Heartwarming / Faux Pas

• The sequence between comics 2654 and 2658:
  • Randy and Cindy's daughter River is confused because she wants to stay on the farm, knows Randy does as well, but also knows they were all preparing to heading back to the wild. When River asks when he'd get to do what he wants...
    Randy: Sweetheart, trust me - being with your mother is what I want.
    River: Does being in love mean you have to give up stuff you really care about?
    Randy: I don't think so. We each share things that are special to us. It's like a map. We each learn different parts of it, and we combine our maps to get one bigger map.
    River: So you're not just giving up the parts you like best?
    Randy: If you do it right, you get a whole lot more than what you give up.

  • While discussing the situation with Randy's sister April, Cindy says she heard what Randy told River, but didn't really understand the "map" part. April translates for her.
    April: Try this - We each walk our own path in life. Sometimes, your path meets up with someone else's path, and you share your journey. You're still walking your path, you're just doing it with friends, or with someone you love, like Randy. If your path leads you away, you could get back together and share what you've seen. Where you go is up to you.

  • The next comic, when Randy and Cindy next meet up:
    Cindy: [hugging Randy] Thank you for sharing your path with me.
    Randy: [Watching Cindy walk away] Uh... Should I know what's going on?
    April: And what fun would that be?
• Despite Randy being Wrong Genre Savvy when it comes to most things foxily romantic, he manages to say exactly the right thing in the last strip of this sequence. Good one, foxboy!

---