Joe thanks Nelly for trying to rescue him at the Invictus Games, where broken warriors try to piece themselves back together. But his heart, he tells her, is still entangled in the Eastern promises he made long ago — to family, to country, to the ghosts of Yugoslavia that won’t let him rest. The time has come. He can’t ignore the calling anymore.
He’s out here trying to collect enough loot — one job, one hustle, one favor at a time — to buy his way to Munich, to see her again. Will it be war or peace? Salvation or destruction? They’ve both danced at the edge of both. Joe doesn’t know.
But one thing’s been gnawing at him: Will Nelly come back to her Catholic roots? Back to faith, family, and mystery? Or will Toronto’s cosmopolitan blur — its Sex-in-the-City nihilism — keep her numb and distracted?
Our Lady of Medjugorje awaits.
Maybe she still prays for them both.
And the world — for once — will hold its breath.
JCJ
