Refugee Chapter 50 & 51 Summary

Chapter Fifty

• Max collapses onto his inflatable mattress after midnight.
• Ahmed is already asleep in Max's bed because Max insisted.
• Madame Pauline takes the front room of the basement.
• Max's mother rediscovers the orchids and puts them back upstairs.
• Madame Pauline spends the evening glaring at Ahmed.
• Max's parents are overly nice to Ahmed.
• Claire ignores Max and Ahmed.

Chapter Fifty-One

• Ahmed is about to jump to the next roof but hears Max cry out, believes Fontaine has grabbed him but still intends to keep going
• Max’s bag strap is caught, Ahmed frees it as Fontaine runs into the room
• Fontaine shouts in French that they know who the gardener is
• Ahmed pulls Max along to the side of the roof
• They jump and land on a skylight, nearly slipping due to slimy moss
• Ahmed scrambles onto the roof of the neighboring house
• Ahmed knows to avoid the two skylights, hugging the wall
• Counterterrorism police intercepted a message about Ahmed.
• Ahmed is the Syrian who fixed the flowerpots, the police think he makes bombs.

Chapter Fifty-Two

• Max locks his bike at a public rack near the metro to throw off the police.
• It's after 7 PM, and the streets are jammed.
• It has been two days after attacks, people are back at work and school.
• Parts of the metro are still closed and people are afraid.
• Max and Ahmed change into Scout uniforms in a Starbucks bathroom.
• They continue to Bruxelles-Midi station on foot.
• They change their route to avoid soldiers and police near metro entrances and government buildings.
• Camouflage army trucks encircle Bruxelles-Midi.
• Passengers wait in front of the central entrance, flanked by soldiers with assault rifles.
• The train is supposed to leave in 30 minutes.

Max's Escape Plan

• Max didn't completely finish his thought but Ahmed already understood part of the plan
• Fontaine has alerted security to the Syrian boy and American accomplice
• Max hoped they wouldn't look for scouts, but there's a chance the station security forces haven't received the alert.
• Max remembered that Madame Pauline said the police don't share information well with the nineteen different forces.
• Ahmed pointed out ticket sellers working the crowd so they wouldn't have to show ID.
• Max agreed and went to check it out.
• The ticket sellers are selling tickets to Paris, Aachen, and Cologne.
• Max purchased the train tickets from an old man with a gray haired woman
• Max and Ahmed rejoined the line to the entrance and showed their tickets
• Soldiers are pulling passengers out of line and asking to see their ticket or ID.
• Someone grabbed Max's shoulder and pulled him to the side.

Rooftop Pursuit

• Fontaine believes Ahmed is a terrorist and bomb builder.
• Fontaine appears at the edge of Max's roof.
• Ahmed and Max jump onto the next lower roof.
• The height between roofs is greater than they anticipated.
• Ahmed pulls Max back to his feet and asks where to go.
• Ahmed knows the next house is open and has studied the gardens for easy ways to slip out.
• They must scale a privacy wall to reach the last roof.
• Fountain is charging after them.
• The other option is to hold onto the wall, reach across an abyss, and then get to the ledge of the next roof.
• A fall would be a direct drop to the ground, three stories below.

Scaling the Wall

• Ahmed grips the wall and swings out a leg, trying to find the ledge.
• Max's hand creeps around the wall.
• Fontaine shouts not to be an idiot.
• Max's leg trembles, but Ahmed encourages him and says he won't fall.
• Max pulls himself over.
• Ahmed pulls Max across to the roof and tells him to go to the street.
• Inspector Fontaine looks for the ledge.
• Ahmed hugs the drainpipe with his knees and grabs it with his hands.
• He instructs Max to step on his shoulder.
• Max lets go of aluminum siding and grabs onto the drainpipe.
• Together they shimmie and slide down it partially, jumping to ground
• Inspector Fontaine peers at them from the roof.
• Fontaine shouts into his radio that they are coming down near number forty-four and heading toward fifty.
• Ahmed pulls Max into the backyard of the next house and dashes around a trampoline, ignoring a barking dog.

Final Escape

• The officers are pursuing them to Rue Vergoalte, where Max's bike is.
• Ahmed swerved into a thicket of trees and bushes next to number fifty.
• Ahmed threw his backpack across the wall at the officers and hopped it
• Max yanked Ahmed to his feet.
• Fontaine is shouting that they need to get to Rue Vergoalte
• Max couldn't get the key into the lock/
• Max eventually jiggled the key and turned it while a police officer ran towards them.
• Ahmed straddled the seat.
• Max slammed his foot on the pedal.
• Ahmed nearly toppled backward.
• The police officer muttered a defeated curse.
• The police officer was only a few yards behind them, his arms outstretched.

Morning After..

• Max woke to the tune of an "alarm" and realized it was the Doorbels.
• It was 5:55 AM
• Fontaine was pounding on the door, with two police officers.
• Fontaine said "I'm sorry, Monsieur How-Weird, but I must see the wine cellar. Immediately".
• Max raced upstairs and ran into Claire.
• She told him to end it, but he wouldn't listen.
• Claire insists that he does not know Ahmed.
• The basement door banged open, Fontaine and the two officers ran into the hall.
• Max didn't stop to look back.
• Ahmed followed him without a word.
• Max leaped over the safety gate and onto the roof.
• As Ahmed cleared the roof, a strong tug yanked him back.

Chapters 50 and 51 of Refugee detail the events of Max, and Ahmed's escape. Madame Pauline is introduced as Max's family welcomes Ahmed. They narrowly escape Fontaine and discuss a gardener. Counterterrorism police have intercepted communications regarding Ahmed.