Reading Log: Notes from the Midnight Driver

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remember anything. His mom is sitting next to him and is angry because he destroyed the car and also ruined everyone's night. When the father comes, his parents argue about who fault it is and they also blame the other. Nurse Anderson and Dr. Friedman come in and clears up about Alex diagnosis. It turns out that he has alcohol poisoning and a concussion as well as a gash on his forehead. In addition Alex pretends to be asleep and then he really fell asleep to not listen his Dads speech and he also does not want his mother to see him cry. Alex is back home. The first thing he does, is playing electric guitar. Then his mom asks him about why he drunk that much alcohol and drove her car. Alex says first that he was alone so he got bored and that is why he wanted to do something and then he tells her his real reason that he wanted to go to his Dad to yell at him for leaving his Mom. His Mom will check him constantly until the court date and he is only allowed to be at home. In school he gets provokes and annoys from Bryan Gilson. So his best friend Laurie Flynn comes and pushes him away. Laurie is also mad because of what Alex did, so they talk to each other. Alex did not care about his father and he ignored him and pretended he did not exist. After 30 days it is finally time for the court date. Alex gets ready and gets dressed and goes to court with his Mom. When he sees the courtroom he is shocked because he excepts it like a big marble gallery-type room. Then the court hearing begins. The judge and court agree that the defendant's guilty plea will be accepted. Probably Alex will get his license a year or two late. But Alex thinks this is unfair. Alex has to do a human-service project. So that is why he is working in a nursing home by helping Solomon Lewis. It is Alex first day in the nursing home. At first he meets three nurses and they say rather bad things about Solomon Lewis. So then he makes his way to Solomon Lewis and notices that Solomon When? in May on Friday evening in September on Saturday morning in September on Sunday in September Monday & the following days 30 days after the crash (October) 27th October Where? probably in the hospital Narrator's home & garden of Mrs. Wilson; at the police station in the hospital Alex's home & in the high school Alex's home & in court in the nursing home "Egbert P. Johnson Memorial Home for 7. Plan B (p. 38-44) 8. Laurie meets Sol (p. 45-50) 9. Sol gets interested (p. 51-54) 10. Half an answer (p. 55-58) McCarthy Solomon Lewis Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Judge Trent Alex Gregory Laurie Flynn Solomon Lewis Janet, Alex's Mom Claudelle Green Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Juanita Case Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis some Residents, also Mrs Goldfarb and nurses is not so nice to him and that he also ignores him in the beginning and then condemns him. Suddenly, Solomon Lewis starts chocking to death and a nurse comes and rushes him with a mask and gives him kind of emergency breathing treatment. After that, Alex writes a letter to Judge Trent that he does not want to work with Solomon Lewis because Alex thinks that Solomon needs professional help so that is why he want to have a new assignment from the court. But the Judge wants Alex to stay with Solomon. It is Alex second visit to see Solomon. But first he has to overcome his fear. Then he has a discussion of literature with Solomon. After this Alex tries a second try and writes again a letter to Judge Trent. There he says the following points which will complete his judgment that has been brought by the court: 1. teach someone a life lesson 2. learn a life lesson 3. pay back $500.00 for the damage he did to Mrs. Wilson's lawn gnomes. To pay this he earns by visiting Solomon $5.00 per hour. He would do everything, even for 200 hours, except visiting Solomon. But Judge Trent wants Alex to stay with Solomon. Laurie wants finally to see Solomon. As Alex Mom wants to go to her second first date, Laurie tries to convince Janet to take care about Alex and to go to the nursing home and visit Solomon. So Laurie and Alex go together to the nursing home to visit Solomon. But before Alex gives Laurie some tips how she should behave with him for example not to be very friendly. Then Alex introduce Laurie as his best friend, but Sol says that she is his husband. Claudelle also sees it as more than just a friendship. While Sol and Laurie argue about friend or husband, Alex leaves the room to clear his head and goes to the nurse station to fill out his time forms and there he talks to Claudelle. Then he goes back again and sees that Laurie cares about Sol. Alex has jazz band practice so he comes late to Sol. But Sol is at hydrotherapy so Miss Case tells him to practice the guitar in Sol's room because Alex had today in jazz band practice some problems. So Alex does what she says. Then Sol comes in and sees Alex is playing the guitar and he really likes it and he also says that Alex could practice whenever he wants with him. Alex is very gleeful because he finally does something that Sol also likes. Afterward, Alex writes finally a positive letter to Judge Trent. Alex has a surprise for Sol. He wants to do something that is just for Sol. So he plays a piece that he rewrote from piano music to guitar music and he really worked really hard in it. The piece calls ,,Fiddler on the Roof" and it is about the life of Jewish guy who wants to marry a girl who is not Jewish. So Alex plays this for Sol and some residents and nurses are also in Sols room to hear Alex playing the guitar. Sol then reacts very emotionally to the piece. He is very amazed. on Thursday 9th and 10th November on Friday night in November in November in December the Aged" in the nursing home Alex's home & in the nursing home in the nursing home in the nursing home 11. Happy Holidays (p.59-65) 12. The ball falls (p. 66-76) 13. Happy New Year (p.77-80) 14. Enter the Cha- KINGS (p.81-86) ● Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad Claudelle Green Leonora McCarthy Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad Laurie Flynn Alex Gregory Laurie Flynn Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad Alex Gregory Laurie Flynn Bryan Gilson The Cha- KINGS: Steven & So Alex wonders why the song makes Sol so emotional. It is Christmas Holidays and Alex wants to visit Sol every day. As he comes back home, he sees his Dad. So his Dad asks him first why he has not answers to his calls and e- mails. But Alex finds excuses. Then his Dad tells him that he broke up with Sandra, Alex's third-grade teacher and that he also moves to Philadelphia to have a new change and he also accepted a job there. Apparently there was another reason for the separation of the parents. Alex is very upset about this. Then Alex's Mom comes and asks what Simon wanted. Afterward, he visits Sol in the nursing home after Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah but before, he buys him a book about jazz history, called Monk. He sees that Sol is connected to oxygen because Sol went to buy flowers with Claudelle to give them to his daughter. As a result, his condition has deteriorated because he walked a lot. Alex later finds out from Claudelle and Leonora that Sol buys flowers for his daughter every year, but she has never visited him and taken the flowers. Then Alex writes a letter to Judge Trent to give a December update. At the End of the letter he asks if he could stay with his job also when he finishes the 100 hours. On New Year's Eve day, at the first he makes his Mom coffee because she looks sad. Then he visits Solomon in the nursing home and Solomon looks better. Solomon asks Alex if Laurie and he could come visit him in the evening. Afterward, he goes to Laurie's house and Laurie tells Alex that her Mom is pregnant from a random guy she met online. So Laurie very upset about this. Then they both go to Alex's house because they will spend together New Year's Eve. Afterward they visit together Solomon. Solomon finds out that Alex is not his volunteer but that Alex is just doing his sentence there. So Solomon gets very pissed off and Alex just runs away. Laurie tries to calm Sol down and then she goes to Alex. They have fun together and make egg creams. When they are asleep his mother comes back and his father is with her too. So when Alex sees this, he is confused. In the first Morning of the new year Alex, Laurie, Alex's Mom and Alex's Dad eat together breakfast. Later Laurie leaves to go work out at the dojo. So the family talk with each other about a new change. Alex's Mom tells Alex that she gave Simon a second chance and they want to try again together. But Alex was not really convinced about this. The parents are very happy that they have found on each other again. The holidays are over and Alex is going back to school. Alex and Laurie are talking about the problem with Sol. Then Alex gets provokes and annoys from Bryan again. But Laurie helps Alex to get out of this situation. Bryan suggests to give Sol a present and in December, Christmas Holidays Ion New Year's Eve day in December the first of January in the new year on Tuesday the second of January Alex's home & in the nursing home Alex's home & in the nursing home & Laurie's house Alex's home in the high school 15. Home again (p.87-90) 16. Am I a great musician, or what? (p.91-97) 17. A night for surprises (p.98-108) 18. Darkness (p.109-113) Annette Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Alex Gregory Steven Alper Annette Watson Laurie Flynn Alex Gregory Steven Alper Annette Watson Laurie Flynn Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad nurses Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis this can be the severed head of a lawn gnome. That brings Alex to an amazing idea. But for that he first needs the help of the cha- KINGS, this are Steven and Annette, two members of Alex high school jazz band because Alex wants to do a benefit jazz concert. So he asks them whether they want to help him. Steven & Annette agree to his idea. So Alex goes to Sol to apologise for running out and not coming back. Sol is happy to see Alex again and he also wishes him happy new year. He also tells Alex that he does not always use the word "but" when he apologizes because that sounds like excuses. Alex tells him his surprise that he will do a benefit jazz concert. Sol seems enthusiastic. So then Alex writes a letter to Judge Trent, there he tells her about the jazz concert and at the end he asks her about his request whether he also could stay with Sol when he finishes the human-service because he thinks that Sol will miss him when he does not come anymore. Alex, Steven and Annette practice for the first time for the jazz concert. They say to Alex that he should more practice. On the way home Laurie and Alex talk about whom they find beautiful and about the love between Steven and Annette. Then Alex writes a letter to Judge Trent to invite him to his jazz concert. But she writes back that she could not come because she has a private matter to complete to. Alex, Steven and Annette keep practicing and Annette says to Alex that he is still not really playing great. The day has finally come where they will play. All the invited guests are there. The concert starts first with Alex spee he warmly welcomes all guests. Then they starts playing and everyone are enthusiastic. Sol needs Alex's help and during the break he asked him if he could get his other glasses from his room. Alex goes to get his glasses but he cannot find them instead he finds a key. Apparently this is a trick by sol. When he comes back he sees Sol on stage and is playing guitar really well also with Steven and Annette. When the piece ends, everyone applauds. Then Alex plays the last piece, called "All Blues". Sol says that he did not play guitar for 27 years and three months. At the end Alex asks Sol about the key, but Sol does not tell anything about it. After that, Alex takes Sol to his room because his condition has worsened a bit. Back to the room, Alex asks Sol why he has not played the guitar for years. So Sol tells him his story. The story is really sad. It was like this: Sol had a beautiful wife, named Ethel and they had together a daughter, named Judy. He was a very good guitar player. One day Sol had a big gig in Mountain Laurel and Ethel was also there to watch him playing guitar. But Judy was not with them so she stayed with a friend. on Tuesday the second of January in January Day before the concert & concert date is on 7th February at six p.m. on 7th February in the nursing home in the high school in the high school & in the nursing home in the nursing home 19. The Valentine's day massacre (p.114-128) 20. Good morning, world! (p.129-134) 21.The mission (p.135-138) 22. The Saints go marchin'in (p.139-144) Alex Gregory Laurie Flynn Sarah Brad Hunter Janet, Alex's Mom Solomon Lewis Sarge Alex Gregory Laurie Flynn Bryan Gilson Sarah Brad Hunter Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Suddenly she had a very high fever and was also at the emergency room. Ethel wanted to drive back to her daughter with Sol, but Sol did not want to cancel his performance. So Ethel drove alone and on the way she got crashed by a drunken driver and died. Since that Sol have not played the guitar anymore. It is Valentine's Day. In Alex's high school, there is a Sadie Hawkins dance for Valentine's Day, where the girls have to asks the boys out. So Sarah asks Alex whether he wants to go out with her to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Alex says yes. Also Brad asks Laurie and she also says yes. But before they go to the Sadie Hawkins dance, Alex's Mom receives a call that sol is in the hospital because he has pneumonia and Sol wants to see Alex. So Alex picks up Sarah and they both go to the hospital to see Sol. Sol is happy when he sees them. But he exchanges Sarah for Laurie but at the end it turns out that this is just a trick. Then Alex and Sarah go to the dance in the high school. There he tells Laurie about Sol and Laurie wants to see Sol instantly in the hospital. Sol tells that he should dance with Laurie and not Sarah and he tells him that Laurie is the girl for him. Then Alex and Laurie almost kiss each other in the elevator. With it, Alex pushes the red stop bottom and he also bleeds on his lip. So security, Sarge comes and asks if everything is well. In school, Bryan comes again to Alex because he wants that Alex is grateful to him because he helped with the relationship with Sarah. But Laurie pretends in front of Bryan that Alex and she are now a couple to help Alex from this situation out. It also turns out that Brad and Sarah are now a couple. Then Alex writes a letter to Judge Trent to tell her about how the concert went and he also tells her the story of Solomon. She answers him and says that he did everything great. In the nursing home, Sol asks Alex why he no longer plays guitar for him. Alex says that he cannot play the guitar as well as Sol. Sol then says that he is organizing a concert in April where Alex will play with Steven, Annette and with him. Until there, Sol will teach him to be a nice guitarist when Alex visits him. Back home, Alex's Dad is there and is cocking for Janet. It looks like, Alex does not give his parents' relationship a second chance. Meanwhile Alex's Mom is hanging up their marriage picture but she hurts herself and the picture breaks down. Alex has for the first time practise with Sol and he tries to teach Alex a lot, for example at the first he tells Alex the story of jazz. Sol and Alex will play a duet. So they need two guitars. Alex plan is to buy a cheap guitar that he will play and Solomon will play his Telecaster. Sol asks Alex to go to his locker and get something for him and for that he needs the key he found. So Solomon gives Alex his D'Angelico guitar that is very expensive and amazing. on Sunday the 14th of February on Monday the 15th of February in February in the high school & in the hospital in the high school in the nursing home & Alex's home in the nursing home 23. The work of breathing (p.145-152) 24. Peace in my tribe (p.153-158) 25. Finale (p.159-164) 26. Coda (p.165-166) 27. The Saints go marchin'in again (p.167-170) Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Claudelle Green Laurie Flynn Laurie's Dad Alex Gregory Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Janet & Simon Steven Alper Annette Laurie Flynn Judge Trent/ Judy nurses &residents Alex Gregory Solomon Lewis Laurie Flynn Judge Trent/ Judy Mrs. Goldfarb Alex Gregory Judge Trent/ Judy Claudelle Leonora Juanita Mrs. Goldfarb Janet, Alex's Mom Simon, Alex's Dad Laurie Flynn Steven Alper Annette Alex visits Solomon in the nursing home to practise together and he buys him black-and- white bakery cookies. But Solomon is at the doctor to do some tests because of his congestive heart failure. Then Solomon comes but he feels not really good and he looks very tired. Nevertheless, Alex plays guitar. But then Claudelle comes in and tells Alex to leave Sol alone, so Sol could have his rest. Claudelle tells him about Sol's health. Then Alex is very worried about him and he just wants to go to Laurie. At Laurie's home, her Dad opens the door for Alex and tells him that Laurie is very mad on her mother and she is in a bad mood. So Alex tries to calm her down. Alex tells Laurie about Solomon health and Judy. Then they almost kiss each other but then they crash in each other again and hurt their teeth. Alex goes back to home. There he talks to his parents about what has happened lately and he also forgives them and says that he loves them. Then he writes a letter to Judge Trent and there he says what Sol taught him. He learned from Sol that everybody deserve a second chance and that parents love their children more than anything, even when they cause problems. Then he invites her to the jazz concert which is also Sol maybe last jazz concert. She replies that she will come. The day has finally come where they will play. All the invited guests are there. So they all give their best and the concert is very nice. Afterwards Sol starts singing instead of playing the guitar. Then the judge goes to him and hugs him and calls him Dad and Sol calls her Judy. So Judge Trent or even Judy is the daughter of Sol. Judy visits Sol for two weeks and they spend time with each other. But Sol's condition is getting worse and worse. On the last day of Sol, everyone is sitting with him. Then the nurses take Sol to the hospital because he has pneumonia again. So Sol says his last speech and gives his last tips of guitar for Alex. Afterward, Solomon dies. Everyone are at Solomon's memorial service. There Alex plays for him guitar and he follows all of Sol's tips and then he plays with Steven and Annette. At the end, Alex writes a letter to Judge Trent and there he says things about his future. He has no problem going to college. His parents are also very happy with each other. Laurie is also happy with her Mom, the baby and her stepdad. Alex decides that he will continue to work in the nursing home because the pay is also good, so he could save money for his college and car. in April on Saturday in April on April & May in May & in June in the nursing home & Laurie's home in Alex's home in the nursing home in the nursing home at memorial service in the nursing home (in their concert hall)