Marilyn #16 September 1961
In "If You Really Cared," Ava meets Rusty, a guarded jazz clarinetist who’s wary of women trying to reshape his life—until she finds a way in. When he’s offered a career-making contract, her encouragement pushes him to take it, but their paths diverge as silence grows between them. The story unfolds with quiet intensity, capturing the fragile weight of love, change, and the unintended consequences of care. Cover by typeset.
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Ava meets Rusty, a new clarinet player at a local jazz club. He was happy with his life and on guard about dames always trying to change a feller's life. But she breaks through to him and he takes her in his arms. Later, he is offered a contract by an agent. Initially, he turns it down, but she encourages him to take it. As he leaves on the train, he warns her that it was her idea. Gradually, her letters start going unanswered and when he appears at a nearby town, she goes to see him. She discovers he had changed and realizes it was her fault.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).