"Joseph, don't you think all of this is just too unbelievable?" Hugo looked at the group of fans behind the car, constantly screaming at him. Even after finishing the radio recording, the fans were still waiting at the entrance and once again surrounded Hugo and Joseph. This time, Hugo didn't sign any autographs, but instead hugged every single person present literally every person, including the four security guards who had helped and then left in high spirits.
Although transmigrating was already the most bizarre event imaginable, and Hugo had experienced many magical things in the past six months like acting opposite Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson, appearing on the big screen as part of "Scent of a Woman," or having his adapted song become the theme for "A Few Good Men"… each of these moments made Hugo feel like he was dreaming. In the middle of the night, he'd still ask himself with a big question mark whether it was all real. But even so, today still left Hugo dumbfounded.
Just imagine being surrounded by a group of fans, screaming and shouting at you. Such a scene was something the band "Death Or Glory" once fantasized about, but after ten years of hard work, it had never come true. And ever since arriving in Los Angeles in January of 1992, Hugo hadn't experienced it either. But suddenly, overnight, everything came rushing in. Hugo seemed unprepared mentally and was overwhelmed by the madness.
Seeing the joy in Hugo's eyes, sparkling like sunlight dancing on the tips of waves, Joseph couldn't help but feel uplifted too Hugo just had that kind of power, infecting others with his smile. "No, I don't think it's unbelievable."
"Why? Why not?" Hugo, sitting in the front passenger seat, was so excited he tried to stand up, but was quickly snapped back into place by the seatbelt's tension. Only then did he realize the restraint of the safety belt. "Didn't you see just now? So many people were screaming and cheering for me. This… this is really amazing."
Hugo couldn't help but wave his hands, as if holding his favorite lollipop, dancing with joy like a three-year-old. This experience was different from the excitement of meeting idols on set. Whether it was joining "Scent of a Woman," "A Few Good Men," or seeing Al or Jack it was thrilling. But the cheers from fans made Hugo truly feel what popularity meant. It was a different kind of experience than box office numbers or reviews. He could even feel his skin heating up slightly from the surrounding screams.
Looking at the childlike Hugo, Joseph's restrained smile finally broke out into a full grin as well. "I don't think it's a big deal, because this is just the beginning." To be honest, thirty fans blocking their way wasn't anything significant. For truly big stars, if there weren't at least a hundred people at every program recording, the agent wouldn't even bother sending out press releases.
"Joseph, don't be too greedy." Hugo laughed heartily. The smile between his brows seemed like starlight sparkling in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth.
Of course Hugo knew this was just the beginning. That handful of fans might not mean anything to others, but to Hugo, it was the first step of a long-awaited dream. He had waited too long for this kind of support, so long that he couldn't control the joy in his heart it was like a volcano erupting. Still, he had to enjoy this joy alone. The other members of "Death Or Glory" were no longer with him.
Thinking of this, Hugo's smile faded slightly as he looked out the window at the still-strange city landscape, falling silent.
Joseph quickly noticed something was off with Hugo. He thought maybe he had hurt Hugo's enthusiasm, so he lightly coughed and quickly added, "I mean, there's still a long road ahead. We have to keep working hard."
Hugo was drawn back by Joseph's voice and looked at his agent, who was focusing on the road but still watching him out of the corner of his eye. Hugo realized that although his bandmates from "Death Or Glory" were no longer around to share this joy, now he had Joseph with him on this journey. It was the beginning of a whole new life, and there was no need to cling to the past.
So Hugo smiled again. "Yeah, there's a long, long road ahead."
Joseph soon drove them back to Sunset Boulevard. Hugo pointed at the vegetable store not far away. "Drop me off at David's. I'll pick up something for dinner."
"I'll go fill up the tank," Joseph replied casually. As Hugo opened the door to get out, Joseph suddenly remembered something and called out, "Did you bring your wallet?"
Hugo, holding onto the passenger seat door, lowered his head and patted his pockets as he replied, "Of course…" But halfway through his sentence, he realized all his pockets were empty. Because of the radio recording, he had left his wallet with Joseph. "Oh, I forgot."
Joseph was long used to Hugo's forgetfulness. He pointed at the back seat, signaling that Hugo's wallet was back there. Hugo closed the front door, opened the back door, rummaged around until he found his wallet, and said with a grin, "Here it is." Then he stepped out, closed the door, tapped the roof, and said, "Go on!"
After watching Joseph drive away, Hugo walked toward "Charles' Vegetable Store." He stood in front of the outdoor racks, picking vegetables, and called out, "David, what fresh veggies do you have today?" The owner of the store was David Charles. Having lived in the area for a few months, Hugo had started getting familiar with the surroundings.
"Oh, Hugo, Hugo… what a lovely, handsome young man." A warm, middle-aged woman walked over and gave Hugo a big hug. Hugo recognized her. She was a housewife from across the street. Usually, they'd just smile and nod, but today she was clearly more enthusiastic.
"Mrs. Berman, you're scaring Hugo with all that enthusiasm." David, with a large beer belly, strolled out smiling. Hugo gave him a confused look, and David chuckled, "Mrs. Berman went to the cinema yesterday."
Though he didn't say which movie, it was clearly "Scent of a Woman."
Sure enough, Mrs. Berman chuckled. "Sweet boy, you were amazing in that movie made my heart flutter." She gently patted Hugo's cheek. Hugo felt a little awkward. He wasn't sure if he should dodge, since Mrs. Berman didn't look old enough to be motherly maybe only in her forties. The interaction felt a bit strange. "Just look at those enchanting eyes. If I were a few years younger, I'd fall for you too."
That was the compliment Hugo had heard the most today. Many people had praised his clear eyes for being captivating especially in that confrontation scene with Al, which had been deeply moving.
"Haha, it's an honor that you enjoyed the movie. At least it means my hard work on set wasn't in vain," Hugo responded with a big smile.
"Mrs. Berman, I think you should head home now. Look at how you've scared Hugo," David seemed quite familiar with Mrs. Berman and teased with a hearty laugh.
This made Mrs. Berman show a surprised expression, but she then laughed as well. "You're exactly like Charlie." After saying that, she picked up a bag of vegetables and was about to leave. But just before walking away, she actually gave Hugo a pat on the butt, which gave Hugo quite a scare. Seeing Hugo's startled expression, Mrs. Berman and David both laughed heartily and unkindly.
"These past two days, there've been quite a few people asking about you at the shop," David walked out and stood beside Hugo. "Why didn't I notice before that you were an actor?" This sentence left Hugo stunned for a moment, but David then burst into laughter, "Now you really look like one."
Hugo immediately understood that David was teasing him. But it was also the truth—from Hudson Hawk to Scent of a Woman, during that long stretch of time, Hugo really didn't look like an actor, more like a lazy drifter wandering about aimlessly.
"Today's tomatoes are really nice, and the lettuce is fresh too." David was picking the fresh vegetables on the shelf, finally answering Hugo's initial question and introducing today's produce, "What are you planning for dinner?"
Hugo shook his head, "I forgot to check the fridge." He picked up a tomato and held it under his nose for a sniff. A wave of fresh scent rushed in. "Then give me four tomatoes, one head of lettuce. Oh right, and five lemons."
"The lemons aren't very fresh today how about oranges?" David picked up a paper bag and began packing vegetables according to Hugo's order.
"Sure, oranges then." Hugo nodded, his eyes still drifting across the vegetables nearby, seeing if there was anything else he needed.
"Hey, Ernst, need a hand?" David's voice made Hugo lift his head and look over. He saw someone walking out from inside the store. Before he even saw the person, he saw a large, deep-brown paper bag stuffed full. Then, an elderly man over seventy years old walked out with firm and steady steps. But the bag was so full that it nearly blocked his view. Clearly, it was a bit of a struggle for the old man to carry such a heavy load.
Hugo patted David on the shoulder, signaling for him to take over, then stepped forward. "Ernst, out shopping today? I happen to be heading home too I can be your free labor." This old man was a resident living on the second floor of Hugo's home, so they were familiar neighbors.
But evidently, this old man had a very stubborn temper. "Don't! I'm not so old that I can't carry a bag of potatoes myself." He didn't even look at Hugo or David and walked straight ahead. "I can do it myself. Stop looking at me with those weird eyes. That's not a good habit. People these days really have no sense…" Muttering to himself, he walked off without looking back, leaving Hugo and David standing there looking at each other in speechless dismay.
....
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