The Other Americans

Driss recalls how he came to be involved with a woman “young enough to be [his] daughter” (79). Beatrice is a customer who begins to visit the diner regularly and their relationship develops as Driss gives her advice on opening a new business in the neighborhood. Driss and Maryam argue often and he insists that they have always been different. Maryam is a pessimist and Driss is an optimist. He comes to realize that he “had been traveling down the road from birth to death with the wrong companion” (80) but believes that Beatrice is the right one. 

Nora visits Coleman. The detective can tell by Nora’s eyes that she has some news. Coleman struggles to concentrate wholly because Miles is struggling in school. After a meandering conversation, Nora reveals what she has just learned about her father. Coleman already knew due to text messages found on Driss’ unlocked phone. She refuses to tell Nora the woman’s identity. Beatrice has a solid alibi and is not under suspicion.

Nora is certain that something is not right, but she cannot coax more information out of Coleman, who is distracted by Murphy at the window. She followed through on Murphy’s invite and took Miles to the baseball game. Miles seemed to make friends, but the event left Coleman feeling strange. Nora offers to post a reward of $25,000 for information. Coleman thinks this will help with the investigation. 

Nora cannot extract information from Coleman so leaves the police station. The wind whips at her hair and her mouth tastes of dust. After a moment sitting in her car she re-enters the police station and inquires about Jeremy. He appears after a long interval and the she apologizes for her attempt to drive home from the bar. Jeremy invites her for coffee, but she declines.

At the cabin, the sight of the bed perturbs Nora. She cannot sleep in the bed so leaves to purchase a new mattress and bedding. Even after replacing everything, she cannot forget what she has learned. Nora searches for information about her father on the internet. The experience of dredging through the past reminds her of a period in her life when she dated a man named Beckett Burke. He led a rich and international lifestyle that impressed Nora. He was he first man she slept with and she was “flattered that he was interested” (85) in her. She began to organize her life around Burke but eventually sees him with another woman. The cheating damaged Nora’s ability to trust and the next boy she dated was Burke’s complete opposite. The next boy cheated on her as well. Even her current relationship is with a married man. Nora begins to wonder whether she loves men who cheat because her father himself cheated. 

Maryam occasionally returns to the routine of her life before her husband’s death. She realizes that she needs to reopen the restaurant, if only for the sake of the staff who have bills to pay. She returns to the diner the next day and meets José the cook. Customers are served. Marty, an employee who has been with the family business since the donut shop opened, refills Maryam’s coffee. She thinks about chores, customers, and whether she is even needed in a restaurant she never wanted to own. A man offers his condolences but Maryam struggles to hold a conversation. 

Fierro waits outside his apartment building for Jeremy to arrive. They travel together to a support group recommended by one of their military friends named Hec. They enter a community center and sit on chairs arranged in a circle. The man leading the group is named Rossi. People share stories of their experiences with anger and how they cope. Jeremy can sense Fierro’s disdain. Fierro unexpectedly raises his hand and shares a story about insomnia. Jeremy stares at his shoes.

In the car afterward, Jeremy accuses Fierro of undermining the session. Jeremy is “getting tired of [Fierro’s] antics” (90). Fierro promises to attend the next session and they agree to go bowling despite the hour. They pass Driss’ diner and Jeremy wonders whether he had been expecting to see Nora. They enter the bowling alley next door and notice the dilapidated condition of the interior.

Fierro and Jeremy bowl and listen to the nostalgic music. Jeremy’s father was an alcoholic and Fierro’s father was a drug addict. They swap stories. Jeremy reflects on his awkward relationship with his sister. They live close to one another but rarely meet. The recent barbecue at her house was memorable for his father insistently talking about the Iraq war despite not experiencing the horrors of combat firsthand. Jeremy and his father had argued. Jeremy beats Fierro at bowling and then drives him home. 

Efraín begins to see Driss in his dreams. He replays the incident almost every night while he sleeps but now the victim has a name. The incident becomes clearer in his mind as he attributes every minor issue in his life to his failure to come forward. Efraín wants to be free of the guilt of not telling anyone about what he witnessed but worries about the cost. He remembers when he first met Marisela, a widow whom he chased after for many months. Now, “another dead man [is] troubling [his] peace” (94). 

Nora tries to return to her ordinary routines, but her emails contain rejections and bad news. She has been working on a musical piece inspired by her first trip to Morocco in her teens. She remembers seeing acrobats in a marketplace and has since tried to capture their organization and unity in music. The rejection makes Nora feel even more insecure and pessimistic about her career. She reviews her composition and it feels like someone else’s work. Just as she is about to start afresh, a car arrives outside the cabin.

Nora opens the door and sees Jeremy in front of her. He invites her for a hike in Hidden Valley. She accepts and invites him inside while she prepares. Once ready, they drive to the hiking spot but find the road blocked by a locked gate. Jeremy parks the car and hops over the fence. They hike mostly in silence and then climb up a boulder formation in search of a view. Sitting on the rocks, they talk about music and the field trip many years ago. Midway through a conversation, Nora notices “a flicker of desire” (97) in Jeremy’s eyes. She immediately wants to extinguish it. Nora begins to talk about Max and her struggle with falling in love with a married man. She begins to leave but slips and cuts her arm. Nora insists that they finish the hike. At the end of the trail, they kiss. 

Jeremy and Nora return to the car and he uses his first aid kit to tend to her arm. They kiss again as Jeremy is determined not to miss his opportunity. Together they drive back and stop at a convenience store. Jeremy enters to buy condoms, but Nora is missing from his car when he returns. He finds her on the other side of the parking lot. They watch a bighorn sheep grazing in the open desert. The cabin is warm when they arrive. They go to bed together and Jeremy remembers the time they sat and ate lunch together on the field trip. Jeremy sleeps soundly after they have sex. He is woken in the night when Nora rises to go to the bathroom. A sound he mistakes for an animal outside is actually Nora sobbing. He calls her name, but she does not answer. 

Nora tries to understand what about Jeremy has “tempted” (101) her. She cries in the bathroom and tries to muffle the sounds of her sobs. When Jeremy enters, she tells him he can leave. He refuses to abandon her so spends a long time simply holding her. They return to bed and Nora asks “why him?” (101) in reference to her father. Jeremy assures her that “there is no why” (101). He talks about the deaths of his mother and his comrades as well as his own struggles with grief. Nora cannot sleep. Jeremy holds her until dawn when he dresses and says goodbye. 

Efraín trips over and falls with bags full of groceries. He blames a picture of Driss pinned to the market notice board. The poster offers a reward of $25,000 for any information about Driss’ death. Efraín struggles with whether he should claim the reward or continue to avoid police scrutiny. He gathers up his groceries as he ponders the dilemma. He decides to at least write down the name of Detective Coleman in case he wishes to contact her at a later date. Efraín feels as though Driss has invaded his life. He resolves to wait out the dead man just as he waited out Marisela’s first husband.

Coleman’s son Miles talks constantly about Murphy’s son Brandon. She is happy that he is making friends but still worries about his schoolwork. He is angered by this and reminds her that “you’re not my mom” (105). Miles was still an infant when she met Ray. Their marriage has not been easy, but she was always certain that she could count on Miles’ affections. She investigates why he is suddenly angry and discovers that Brandon has cancelled their plans to go to the movies. She wonders whether race is to blame. They enter the library together. Miles completes his homework while Coleman reads the email responses to the reward offer. As they leave the library, Coleman spots security cameras on the eaves of the building. 

Nora is in the grocery store when she receives a call from Coleman. The news shocks her so much that she abandons her cart in the aisle and drives to her parents’ house to collect her mother. Together they drive to the police station. Nora feels her skin break out in goose bumps as she and her mother are led through the building. The driver of the car is revealed to be Anderson Baker, the owner of the bowling alley. He has already confessed.

Maryam is shocked. She describes old grudges between Anderson and Driss regarding their neighboring businesses. Anderson claims that he thought he hit a coyote and only learned what had truly happened from the newspaper. He was worried about losing his license. Nora does not believe his claim and is shocked that he will likely not be charged with murder. She remembers attending school with Anderson’s son A.J. and calls him a “nasty kid” (108) who subjected her to racist taunting. Maryam recalls how the animosity between Driss and Anderson stemmed from an expansion to the restaurant which entitled the diner to extra parking spaces. Nora asks Coleman how she solved the case and Coleman explains about the library’s security cameras.

Nora and Maryam leave the police station. Nora does not feel relief or closure but a different kind of pain. As they drive home, Nora begins to think about her father’s death as a murder. This sentiment deepens as Maryam explains that the two men also fought about a Land Rover. Nora resolves to bring her father’s killer to justice. 

Driss recalls a day during a slow period for the business when a number of tourists were waiting at the diner when he arrived. He began to serve people when Anderson burst in and demanded to know who owned the Land Rover parked in one of his business’ parking spots. Driss was busy counting money and Anderson was even more infuriated. The two men had disagreed in the past but Driss wondered what had set Anderson into such a rage. He began to ask the customers about the Land Rover but did not move fast enough. Anderson shouted his demand that the vehicle be moved but none of Driss’ customers claimed ownership.

In the weeks after the incident, Driss had to be even more careful about his customers parking in Anderson’s spots as well as other minor conflicts between the two neighboring businesses. Driss felt that he was constantly being watched. He told himself to be patient and to try and set their problems aside. 

The courts file a formal charge against Anderson Baker. Nora is selected at the security point for a “random pat-down” (113) and has spent most of her life dealing with such supposedly random encounters. She meets her mother inside the court but learns that Salma is unable to come. The room is busier than expected and Nora watches a number of cases pass through the court before Anderson arrives. The bowling alley owner appears downtrodden and he searches for his wife, son A.J., and granddaughter in the crowd. Nora begins to feel unprepared and resents her sister for missing the filing.

Anderson pleads “not guilty” (114). Nora listens to Anderson’s lawyer speak and begins to worry. The prosecutor seems underprepared and tired. He offers no opposition to the defendant posting bail. Nora turns to her mother and tells her that “it’s over” (115). Anderson can be freed by the evening. Maryam and Nora exit the courtroom in a daze. Before they can leave, A.J. Baker calls out to Nora. 

Jeremy talks to Nora about her day at the courthouse while she stirs a stew in the small cabin kitchen. She did not respond to A.J. and recalls his racist behavior to her in high school. A.J. had scrawled the word “raghead” (116) on Nora’s locker. Jeremy remembers people using that word constantly in Iraq, including himself. He reveals that A.J. also used to mock him because of his weight.

Nora is not hungry, but she sits with Jeremy while he eats. She cannot believe that she stood and listened to A.J. talk about the “tragic accident” (117). She shook his hand in a confused daze. They go for a walk after Jeremy finishes his food. Darkness falls by the time they return. Jeremy wakes up the next day after a deep sleep. He makes coffee and thinks about how the situation still does not “seem real” (118). He offers to change the filter pads on the swamp cooler. Once he is finished, they stand together in the cool air. 

A.J. has always helped to run the bowling alley but struggles to deal with the customers. He was always closer to his mother than his father, but this did not help him talk to the girls in his school. A.J. hated that he could not formulate a clever reply to their comments and so spent more time with his dogs than with any people. He found his niche when he joined the wrestling team. The girls were suddenly in a rush to talk to him and he spent more time with Stacey Briggs and her older brother Lee. A.J. and Lee remained friends even after A.J. and Stacey broke up. Eventually, A.J. graduated college and then started his own business in Irvine. He was forced to move home to help his mother when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Returning to small town life was hard. He was shocked to see Nora at the courthouse because he knew both of them had always wanted to leave yet both of them had come back to the small town of their childhoods. 

Nora decides to prove to everyone that her father’s death was “not an accident” (122). She arrives at the diner and orders food. While she eats, she asks the staff about the incident with the Land Rover. Veronica the waitress worked that day. She explains her resentment toward a woman who works in the police department who ran away with her husband. Nora notes that she cannot escape “stories of infidelity” (123) and thinks about Max. She had set herself to wait for Max’s response but is still surprised at what happened with Jeremy. Her time with Jeremy is a private solace away from the complications of the rest of her life but she does not want to allow herself to be drawn into a relationship at this difficult time.

Nora watches the customers and notices how the diner needs a refurbishment. The restaurant remains busy and she wonders whether this is why Anderson begrudged her father. She goes to her mother in the small back office. Papers and bills are piled high on the desk. Driss typically kept everything very ordered. Nora wonders whether her mother knows about her father’s affair. They search through the papers for a handwritten note from Anderson which was fixed to the door of the Land Rover on the day of the incident. The note demands that the diner customers “PARK IN YOUR SPACES ONLY!” (126) and Nora plans to show it to Coleman.

Maryam reveals to Nora that she and Salma want to sell the restaurant. Nora protests because Driss would not have wanted to sell. She does not want to give Anderson exactly what he wants. Maryam has already talked to a realtor, but she agrees to allow Nora time to think. Nora leaves. She feels betrayed and wants everything to stay the same as it was when her father was alive. 

Coleman drinks coffee in the break room when Jeremy enters. She has investigated her son’s social media account and found a shirtless picture of Miles’ friend Brandon. The situation seems clear to her, but she has no idea how to raise it with Miles or Ray. Jeremy and Coleman chat about work and the hit and run case. Nora’s insistence that her father’s death was not an accident means that Coleman cannot yet close the case.

The staff at the diner have confirmed the animosity between Driss and Anderson while a worker at the bowling alley suggested that Anderson was annoyed that Driss had outbid him on the launderette next to their businesses many years ago. Coleman thinks she is missing something important. Jeremy mentions that he knows Nora and that they have started dating. Coleman insists that Jeremy disclose the relationship to the sergeant. 

Maryam invites Nora on a shopping trip in Palm Desert. They shop together and Nora suddenly realizes that they are “doing something completely ordinary” (132) for the first time since her father’s death. She notices that her mother is still mourning and wonders how much Maryam truly knew about her husband. They talk about the cabin and Nora wonders about the identity of her father’s mistress. Their conversation drifts. Maryam pleads with her daughter to sign up for law school with her inheritance money. Nora finds her mother’s demands intolerable. Her sympathies switch from her mother to her father, who never demanded that she be a different person. The shopping trip ends, and Nora returns to the cabin. 

Salma remembers her first experiences of life in America. She learned the language while studying her family and those around her. Life in the desert was tough and she looked forward to starting school. As the years went by, she adjusted to the new country but “it will be years before [she encounters] the word passing” (135). Suddenly there was a new child in the house and life changed again. Nora has darker skin and darker hair than her sister. Salma pinched her baby sister when no one was around and Nora cried.

Salma was a model student and a sensible teenager. She remembers the day the king of Morocco died, and the funeral was broadcast on the television. Her father shouted at the screen and her mother urged him to be quiet. The family returned to Casablanca for the first time and Salma barely recognized her former home or her grandmother. Moroccans mistook her for American.

After college Salma studied dentistry. She met a fellow student who was equally as sensible and also spoke Arabic. They married and opened a dental practice together. Salma’s parents are proud, and her mother chides Nora for not being more like Salma. Each time she says this, Salma feels “a special thrill” (136). Work is tiring and Salma begins to take Vicodin. Her husband notices that the painkiller stocks are disappearing. He is not yet suspicious. Eventually, he asks Salma to see a specialist or talk to her mother. The idea of Maryam finding out about Salma’s drug addiction terrifies Salma. She promises to see a specialist but never does. 

Maryam abandons the diner, so Nora has to take over in place of her mother. She begins to manage the restaurant and is surprised at how quickly the role returns to her. The work is tough, and she begins to wonder how the long-term staff cope. Marty is the exemplar. One day, he asks Nora whether she is taking over from her mother. Nora does not know. Marty raises the subject of a raise, promised to him by her father the previous year. Nora agrees to ask her mother about the raise. She begins to wonder how she can convince her mother to hold on to the restaurant. Her inheritance will not cover everything. The inheritance could be combined with the sale of a restaurant to give her a long time to work on her music. The time would provide everything she ever wanted but it would also mean that Anderson Baker succeeds in driving her father out of town. She cannot allow that to happen. 

Nora rarely leaves the cabin, but she agrees to visit Jeremy’s house for dinner. He hands her flowers when she arrives, and she asks him who taught him to cook. Jeremy explains that he taught himself after his mother’s death. They sit and eat. Nora’s voracious appetite pleases Jeremy and she talks about her busy day. Jeremy talks about his day, which involved a domestic dispute and a meth addict. After dinner he has the feeling that Nora is appraising him and deciding something about their lives. She is interrupted by the doorbell.

Fierro is at the door. Jeremy has forgotten about their trip to the gun range. Fierro and Nora talk about music. Nora makes excuses and makes for the door. Jeremy chases after her and apologizes. Nora tells him everything is fine and then leaves. Jeremy returns to Fierro and endures the quizzing from his friend. They go to the gun range.

The range is busy, and they have to wait for their turn. Jeremy tries to reconcile his idea of Nora with the idea of the gun range. They seem incompatible. Jeremy and Fierro talk about their friends from the military. Jeremy remembers an incident from his early days in Iraq when the unit’s lieutenant and sergeant clashed. The sergeant had been a father figure in Jeremy’s life. A lane comes free and the two men begin to fire down the range. They finish, drive home, and say goodbye. Jeremy returns his gun to its locker and then heads to Nora’s cabin.

Jeremy arrives at the cabin and finds it unlocked. He lets himself in and lays beside the sleeping Nora. She wakes and they talk about guns. Jeremy turns the conversation to Nora’s music. He worries that their relationship is doomed to end but she shows him the composition she has striven to finish. Jeremy finds the piece beautiful and appreciates that Nora has opened up to him. He worries that one day she might expect the same from him.