Bryana Ramirez-Macias

PAS 113B

Professor Broadous

April 23, 2012

                                           A Lesson Before Dying: Grant Wiggins

Grant Wiggins was a well-educated, bitter, and hypocritical young man. He was in his mid-twenties and was an elementary school teacher for the plantation church. He has lost all faith in his church, his community, and himself. The reason for that is because of the way his community was segregated and racist. In A Lesson Before Dying, Grant is forced by Tanta Lou to help transform Jefferson into a man, he resents helping Jefferson but then learns to deal with the responsibility and opens his eyes to his surroundings.

            The novel starts off with Jefferson`s trial, Tante Lou and Miss Emma, who were sitting side by side watching Jefferson sit at the defendants table. Grant sat next to them as well, he says he was not there but yet he was there. Grant recalled everything that happened in that courtroom, he could picture Jefferson telling his story and his attorney slamming him down with insults. The twelve white men in the jury were about ready to jump up and say that he was guilty of first degree murder and robbery. The lawyer called Jefferson a hog, that remark made Miss Emma cry, but for Jefferson, he felt that name marked him until the day he died.

Grant had a very peculiar relationship with his aunt, which he called Tante Lou. Grants parents lived in California, Grant felt he should be there with his parents, but instead he stayed with his community hating every bit of it. Tante Lou didn’t want Grant to leave, she already resented him leaving to the university and becoming a teacher. Grant was well more educated than his aunt but she didn’t care, instead she taunted him for being more educated than most of his community and looked at him as though he was a weak man. She knew he was a coward at times, especially when she forced Grant to look after Jefferson and help him see he was a man and not a hog.

Tante Lou wanted to break Grant, break him down into the cowardly and hateful man he was. Grant was so young and he already had so much hate in his heart, he had no faith and refused to go to church. Tante Lou did not force him to go to church, especially after he told her that he didn’t believe in his religion anymore. That was another reason why she hated the fact that he went to that university and basically became an outcast to his community. Grant spoke out in rage to Tante Lou at one point about the way she treated him, “Everything you sent me to school for, you`re stripping me of it….they were going to break me down into the nigger I was born to be. But he didn’t tell me that my aunt would help them do it.” (Gaines, pg. 79)

Grant was hard on his students, he would walk around with his ruler whipping any kid that wasn’t proper. Right after Grant was forced to go and visit Jefferson and help him die a man, he was nerve wrecked and angry that he had to take that kind of responsibility. Grant yelled at a young girl for writing crooked sentences, whipped a boy on his hand for wasting chalk, and whipped a boy on his scalp for playing with a bug. He scolded the children and told them everything that Jefferson was going through out of rage. He knew that all the children knew about Jefferson but not about the electric chair, he felt for some reason that they should all know what would become of Jefferson.

Grant had only one reason to stay there in his community, and it was Vivian. Vivian was a teacher for an elementary school, she taught the fifth and sixth graders. Vivian was separated from her husband and had two children. Grant loved her with every inch of his heart, she was the only thing in his life that made him come to terms of what is right. He wanted to leave and never come back, he did once, he left to California where his parents are but he came back for Vivian.

Vivian often hated whenever Grant would talk about leaving and how horrible it was in their community. He didn’t want to be like every other black man, enslaved and treated with no dignity. Grant had no respect for anyone anyways, especially when it came to sheriff Guidry. He knew the sheriff did not like Grant, he knew that he hated Grant for going away to that university and not speaking with improper grammar as all the other niggers did. Grant knows that every other white man would look at him as though he needed to be reminded as to how much more superior they were than him.

 Grant was forced to visit Jefferson with Miss Emma, he felt as though it was a waste of time. Jefferson would only speak a few words and just lay back in his bunk looking at the ceiling, or more accurately, looking through the ceiling. By the fourth visit, Miss Emma pretended to be ill so that Grant can go on his own and talk to Jefferson. Miss Emma would always make Grant feel bad by telling Tante Lou that Grant didn’t have to go if it was such a burden. Grant went to visit Jefferson as planned and tried to make small talk with him.

Grant didn’t know how to react when Jefferson knelt down on his knees and stuck his head in the basket of food and ate like a hog. Grant kept telling Jefferson that he was a man not a hog, but in a way Grant didn’t mean what he said because he felt it was hopeless. Grant bought Jefferson a comb so that he could comb his hair and look somewhat descent. Jefferson didn’t care about the way he looked, he was just waiting for the day that they would execute him. Grant felt he wasn’t making any progress with Jefferson, he was very stubborn and Grant had felt that there really was nothing he could do or say to make him understand.

Sheriff Guidry had Deputy Paul sent Grant to his office after an uneventful visit with Jefferson. Grant wanted to slug Jefferson for making a rude remark about Vivian, but Grant noticed the pain on Jefferson`s face and relaxed his fist. Jefferson knocked over the food and said, “Food for the living too.” (Gaines, pg. 130) Grant followed Deputy Paul into the sheriff`s office, Sheriff Guidry asked Grant the same question he`s asked him for about a month, if h had made any progress with Jefferson, and Grant still had no real answer to that.

Sheriff Guidry accused Grant of trying to hide something from him, he told Grant about how Tante Lou and Miss Emma came to the sheriff`s wife and how they refused to sit down. Sheriff Guidry knew Grant was too smart for his own good and he needed to remember what color his skin was. Sheriff wanted Grant to just give up and stop this nonsense of trying to change Jefferson`s ways. Grant couldn’t of agreed with him more, but it was his aunt and Vivian that were counting on him to bring Jefferson through and knock some sense into him. Grant had no hope though, he only went to visit Jefferson so Miss Emma wouldn’t think that it was such a burden for him, he hated whenever Miss Emma would try to make him feel bad with her remarks.

As Grant continued to visit Jefferson, he knew that Jefferson was running out of time to come to realization of who he really is, Jefferson thought the same. Grant tries to teach Jefferson about dignity, but instead Jefferson says that dignity is for “youmans,” and not for hogs )Gines, pg. 83). Grant maintains so much patience for Jefferson, only because he feels sorry for him, otherwise he would have snapped at him as though he was like every other man in the community. Grant finds a break through in conversation with Jefferson when he admits that he wants a gallon of vanilla ice cream, although as much as Jefferson loves ice cream, he`s never had more than a couple of scoops. Grant felt a little closer to Jefferson after that conversation, he granted Jefferson the ice cream as his last meal.

Although Grant has so much hatred for his surroundings and for the people around him, he has a kind heart but it is overshadowed by his aggression. Grant tried not to get close to Jefferson since he wasn’t going to live very long. Grant never even imagined breaking through to Jefferson because of how stubborn Jefferson was and the fact that Grant saw all of this as a waste of not only his time but everybody`s time. Grant thought he couldn’t be much use to the young man but Tante Lou didn’t care what Grant wanted and if anything made Grant feel overwhelmed with this responsibility. After a while, Grant started to care for Jefferson and wanted to really help him die with the dignity that he deserved rather than the hog that all of the white men see him as.

Grant wanted to do something nice for Jefferson out of the kindness of his heart and not by what people forced him to do. Grant went around the community asking his fellow neighbors and friends to spare a little bit of money so he could buy Jefferson a radio. After that visit, Grant decides what he wants to ask Jefferson upon their next meeting. Grant brought Jefferson a notebook and asked him to write down any thoughts that he had that would come to mind, Jefferson promised he would do so. When Grant came back to visit Jefferson, he had filled most of a page with a bunch of thoughts that concerned a topic on the difference between hogs and men.

Although, Grant was having a bit of a success breaking through Jefferson, his relationships with the ones around him began to falter. Vivian started to dislike Grants tendency to only think of himself and showed that he didn’t really care about any of Vivian`s needs. All Grant can think about is running away with Vivian and escaping all of his troubles he has there in the South. Even Reverend Ambrose tries to get through to Grant and tells him to put aside whatever beliefs he has and try to save Jefferson`s soul. In a way he wants Grant to lie for the good of others even though all of this goes against what Grants feels is right.

Jefferson asked Grant a question that caught him way off guard. Jefferson asked him if he believed that there was a heaven, and without hesitation, Grant replied saying that he did not believe. Grant told Jefferson that he falls under the category of being an Atheist, but that did not make him a good man at all. Grant told Jefferson that he has the chance to not only save Grants soul but as well as all the sinners on this earth. Grant told Jefferson that when his attorney called him a hog, he basically attacked the strength and intelligence of their entire black society.

Grant assured Jefferson that with everything that has been happening, Jefferson has been seen as a symbol to his people in the community on how he faces his death. Grant wanted to make a difference in Jefferson`s life, even though he didn’t have much of a long way to go. Grant encouraged Jefferson to keep writing in his journal and write down any thoughts that came to mind and to express them in any way possible through writing. Jefferson`s execution was to be two weeks after Easter, and as people saw how compassionate Grant was towards Jefferson, people of all ages began to visit Jefferson. On the day that he was to be executed, Grant did not show for he had grown attached to Jefferson, instead he had his students kneel down and pray in honor of him.

Grant feels remorse for not attending Jefferson`s execution but over the course of time he spent with Jefferson made Grant realize how much he cared about him, which made it harder on him. Once Grant heard the execution was over, he realized that he was crying for not only a man that died young, but for a man that was his friend. The execution took a toll on him and made Grant see things clearly. He decided to stay in the South because no matter what that was his home, his roots. He wanted to run away with every inch of his soul, but he felt that staying was the right thing he could do, not only for himself but for the people that cared about him.    

                                   

                                                 Work Cited      

1). Gaines, Ernest J. 1993. “A Lesson Before Dying.” New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

 2). Poston, Leslie. “An analysis of the human connections in A Lesson Before Dying, by Gaines”, American Fiction. Web August 3, 2006. http://leslie-poston.suite101.com/a-lesson-before-dying--gaines-e-a5006

3). Ramsay, Courtney. “Louisiana Foodways in Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying”, Folklife in Louisiana.  web 1995. http://www.louisianahttp://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/main_misc_gaines_foodways.html

4). Stone, Dan. “A Lesson Before Dying,” The Big Read. Web. http://www.neabigread.org/books/lessonbeforedying/index.php

5). “Sparknotes: A Lesson Before Dying” Sparknotes. Web. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/lessonbefore/context.html

6). “A Lesson Before Dying”, Wikipedia. Web, April 18, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Lesson_Before_Dying

Bryana Ramirez-Macias

PAS 113B

Professor D.A. Broadous

March 18, 2012

                                              Dealing with Poverty in America

Imagine sitting in a box on a windy day wearing the same clothes you’ve worn every day for the past few weeks. People pass by that box with a look of pity on their face, some people will be kind enough to throw in a couple of bucks and others will just tell you to get a job. You decide to go for a walk and look around for scraps of food from a trash can, as you do this, you spot a family through their window. You notice the nice, warm meal being placed in front of them and you feel the knot that your stomach has turned into from starvation. That’s when you lose hope, watching people lose their jobs and therefore forced out of their homes and onto the streets hoping that there will be some compassion in this world.

The percentage of being struck by poverty continues to rise higher each and every single day. Hunger in America has continued to be a problem throughout the years and more and more families are suffering from starvation. According to the World Hunger Education Service, 17.2 million households had become food insecure in 2012. That was known as the highest number to ever be recorded in the United States. In the meantime, 6.7 million households had a very low amount of food security, which then reduced the normal amount of food intake in each one of those households.

The U.S. Census Bureau took action and decided to publish a supplemental poverty measure in 2011. It had addressed several concerns that kept being raised, such as developing programs for families that were in desperate need of help. The Census Bureau created a program called the SNAP/food stamp program, which took the status of families income and determined whether or not they were eligible for the program. This program had showed a 3 million increase in the number of people that were stricken with poverty in 2010 as it was the official poverty rate. The SNAP program helped make a huge impact on children, because they wouldn’t have to go to school feeling hungry and lack of energy to help them interact in their classes throughout the day.

Another program had changed the lives of mothers and their infants, which was known as WIC. The program WIC is known as the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children(Hunger in America: 2012). WIC was a successful program because it has  provided nutritional foods, gave referrals to health and social services for low-income pregnant mothers, and gave a strong nutrition education. Women who are provided by WIC, receive vouchers or checks so that they are able to purchase all of the nutritional necessities such as, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, baby foods, vegetables, fruits and other nutritional products. Congress has the authority to fund this program each year and is known as a federal grant program.

There has been many news related articles that gave people the chance to speak out and be heard about how they were dealing with poverty. An 80-year old women by the name of Exaltacion Divinagracia, shared her story on how she managed to live with poverty. Divinagracia worked part time at a nursery school, and had took in six roommates, all over the age of 75, into the house that she had rented with her husband that had passed away. Divinagracia attended church on Saturdays and Sundays, but would carry around a beat up suitcase, and drag it along one food pantry to another to stock up on food for the week. Her income was only $13,000 a year and that had included public benefits.

Divinagracia had quoted, “America is a place for the young, but for the old, it is no good.” Her house was filled with two widows and a couple that was involved with the naturalization program for World War II veterans that were from the Philippines. In the living room, a veteran and a widow occupied the couches but had put a curtain to keep their privacy. Each and every single one of them had brought along their most cherished memories such as, photographs and old pieces of uniforms. They don’t make enough money to be able to live independently and live a comfortable life without having to share a room with a stranger.

 Food banks had proven to be very helpful when it comes to catering to the poor and helping them receive a decent meal. Volunteering at the valley food bank in Van Nuys, changes the point of view on how good you really have it in life. People throw away food every day without realizing what a waste of money it is while others aren`t as fortunate to have a warm meal. Grocery stores donate the food that no one wants to buy and it`s not always in good condition. For example, the jalapenos were full of fuzz, the tomatoes were very soft and the onions were very moldy.

The people that worked there didn’t get paid much but they were also experiencing a bit of poverty in their lives so they took whatever they could. The workers would sort the food from the good and the bad, but in our opinion of bad is still kind of good to eat for people that can`t afford to buy groceries. Once the food is sorted out, it is weighed and then loaded onto the trucks. The trucks then deliver the food to mostly churches where the people can stop by and pick up food for their families or even themselves. A major problem right now though is that the trucks travel pretty far and that is costing the food bank to spend a lot of money on gas and soon the organization won`t have any money to fill up and deliver the food at all.

The school systems is another problem right now because the children that are living in poverty suffer the most at school. Children have been forced to move out of their homes and leave behind the comfortable lives they once lived to land into a motel or another family member or friend. Some people are kind enough to share their homes with the people that have lost theirs, as well as their food and utilities. Poverty impacts the children the most because they either can`t sleep from all the stress that has been put onto their family or they go to sleep hungry. Then, the children wake up early the next day skipping breakfast or eating a small portion of something which is very hard to keep them going throughout the day.

A certain article was written by the Columbus Dispatch, stating that race is no longer the case that holds students back in school, it is now poverty. Children are now made fun of because of the type of schools they attend. For example, students receive stereotypes for attending an urban, rural, or even a suburban school. It has been proven that black students have performed below their white peers in their academics. The lack of enthusiasm and energy these students have from poverty appears on their test results.

The percentage of the poverty line that Americans are determined on have been increasing throughout the years. In 2006, American children lived below that poverty line by 17.4 percent, which was more than it was in 1969. Poverty rates in other countries are much lower than the poverty rates in the United States because they have programs to help the poor and unfortunate which is funded by the government. Barack Obama has been working on a plan to help decrease the population of Americans living in poverty. He proposed to raise minimum wage to $9.50 an hour but the economists at Cornell University pointed out that this proposal would fail to improve the poverty rate due to the percentage of benefits that families receive.

Many promises have been made to people to demolish poverty and start fresh economically. Although, that seems very promising, it would take years to get back on track and open up new jobs for people that have been laid off or fired. The president is finding new ways to improve the economic status, but it seems that his term is almost up. If a new president is elected, their roles on poverty wouldn’t be the same as president Obamas views. Things might change drastically, it could be good or bad on the people that are trying to get back on track with their lives.

We can continue to redefine the way poverty is all we want, but it won`t be easy. More programs need to be established and funded in order to reassure the people that have nothing that there is hope. Rescue missions are doing their best to help those people get back on their feet and understand them emotionally. Hopefully Obama is reelected as our president so that he can continue with his strategies on poverty and find ways to create more jobs for the men and women living on the streets or even in their cars. No matter what, changes need to be made and people need to stop taking things for granted or damaging their belongings in order to prove a point that they will just receive whatever they want.  

Bryana Ramirez-Macias

PAS 113B

February 20, 2012

Professor Broadous

                                                 The Last Chance To Escape

In a small town of San Fernando Valley lived a girl named Alex. She had light skin, light brown eyes, good jaw structure and brunette hair. Her height was above average, 5`7 to be exact. Alex came from a Mexican background but was born and raised in San Fernando, California. She was 18 years old and lived at home with her mother and father. Alex was the oldest, she had a fourteen year old brother named Adrian and an eight year old sister named Natalie. Alex attended the Art Institute of Los Angeles. She loved to draw, especially when it came to self-portraits. Alex would portray people that she found unique and with interesting features. She started drawing at the age of seven and has kept that hobby ever since. By the seventh grade, she found an appreciation for music. She started off playing the violin in orchestra. Alex had an uncle that would visit frequently and would bring along his guitar. He would always join his family for dinner and afterward he would entertain the family by playing his guitar. One day when her uncle left with her father to pick up a few things for the house, Alex picked up the guitar. She didn`t exactly know any of the chords, but she tried to remember her uncles fingering. She liked the way it felt and enjoyed the sound that would come out of every strum. The next day, she decided to ask her music teacher for help. He wrote down the chords for her and told her to practice them for homework. After school she rushed home to her uncle`s guitar. She locked herself in her room and practiced all night, until her parents made her stop to eat dinner. She continued to practice little assignments her teacher would assign her for two weeks straight. Her uncle was amazed at how quickly she learned to play, even though it was simple chords. He decided to surprise her and bought her a guitar of her own. But the same day that he bought it, he had to go back to Mexico and take care of his family. So he left the guitar by her bed and wrote her a note. When she came home from school, she asked where her uncle was because she wanted to show him something she learned on her own. Her parents told her that he had to go back home for personal reasons. Alex was a little upset that her favorite uncle did not  say goodbye. Since she didn’t have her uncle`s guitar she couldn’t practice. She decided to go to her room and just lay down for a bit. When she opened her door, she noticed the guitar by her bed. She slowly walked over and picked up the note her uncle left behind. She read out loud the words her uncle left her with, “Never stop playing.” So she picked up her guitar and did exactly what her uncle told her to do. They say practice makes perfect. For Alex, that was all true. She played that guitar every day and each time she played, she would put all her emotions into it. So when she played, you could feel exactly what Alex wanted you to. Over the years she developed a skill that not many people could acquire. Alex had learned to play by ear. She could listen to any song that had an acoustic guitar in it and play it on the spot. It would take a little bit of patience but Alex would perfect every note with a great amount of passion. No matter what, Alex never stopped playing, even throughout high school. When she entered her senior year, she decided to pick art as her career choice. She had this fantasy where she would own a studio and make it into an art gallery of self-portraits. She had this idea where she could put on live shows of her playing her guitar and getting people to truly appreciate the meaning of art. Alex was a true musician at heart, but she didn’t know anyone that played any instruments. Therefore, she could never really relate to any of her friends or even talk about music without anyone really understanding what she meant. It was always just jiberish to her friends, so in a way Alex felt like she was alone. One day, Alex decided to stay after school for tutoring. As she passed by the music room, she stopped. She stood there for a few seconds and then closed her eyes. She listened to the beautiful melody that ran through her. She never heard anything like it. She opened the door and looked around. She followed the beautiful sound and noticed a girl sitting by the grand master piano. The girl stopped playing, she turned around and noticed Alex. She smiled and waved her over to the piano. Alex walked over to the mysterious girl and sat on the bench next to her. Alex had never seen this girl before. Alex asked for the name of that song she just played. The mysterious girl smiled and said “Beautiful Dreamer.” Then Alex asked for her name, but the girl continued to play the piano. Alex sat there and watched as her hands would gently hit tap every note so graciously. The girl stopped, stood up and said, “My name is Michelle, I am a band geek.” Michelle was a senior just like Alex. She had light brown eyes, light skin, she was 5`7 and had crazy hair. Michelle was in marching band, she played about six different instruments. To Alex that was something amazing. Michelle and Alex connected right on the spot. When Alex got home, she felt happy because she gained a best friend. She finally found a friend that she had been searching for. The next day Alex brought her guitar to school and met Michelle in the band room. Every day after school, the two musicians would play music together. They would both plan what songs to play and practice so that they could be synced in together. One day at lunch, Michelle told Alex that they could no longer practice in the music room because marching band had to practice for their upcoming concerts. Alex didn’t know what to say because playing music was the only thing that kept her going every day. Then Michelle told Alex that they could practice at her house instead so that their partnership in music didn’t have to end. Alex liked the idea and agreed to walk home with Michelle every day after school. They decided to start that very same day. Michelle came from a broken home. She had no father but had a mother that worked all day and all night as a nurse. Her mother would take extra shifts just so she could put a roof over their heads. Michelle was an only child but she filled all that emptiness with her music. She didn’t exactly live in one of the best neighborhoods as well. Even though Michelle wasn’t exactly in the range of middle class like Alex, she felt as though she wasn’t missing anything. She was happy with what she had and always made the best of it. Michelle took Alex straight to her room so they can begin practicing. She had a keyboard of her own but it was missing some keys, but Michelle managed to improvise. At that moment, Alex understood why Michelle would stay after school to practice in the music room. They continued this routine every day for the next two months. Graduation was three months away and with all the stress that was put onto the seniors, Alex and Michelle managed to stay calm. Music was their only way out. Alex shared with Michelle the plans she had for college and her dream studio. Michelle had a similar goal to that, she planned to attend a performing arts college that was also in Los Angeles. She wanted to be a pianist and play classical music at a fancy restaurant and entertain the public. Alex then came up with a great idea. She asked Michelle if she wanted to help open her art gallery with her and perform classical music for all the art shows. Michelle liked the idea so much that a tear rolled down her cheek. She took Alex`s hand and said they were partners in this. One day after school Alex walked with Michelle to her house as usual. They were about a block away from her house. Alex was talking about the type of designs she had in mind for the studio when they heard a loud bang. They stopped dead in their tracks and tried to listen for any more noise. Suddenly, a couple of teens around ran right past the two of them. The teens had a look of terror in their eyes. Then a strange man that was wearing all black started walking towards Alex and Michelle. He then stopped ten feet away from them and lifted his arm. It took them a few seconds to realize that he was pointing a gun at them. Alex froze, she felt as though she couldn’t move. She stood there with her guitar case in her left hand, and with her right hand she took Michelle`s hand. The man stepped closer towards them and as he did this, Alex closed her eyes. She heard a bang, but at that same time she felt someone push her down. When she opened her eyes to find herself laying on her guitar case in the middle of the street. She was confused with what just happened and thought that she tripped and blacked out. She was so sure that she imagined it all. When she turned back towards the sidewalk to tell Michelle of the crazy vision she had, she couldn’t find her. She slowly walked to the sidewalk and noticed a puddle of water making its way into the sewer. Her heart sank when she realized that the water was red. She took three more steps and there she saw Michelle laying on the floor. Alex dropped to her knees beside Michelle and picked her up into her arms. Alex let the tears fall onto Michelle`s cheeks as Michelle struggled to hold on. Shortly after, Alex was surrounded by the whole neighborhood. They gathered around them two, no one had anything to say. Alex felt something wet against her cheek. It was Michelle, she grabbed Alex so she could get her attention for the last time. Michelle stared deep into Alex`s eyes, she smiled and said those three words that Alex lived for every day. “Never stop playing.” Michelle let go of her cheek, turned her head slowly to the side and closed her eyes. Alex felt broken inside, she felt as though a piece of her died inside. She didn’t let go of Michelle until the paramedics arrived and removed her away from Michelle`s limp body. She watched as they lifted Michelle and covered her up with a white sheet. A police officer gave Alex a ride home and assured her that they would find whoever caused this. As soon as she got home, she opened her front door and dropped everything on the floor. She ran to her room and locked the door. She didn’t bother turning on the lights. The police officer informed her parents of what happened. They tried to get Alex to open the door but she didn’t want to move. Her parents gave her space and let her be. She laid there in bed feeling angry and broken. Michelle had saved her life, and in a low voice Alex kept repeating “it should have been me.” She eventually fell asleep, and at first her dreams were blank. But then she found herself in the music room where she first met Michelle. She heard a melody that was familiar to her. She turned towards the piano and saw Michelle sitting down playing Beautiful Dreamer. Alex closed her eyes and took in every note. The music stopped and Alex opened her eyes. Michelle was staring at Alex with a big smile. She then said those final words that Alex heard before. “Never stop playing.” Alex woke up and knew what she had to do. She would do whatever it took to fulfill the dream that Michelle and Alex had planned, the studio. After all, they were partners.