Paul may not be allowed to go to Luis's funeral, but he can still pay his last respects to his old friend in his own unique way. He does this by staging a bizarre, but heartfelt ritual in his backyard. Paul puts on a blue suit—and just the suit, no shoes or socks—which we presume he would've worn to the funeral. He then proceeds to dig a hole in the dirt beneath the sand in which he cries bitter tears over the death of his dear, departed friend. The symbolism of Paul's strange ritual act of remembrance is significant. Not only does it emulate Luis's burial, it also expresses Paul's understanding of the importance of the soil in giving life to the tangerine trees. In that sense, Paul's unique memorial service for his fallen friend is as much a celebration of life as it is a mourning over death.

Paul was warned by Theresa, Luis's sister, to stay away from the funeral, that there were hard feelings. Paul was devastated. He wanted to attend to show War Eagle loyalty to the fallen brother of a team mate and a friend. He put on his suit with no shirt, socks, or tie, and went out to the wall in his back yard. There he dug up the sod and removed the sand to get to the soil. Then, he put his face down to the soil and inhaled, breathing in the essence of the earth as Luis had taught him. At that point, Paul sobbed for the loss of a respected friend and mentor and for the shame of being Erik's brother. Erik caused the death of Luis, but Paul was afraid to come forward with the details. Paul replaced all of the sand and sod, then threw his suit in the garbage.