Shooting Kabul

Fadi spends the rest of the day in a bathroom stall. He distracts himself by thinking about Claudia, who also hides in a bathroom during her escape, but he understands that his situation will not turn out so neatly: “Claudia had had her fun at the museum, had had her mystery solved by meeting Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and then had headed home with her brother, safe and sound” (2043-2048). Even though he understands that his life is not like a book, he still sees himself as the villain in his family’s story.

After school, the group of boys who want to take revenge on the bullies see Fadi and tell him their plan. The boys succeed in ambushing Ike and Felix, but Fadi stops them before any real violence takes place. He realizes he does not want to stoop to their level. The boys insult Ike and Felix and throw them in the lake.

Chapter 24 takes place at the train station and on the train as the class travels to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Fadi has already apologized to Ms. Bethune and explained why winning the context was so important to him. She tells him that he should not blame himself: “bad things happen to good people. And you were in a bad, bad situation” (2151). Ms. Bethune tells him what happened was determined by fate, and her advice echoes Anh’s comment that fate separated her parents. For the first time, Fadi considers that Mariam’s situation may not be his fault. Ms. Bethune suggests that the class hold a fundraiser to buy Fadi a plane ticket to Peshawar. Once again, sharing his story has given Fadi hope. 

At the Exploratorium, Fadi admits that the winning photos have merit, and he decides not to be a sore loser. For the first time, he has a positive thought about winning an honorable mention: “At least I made it into the top fifty” (2262). Clive Murray approaches Fadi and compliments his photo. He recognizes Fadi’s skill as a photographer, and Fadi has a surge of pride. Clive invites Fadi to look at his own photos taken in various war zones around the world. They discuss the difficulty of getting the right lighting, and Clive advises Fadi to take more risks with his photography and not to be afraid to make mistakes. While looking at Clive’s photos, Fadi spots a girl in a bright pink burka. Clive says he took the photo recently at a refugee camp on the Pakistan-Afghan border. Fadi cannot believe that even though he did not win the contest, he has found Mariam. 

With Clive Murray’s help, the Nurzais discover the location of the refugee camp. Habib calls the American consulate and tells them where to find Mariam. Three days later, Mariam arrives in San Francisco with all the family waiting for her at the airport. That night at dinner, Mariam regales the family with the story of how she crossed the border. Fadi notices that she is thinner, but she seems as animated as ever. He smiles at the Barbie doll, Gulmina, that is still by Mariam’s side. The story ends with Fadi reaching over to hold Mariam’s hand.