The next morning, Arthur woke up to the faint morning sunlight flooding into his apartment. He stretched and sat up and rubbed his eyes, moaning. He ran a hand through his hair and stood up and went into the kitchen to take two of his medications. There were only about five pills left in one of the bottles, none in the other. He made his mother some breakfast and then smoked a cigarette and watched the news for a bit. Nothing different.

Arthur took his time in the bathroom and gave himself a shave and combed back his hair and got dressed. He wore a white button up shirt with a maroon-colored vest and matching pants. He had his first gig tonight at Pogo's and he wanted to look his best.

In the meantime, Arthur gathered up a basket of laundry and went to take the load down to the laundry room. He took his journal with him to read while he waited for the clothes to wash and looked over some of his jokes. He wanted to make sure he got it right.

Once the dryer stopped, Arthur gathered up the laundry and started to head back to his apartment. Before he could reach the elevator, a black man in a postal delivery uniform carrying a brown package called out to him, "Excuse me."

Arthur turned and looked at the delivery man.

"Are you Arthur Fleck?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a package for you, sir. Sign here, please."

Arthur was confused, but he set the basket on the floor and took the clipboard from him and signed his name. He handed it back to the delivery man and exchanged it for the parcel and asked him, "What is it?"

The delivery man shrugged and answered, "I don't know. She just said to make sure you get it. You have a good day now, sir."

"You, too."

Once the delivery man was out of sight, Arthur took a closer look at the package, thinking at first that it was a mistake. Usually if there was any mail for him, it was always addressed to his mother. This time, it was addressed to him. There was no mistake. He found there was a note attached to it and looked at it and read it to himself. I'm sorry about yesterday. I hope this gift makes up for it, it read. Turning it over, Arthur found the name Wendy Napier on the back. There were two hearts next to it, along with her phone number.

He spotted her through the window of Grimaldi's Diner where she worked. Dressed in a sky blue waitress dress with a white apron, Wendy walked over to a young couple sitting at a table and took their order. Arthur watched her through the glass, wondering if she would mind him visiting her while she was working. Wendy wrote something down on her notepad and walked away. That was when Arthur decided to take a chance and went in the moment she went behind the counter. Pulling his hood down, he walked over and sat down on a stool at the counter. Wendy gave the order to the fry cook. When she came back out, she was surprised to see him.

"Excuse me, miss", said Arthur, addressing her as if he were a stranger. "Do you work here? I'd like to complain to the manager about your employee named Wendy."

Wendy smiled. "Hey, you found me", she said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine", said Arthur. "I was walking through town and thought I'd stop by to see you."

"Well, can I get you anything to start off with? Are you hungry?"

"No, thanks."

"How about a cup of coffee then?"

"Sure, that'd be nice."

"Coming right up."

Wendy turned and reached for a mug and set it in front of Arthur and poured some coffee into it.

Arthur stuck a hand into his pocket and tried to give her the money to pay for it, but Wendy placed a hand over his and told him, "Don't. It's on me."

Arthur returned a smile and stuffed the money back into his pocket.

Wendy dropped her smile a bit and told him, "I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday, Arthur."

"It's okay, Wendy. I'm over it. You're still coming to Pogo's tonight, aren't you?"

Wendy shrugged. "Only if you want me to."

"I do. You said you would."

They heard a bell ding. Wendy turned her head and looked at the fry cook, who set a plate of tuna melts on the counter and said, "Order for table two!"

Wendy looked at Arthur and told him, "I get off work in an hour. You'll still around for a while?"

Arthur nodded. "Sure."

Wendy went back to doing her job and walked over and took the order of a black mother and her young son. Arthur recognized them as the mother and child he saw on the bus last week. The boy looked over at him and Arthur gave him a faint smile. He turned away and glanced up at the television broadcasting the news about clown sightings in the city. He poured some sugar into his coffee, stirring it with a spoon as he listened to the news.

Later that evening, Arthur stood backstage at Pogo's Comedy Club, going over some of the jokes in his journal. There was a man on stage telling sex jokes. Arthur was next after him. He ran a hand through his slicked back hair, feeling nervous. It was his first stand up act and he wanted everything to go right.

Wendy came backstage and asked him, "You ready?"

"What?" Arthur turned and looked at her, forgetting she came with him to the comedy club. "I'm sorry. I was just going through my material before I go on."

Wendy straightened his vest and told him, "Arthur, there's no need to be nervous. You just go out there and give them the best performance you can give to them." Suddenly, Wendy caught the familiar fragrance of cedarwood and musk and smelled his shirt. She looked at Arthur and complimented, "You smell nice. Are you wearing cologne?"

"I might be. Some strange girl had it delivered to me this morning", Arthur joked teasingly.

Wendy raised her eyebrows at him and pretended to sound jealousy. "Really? Was it from a redhead, perhaps?"

"Yeah", said Arthur, giving her a slight nod of his head.

A sound technician came over and told Arthur he was up next. Then he tuned to Wendy and told her, "Miss, you're not supposed to be back here." He turned away and said, "Five minutes, people."

"Oh, God", Arthur exclaimed worriedly. He couldn't help being so nervous. He turned to Wendy and asked her, "How do I look?"

"You look fine, Arthur", Wendy answered. "And don't worry about anything. You're going to do great. Good luck."

Wendy walked down the hall and went out to take a set at a table somewhere in the middle of the room. Most everywhere was packed with people. It looked like a pretty good crowd. She couldn't wait to hear the kind of humor Arthur would dish out. She listened to the man up on stage, wishing he'd get off already. She didn't come here to listen to a bunch of old-fashioned comics. She only came to support Arthur and make sure he had a good time.

Once he was done, the man left and the club owner came out to introduce the next comedian. Right on cue, Arthur came out onto the stage. The crowd applauded him.

"Woo!" Wendy shouted enthusiastically. "Go get 'em, Arthur!"

Arthur looked around at the darkened crowd, unable to see their faces through the blinding spotlight. He took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone. "Hello", he whispered softly. A soft chuckle began to bubble in his throat and he started to laugh, his face turning red from embarrassment. He snorted down the oncoming laughing fit and tried to address the audience again. "Hello, it's good to be here..." The laughing only grew stronger.

Turning away, Arthur bent over and covered his mouth with his hand, trying to get it under control. Some people in the audience laughed, thinking it was part of his act.

Oh, God. Please not know, Wendy begged silently. She looked around at the unamused expressions on some of the audience's faces. Some were snickering, but most were already bored with him.

Arthur turned back to the audience, holding his arms around him to keep himself together, and said to the crowd, "I hated..." He put a hand to his throat and started laughing again, knowing this was not going to end well. He struggled for a moment and gagged on his own choke hold. The audience just stared at him, thinking he was a fool. He held his journal in front of him and continued on with the joke, still trying to stop himself from laughing.

"I hated school as a kid-" The microphone feedback echoed in his face, and Arthur broke out into a laughing fit, forcing himself to cover his mouth with his arms. His face strained as he tried to get his laughter under control. He bent over and put a hand to his throat, struggling to breath.

Wendy started to get up in case she had to run up there and pull him off the stage, but Arthur straightened up again and took a deep breath just as he was starting to gain control of himself again. She sat back down.

"I hated school as a kid", Arthur finally got out. "My mother would say, 'You should enjoy it. One day you'll have to work for a living.'...'No, I won't, Ma. I'm gonna be a comedian'..." He finished with a nervous laugh.

Wendy looked around at the audience and applauded briefly, but none of the other members of the crowd joined in with her.

"Thank you", said Arthur to his only fan. He opened his journal and turned a page, looking for another joke. "Okay. Here's-here's one. You know, I was thinking the other day, why are rich people so confused by the poor?"

While Arthur was telling his joke, Wendy caught wind of a woman saying, "Oh, my God. Can you believe the nerve of this guy?" Looking to her left, Wendy saw an older woman with blue eyes and blonde hair. She was wearing a black dress and holding a cigarette in her hand. There was a young, rugged-looking gentleman sitting next to her. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear, to which the woman started laughing.

Wendy didn't know what the gentleman had told the woman, but she didn't find it one bit funny. She looked at Arthur as he put an index finger to his chin and made a serious face while he made another joke about rich people. She tried to hear what he was saying, but was distracted by the rude couple sitting on her left. She glanced back over at them. The gentleman said something to the woman, making her laugh and snort at the same time. Wendy looked back and tried to focus on Arthur, but his voice fell deaf on her ears. She was starting to get mad at the rude couple for sharing in each other's own amusement and not Arthur's. This was suppose to be his night, and so far, nothing was going right. Nobody was laughing.

"And that's another thing", said Arthur. "What is the deal with old men and their wives? I mean they say they love them until death do us part, but I don't think they were-"

Ignoring the struggling comedian up on the stage, the rude blonde woman and her date conversed while Wendy glared at them, her nostrils flared. Her heart was pounding, her blood boiling with rage.

"When I was a little boy and told people I was going to be a comedian, everyone laughed at me. Well, no one's laughing now."

Pounding her fist on the table, Wendy stood up and screamed at the top of her lungs, "SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Everybody turned in their seats and looked at her in shock, including Arthur, who saw that she was addressing the rude couple sitting next to her.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT COMEDY?!" Wendy questioned them. "THAT MAN UP THERE IS DOING THE BEST HE CAN TO MAKE YOU LAUGH AND YOU'RE IGNORING HIM! HE IS A THOUSAND TIMES MORE FUNNIER THAN EITHER ONE OF YOU WILL EVER BE! AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW OR APPRECIATE WHAT GOOD COMEDY IS, THEN WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO HOME AND FUCK YOURSELVES?!"

Wendy threw her chair out of the way, almost hitting the rude couple and running out of the club as quickly as she could. She couldn't stand being in there for one more minute. The room was silent. Arthur looked around at the stunned faces of the people in the audience, not understanding what just happened or how to address the situation.

Wendy stormed out the back door and went over and slammed her fist on the chain-link fence. She repeated the same action twice and grabbed the handle of a nearby garbage can and threw it against the building. Throwing her arms down, she lifted her head and screamed toward the sky in frustration. Dropping down on her knees, Wendy collapsed on the ground and sat there for a while, panting hard. She heard a dog barking somewhere. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, keeping her arms wrapped around her legs. She let out a heavy sigh, feeling stupid. This was Arthur's one chance to bring joy and laughter to the world and she ruined it for him. She couldn't face going back into Pogo's. She came to be there for Arthur, but that rude couple made her so mad, she decided not to return.

Not more than five minutes later, the door opened and Arthur came out, putting on his jacket. "Hey, what happened back there?"

Wendy looked up at him in shock, thinking he was going to lash out at her and tell her off for ruining his night.

Arthur saw the fear in her eyes and looked over and noticed the overturned garbage can. He looked at Wendy again and asked her with concern, "Were you mugged?"

Wendy stood up at once and told him, "Arthur, I can explain. I was trying to watch you on stage and listen to your jokes, but there was a couple sitting next to me and they were ignoring you and they started making comments about you and mocking your act. I got angry at them and lost my temper. I know I shouldn't have, but I-"

"Hey", said Arthur, placing his hands on her arms. Wendy froze and her eyes went wide. Arthur saw her fear and said softly, "It's okay. You came here to see me. That's all I ever could have asked."

"You mean you're not mad at me?"

Arthur's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why would I be mad at you?"

Wendy looked away and shook her head. "I don't know", she said sadly. "I wanted to be there for you tonight, Arthur, but that woman made me so mad, I couldn't-"

Arthur cupped a gentle hand on her jaw and turned her worried gaze back to look at him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Wendy", he said reassuringly. "I screwed up tonight, too, remember?"

"Are you still allowed to come back?"

"I am, but you might not be."

Wendy nodded, letting him know that she understood. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you with my screaming back there."

"Well, you did scream pretty good", Arthur reminded her. "How's your throat?"

Wendy shrugged and told him, "It's a little sore, but I'll be all right."

Arthur reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, taking one out. He looked at Wendy and asked her, "Do you mind if I smoke?"

Wendy shook her head and told him, "No, you go ahead."

Arthur placed the packet back into his pocket and pulled out a lighter and lit his cigarette, holding it between his index and middle finger while he inhaled. He blew out a vapor of smoke, tasting the nicotine on his tongue.

Wendy got a sudden idea and asked him, "Do you mind if I try that?"

Arthur looked at her with a raised eyebrow and asked her, "What?"

"Do you mind if I try smoking one of those?" Wendy asked him, indicting she wanted a cigarette. She knew it was a bad idea, but seeing how Arthur didn't really seem to mind it, she thought it couldn't hurt.

Arthur shrugged and offered her his cigarette. Wendy took it and looked at it momentarily, parting her lips as she brought it closer and inhaled slowly. She caught the taste of smoke and gagged instantly. She started coughing and put a fist to her mouth, choking on the foul-tasting vapors.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked her, his eyes wide with concern.

Wendy coughed again and handed the cigarette back to Arthur, telling him, "Here, take it, take it!" She turned away and pounding on her chest, trying to catch her breath. "Ah! I don't see how you can like those damn things!"

"It wasn't easy for me at first either", Arthur admitted, taking a long drag. He tasted the lipstick she left behind on his cigarette and blew out again. "I started taking up smoking by the end of high school."

"Yeah, well-" Wendy coughed twice, placing a hand on her throat as she tried hard not to vomit. She turned back and looked at Arthur with slightly red eyes. "This is just me, but I think you should take up another habit."

Arthur was quiet and took another inhale and breathed out more smoke. He look downtrodden. He had just one chance of making it big and he blew it. Nobody understand his jokes and only a small handful really laughed, but it wasn't genuine. His dream was supposed to come dream tonight, but instead, it turned into a nightmare.

"I fucked up real bad tonight, didn't I?" Arthur asked sullenly.

"No, you didn't, Arthur", Wendy insisted. She crossed her arms and shook her head and looked up toward the sky. Then she admitted, "At least, I didn't think you did. Maybe those people just weren't ready for you yet."

Arthur finished smoking and disposed his cigarette by flicking on the ground. He noticed Wendy was staring into space for a long time and looked up with her and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"The sky", Wendy answered.

Arthur looked at her. "Why?"

Wendy shrugged. "I don't know. It's just something I used to do all the time when I was a kid. It helps me think, I guess."

Arthur gazed back up at the sky with her. They couldn't see any stars through all the smog, but the sky did have a certain uniqueness to it. "It's a nice night out tonight", Arthur commented, a small smile on his face.

Wendy nodded, still admiring the darkening sky. "Yeah, it is", she agreed.

"And I'm not doing anything else and neither are you."

Wendy looked at him and asked, "What are you saying?"

Arthur looked at her again, his smile dropping. "Well, I mean, you're not busy tonight, are you? I mean the night's still young and...Well, it's kinda hard for me to say it-"

"Arthur...are you asking me out on a date?"

Arthur felt butterflies in his stomach. He blushed a bright red and lowered his eyes, not sure what he was doing. He never asked a girl out before. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "I know, it's a stupid idea-"

"No, it's not", Wendy reassured him, taking hold of his hand and offering him a warm smile. "Arthur, I'd love to go out with you."

Arthur looked at her with wide eyes and asked, "You wouldn't mind being seen with me?"

"No. As a matter of fact, I'd love it. Do you want to talk a walk first?"

Arthur grinned and said, "Okay."

Wendy motioned her head toward the alley and told him, "Come on, let's get out of here."