But speaking of today's quotes, I actually take exception with "A MAN WHO, UPON MY ARRIVAL, FIRST IMPRESSED ME AS CRUDE AND CRUEL, HAS IN RECENT WEEKS, BECOME A KIND AND CARING FRIEND" in reference to Willie. Perhaps Vicki thought that of him for a few minutes, but that instantly changed once she got a look at this dejected expression on Willie's face -
- after everyone at the Blue Whale had seemingly ganged up on Willie. She saw the real Willie beneath the bluster, and that Willie was not crude or cruel and right there and then she made the effort to befriend him by agreeing to ride with him to Collinwood. And by the time Willie came to her with the note from Barnabas to invite her to dinner, she was already making an all-out effort to befriend him and he reciprocated, and that was much earlier than "recent weeks" before the events taking place in the comic.