Valentine #24 August 1963
In "Hard Times," José González delivers a quietly poignant slice of life from 1963, capturing the shared rhythm of small sacrifices and quiet dreams. Lyn, perpetually chasing the latest records instead of a real vacation, fakes a sun-kissed glow with a kitchen lamp—only to find her fib leads to an unexpected connection with Harry, whose own record obsession mirrors her own. The story unfolds with gentle humor and warmth, spotlighting two people bound by their passions and the quiet longing for something just out of reach.
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Lyn can never save enough money to go on vacation because she is always buying the latest discs. So instead of getting a tan at a beach, she has to make do with the sun-ray lamp in her kitchen to give her a tan. When a customer at the snack stand comments on her tan, she tells him she got it vacationing in Spain. They start dating, but Harry keeps wanting to hear more about her vacation. When Harry takes her home to meet his mother, he confesses that he never has enough money to go on vacations because he's collected even more records than Lyn has.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).