America 1982-Chapter 131 - 41: Give Him Love and Strength

Tommy Hawk, wearing a custom suit made of fine fabric, sporting a blue polka dot tie, freshly shaven, with his hair slicked back, walked into the live studio with a smile on his face. However, his getup made him look like a nouveau riche who had suddenly struck it rich.

Susan stood up and gave Tommy a tight hug, then turned her head towards everyone with a beaming smile, "This is the man, Tommy Hawk, the one who changed my fate! Soon, he’ll change your destinies too, giving you a brand new life!"

"Thank you, Susan. Thanks for the introduction." Tommy considerately supported Susan until she left. He then sat down on the sofa and smiled at Bob, "I don’t know why you called me up here. I was enjoying the show backstage, and I don’t even know what to say to the camera."

"You don’t know what to say? Talk about OSS, and your dreams..." Bob said with a smile.

"I’m from the East Coast, and we East Coasters aren’t as engrossed in romance and fantasy as those West Coast folks; we prefer things to be more practical. It’s not about talking but doing. There’s nothing much to say; I’ve finished OSS already. The rest is up to the audience. They’re smart people; they know how to discern truth from lies, good from evil. They have their own eyes, their own brains, free citizens of this land who can decide anything for themselves, to be the masters of this land, never swayed by others." Tommy shook his head, cutting off Bob and calmly spoke to the audience:

"There’s a saying my mother often told me, ’Only God can make you kneel in the dust wholeheartedly,’ but unfortunately, He has never descended upon this place. Not because He has abandoned us, but to grant us true freedom."

As soon as these words were spoken, the dozens of audience members below erupted into loud applause and cheers. It was a phrase that most Floridians were accustomed to, originating from when President Lincoln attempted to abolish slavery, the words said by the white people of the land to President Lincoln, which has now become the slogan of the middle and lower classes in Florida, regardless of race, to stand against government tyranny.

Being able to quote this phrase meant, at the very least, this university student seemed like one of our own.

"Susan mentioned you..." Bob saw those actors below clapping vigorously; he swore it was not scripted but a spontaneous response from these simple country folk. Whenever a politician or someone else made a speech to them, as long as they brought up this quintessential Florida catchphrase, they felt the speaker was one with them, inseparable.

When the applause died down a bit, Bob continued, "Susan said you’re from the countryside."

Tommy nodded, his eyes fixed on the live audience, and said, "Susan cares a lot about my image. She feels I saved her, but in truth, it was her who saved herself. If one doesn’t actively want to change, no one else can help. So she won’t speak ill of me. Honestly, I can tell everyone: not only am I from the countryside, but I’m also an absolute mess, like the son or the kid next door whom you both love and hate, who looks a bit stupid and somewhat lecherous. In middle school, I dressed up as Batman and thoughtfully prepared a Robin costume for my date, only to be considered a fool by the girl and blew my first date. In high school, my friends and I tried every trick in the book to sneak into adult bars for a glimpse of the world, secretly signed up for adult movie channels, set the alarm to wake up late at night, and sneaked a watch... I won’t lie, I did all these silly things, and I was really good at them. Of course, the price was my father was also really good at disciplining me; he could even lie on the sofa with his eyes closed and kick my butt with his slippered foot from five meters away, my butt..."

The people below burst into another round of laughter.

Hearing that familiar laughter, Tommy turned to Bob, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "Damn! These folks down here are pretty much like my parents. I can’t spout advertisements to them, it feels too strange, Bob. Can you imagine going back to your parent’s house, then taking out a little gadget you made, and seriously telling them it’s a product that, for just $49.99, can change their fortunes? Cut it out. I even feel like there might be someone in the audience ready to stand up and kick my butt. Dad, is that you out there?"

"Look at these people, they’re as plain, honest, and hearty as my parents. My mother was a common housewife, but she passed away when I was sixteen. My father was a shipbreaker, working hard to earn money to raise me and get me into college..." Tommy looked at the audience, and finally, with a troubled expression, lowered his head, and said in a low voice:

"Bob, I can’t do it, I can’t sell OSS to these people, who are like my parents. They don’t need software to change their destinies, right? A fruit farmer, whose daily work is to grow oranges, a mother who takes care of her family every day, why would they need this damn thing! Stop selling it, choose another product. Bringing OSS here to sell was my wrong decision."

Bob, looking a bit tense, said, "Tommy, this is a live broadcast, you’d better stick to the script... if you feel they shouldn’t have to pay, how about like the products we’ve pitched before, give away a hundred for free? The first hundred viewers to call in get the software for free?"

"I should offer OSS to everyone who wants to change, for free, understand? Completely free, that’s my idea, my thought as I came to the studio today, but I can’t. See this outfit I’m wearing? Doesn’t it look a bit odd? A poor kid like me, it doesn’t fit right, seems like I’m trying to copy those Wall Street moguls in New York. This is the most expensive suit I’ve ever worn in my life because I had to appear on a TV show. I took a fashion magazine to a high-end tailor, pointed at the upscale clothes in it, and told the tailor, I come from the countryside, but now I have money, so you have to dress me up like those rich folks! I wanted to ooze wealth and be confident in front of the audience, to say they could become like me just by buying the software!" Tommy stood up, took off his jacket, and flung it into the crowd:

"But when I saw these amiable faces, I knew I couldn’t do it! Ditch the hypocritical suit. I want to be honest about everything; Actor needs their help as much as it wants to help them!"

"Tommy! Watch your emotions! You better carefully consider every word you say!" Holly, looking anxious, appeared at the entrance to the studio, and despite the television broadcast, she whispered a reminder.

Tommy gazed steadily at Holly and, in the end, shook his head firmly before looking into the camera:

"I knew coming to this kind of broadcast to sell software was a bad idea, but Actor Corporation and I have been driven to a dead end. Though I’ve lost my mother, I’m not lacking in maternal love. My mother taught me to help women, to respect women, and I’ve done as she said—I’ve helped many women. I’ve developed software that’s easier to master, and I’ve helped trainees find better-paying jobs."

"I always thought this was the right thing to do until someone told us it was better not to. If you help them get jobs, we’ll kick you out of the game."

"We received a lawyer’s letter, a lawsuit, from a real big corporation that can make over a hundred million in half a year. I consulted with lawyers, and they told me that against such a big company, there’s no chance of winning. The simplest lawsuit takes half a year or a year, complicated ones even three to five years. They can afford sky-high legal fees, while I and Actor Corporation cannot because lawyers charge by the hour. Calculate the number of hours in a year, multiply it by two hundred, and that’s what I should pay the lawyers in basic fees. They just need to drag out time. When this poor man can’t pay the legal fees anymore, that will be Actor Corporation’s doomsday. On that day, this little company that did the right thing will be at their mercy."

"I’m here to sell software as a last-ditch effort before that day truly comes, to earn as much legal fees as possible, so I don’t appear utterly defenseless."

Having said this, Tommy took a deep breath, "This software will be free after the first one hundred thousand sets are sold, as long as I’m still at Actor, it will always be free. But for the first hundred thousand customers, I’m sorry, it must make money off you because it needs to survive, it needs to hire lawyers, it needs to fight hard against those big companies! Even if it’s smashed to smithereens! I don’t know why big companies want to cut off the poor’s chances of gaining wealth, but I am a freeman of this land. No matter what schemes they have, I will not yield to them, just like the people of Florida back in the day, who, even unable to defeat their opponents, still had the courage to charge!"

"Do you want to find a decent new job through learning? Pick up the phone and buy OSS! I’ll give you a job!"

"You’ve never seen a computer? Pick up the phone and buy OSS! Just study hard, and I’ll gift it to you!"

"You don’t want to be blocked by those wealthy people on your path to riches? Pick up the phone and buy OSS! This is your best chance!"

"Or maybe you just don’t want to see the only country boy willing to help you get knocked down by them! Pick up the phone and buy OSS! Extend a helping hand, give me strength! Let’s together take down those capitalists who try to enslave us forever!"

"Only God can make us kneel sincerely in the dust, but sadly He hasn’t descended upon this land! Except for God, no one can take away our right to gain knowledge! No one can take away our right to change ourselves! As long as Actor exists for one more day, our software will never increase in price, our training will always be free, we will always help ordinary people who want to change their destiny!"

"Is it wrong to do the right thing, to listen to your mother? To hell with it! My mother can’t be wrong! Never! So no matter how difficult, I’ll never back down!"

"God helps those who help themselves! Heaven bless Actor, in the name of freedom! God be my witness!"

The audience on site rose to their feet and, facing Tommy now standing defiantly on the broadcasting stage with his head slightly raised, they burst into loud applause!

Amidst the thunderous clapping, the director’s voice came through Bob’s earpiece:

"Sales broke a thousand sets 30 seconds ago, and many women are calling, asking how to donate to this poor young man named Tommy. They’re willing to replace his deceased mother, to give him love and strength."