Bedros Aroosian is the second husband of Nafina, Peter's grandmother. Bedros is mentioned only briefly in the novel, as his daughter Lucille tells him of his own genocide tale, but the story reminds readers that even those not directly affected by the genocide were still affected. Bedros, arriving in the US in 1903 ahead of the slaughter, became a silk mill worker. He used most of his earnings to bring his family, other than his parents, who were killed in the genocide, over from Turkey. With the rest, he purchased shoes, with the idea of taking them to Turkey and selling them for a profit. He took five hundred pair of shoes by boat to Turkey. When he arrived, he was told to wait on board until his packages were unloaded. When he arrived at the baggage area, he realized the shoes had been stolen by the Turks. He returned to the ship and sailed back to the United States, empty handed.