The Other Americans

Coleman treats Miles’ issue as she would treat any case. She gathers evidence and tests her theory. Her method is to invite Miles’ friend Brandon for dinner. Miles is very excited, and Brandon arrives on time. He is polite to Miles’ parents though Ray is more invested in the basketball game on the television. Miles and Brandon disappear into Miles’ bedroom to play videogames. Everyone sits down to dinner. Brandon and Miles chuckle together at an inside joke. Coleman is pleased that Miles is happy again.

Later that evening Coleman worries about how to discuss the matter with Ray. His attitudes toward gay people in the past have not been positive and now he is “pretending not to notice what [is] right in front of him” (151). She hopes that Miles can be happy, at least. In work the next day Coleman wonders whether Murphy has noticed anything about his son Brandon. Someone arrives at the station before she can ask. A witness wants to come forward in the hit and run case but can only speak Spanish. 

Efraín gives his statement to the police in a small gray room with a videotape recorder. A deputy translates for him though Marisela has accompanied her husband to the station to perform that role. Efraín explains what happened on the night of the accident and he answers Coleman’s questions about the minor details. He mentions that the driver of the car did not slow down or stop. If anything, “he’d sped up” (153) before he hit the victim. Coleman asks more questions and afterward Efraín is exhausted. He worries about his name appearing in official files and Marisela worries that they might not get the reward. He hopes the money will give them a chance to start afresh. 

Nora is at the restaurant when Coleman calls to say that a witness has come forward. Coleman believes that the testimony is “the first solid piece of evidence” (155) that the driver had been willfully reckless. The phone call brings Nora to tears, but Coleman reminds her that a case of vehicular manslaughter is still difficult to prove. Nora can imagine someone being held accountable for the first time in the five weeks since her father’s death. Nora needs to sign the check for the witness. She returns to work in the diner where she has been working hard to preserve everything exactly as her father left it. She envies her mother’s ability to let go of the past. 

Nora looks through Jeremy’s bookshelves and finds a box of photographs. She searches through the pictures of him in Iraq and he mumbles through a few of the phrases he knows in Arabic. Jeremy puts the photographs away and Nora touches the scars on his body. He has been waiting for the time when they will eventually talk about his time in the war. The thought of answering her questions about Iraq seems different to conversations he has had with other women. The neighbor’s dog barks.

Jeremy announces that he is going to take a bath. He lays down in the tub and thinks of his memories of Iraq and how they return at random times. Nora enters the room and sits beside the bath. Jeremy struggles to look her in the eye. By the time he exits the bath, Nora is dressed to leave. Jeremy asks her to stay. They lay together on the bed and he speaks to her in whispers about his time in the war. He recalls a time when his unit lost a man in an explosion and then their sergeant was forced to kill a woman. Jeremy talked to Fierro about the incident afterward as something bothered him. He finishes the story and is shocked by the way in which Nora has “removed all [his] pretenses” (161). They lay together in silence and then fall asleep. The next morning, he hears her leave.  

Nora searches the medicine cabinet at the diner for painkillers. The staff harbor petty grievances against one another and blame one another for the missing medicine. A toddler screams in the restaurant. Nora spent the entire night talking to Jeremy and hardly slept. She has listened to many of his Iraq stories and now feels implicated in a war she hates. Nora wants to “navigate back to [her] state of ignorance” (162).

A family pull up outside the diner. They seem so happy that Nora finds herself following them into the bowling alley. Just as she is about to leave Nora sees A.J. next to the concession stand. He speaks on his cell phone, but his eyes are fixed on her. Nora feels the goosebumps break out on her skin. She decides to play a game. The first ball she bowls slips into the gutter. She persist and eventually hits a pin. A.J. approaches her and she instantly remembers the racist word scrawled across her locker. He tries to show her how to bowl properly. He leaves and Nora abandons her game. She runs back to the diner where Veronica is waiting for her with a packet of painkillers. 

A.J. remembers how he spent most of his free time with his dogs. He and his mother would show their collies competitively when he was young, and they once won “Best of Breed” at a show in Fresno. His father was never impressed and saw the dog shows as an unnecessary expense. Arguments were fought over the matter. His mother eventually grew tired of the constant fighting so sold most of the dogs bar two. By the time A.J. moved back home to help his mother, the dogs were old. A.J. has bought two dogs recently and thinks about entering them in competitions but events conspire against him. 

Jeremy encourages Nora when she mentions that she has considered taking charge of the restaurant. He does anything he can “to tie her to this town” (167) and to him. This involves doing chores in the cabin and the diner as he has become emotionally dependent on Nora. His boss continues to bother him but this changes one afternoon. Jeremy is called to a distant trailer park after a busy day. So busy that a suspect is still in the back seat of his car. An old man has called in a complaint about noise from a nearby abandoned house. Jeremy investigates and hear a soft mewling sound from inside. He discovers a baby. Headquarters sends backup and paramedics. The front page of the newspaper the next day features a photograph of Jeremy’s boss and the baby. Jeremy is treated better afterward. 

Maryam is struck by an old memory from Nora’s high school days. She hired Jeremy’s father Mark to fix an electrical problem. Mark fixed the garage door but found many other small problems and smelled of alcohol. Then Maryam searches through Nora’s school photos and sees a picture of a young Jeremy. She sees Jeremy a few weeks later in a convenience store buying condoms. He is carrying the bag Maryam uses to take food to Nora in the cabin. He recognizes her and she desperately wants to leave. Jeremy tries to talk to Maryam and offers to help her with her groceries. She tries to refuse but feels so awkward that she allows Jeremy to carry her groceries. Maryam mentions Mark but Jeremy confesses that he has not seen his father in a long time. He walks Maryam to her car and, as he leaves, she reflects on them no longer being strangers. 

A few weeks later Salma invites Nora to her house for Father’s Day. Afterward, they plan to visit Driss’ grave. She cannot think up an excuse so travels to Salma and Tareq’s expensive home. Nora and Salma sit on the deck and talk about the view. Nora cannot help but remember Salma’s absence from Anderson’s arraignment. Salma claims to have a migraine and Tareq remains silent as he pours lemonade for the sisters. She asks Tareq for a pill to help with her migraine and he dismisses the idea. Nora senses a tension but does not know what to think.

Conversation turns to the restaurant and Salma cannot understand why Nora persists with their father’s business. Nora explains her refusal to allow Anderson to get everything he wants. She does not want to give up “on Dad’s dream” (173). Salma implores Nora to follow her dreams of being a musician. Nora finds this strange. Salma seems as though she is about to explain the strange tension and odd behavior but is interrupted by the Maryam’s arrival. The rest of the family join them on the deck. Nora spends the rest of the day thinking about what her sister might have told her. 

Jeremy attends a two-day de-escalation training session due to an incident of overly aggressive arrest in his department months early. The training takes place 50 miles away so he stays in a hotel with his colleagues. After two days of training he drives straight back, completes a shift, and then attends the support group with Fierro. Jeremy is exhausted and Fierro is in a bad mood. The usual group leader is away for the evening, but a replacement leads the session. The chaotic session eventually turns to Jeremy, but he declines to speak even though he feels a burning rage at many aspects of the world. Jeremy finishes the session and abandons his list of chores to drive straight to the cabin to see Nora.

Nora greets him at the cabin door and Jeremy believes that all his worries shrink when he is with her. They begin to undress one another but Nora hears someone at the door. Jeremy takes a hiking stick to investigate the person and sees someone scaling the wire fence outside. He swings the stick and knocks the man to the floor. The man is Fierro, who refers to Nora using the racist slang from their days in Iraq. Jeremy hits him. The two men fight. Jeremy hits his head on a rock and then begins to pummel Fierro until Nora stops him. She begs to know what is happening, but Jeremy tells her to go back into the cabin.

Nora returns to the cabin. Jeremy turns back to Fierro, who begins to cry. Jeremy tells him to leave but Fierro claims he has nowhere to go. Jeremy begins to feel pity and guilt. He tells Nora to lock herself in the cabin and then he drives Fierro home. Fierro’s apartment is drab and depressing. They order food and use frozen items from the freezer to tend to their wounds. Fierro apologizes as they eat pizza. Jeremy admits that he cannot provide the help that Fierro needs. Jeremy realizes that Fierro is not ready to admit that he needs help. This is the last time that he will see him though he will hear from him several times. Jeremy accepts that it is “time for us to go our separate ways” (180). 

A truck crashes on the freeway and spills a cargo of toys. The accident delays Nora’s return to her apartment in Oakland. She has been away for many months and meets her roommate Margo in the hallway. Their conversation is limited and Nora heads straight for bed. The room seems cramped after so long in the desert. The next morning, she wakes and tells Margo about the time that has passed since they last saw one another. The act of explaining the story reveals to her that she needs to let go of her father’s memory. She assures Margo that her plan is now to return to Oakland “for good” (182). Margo reveals that she plans to move in with her girlfriend and Nora cannot help but view this happy news as an imposition.

Buried in the accumulated mail Nora finds a note from Silverwood Music Center. Nora has been selected for one of their programs. Nora is struck by a sudden urge to tell her father and the crushing realization that she cannot. She knows she cannot call her mother because they have recently argued about Nora’s sex life. Maryam has seemed relieved two days ago when Nora announced she planned to return to Oakland. The fight between Fierro and Jeremy had revealed to Nora that her differences with Jeremy were too great to reconcile. They had argued at the diner and she had accused Jeremy of bringing violence to her doorstep.

Nora helps Margo pack and move out but does not move apartments. She cannot tolerate the prospect of more change. She still thinks about Jeremy, so she focuses on her piano composition ahead of the music program. Just before she has to leave for Silverwood, she walks through her neighborhood and notices how it has changed. She passes a café where she knows Max spent a lot of time. Inside are friends and neighbors. She spots Max’s jacket but before she sees her former lover, she sees Evelyn, his wife. Evelyn recognizes her and Nora cannot find anything to say. Evelyn slaps Nora hard across the face and tells her to “stay away from us” (186). Nora runs home and immediately begins to pack her suitcase. 

Maryam struggles to fast during Ramadan. The long hot days of summer and her lingering sense of grief are painful but the fast has “a healing effect” (187). She makes an effort to clear out the house, but every small item reminds her of Driss. She clears the house nevertheless and then, a few weeks later, begins to do the same at the cabin. Maryam tried to warn Nora against staying in the place “where Driss brought the other woman” (187) but Nora did not notice any of her hints. She does not believe that Nora could see her father as anything less than a hero. Nora is already in Boston and too busy to talk to her mother about clearing out the cabin. The act of cleaning makes her think of Nora and Jeremy sharing the space. She prays for her daughter to be able to find the home that Maryam never could. 

Nora is invited to a cocktail party in honor of the chosen composers. The party is funded by wealthy donors who are in attendance. She arrives late and hungry but begins to socialize. The weather on the East Coast is strange to Nora. She begins to talk to an elderly couple, and they mistake her for a composer’s guest rather than a composer. The next day Nora begins rehearsing with her fellow composers and finds them surprisingly easy to work with.

The pleasure of working with the composers is overshadowed by Nora’s experiences of racism outside of rehearsal. She feels out of place and is struck by bouts of anxiety. Her mother calls about cleaning out the cabin while she is in her hotel room fretting about her performance. Maryam ends her call by telling Nora that she “never said [she] wanted [Nora] to leave” (190). Maryam believes that Nora always runs away, as Maryam herself did when she was young. Nora wonders what her life would have been like if her parents had stayed in Morocco. The conversation with Maryam gives Nora the strength she needs to perform at the big event. 

Jeremy finds it hard to detail the weeks he spent after his heart was broken. He turns back to drinking, his insomnia returns, and he searches for Nora on the internet. Work gives him an outlet for his frustration. One day he drives past the diner and spots A.J.’s red truck. Jeremy tails A.J. for some time and enjoys making his high school bully sweat. Eventually he pulls A.J. over and checks his license and registration. A.J. recognizes Jeremy but Jeremy ignores his pleas that they went to high school together. Jeremy searches for A.J.’s details in his car and discovers that A.J. is driving with a suspended license. Jeremy tries to follow the protocol exactly. A.J. pleads as Jeremy handcuffs him. He uses one of the high school insults from many years ago and Jeremy yanks the handcuffs as tight as he can. He places A.J. in the police car and then phones for a tow truck. They drive to the local jail. In the cell they detail A.J.’s tattoos and discover one with racist connotations. When the paperwork is complete, Jeremy is relieved to attend an office retirement party. He eats food, drinks lemonade, and slumps in a chair. He spots Murphy and Coleman deep in conversation on the other side of the room. 

Coleman is worried that Jeremy is A.J.’s arresting officer. She double checks the paperwork to make sure there is no vindictiveness to the arrest. Coleman visits A.J. in his cell and she convinces Jeremy to let her talk to the prisoner alone. She talks to A.J. and offers a sympathetic ear to his issues. A.J. ignores her and refuses to talk to “a nigger” (197). Coleman feels the pain of the word and thinks about Miles. She asks A.J. to repeat himself and he does. Coleman turns and leaves. She drives to A.J.’s parents house which is listed as his current address. A.J.’s mother is in the garden and Coleman speaks to her. She asks whether A.J. borrowed his father’s car on the night of the accident. Coleman realizes that parents will try to protect their son from others but wonders who will protect others from their son.

Anderson confesses that he became a father far later than he expected. He was astonished by how much he loved his son, but he struggles to pinpoint the moment that the well behaved baby turned into the grownup, irresponsible A.J.. Anderson admits that his son was a bully, but he loved his son anyway. A.J. lost $50,000 of his parents’ money starting a doggie daycare business in the midst of a recession. Anderson remembers his son calling him and asking for life advice after the business collapsed. Anderson suggested that he come back home and that was what A.J. did. The father and son spent more time together than they ever had. They talked more all day. Anderson insists that “what happened with the guy next door was just an accident” (200) which is why he wants to tell A.J.’s story. 

Someone tips off a reporter who collects comments and quotes from A.J.’s social media. Letters to the local paper label A.J. a racist. He is bitter about the failure of his business and blames an Asian woman who’s dog died in his care. The woman soured his clients and her lawsuit bankrupted him. A.J. insists that the dog’s death was not his fault. He decided to move home and wait to inherit the bowling alley. A.J. insists that what happened to “the guy next door was an accident” (202). 

Driss worries about the state of his business during the summer of his death. New restaurants have opened nearby and he thinks about making changes. He plans to expand the sign above the diner to make it more visible from the road and at night. Beatrice helps with the design. He also plans to divorce Maryam and marry Beatrice. The installation of the new sign is complicated and Driss feels A.J. watching him from the bowling alley. That night, he begins installing new light bulbs in the booths. He goes outside to admire the new lighting setup and notices A.J. nearby. Later, when he leaves, he is filled with hope about the future. He decides to ask Maryam for a divorce that night. He walks to his car. 

Jeremy plays video games in his apartment when Nora appears at his door. She has his possessions from the cabin in a brown paper bag. His apartment is a mess, but he insists that he has “never been better” (205). Nora expresses her disbelief that A.J. killed her father and mentions a telephone call from Coleman. Their conversation is interrupted by the delivery of Jeremy’s food. When he returns to the room, they discuss her sudden departure. Jeremy accuses her of abandoning him when she no longer found him useful, but Nora insists that she is “just as broken as before” (206). They admit that they miss one another. They embrace. 

Nora moves her possessions from Oakland and drives back to the desert with her mother. They listen to a talk radio show which prompts Nora to tell her mother about her father’s affair. They drive in silence for some time and Nora realizes that her mother has known the entire time. Nora has a new perspective on her mother. Maryam reveals Beatrice’s identity and admits that she thought the affair “would pass” (208). Nora wonders why her mother was never this patient or understanding with her daughters. They talk about Nora’s experience at the music festival for the first time. Nora has made plans with the musicians she met at Silverwood. She learned good and bad lessons from the experiences. Nora dreads the upcoming day in court when A.J. will be on the stand. The final verdict will not be delivered until 3.5 years later. Nora is pregnant with her first child and A.J. is sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter. Nora has returned to the desert and to her family.