Refugee family's deportation fears

Chapter Sixty-Five

• A supervisor summoned Ahmed and his father to the front office
• They found Reka waiting for them with a thick folder
• Ahmed's father spoke in English for them both
• Ahmed noticed that Reka's brow was creased with anger
• Reka says that she has been trying to get in contact for weeks
• Ahmed says that Max must write to set them free soon
• Reka believes that they will get deported back to Greece
• She states that European countries aren't taking in any more refugees, except through Turkey
• Ahmed pictures taking a crowded ferry back to Izmir, and slumps in his chair
• Ahmed's father asked if they would have to return to Turkey to get back to Europe
• The conditions at the camps in Greece are very bad
• All migration north has been stopped
• She says that if they are willing to stay in Greece for a while, her contacts will see what they can do
• Ahmed's father thanked her, but Ahmed wasn't fooled
• He knew that bad choices were all they ever had from the officials

Max's Optimistic Reports

• Max's dad help with the garden
• Mom looks after the orchids
• Farah asked about Reka
• Reka says that they can detain families with children only for 30 days
• Max admits that they won't be in prison
• School bell rang
• Oscar asked what the plan was
• Max realized they were looking at him, waiting for him to tell them what to do
• Max needed to give the adults assisting Ahmed a chance
• Plan is to wait
• Max noticed a drawing tacked to the wall of Madame Legrand's classroom
• It was a picture of the garden behind Max's house, and Ahmed's signature was in the corner
• There were flowers in bloom everywhere
• Ex: roses, forsythia, irises, azaleas
• Some flowers were not native to Belgium
• Ex: orchids Ahmed had saved

School Rules and Reassurance

• Max's parents didn't understand anything she was saying except that she was letting him stay
• Lucky because mom understood everything
• Stated he needed to stay off devices until whatever time they agreed to.
• Oscar's eyes narrowed mischievously
• Farah didn't get in trouble since Fontaine didn't believe the dad
• Oscaar says Fontaines dad is not an idiot
• We texted. She didn't tell me
• Oscar shrugged, then cocked his head, because Farah was coming
• Max stated shes not my girlfriend
• Her big eyes were staring anxiously at him from behind her glasses
• "How's Ahmed?"
• She didn't seem angry
• S.orry for getting you into trouble with your dad
• Farah's forehead wrinkled, stated Claire got them into trouble
• I'm still not talking to her," Max said
• Farah waved her hand in the air as if brushing away a fly
• They are people worth getting into trouble for
• Thanks to Farah
• Ahmed's okay

Chapter Sixty-Four

• Monday, April 11, Max waved goodbye to his parents and went to school
• Only two and a half weeks had passed since he'd last stood in the courtyard
• Over the Easter break, the trees had unfurled a canopy of new leaves
• There was sunshine and a sky that seemed impossibly blue
• Max was not use to seeing the sky without clouds
• The day was so close to being perfect
• A football flew toward him, Max ducked
• Oscar raced up to him with a grin
• Max said he missed Oscar too in French
• Max said at least Ahmed found his dad
• Oscar asked about his dad
• Oscar said that Max just misses Ahmed
• Max and his parents had met with Madame Bertrand the day after he had returned to Brussels
• She said she could expel me, that I broke practically every school rule, but that I hadn't really broken the spirit of the rules so she was letting me stay

Writing Ahmed's Story

• Parents murdered at Auschwitz
• Moved to Canada
• Returned to Brussels
• How he'd married but never had children
• Every year until Madame Jonnart's death in 1985, he'd sent her flowers on the anniversary of Albert's death
• After Ralph's death in 1998, at the age of seventy-four, the Jonnart family had received a card:
• How after Ralph's death in 1998, at the age of seventy-four, the Jonnart family had received a card: “To all those who softened my existence with their feelings, I address an ultimate thank-you and goodbye"
• Max had written Ahmed's story; he saved orchids and just wanted to go to school
• I tried to soften Ahmed's existence, but it was really he who softened mine
• I've said thank you when neither of us are ready to say goodbye
• Max cheeks burned
• Claire pushed back the chair and stood up to face him
• Claire stated it was perfect

Helping Ahmed

• Claire asked what Max wanted
• Max stated he can get over what happened
• Expressed that she betrayed me
• Claire asked Max to look at her for a second
• Max mumbled he knows he was childish, but he didn't care
• Max apologizes and said that the only reason he was trying to protect their family
• Claire said Max ran off and they were all freaked
• Max says Claire didn't seem to hear him
• Max felt a lump form in his throat and justified protecting their family.
• Stated the neighbors who betrayed Jonnart were trying to keep their family safe
• Max stated she didn't have to be scared of Ahmed
• Claire opened door to leave
• Max said for her to wait
• Claire whipped around
• Max told her he needed her help

Writing for Max

• Reka asked if he had explained it to Max
• Reka says Max is trying to get him back to Belgium
• Ahmed smiled
• Ahmend thought Max max was probably thinking about Albert Jonnart and maybe thered be lessons to apply to Ahmeds own story
• Jonnarts Story didn't exactly have a happy ending
• Died in captivity from Belgium, 70 years later, the story was mostly forgotten
• Was his life worth it
• Ahmed thanked Reka, followed supervisors
• Fathers says dont worry we are together but it was more good news
• Ahmed runs because he needs to write to Max

Chapter Sixty-Six

• Max ate sausage and baguette when he received a message from Ahmed
• Madame Pauline called to see if Max was ready for their "dictée"
• Max stared at the white orchid flowers in bloom on the living room windowsill
• The orchids reminded him of Ahmed and the resilience
• Madame Pauline didn't argue she seems to realize he cared about school
• Max retreated to his room and opened Ahmed's message, finding it different than the others
• Max ran to his desk, googled, and opened a Word document to type
• Knock on the door at 5:30pm
• Claire pushed open the door
• Max closed the laptop so she couldn't snoop
• Claire asked what do you want eagerly.
• Reading each words
• Jonnart helped fellow resistors in prison
• I will do my work till the end
• Fontaine included familes name

Ahmed and his father are summoned to the front office and told they might be deported back to Greece. Reka says that European countries aren't taking in any more refugees. All migration north has been stopped.