For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for May 07, 2020

What about your immediate family, John? (outnumbered three to one)

Even James Avery (1945-2013) didn’t like Will Smith in his house once in a while.

BINGO!

Better idea. Elly take control of her house again and lay down some take-it-or-leave-it rules.

1. Cat stays locked in her room with a litter box.2. Smoking outdoors only.3. She might help with daytime chores. I would not trust her helping with the babe at any time of day anymore.4. Contribute to food bills if she does not feed herself.5. Get the h.ell out if any of 1-4 is not acceptable.

Might one think John’s family is already on to Fiona and that’s why she’s at his place and not theirs? I’m willing to bet they would think less of him if he allowed her to stay.

I see the smoking and the cat as problems easily solved. As for the messy and lazy, that’s a complaint Elly has about everyone else in the family. If John throws out Fiona for that, he is setting a dangerous precedent. Michael might be next on the list of people Elly wants John to throw out. As we know, Fiona’s messiness and laziness are nothing compared to Michael’s.

Some family John has?

Yep, John. They are YOUR family, not your parents, siblings or cousins. They take priority over your extended family. Eventually you will find out exactly how Fiona arrived at your house someday.

John should have known what the answer would be,

Elly time you get some self-love and tell Fiona to get the hell out of your house. John seems to be a wimp!

That witch was HIS idea? Make them both go.

The family that counts is the family that can pull the ladder out from under you while you’re cleaning the gutters. The rest are just nice people you used to know.

I had no problem telling (not asking) my mother to smoke outside; cat – love em, but, no, everyone’s allergic. His family would understand, they have all probably kicked her out.

How about just plain “get the hell out” period?

John, your family looks ok with that.

……“besides I’m afraid of her!” ;o]

John, the spineless wonder! Step aside spineless wonder, and I will show you how it’s done.

If they know her, they’ll think you have some common sense.

“Ask Her?” Ha….

No rules- just leave!!

Do it John!

Hands down, either she goes, or both her and you go.

He’s an idiot. So is Fiona.

Why does she need Fiona at all. They have two built-in free helpers named Michael and Elizabeth. How is that the case? Because Abraham Lincoln was not the President of Canada, so anything he declared has no effect on the Pattersons.

This is the time when the definition of “family” vs “relative” comes in…

I laughed out loud at that frame…just like the kids and Elly did at John’s words…

John, is keeping up appearances with your “family” worth putting your immediate family through the torture of the actions of Fiona? Man up!

Maybe that one should have been put through an interview session with the fam before being brought in.

This made me LOL!

I’d say either Fiona leaves or John and Fiona leave!

Pull the trigger John and stop being weak…

That "s—- eatin’ " grin of theirs says it all. And it’s a perfect parody of that incredibly annoying grin that his dear ol’ cousin has. Ship her back to Burl and his lot at The Dinette Set pronto! No loss.

She’s FINALLY driven them insane! That’s all it took!

Grow a pair John. Elly, tell Fiona she has to leave by 5 pm today.

I occasionally have genuine, wake-up-sweating nightmares about someone (or more than one) moving into my house and refusing to leave, in spite of me screaming at them and trying to shove them outside. Fortunately I always wake up to the reassuring knowledge that it was just a dream, and my home is still my castle and sanctuary.

This happened when IWas a little boy one of my father’s relatives like Fiona came left her suit cases well after two one I cracked I though I mightBe living with my aunt with my mother howeverMy father came home it all ended my relatives junk on front porch cab waiting amen to that never saw them again

BTW — If anyone is interested in the back-stories of any of the characters in the strip, you can go FBorFW Strip Fix and go to the tab that says “Characters” and when the cursor is ova a drop-down box directs you. You can read about any (and all) of the people in the strip. One is able to read the long and tedious story of Fiona’s life and about everybody else, too. You can, also, select the first green box and pick archived strips. For the ones we are reading now select the blue box number 4 and then go to whatever month you want to see. Browse around the site and you, too, can become an expert.

How is smoking in the house a problem? Elly sure stunk up the house when she had the baby at home.