Now their group had gathered at the cafe: Jill, Frank, Lily, Ray, Michelle, and Tony. Everyone from the cafe was there. They were all carefully reading the script.
"I think you have talent. Have you thought about becoming a screenwriter?" Lily said sincerely, clear admiration in her voice.
"The little one's right, you definitely have talent, so think about it," Frank said.
"I'm glad you all think so, but writing a good script, even if it really is good, is only half the battle. We have the actors, but if we want our film to have a chance at winning, we need a good filming crew and locations."
"We could use my grandmother's and my house as the home where the main character lives," Lily said thoughtfully.
"Since we have Tony, finding a basketball court and a school for filming won't be a problem," Frank added.
"You can also use our cafe," Jill chimed in.
Discussion of the film's details continued for another hour. Gradually everyone began to leave. Tony and Michelle left first—the guy wanted to visit his sister's grave. Then Tyler left.
"Jill, I'm sorry, but we'll have to quit. Once we start working on the film, I won't have time to work three jobs," Ray said.
"You don't need to apologize. I knew this would happen sooner or later," Jill said. "Though I won't lie, I'm sad to lose you two. You were the soul of this place. We'd be happy if you dropped by sometimes."
When Ray and Lily headed home, the girl said:
"I really think you have the talent to become a screenwriter."
Hearing Lily's sincere words, Ray sighed heavily.
"The truth is, before I met you, I didn't make any plans at all. I just tried to live so that my mother would be proud of me. I even thought about acting like an idiot so it would be easier for her to cope with losing me, but seeing how she suffers, I just couldn't bring myself to do it," Ray smiled bitterly.
"And when are you going to give me a child?" Lily asked. From her tone, it was clear he wouldn't be able to weasel out of it this time.
"Let's do it after we finish filming. I'm working hard to prepare a surprise for you," Ray said after a moment's thought.
"Fine, I'm willing to wait a bit longer, but like I said, don't drag it out too long," Lily said. Her tone was playful, but there were still notes of seriousness in it.
Today was one of those days when Lily stayed overnight at Ray's. Entering his room after a shower, she gave her beloved a tender kiss and settled her head on his lap, which made Ray smile gently and pick up a book. As soon as he started reading, the girl closed her eyes, enjoying her beloved's voice.