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1. 

   legaleagle48 said, about 4 years ago

   And that’s actually pretty normal for a kid Michael’s age. I’d probably have asked the same question.
2. 

   Arye Uygur said, about 4 years ago

   I don’t remember this arc – Farly looks really sick.
3. 

   legaleagle48 said, about 4 years ago

   @Arye Uygur

   I don’t remember it, either, but I already know that Farley doesn’t die, since he actually lives for at least another eleven years (in other words, he doesn’t die until long after April is born.).
4. 

   psychlady said, about 4 years ago

   Let him express his feelings. And – no one really knows.
5. 

   lightenup said, about 4 years ago

   Sometimes it’s hard to know when a kid is being sincere and when they are being silly. I don’t blame either for their reactions. Poor Farley…
6. 

   Jim in CT said, about 4 years ago

   Elly wasn’t berating him – she was upset because he said what she was thinking.
7. 

   Chris Kenworthy said, about 4 years ago

   Somehow this made me think of the Vinyl Cafe story ‘Dad is dying’ – Sam comes close to tears in class because his dog is at the vet, so instead he says it’s his dad who’s sick, and the story spreads around the neighborhood, complicating the lives of both parents, (but nobody is rude enough to tell them what they’ve heard clearly enough to avoid a misunderstanding.)
8. 

   Joshua Washburn said, about 4 years ago

   whhhew the family car is a wagon thought they were putting him in a trunk of a car
9. 

   Gokie5 said, about 4 years ago

   I still think that Elly has a bit of a tin ear here – Michael is the mature one.
10. 

    BobBlumenfeld said, about 4 years ago

    Although I was not a dedicated reader back then, I suspect this story arc is one of the early ones that gave FBOFW its realistic side, the way M*A*S*H evolved from its first few years as a straight sitcom.
11. 

    seed_drill said, about 4 years ago

    This story hits too close to home, I had to put my kitty down this morning. I think I’ll be skipping the rest of this arc, even though, as a long time reader, I know this isn’t where Farley dies.
12. 

    MysteryCat said, about 4 years ago

    @seed_drill

    I’m sorry, I know how hard that is. I hope you have others to comfort you.

    I lost my last cat a few weeks ago and coming to terms with having no cats in my life.
13. 

    samfran60 said, about 4 years ago

    seed_drill & MysteryCat, I am so sorry to hear about your beloved cats. No, you can never replace a loved one in your mind but, sometimes an innocent little face will tear at your heart strings and make you fall in love with them. You never forget your beloved but,another can sometimes help with the pain. I have also lost cats before. Please forgive me if I did not word this right.
14. 

    catman5169 said, about 4 years ago

    @seed_drill

    You have my sympathy…I’ve had to do this, too. One was especially painful..I was crying, my wife was crying…even the vet got to crying…and wouldn’t even charge me…Mis Kitty is buried under the trees in the back yard.
15. 

    K M said, about 4 years ago

    @Chris Kenworthy

    And that made me think of the guy who called his brother from the road to find out how his cat was, only to be told brusquely that the cat was dead. “How can you just blurt that out!? You need to work into these things! Like, tell me the cat’s on the roof, but the firemen are coming to get her. Then later, tell me the cat spooked and jumped from the firemen, getting tangled in the wires, and on and on and on! You just don’t blurt out bad news like that without preparing someone for it! [long, deep breath] Well, how’s mom?”

    
    [long pause] “She’s up on the roof.”
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