It’s the early morning. Inside an apartment full of musical instruments, clothes everywhere and bags of potato chips, we find Jack, sleeping on a-one bed, hugging his guitar. He didn’t even change his clothes from the last night where he met Eliza.

It’s very calm - regardless of Jack’s snorting. And suddenly, the rest of The Miracles enters the house. They find McCallister in bed while the latter wakes up and gets very scared. He’s right: once they see him, they start screaming angrily, punching and kicking him. The worst: they’re drunk.

The poor man catches hardly his beloved guitar, and he runs away from the apartment. He didn’t stop running until he became sure he’s far away from his ex-band.

He finds a bus station near him. He sets on the chair, not waiting for the bus; he’s taking a rest from “the marathon” he did once he woke up.

He’s still panting. The kohl from last night didn’t disappear yet. People are looking at him weirdly: the kohl, weird clothes, bad mouth smell, plus that, he was running and hugging a guitar!

But our Jack didn’t care about people’s odd looks; at the contrary, his stomach starts making noise: he’s very hungry.

He checks his pockets and luckily he finds some dollars. He looks then everywhere and he finds what he was looking for: a restaurant.

He enters it and asks for a croissant and a coffee and finally he begins eating.

Outside the restaurant, there is a jazz band composed of black members: a pianist, a saxophonist, a singer and three singing dancing women. They sing the beginning of Ray Charles’ “Hit The Road Jack”. As they’re singing it for McCallister, and as that song is composed only for him.

***

Hugo walks out of her room full of famous writers and novelists’ pictures and quotes toward the kitchen.

She yawns and walks slowly, still wearing her blue-white pajama. She sits in front of the table and starts drinking her black coffee.

After a while, she screams while she’s eating a piece of bread:

- Mom! I’ll go to the library later on!

We hear her mother’s voice but we don’t see her:

- Why, ladybug?

Mrs. Hugo always calls her only daughter and second child after her oldest brother “ladybug”, for an unknown reason.

- I need some research for my novel. Plus, honestly, I want to write in a calm place, without the noise of my young cousins.

- There is Papa Joe’s!

- No… Papa always hires some unlucky musicians to play music in his bar.

- And?

- …I feel pity toward one of them. I don’t want to meet another unlucky pitying musician.

- As you like, ladybug. But don’t be late for lunch.

- Ok. (with a funny voice)

- If you’ll come back a quarter hour before lunch, buy us some bread.

- Ok.

- You got money?

- Ok, I mean yes, I do.

***

Eliza gets in the national library in Miami, wearing the same clothes-style (the shirt, the skirt and the tight pants, ALWAYS). She climbs up some stairs and says hello to the supervisor. Then, she looks for a book and she finds it quickly.

She sits in front of a table and begins reading. Suddenly, Jack appears, reading a book with a “whispering” voice. And he sits in front of her, he didn’t know even that he was sitting in front of Beth, until when he felt that someone is watching him. He turns his head around until he saw our girl. And his first word he said when he recognized her:

- A…

- Good morning Jack.

- It’s midday.

- I know.

- Great…

- What are you doing here, Jack?

- Reading a book about music, and you?

- Actually, I need some information for my novel.

- Excuse me?

- Some information for my novel?

- You’re a… writer?

- Novelist, I’m a novelist.

- At this age?

- What’s the problem in?

- Because as my knowledge, most of writers are old.

- First, you said it; “most” not “all”. Second, I’m not a writer, I’m a novelist.

- And what’s the difference between them?

- The writer writes everything: novels, short stories, books etc... The novelist writes only novels, did you understand?

- … No.

The “old” supervisor asks them to shut up politely. Next, Elizabeth stands up and sits next to Jack, very close to him, and she whispers to him:

- Jack, how’s your social status? Did you get a job or not? As a musician?

- Not yet.

- Why don’t you then accept my help?

- First, because you’re a stranger for me. Why does a stranger offer his help to me? And especially, you’re a woman: accepting your help shows how much I’m not responsible as a man. Second, how would you help me? Are you musician? Are your parents? Do you have any relative who can help me finding a job and achieving my dream?

- A… No…

- So. Excuse me.

McCallister takes his book and goes to the supervisor to get his permission to take it home with him. While Eliza just sits there, unable to understand why such a troubled man as McCallister refuses her simple help…

***