We Are Called to Rise

More of Bashkim’s life as a foster child is revealed. One of his foster brothers, Daniel, is celebrating his birthday. Mrs. Delain asks Bashkim to put the candles in the cake, but doing so reminds him of Tirana’s third birthday, and this ruins his mood. He goes upstairs to watch cartoons with Daniel and thinks about how he would see Daniel at school on the playground but never knew he was a foster kid—in fact, he never even knew what a foster home was until now. Bashkim describes his life in the busy foster home. He has three teenage siblings there, and they undertake family projects like building forts together and making rap songs. Bashkim likes everyone there except Ricky, who gets mad and once broke a doorknob. Daniel assures him that Ricky isn’t so bad compared to “some other kids that have lived here” (281). Bashkim misses his family and wonders how they are doing. He also worries that Baba wouldn’t be capable of taking care of him and his sister. He doesn’t know what will happen and is upset that someone else gets to decide his family’s future.

Daniel’s birthday begins, but no one he invited from the school shows up.