America 1982-Chapter 369 - 36: Change a Dream_3

"I’m giving you two months to hand over things to SBG, say your goodbyes, and then, get ready to start a life journey that’ll suffocate you with dreams, Wolfe," Tommy hopped off the office desk and patted Wolfe’s shoulder:

"Such a grand venture, I can’t do it alone, so, I’m not asking you to consider it, I’m summoning you back on behalf of the American people, to do the right thing."

He walked to the door, opened it, and said to Wolfe, who was still pursing his lips without responding: "As for the funding issue you’re worried about, I’m going to solve it for you right now."

With those words, Tommy left the room, leaving behind Sophia, who was leisurely enjoying Wolfe’s expressions, and Wolfe Tuck, who had yet to snap out of the suffocating and fiery dreams Tommy imparted.

...

Tommy gnawed on a hamburger at the KFC opposite his company, then, instead of having Page drive for him, he rare took out the car that usually sat collecting dust in the company’s garage.

It was a birthday gift from Ottelia to Tommy last year, a black 1982 Pontiac Firebird GTA.

Of course, Ottelia’s gift wouldn’t be ordinary. This 1982 Pontiac Firebird wasn’t just any model you’d see on the streets, but a perfect replica of KITT, the intelligent car from the popular NBC sci-fi series "Knight Rider" a few years ago. The reason it’s called perfect is that the car Tommy was driving now could be swapped with the prototype on display at Universal Studios, without anyone noticing the difference.

After purchasing the new car, Ottelia found George Barris, the legendary old gentleman acclaimed as America’s number one customiser. Since the 60’s, he’d been designing and customising the Batmobile for the "Batman" movie, and many celebrities have sought his services for their vehicles. His pricing was also interesting – whatever the cost of the new car, that’s what you’d pay him for the customisation.

For Tommy’s birthday, Ottelia had him perfectly recreate a KITT model.

So Tommy’s car was extremely flashy – features like one-button convertible roof and one-button liftback didn’t need to be mentioned. Even the sci-fi interior and the unique steering wheel from the TV series were replicated exactly.

Tommy even had Martin try playing a car thief once, but the result was that Martin didn’t even know how to drive the car away after getting into the cabin, unable to find where to insert the key or which parts to hotwire for ignition.

Once started, the car’s dashboard and various screens and buttons would light up, giving the driver the impression of piloting a small alien spaceship.

Flashy, of course, but Tommy seldom drove it because the light pollution was just too serious. It was generally only when he needed to provoke Mr. Wealthy that he would take it out, which was one of the few belongings that could stimulate him.

Yes, he was on his way to see Mr. Wealthy, Stephen now.

When Tommy drove to Stephen’s place in Los Angeles, the guy was sunbathing under the afternoon sun, drinking an ice-cold beer.

"Show it off while you still can, Tommy. You’ll soon lose this pleasure, as I already have George Barris helping me customise three cars," Stephen said lazily, opening his eyes and glancing at Tommy stepping out of the car.

Tommy looked around and didn’t see the new girlfriend Stephen had recently snagged. Curious, he asked, "Where’s your new girlfriend?"

"She’s in Paris for the French Open and also taking my parents on a holiday there." Stephen patted the empty space beside him: "I called you a dozen times this morning, and you finally deemed it worth your time to see me, huh?"

Tommy came over and lay down, adjusting his angle to avoid the direct sunlight in his eyes: "Alright, to be honest, I forgot about your calls. The TV station just started broadcasting, and I’ve been swamped."

"I’ve completed two film scripts, Tommy, and I’m going to make them into movies," Stephen said, pulling a beer out of the ice bucket and handing it over to Tommy seriously.

Tommy took it, and with a probing tone, asked, "I suppose you wouldn’t be foolhardy enough to think of duping me into investing in your movies, would you?"

He knew that Stephen had always been dreaming of making movies, but being friends was one thing; fronting money for Stephen’s dreams was out of the question for Tommy. His friend’s dreams seemed even more suffocating than his own; Tommy’s dreams could bring in money, but Stephen’s film fantasy seemed more like throwing cash into water.

"A romantic comedy, my own original script, called ’My Underage Husband.’ It’s the kind of rom-com that’s been trending in Hollywood. A beautiful woman and an underage boy start off at odds, come to understand each other, get acquainted, fall in love, face obstacles, have conflicts but ultimately live happily together," Stephen babbled on excitedly about the rough plot of his scripted story, his eyes shining with excitement when he was happy.

"Bro, forgive me for not believing in love, so I’ll ask a practical question. If you’re not going to pay for it yourself, have you found a company in Hollywood willing to invest and greenlight the project?" Tommy used the bottle opener to open his beer, took a gulp, and then considerately doused his good buddy with a splash of cold reality.

Stephen seemed to have gotten used to Tommy’s sharp tongue: "Many producers who saw the script think it’s fantastic, it’s just that funding is a bit tight recently."