American Splendor Page #5

One might be mint.

What's the difference between this and this?

One's cherry, one's cinnamon.

You could tell that by Just looking at them?

Not me. l have to put it in my mouth first.

Loneliness can feel so bad.

There have been times I've felt lonely...

'cause a lot of the time,

it was just me and my grandmother.

I'd just be sitting in my room all day...

watching television or reading books.

That was before

I bought a computer, of course.

How do you cope with loneliness, Harvey?

-Did l say l watched television?

-You mentioned you watch TV...

you listen to your Jazz records, you read...

you write, you drew your stick figures...

so you could plan for your next comic book.

l've seen many of your stick figures.

That seems to be pretty interesting.

-Chocolate Jelly beans, l'm gonna try one.

-Go ahead.

Excuse me, can l help you?

Give me...

two crullers...

Jelly doughnut with the powdered sugar.

Thanks for coming.

-You got any of that day-old bread?

-l think so.

Here you go.

$3.

You're Harvey Pekar?

Alice Quinn, from school.

College, yeah.

We had a couple of Lit classes together.

What happened to you?

You disappeared after two semesters.

Yeah, l know.

l got good grades and all,

but there was that required Math class...

hanging over my head.

Eventually, the pressure

got to be too much, so....

You're doing okay, anyway.

l heard all about

your Jazz reviews and your comics.

-You did?

-Sure, you're famous.

Meanwhile, l got my degree

and l'm Just a plain old wife and mother.

l'm not doing as great as you think.

My second wife divorced me,

l work a dead end Job...

as a file clerk.

Sometimes l hang out

with the guys on the corner...

but most of the time

l Just stay at home by myself and l read.

You're luckier than you think.

Between my husband and my kids...

it's impossible for me

to curl up with a good book.

l'm reading this book by Dreiser now.

-Jennie Gerhardt.

-That's one of my favorites.

Yeah?

l hope that book don't end like

so many of those naturalist novels...

with someone getting crushed to earth...

by forces he can't control.

l think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

l mean, it's certainly

not your Hollywood happy ending...

but it's pretty truthful,

which is rare these days.

-This is me.

-All right.

-Nice car.

-Thanks.

-l don't have one yet.

-Can l give you a lift somewhere?

No, that's all right.

lt's a nice day, l'll Just walk.

lt was nice seeing you.

When I got home,

I finished reading jennie Gerhardt.

It was real good. That Alice was right.

Sure, Lester, the main character,

croaks in the end...

but at least he's old

and dies a natural, dignified death.

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