America 1982-Chapter 41 - 39: The Way Home_3

"Shit! Thank God we got the money and made it back safe and sound." After hearing the story, Tommy Hawk let out a sigh of relief, "Dad, are you really sure you know what AIDS is?"

"Of course I know, kid. Don’t look at your father with those eyes. I know everything. I heard the bartender, Keith, say that only white folks and niggers get that disease by sleeping together. If you don’t sleep with a nigger, you won’t catch it. The reason it’s popular in New York is there are too many niggers there, and the whites don’t respect themselves enough. So, despite all the research, I swear I’d never fuck a nigger and get myself sick," Colin Hawk said with a swig of his drink and a tone of certainty.

"Maybe the medical center took you, gave you an anesthetic first, and then threw you to a nigger while you had no clue what happened, Dad." Tony seriously thought about it and then looked at the two men, suggesting a possibility he had considered.

Colin Hawk was suddenly at a loss for words, his face becoming grave with thought. Then he patted Tony on the shoulder, "You’re right, Tony. That’s very possible. Thank god we made the money successfully, otherwise... Oh my God, my poor uncle, can’t even bear to think about the sight. If that really happened, even if I treated his hearing loss for free, I guarantee he’d never forgive me till death."

Tommy Hawk couldn’t help laughing when he heard the absurd yet earnest conversation between his father and brother.

"What’s so funny, Tommy?" Tony Hawk asked, puzzled, "It’s very likely to happen. Remember when you were little and went to the dentist? The doctor could put you out with some anesthetic and pull out your wisdom teeth without you feeling a thing. They might be planning to do the same to Dad, hiding a nigger on the side, waiting for Dad to pass out..."

"No, no, no, I’m not laughing at your analysis. I was just thinking, this might be the most thrilling thing the Hawks, or at least I, have done since Mom passed away, worth remembering for a lifetime," Tommy Hawk explained with a laugh.

Tony then nodded in sudden understanding, "Indeed, the most thrilling thing since Mom died, right, Dad?"

Colin Hawk, with a cigarette in his mouth and a calm voice said, "To me, maybe it’s the second most thrilling thing since your mother left me. You know I’d never lie to you."

"What’s the most thrilling..." Tony began to ask curiously.

"Tony, family comes first." Tommy Hawk suddenly had an inspiration, interrupted Tony, and pointed to the sunbursting above the sea, filling everything in sight with its light, "Let’s just enjoy this beautiful and peaceful morning and not ask anymore."

"Your mom would also be happy to hear you say that, son," Dad said gently patting Tommy Hawk’s shoulder, speaking with a mix of surprise and contentment.

He then tilted his head back and took a swig of whiskey, looking at the slowly rising sun over the sea, and started whistling a soothing, melodious folk tune. Tony looked at his dad and brother, eventually gazing into the distance. Slowly, the frown of curiosity smoothed out from his brow, and finally, his lips curled into a smile that matched the sunlight on his face, "Yeah, family comes first, for Mom."

In the glow of the early morning and the pleasant whistling, the fishing boat with the Hawk men aboard sailed toward the direction of home, ever closer.

(End of Vol. 1: FOE - Family Over Everything)

Author’s Note: Worried that the character limit below might not be enough, I’m writing it here, since it hasn’t been put on the shelf yet and won’t use up any chargeable characters.

Um... this is my first time writing this genre and trying to write a story that’s not so paranoid and intense. I’m aiming to write about everyday life, to practice writing drama that isn’t solely based on strong confrontation, because it seems from the feedback that my ability to write about daily life and emotions has always been zero.

Before I wrote these words, I had just seen some readers in the review section saying they dropped the book. I’m very sorry my first attempt at writing about family relationships couldn’t bring a good reading experience for those who dropped the book. I truly am sorry.

I don’t understand the United States very well, nor am I good at writing about family interactions. In fact, I’m not even adept at writing about everyday scenarios—I’m only used to writing strong conflicts. This book was also an attempt to change my way of thinking, to practice my writing skills, and to try to write about things I’m not good at but need to learn, to see if I can improve. It’s like a workbook, documenting whether I’ve made progress or not.

Luckily, being a newcomer, I’ve always received care and tolerance from everyone, who accept or should I say endure my pretentious pseudo-American doodles.

Initially, I just wanted to use about a hundred thousand words in the first volume to write about a family. It’s not perfect; it has its shortcomings, but the family members truly care and concern for each other. By the end of the first volume, the family would reconcile. However, seeing the feedback about readers dropping the book, it’s clear that I’ve messed it up. Maybe what I designed in my head was good, but the story I ended up presenting disappointed everyone. After all, I’m limited by my personal skills, but I hope to learn from this experience and write better stories for everyone in the future as a pastime.

This book is an attempt to write a story that isn’t too over-the-top or maniacal, similar to an American TV series that’s full of coincidences, dramatic, and absurd—but without worrying about being censored. And by saying that, I’m humbly making a final plea to those who dropped the book. The story in the next volume isn’t greatly connected to the last one, and if you’re not in a hurry, after cursing, please take another look and add it to your follow list. After all, losing too many followings might prompt the editor to urge a swift conclusion...

Now it’s time for some answers: First about the title, American Entertainment 1982 or American 1982. After some thought, I chose the former because clearly, it shows the grandeur of the author’s aesthetics. (Go easy on me when you’re cursing, it was actually the editor who chose it.)

Second: American Entertainment, the storyline of American Entertainment will appear much later, maybe after two volumes of stories, and I currently know nothing about it. The original idea didn’t have much to do with American Entertainment. It was more like a rough and absurd American era novel, but the editor suggested to play it safe and not flirt with death, so it’s better to make it look like an American Entertainment novel. Indeed, there will be American Entertainment after going to college, and I welcome everyone to provide me with some ideas for it, as I have had too many family matters lately to have had time to plan the related storyline.

Third: There will be no gang-related content or violent scenes. The first half of this book is just about a normal person who transmigrated into a poor person, striving to become a wealthy normal person and live the inspirational American Dream. The nightmare portion of the second half will also strive to properly write about American Entertainment business struggles and everyday drama, to be a virtuous capitalist with a conscience in America without constantly resorting to violence.

Fourth: Many readers are curious why the protagonist who has reincarnated still needs to go to college rather than using foresight to quickly rise in business. I won’t deny that you can make money without studying after reincarnation, but I feel going to college and then starting a business seems easier and the environment is better, especially as you are surrounded by a developed alumni network—whether it’s seeking investment or finding like-minded co-authors, it’s easier than struggling alone in a remote small town. Of course, this is just my personal thought, just something to say. Another reason is that I didn’t want to write too much about accumulating the first bucket of gold through gray means in the first volume. I’m better at writing those, but I still want to focus more on strengthening my weak daily emotional exchanges and descriptions, as I’ve never written in this genre before and don’t really know how to write about daily life. I’m prepared for possible failure due to the new genre and attempts. I’m writing with the thought that even if I don’t earn much in fees, improving my writing is also a benefit.

Fifth: Some readers asked about the reference materials for this book. I’ll say again, my understanding of America all comes from American movies and TV series. I’ve never been to America, so the information presented in the book is not authentic and should not be taken seriously. The TV series that I and everyone else have probably watched will overlap, and I’ll only list a small portion of American TV series from the eighties that are not commonly seen in China, such as "Hill Street Blues", "The Cosby Show", "The Wonder Years", "Seinfeld", "Cheers", "Everybody Hates Chris", "Family Ties", and "The Carrie Diaries". If you’re interested, you can check them out. However, a few of them don’t have Chinese subtitles, and I had to resort to machine-translated subtitles, which are of such poor quality that they can make you dumbfounded. At most, you can watch them for their period costumes and set designs; don’t ask me why, I’m the one who’s been stupefied by machine-translated subtitles.

Alright, that’s about it. Thank you all for your company during this time; let’s move on to the second volume of this book: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.

Welcome to watch, and thank you, everyone.