Nowhere Boy

The next day, Max explains everything about Ahmed to Farah and asks for her help pretending to be Ahmed’s mother. Farah refuses, insisting that the task is too risky. Max says that he thought she would help him because Ahmed is like Farah. Although Max does not mean to insult her, Farah tells Max that she was born in Belgium and is Moroccan, not Syrian, so she is different from Ahmed. Max apologizes for assuming otherwise. Farah tells him that as a Muslim, she must work twice as hard as the white students at the school. Max understands, but he tells her that Ahmed says that “it is very important for a Muslim to help the stranger, the person that need” (167). Max’s words affect Farah, and she finally agrees to help him.

In the afternoon, Ahmed gets a haircut and uses a photo booth to take a picture of himself for the ID. On his way back to the house, he notices Inspector Fontaine patrolling the area.

At school, Farah proofreads the forged ID. Oscar rips the ID out of Farah’s hand and threatens to tell on them, but Farah explains that Ahmed just wants to go to school. Max tells Oscar that he can meet Ahmed and if he thinks that he is not a nice person, then he can expose them.

The next day, Max brings Oscar and Farah into their garden and introduces Ahmed to them. Oscar asks him questions about Syria and why he came to Belgium. Oscar asks what happened to Ahmed’s father, and Ahmed describes how his father drowned. He tells Oscar that he waited for his father’s body to be washed to shore, but it never did, and now he wishes he was dead like his father. Oscar seems to understand this, and Ahmed tells him that he wants to go to school because he feels alone in the world. Oscar tells Max to come to the commune where his mother works and bring Ahmed’s ID and forged passport with him.

Oscar brings Max to the employees-only area of the commune office and tells his mother that they are going to play on one of the computers. Oscar forges a new ID card for Ahmed, with the official stamp on it. Suddenly, Inspector Fontaine walks into the room, but Oscar pulls up a game of solitaire over their work so that Fontaine cannot see what they are doing. Max distracts Inspector Fontaine by telling him that his parents are still looking for a gardener, which pleases the police officer. Inspector Fontaine tells them to play outside rather than stay on the computer and walks past them to talk to Oscar’s mother.

The forged ID looks perfect, and Max knows they would have failed without Oscar’s help. The week before winter break, Ahmed meets Max and Farah at Oscar’s house. Farah studies the documents and then calls the school. She speaks to the secretary at the school, saying she wants to place her son in sixth grade. They wait patiently as the secretary enrolls Ahmed in their class. When Farah hangs up, Ahmed sits in disbelief as he realizes that he will get to go back to school.

Max tells Madame Pauline that a new kid from Syria is joining his class after winter break. Madame Pauline makes a comment about how she thinks the decision is unsafe because of the terrorist attacks. Max distracts Madame Pauline by asking more questions about Ralph Mayer and Albert Jonnart. Max asks Madame Pauline how the Nazis discovered that Jonnart was hiding Mayer. She says that Mayer was sneaking out to visit his parents who were hiding with another family and that a neighbor saw him and reported it to the Gestapo. Max points out that Mayer was a Jewish refugee fleeing oppression in Germany, just like the Syrian refugees. Madame Pauline does not want to make the connection, which frustrates Max.

On the first day back at school, Ahmed leaves early and waits for school to begin. He waits for Max outside, and Max leads him into the courtyard where everyone waits for school to start. Ahmed’s soccer skills gain him swift acceptance from the other pupils, and he works diligently in class even though he does not understand all that is going on. After school, Ahmed hides in the janitor’s closet until everyone leaves because he does not have the release form to walk home alone yet. Ahmed waits for hours and then climbs out of one of the classroom windows and returns to Max’s house.

At dinner one night, Max’s mother tells him that Madame Pauline thinks his French is improving. Max does not say that this is because he feels happier at school now that he has friends and is working on assignments with Ahmed. Max tells his family about the Syrian student in his class. Later, Claire asks him if the Syrian boy lives in their house. She tells Max that she saw someone in the garden a few weeks ago and that she knows that Max has been sneaking around. Max tells her about Ahmed and that she cannot tell anyone, especially since he kept her secret of sneaking out to the party. Claire agrees to keep the secret.

One afternoon when the Howards are out of town, Ahmed sits in the garden to do his homework. Suddenly, Inspector Fontaine enters the garden and demands to know what Ahmed is doing. Ahmed tells him that he is the gardener and that he goes to school with Max. Inspector Fontaine seems glad to know that the Howards hired a gardener and tells Ahmed about his grandfather. Inspector Fontaine tells Ahmed that the Howards should inform him the next time they give their key to someone, and then he leaves Ahmed to garden.

When the Howards get home, Max sees Ahmed’s note in the front door thanking the Howards for “hiring” him to garden and telling them that Inspector Fontaine wants them to tell him the next time they hire someone. Max realizes what must have happened and pretends to surprise his parents with a freshly manicured garden. Max’s parents, however, are angry with him for having given Ahmed a key. Max accuses them of not wanting Ahmed there because he is a Syrian refugee, but his father says that the problem is just that Max did not check with them first. The argument leaves Max with the sense that he has been betraying his parents ever since he found Ahmed in the cellar, but Max resolves to continue to protect his friend.

A few weeks later, Madame Legrand pulls Ahmed aside to tell him that his mother has not signed up for a parent-teacher conference and that the meeting is mandatory. After school, Max, Farah, Oscar, and Ahmed meet in Max’s garden to discuss what they should do. Farah asks Ahmed if he trusts any adult to help them. Ahmed mentions Ibrahim, who might still be in Molenbeek, but he does not want to put him at risk of getting in trouble.