Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for February 22, 2020

my widowed father remarried three years later (my older and I were 21 and 20 when we lost our mother)

The only time I ever blew up at my father and got away with it (won, actually) was four years after my mother’s death. Sick and tired of constantly listening to, “Please God, why am I alive? Take me now.” I finally lost my temper and not so patiently explained to him that the terms of marriage we “til death do us part” and he was no longer married. He was stunned. Three months later he was in a relationship which carried him thru his final four years alive.

Although my father never remarried, he dated a lot and finally “lived in sin” with a woman. After years of being my mother’s caretaker (she had a debilitating, decades-long battle with Parkinson’s), the woman he lived with took care of HIM. Cooked, cleaned, babied him. I guess he felt it was HIS turn to be cared for. Never removing his wedding ring, though. (Wonder how she felt about that?) Anyway, he “took care of her” when he died, so maybe they had an arrangement. At least he wasn’t alone. They seemed to be more “friends” than romantic. But they were also much older than Sergio here.

Good luck with that Sergio.

¡Vaya!

Tia Carmen is Baldo’s and Gracie’s great aunt, but what is her relation to Sergio. Is she Rosa’s aunt or Sergio’s? I can’t seem to find out.

Really? He is going after his wife’s sister? That won’t end well

she is Sergio’s sister!

I wish our mother had remarried after dad passed, 30 years was a long time to be alone.

Let’s hope he’s hugging her for support. I think that having your aunt suddenly turn into your mother would be pretty bizarre for the kids. She is much more like a grandmother to them.

In my observed life experience men remarried much sooner than widows

So even though the comic is nearly 20 year old, it’s been less than a year in its timeline since it started.

Seems like more than twenty years.

You’ve always done what you felt was right, Sergio. You’re a good man and nobody will think less of you for it. Well, we the readers won’t, anyway :)

Yes, Sergio, you can move on, but your late wife will always be there in your heart to remember.

In the 2007 strips (around March), both Sergio and Carmen were drawn truer to life. Both were attractive, vital people dealing with a devastating loss. ( As for the drunk driver that killed Rosa, it would be good if he got 3-to-5 for that.

I would never take mine off nor would I remarry.

One must learn to know when its right to move on after grieving even if others don’t think the one grieving is ready.

Mamma Tia!

Tia Carmen is Baldo and Gracie’s great-aunt, so either Sergio’s aunt or his deceased wife’s aunt. Given the likely age difference, he’s probably just hugging her for support.

Is he going to start dating again?

Tia Carmen, what part of “IT’S BEEN 5 YEARS” did you not understand?

So the strip started in 2000 but only 5 years have passed.

Ahhh, that answers my question from the beginning of this arc: it has been 5 years ‘toon time since Rosa’s crash.