- That night Hope realizes that all of the stuff she's unpacked in her bedroom looks like it belongs in her room but that she doesn't and wonders when she'll feel it.
- The boxing gloves she's had since she was 11 hang behind the door. She takes us back to the day she used them to knock out all the rage she felt toward her mother for abandoning her.
- Hope was at the gym with Addie's friend, Mickey, who had been teaching her some basic boxing moves, when something inside of her snapped.
- She began punching the bag harder and harder, streams of tears running down her face, until there was nothing left in her. Boxing, she says, saved her life.
- Hope sits down with one of her 11 scrapbooks, the one she calls "The Dads."
- The pages are filled with magazine pictures of men who resembles the father she's dreamed up in her head.
- She imagines having an imaginary conversation with her imaginary dad about not fitting in. She asks her dad for advice, but gets nothing.
- Still awake at 3:15 in the morning, Hope opens a thesaurus and reads all the synonyms listed under the name she chose for herself, Hope: belief, credence, faith, trust, confidence, assurance.The words do not lull her to sleep.
- She gets to work at the diner by 5:00 a.m. Braverman isn't in yet and she admits that she misses him.
- The diner is packed by 7:00. Adam Pulver is at the counter telling G.T. about his Uncle Sid, a spin doctor who has the ability to turn political losers into big-time winners.
- Sid is intrigued by G.T.'s campaign and would like to meet him when he's in town. He's planning to spend some time in Mulhoney, long enough for his ulcer to heal.
- Sid Vole shows up at the Welcome Stairways the next morning to talk politics with G.T. over coffee—and eggs, and sausage, and hash browns, and pancakes.
- He encourages G.T. to use the leukemia to his advantage. If people can sense that G.T. feels their pain, he'll earn their trust and their votes. According to Sid, the whole world of politics revolves around one thing: trust.
- G.T. doesn't respond. He's too busy looking out the window at the black hearse that has parked in front of the diner again. He steps outside, walks right up to the funeral car, and shakes the driver's hand.
- The driver declines G.T.'s invitation to come into the diner, but G.T. won't take no for an answer.
- He leads the man inside, sits him down at a table and tells Hope to get his "friend" whatever he wants from the breakfast menu.
- The only thing the guy wants is to get out of the diner.
- While Hope's serving the guy a cup of coffee, G.T. thanks him for the visual reminder that one shouldn't take life for granted and tells him to drive the big, black car past the diner any time he wants.
- The impromptu speech earns G.T. a round of applause from the customers as well as several more signatures on the petition.