so cool."

Derek is lying in bed, completely covered by his comforter and the pillow on top of his head. He huffs a “(muffled) SIGH” (drawn in big block letters). From off panel, one of his kids calls, “Dad?”

1. A man, who is only visible by the torso, holds a black and white kitten in his arms like he’s cradling a baby. The kitten’s head is smaller than his hand. He is petting the cat’s head with one finger. “July 27. Class in Naples, more food forest install. Met up with Tony on campus and had a meeting with my advisor. Then we went to the FGCU FF. Tony’s parents got a new kitten.”

1. A close-up view of two mushrooms with umbrella-like caps and long stems. The mushrooms are surrounded by twigs on the ground and a saw palmetto frond above them. “July 20.”

Derek is tucked in bed, lying down on his back with his head on his pillow and blankets pulled up to his neck. He yawns loudly (drawn in block letters). A light is shining on him and chatter comes from off panel.

1. An opossum stands chest to the ground in a spot of light; the rest of the background is dark. Their mouth is open so they look like they are almost smiling. Kim points to the opossum and labels them “Odetta” with a heart. “July 14. Last day in KY. Flew home after a delay involving landing gear. Unpacked, turned the compost pile. It’s good to be home.”

1. Kim lies down on the foot of her bed. She is on her stomach, resting on her elbows. Her head is tilted slightly to the side and she leans her cheek on her hands. She is wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, dark pants, and socks. She smiles softly. One of her dogs rests their head on her back. “July 8. Class in Naples. Bought ‘Sacred Economics’ to read on our trip.”

Two young women sit on the floor in front of a door. The one on the left has long, dark, wavy hair. It is worn down, past the shoulders, except for a bun on top. She is wearing glasses, a short sleeve shirt, and dark pants. The one on the right has long dark straight hair worn in a ponytail with a scrunchy. She is holding up a cat in her arms and kissing their chest. "July 2"

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