A Word From My Sponsor
- After school, Karl heads over to Philbin's, the local drugstore/eatery that was probably cool back in the 1950s but is now just fifty shades of lame. Their main customers are the kids who come for comic books and candy and old people getting their meds filled.
- At Philbin's, Karl gets himself some coffee and a new book, deciding to try Larry's favorite, Philip K. Dick. He has plenty of money even after being robbed by his mom.
- The pilfering of his cash by his mom has been an ongoing thing for the last three years. Hiding the money in cans in various places in his room is the only real answer to the problem, and even that isn't foolproof, as the previous night's episode clearly shows.
- Truthfully, Karl would like to get a bank account, but that would require a car and frequent trips to Toledo, which would just make his mom suspicious. Also, he'd need an adult to cosign.
- Mr. Philbin clearly knows things aren't exactly good at home with Karl and his mom, and he spends part of their conversation trying to get Karl to tell him as much. Karl, however, doesn't rat out his mom.
- Karl also has an encounter with Dick Larren, his AA sponsor who frequently buys him groceries.
- Meanwhile, Philbin tells Karl that he has a plan to get the business back on track. The movie theater across the way is reopening to show foreign films and classics, and Philbin has decided to extend his hours on the weekends so moviegoers have a spot to chill afterward.
- Karl agrees to take on extra hours over the weekend to make this plan a reality.