We Are Called to Rise

Five months after arriving at the hospital, Luis is scheduled to leave. His memory is still hazy, and he is learning how to cope with having shot himself. He has been discharged from the Army and doesn’t plan on returning. He is grateful that the letter to Bashkim hasn’t surfaced but thinks of it as a “loaded gun” sitting in his files. Luis realizes he should be afraid of a future court martial, but he isn’t, because he isn’t “trying to get away with anything” (288). Luis is motivated to continue his rehabilitation on his own. He gets emotional thinking about saying goodbye to Dr. Ghosh and admits to himself that Dr. Ghosh is the closest thing he’s ever had to a father. When Dr. Ghosh arrives, he suggests that meeting Bashkim was a coincidence that might yield positive results for both Bashkim and Luis. Luis tries to thank him for everything but is awkward about it and tells Dr. Ghosh that he wishes he were his father. Dr. Ghosh responds by saying he would be proud to have Luis as a son.

Abuela comes to pick up Luis. He can tell she must know more about his situation than he has revealed and thinks that she and Dr. Ghosh have had more frequent communication that he imagined. He wonders what exactly she knows—about Sam, about Bashkim, about the boy in Iraq—and thinks about what he should tell her, when he’s ready. They return to Vegas with Luis in a wheelchair, and he is exhausted to be back in the world. Though Vegas might be overwhelming to some, he finds it as casual as someone in Montana would find the open sky there. Still, he is tired from the travel.

Luis is glad to be alone with his abuela at the house and doesn’t want to interact with others. When he gets to his room, he begins to worry about his future, and a feeling of hopelessness overtakes him. He calms himself down by thinking positively, just as Dr. Ghosh has helped him, as a form of “postwar [...] survival skills” (294). The next day, his family begins to visit. He sits quietly and calmly, without interacting, and takes everything hour by hour. He leaves to take a slow walk around his neighborhood and realizes how similar the desert landscape in Vegas is to Iraq. Luis thinks about soldiers he knew who couldn’t stand Iraq’s terrain and climate, but it comforts him to know how acclimated he is to the harsh conditions of an uninhabitable place. He observes the houses and the night sky and returns to his abuela’s house, unsure of the life he will now lead.

All signs indicate that Nate will be exonerated from the killing of Arjeta (Nene). Las Vegas is a land of corruption, where “murderers become patriarchs, card sharks become benefactors, the unredeemed become the redeemers […] And cops are not convicted of excessive force” (297). Robbie questions her role in trying to amend the Ahmeti tragedy, knowing she can only do so much in her position. The future looks bleak for Bashkim and Tirana, since legally Sadik (Baba) will have rights to them, and “the system” isn’t set up to support children in their circumstances. Baba is no longer in mental health care, and the local Albanian Society is supporting him to live in a cheap suite until he can receive low-income family support and move out on his own.

Robbie visits Baba in his rundown apartment, but he refuses to speak with her. Robbie is angry at how “pathetic” Baba is while he sits slumped in his chair, ignoring her. She knows he is incapable of raising two children but also knows he will retain custody of them, and this deeply worries and upsets her. When Baba begins to cry, Robbie realizes he is “someone pitiful and powerless and poor, someone who’s never gotten a break” (302) and who will fight to keep the only thing in his life: his children. As an experienced case manager, Robbie is confident in her abilities to do the right thing, but in this unusual circumstance, she questions what the best decision is. She thinks of Arjeta’s life and of the loneliness and desperation she must have endured. This motivates her to keep fighting for the children. 

Luis knows his options as an Army vet are limited. The system isn’t equipped to support him and other soldiers with trauma once they return from battle. Researching where and how to receive help makes his head “spin.” Luis struggles to focus, thinking of Bashkim, Nate, and the boy he killed in Iraq. He becomes overwhelmed.

Luis wants to know more about the mysterious Uncle Mike who visited him at the hospital. He asks his abuela. She hesitates but tells him that Mike came around when Luis was a baby. Luis’s mother (Maricela) didn’t want him around and kept him away from Luis. Mike eventually came back, and Luis’s abuela secretly allowed him to see Luis as a baby. Abuela says he was “a nice man” (309) and that he wanted to be there for Luis. Luis asks if he came around after that, and abuela reveals that he tried to stay in contact and even sent Luis a few letters. Luis is outraged but controls himself, disappointed that his abuela never told him this before. He uses the coping techniques Dr. Ghosh taught him and realizes how lonely he feels.

Later that week, Robbie visits Luis. Luis is surprised that Dr. Moore mentioned him to Robbie; Luis hasn’t even told his own abuela about Bashkim. Luis isn’t talking to his abuela since finding out about Mike, but his abuela already knows everything about the letters with Bashkim—it turns out she has talked to both Robbie and Dr. Moore. Luis doesn’t leave his room but listens to abuela talk to Robbie in the front room. They talk about the Ahmeti children, and abuela is interested and inquisitive. However, Luis can’t hear everything. Robbie eventually leaves without talking to Luis.

Luis gets angrier that his abuela has “inserted” herself into his business. He misses his independence as a soldier and feels like a child living with her. He finally confronts her about his feelings, and she responds by telling him she has been told everything about his situation but knows it’s hard for him to talk about. She is glad he is finally bringing it up to her. She informs him of Bashkim’s situation—based on what Robbie told her—and Luis begins to forget his own problems. He breathes calmly and wants to help Bashkim. Then, his abuela begins to tell him about his mother. Abuela apologizes for not telling Luis everything about his past. She breaks down and explains how she had already lost two children and didn’t want to lose him, and that’s why she kept him distant from his father’s side. Luis can sense her pain and forgives her. They embrace, and he feels a strength he hasn’t felt before.