NB: Thomas has a level of English high enough to understand and be understood. Thus, although most of the next dialogues will be intradiegetically in English, they are told in French.

Thomas looked up slightly and discovered a broad smile that grew more and more as the escalator descended. The blonde woman holding the improvised sign was accompanied by a man with a taller head than her and a girl who was probably the same age as Thomas. Once out of the escalator, he came to meet them.

— Hello, said Thomas shyly.

— Hi, replied the three people who now faced him. Nice to meet you Thomas.

— Thank you, I'm very happy to be here.

The man of towering stature extended his hand toward Thomas' suitcase.

— Give me that, he said. I think it will do you good to let go of it a little. By the way, I'm James, but you probably already know that.

Thomas removed his hand from the suitcase and squeezed James' hand. He did not expect such a fist.

— Thank you, he replied.

Then the woman came to hug Thomas, and the girl did the same. Thomas was surprised by this warm welcome. He, who was so stressed at the idea of ​​discovering the people with whom he was going to spend most of his time in the coming months, had absolutely no idea of ​​such a welcome. Reassured, Thomas began to sketch a slight smile.

— I’m Tracy, and this is my daughter Alicia, but you're probably already aware of it.

The presentations made, everyone walks through the automatic doors. Suddenly Thomas was caught in the heat. A blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see above his head, and the sun's rays were so strong that they were dazzling.

— You don't have sunglasses in your bag, asked Alicia, who had obviously noticed that Thomas had a hard time keeping his eyes wide open. Don't worry, we'll buy you some later. You're not going to be able to spend the summer like this.

Thomas was delighted with the kindness Alicia showed towards him. His smile gave him confidence, and more than ever, he was happy to have set foot on American soil. He had no idea what tomorrow would be like, but that first impression delighted him. Her early fears dissipated and excitement began to take over.

— Yes, we have to do some shopping before we go home, assured Tracy. We'll find you a pair at the same time.

Moments later, and after crossing a large part of the huge parking lot. James stopped in front of a white 4x4.

— Do not trust the car Thomas, it is quite old but my father pampers it like the apple of his eye. Don't expect us to have a villa by the water, said Alicia mischievously

— Yes, James adds. I like this car a lot, but not as much as these two pretty girls.

He took the key out of his shorts pocket, pressed one of the buttons, and a slight noise was heard. He then went to the back of the vehicle and opened the trunk.

— You want help, Thomas asked him, determined to make a good impression from the start. - No thanks, that's nice, replied James. Go sit in the back with Alicia instead.

Thomas did, he opened the door and discovered a spacious and comfortable interior. Everything was as good as new, so much that one would have thought that the vehicle had just been purchased. Only the worn leather of the gearshift betrayed the age of the car. Outside, James yanked the trunk shut while Tracy climbed into the passenger seat.

— Thomas, you are well settled, she asked.

— Yes, thank you, he replied while wearing his seat belt.

Then the car started to shake, and the engine made a loud noise. The din was nonetheless short-lived, and James exclaimed

— Let’s go !

Thomas turned his gaze outward. Through the window, he saw a new landscape pass by, but one which would no doubt soon be familiar to him. His journey began today, fraught with uncertainty but also with hope. He had only been in Florida for a few minutes, but the welcome from the Walker family and the sunny weather had been enough to warm his heart and dispel his doubts somewhat.

He was now thousands of miles from home, but he was no longer alone. He hoped to find Alicia, James and Tracy a second family with whom to have a good time and create wonderful memories. He hoped more than ever to live his American dream, the one he had imagined for months, and which was being written before his eyes. He had to make room for all his hesitation, and take full advantage of the opportunity before him.

— Thomas ?!

Thomas was out of his thoughts, he turned his head and saw Alicia with her hand on her shoulder.

— Thomas, how are you?

— Yes, he replied. Sorry, I was looking outside.

— We arrive. You dozed off, the aftermath of the trip no doubt.

— Is that so ? I didn’t even realize it.

The decor had changed outside. As he emerged, Thomas noticed that the long rows of trees had given way to buildings of all kinds. The car gradually slowed down and entered a parking lot.

— Here we are, said Tracy. Thomas, I guess you’re not going to be too out of place.

The car stopped, and Thomas noticed that a medium-sized supermarket stood in front of the car, far from the big American hypermarkets he had seen on the internet.

— We don't have a lot to buy, James adds. It won't be very long.

Everyone got out of the car, and Thomas could see the shadow of a few clouds that had appeared. The weather here was much different than in France, but Thomas had no doubt that he could adapt to it. It was fine, but a little humid too. In short, it was like a long hot summer that we would have to put up with. James pressed the button on his key to close the car, then joined Tracy, who was picking up a caddy. Alicia and Thomas followed suit, and everyone walked to the front doors of the supermarket.