"Welcome to the Hyatt Jeddah." "I need you shiny and bright here, Alan." "Look, we both know the only reason you got this job is your connection to the king's nephew." "You're in charge of a deal that's pivotal for the company, which makes it even more pivotal for you." "But you've got more questions than answers here." "And that makes me uncomfortable." "There are unanswered questions here because I haven't been to Saudi yet." "I can't presume to know the lay of the land or the state of the king's mind." "You've been on the bench for a while, Alan." "This isn't the Schwinn days." "You're not selling bicycles to kids anymore." "So I need to know that you're on point, that you're going to close this." "This is sales." "You make estimates." "And you make plans." "But then you get there and everything changes." "But you make the sale." "I know, I'm sorry." "I got in really late last night and I forgot to set the alarm." "Don't worry, we're just getting set up." "Hold on." "Do you guys know how Alan can get a ride out here?" "Maybe he should rent a car." " Can you rent a car, Alan?" " I'll figure it out." " Front desk." " This is Alan Clay." "Who am I speaking with?" " My name is Edward, sir." " Edward." "Where are you from, Edward?" " Jakarta, Indonesia, sir." " Jakarta!" "Indonesia." "Edward, what would you think of me renting a car through the hotel?" "Do you have an international driver's license?" "No, I don't." "Then, no, I don't think it would be possible to do this." " Well, could I hire a car and a driver, then?" " Where to?" "The King's Metropolis of Economy and Trade." "Morning." "Excuse me." " Are you Alan Clay?" " Are you the driver?" "Driver, guide, hero." "Yousef." "Oh, no, no, no." "I'm not a chauffeur." "Get in the front." "There's a water, if you like." "You sure this thing will get us there?" "I drive this thing to Riyadh all the time." "It never fails me." "Just one second." " So, everything's okay?" " Oh, yeah, no." "I just had to disconnect the engine before I came into the lobby." " Why?" " To make sure no one wires it." "You mean hot-wires it to steal it?" "No, I mean wiring it to explode." "No, no." "It's nothing terroristic." "This... just this guy who thinks I'm screwing his wife." "He might be trying to kill me." "Here we go." " So, I'm in a car that might explode?" " No, no, no, no, no." "It's nothing to worry about." "I don't think he knows how to wire a car that way." "He's not a tough guy, he's just rich." "It would only be possible if he hired someone." "If you were this rich guy, you would hire someone to wire the car of the man screwing your wife, yes?" "Fuck." "Now you got me scared." "Anyway, Alan?" "Where are you from?" "Boston." "Ah, yeah, Boston." "I've been to Alabama." "One year of college." " You studied in Alabama?" " Yeah." "Why Alabama?" "You mean because I was the only Arab for 1,000 miles?" "I had a scholarship for one year in Birmingham." " Birmingham?" " Yeah." "Oh, I like Birmingham." "Are you hungry?" "You want something to eat?" "You mean like stop at a restaurant?" "We just got in the car." " We could go to a place in the old city." " No, I'm in a hurry, remember?" "Oh, you're late?" "No, they didn't tell me you were late." "No, we should be going this way if you're late." " Do you like Chicago?" " Not in the winter." " No, the band." " Oh." " How long is the drive?" " To KMET?" " What?" " The King's Metropolis of Economy and Trade." " We call it KMET." " Yes, to KMET." "Is that where we're going?" "Just kidding." "It's about an hour." " What time you supposed to be there?" " Eight, eight-thirty." "Oh." "You'll be there at noon." "Hey, want a mint?" "No?" "Hey, you know what?" "I don't like Chicago." "Oh." "Okay." "Let's see what else we have on here, huh?" "Oh." " Hey, so, why are you going to KMET?" " Work." " Ah, you're in construction?" " No, I'm in IT." "Ah, IT." "But you know there's nothing happening there." " Well, not yet." " No, not ever." "I've done my due diligence." "I'm presenting out there." "It's full steam ahead." "Okay." "See for yourself." "Look, they're sweeping sand in a desert." "I'm guessing these aren't union men." "Oh, we don't have unions here." "We have Filipinos." " Ah, Mr. Clay?" " Yes." "We've been expecting you." "I'm Sayed." "Sayed." "Salaam alaikum." "I'm sorry to hear that you missed the shuttle." "I understand the hotel had some trouble waking you." " I'm sorry I'm late." " The king won't be coming today." "So your tardiness is inconsequential." "Is my Relyand team somewhere in here?" "No, they're in the presentation area." " Follow me." "Some juice?" " Oh, thank you." "So, Mr. Clay, allow me to conjure Our Majesty's dream." "This is where we are right now." "And this is the city in the year 2025." "Hosting a minimum of 1.5 million." "Port is there." "Industrial city." "University." "Business center." "Life and leisure park." "Very impressive." "I have to go." "Here, in case you sleep in again." "Full steam ahead!" "We'll see you at 3:00." "Over there in the main building." "Ask for Karim Al-Ahmad." "He's your primary contact." " My team is in there?" " Yes." " In a tent?" " Yes." "I trust you'll find everything inside." "Howdy." "There he is." "Hey." " Cayley." "Brad." "Good to see you." " Alan." " Rachel." " Welcome." "So, how are you guys doing in here?" "Fine, but we can't get a Wi-Fi signal." "Except for a faint one from that big pagoda." "I mean the office building." " Asked anyone about it?" " We figured we'd wait for you." "We've been trying to e-mail Karim." "Karim Al-Ahmad." "I have a meeting with him at 3:00." " That's great." " Which is soon." "Yeah, that's not gonna work." " But what if the king arrives today?" " He won't." "I was told he wouldn't." " Oh, good." " And you've met him before?" "The king?" "No." "No, no, no." "I..." "I just met his nephew." "And that was years ago." " Was he a prince?" " Yeah." "Yes, he was." "And he still is." "What do you call a fish with no eye?" " I don't know." " Fshshsh." "Anyway, look, the king is not coming today." "So you guys can just relax." "Shouldn't we call corporate and let them know that conditions here are untenable?" "No, Brad, we should wait until I talk to Karim Al-Ahmad at 3:00." "Do you know why we're not in that building?" "Well, maybe all the vendors are in here." "And maybe we're just the first." "Kind of weird being Relyand and being out here." "It's a brand-new city." "It's uncharted territory." "And we are the trailblazers." "Where are we supposed to eat?" "Guys, come on!" "We are in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." "With the deserts and the camels and the sheikhs and the tents!" "Oh!" "Oh, my God!" "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "Don't you know?" "They can only kill me with a golden bullet." "Golden bullet, you get it?" "It's "Lawrence of Arabia"?" "Who?" " Hello there." " Hello." " What is your name?" " My name is Maha." "Maha." "Great." "Where are you from?" "My name is Alan Clay." "I'm with the Relyand Group." "I have an appointment at 3:00 to speak to Mr. Karim Al-Ahmad." "I'm sorry to say he's stuck in Jeddah." "He won't be able to make it today." " He's stuck in Jeddah?" " Yes, sir." "But he said he'll be here tomorrow all day and you can name the time you want to meet." "Oh, okay, but I'm with the Relyand Group and we are out in that tent down there." "And we can't get a good Wi-Fi signal, which is essential to our presentation." "I think Mr. Al-Ahmad will be the one to speak to about this." " He's in charge of the vendors in the tent." " Understood." "And any time tomorrow will be fine." "It will all get sorted, I'm sure." "Okay." "Thank you, Maha." "You don't know how to pay for college?" "Sell the house." "How long does it take to sell this fucking house?" " Ruby, I can't change the real estate..." " Bullshit!" "Just sell it, for Christ's sakes." "Then pay for your daughter's education." "College is your thing." " Welcome to the Hyatt Jeddah." " Good night, guys." "See you in the morning." " Hello?" " Hi, Alan." "I've got Eric Randall for you." " Okay, great." " What do you mean he didn't show up?" "Well, he got stuck in Jeddah." "It's tomorrow now, but we'll be fine, I'm sure." "Okay, but don't forget to call me first thing after that meeting." " I've got Mike Winston on the other line." " Oh, put him through." "Hello, Kitty." "Hey, Dad." "I hope your trip is going well." "Is it hot over there?" "A little dusty?" "That's a joke." "I'm a joker." "Everything is fine here." "Not totally fine." "Mom called last night and wanted to do what she always wants to do... blame you for everything." "But I'm fine missing a semester or two of college." "I'm so sorry, Kitty." "It's actually doing me good." "Dad." "It's okay." "I can use the break to rack up some extra tip money." "I'm good at this." "Yeah, but don't get used to it." "You're going to college." "Listen, Dad." "I trust you." "Don't listen to Mom." "She said, "What's he doing in the desert?" "His problems are here."" "I told her that you know what you're doing." "And then she gets on me for taking your side." "She says I'm like you, can't see the big picture, lacking ambition." "The usual bullshit." "Maybe just prove her wrong, Dad." "Prove her wrong." " Front desk." " This is Alan Clay." "Is it possible for me to get a beer or something?" "I'm sorry, sir, but consuming alcohol is strictly prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." "Ah, yes, of course." " How about a Diet Coke?" " Diet Pepsi?" "Sure, okay." "Thanks." " Hello?" " Hey, Dad." "It's Alan." "Alan?" "You sound like you're on the moon." "No, I'm in Saudi Arabia." "Oh, what are you doing in Saudi Arabia?" "Well, it's actually pretty interesting, Dad." "I'm here with Relyand, and we're pitching a new IT system to the king." "We have this remarkable teleconferencing equipment and we're presenting to the king himself." "It's a three-dimensional holographic meeting..." "Know what I'm watching on TV here, Alan?" "No, what are you watching?" "I'm watching this thing on how a gigantic bridge in Oakland, California, is being built in China." "Can you imagine that?" "They're building our goddamn bridges." "I got to say, Alan, when you took Schwinn over there to China and sacked 900 of our homeland people," "I could see the rest of it coming." "Makes sense if you're some shitass bloodthirsty executive hell-bent on hollowing out the economy for his own gain." "Nature of the beast." "But the bridges?" "I did not see it coming." "Oh, Lord, and you're over there in Saudi Arabia..." " Dad, you're breaking up." " Selling holograms to the pharaohs!" " Are you there, Dad?" "You're breaking up." " Now that takes the..." "Oh, damn it." "God damn it." " I missed my shuttle again." " But it's my day off." "Just kidding." "I'm available." " How long do you need?" " 17 minutes." "Make it 23." "You were in the lobby for, what, five minutes?" "What kind of bomb could anyone install in five minutes?" "How would I know?" "I watch the same TV shows as you." " Ready?" " Don't make it more dramatic." "Whew." " Hey, you like Electric Light Orchestra?" " Yeah." "Hey, that's the mosque I see from my balcony." "There was something going on there yesterday." " A lot of people." " Yeah, that's where they do the executions." "You mean outside, publicly?" "Yes." "You want to go back and check out what's going on now?" "No!" "No." "Hey, do you mind?" "Not at all." "Good morning." " Do we have good Wi-Fi?" " Nope." "All right." "Hello." "Maha, what's happening?" "Excuse me?" " Is Mr. Karim Al-Ahmad in?" " I'm afraid he's not." " He is in Riyadh today." " You assured me he would be in all day." "I know, but his plans changed last night." "I'm so sorry." "Let me ask you something, Maha." "Are you sure there isn't someone I can talk to about our presentation to the king?" "I'm afraid not." "Mr. Al-Ahmad really is your primary contact." "He'll be back tomorrow." "He guaranteed it." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "You look new." "Oh, hi." "I'm supposed to meet somebody." " Are you Alan Clay?" " I am indeed." "Hello, my name is Hanne." "I work for Karim." "He's not going to be in today, so he told me to look out for you." "Well, it's nice to meet you, Hanne." "Where are you from?" "I was just about to have a smoke." "Join me?" " Water?" " Please." " Wow." " I know." "We live like teenagers here." "Hiding our vices from that... shadowy army of parents." " Oh!" " Oh, my God." " Are you okay?" " I'm fine." " Sure?" " Yes." "Thank you." "Aw, that's..." "I'm having a squabble with the chairs in this kingdom." " Sit with me." " Yeah." "This is better." " So you're from Relyand?" " Recently, yeah, yeah." "We hope to supply the city with its IT." "But I'm trying to get an idea of the timeline of when the king will come in." "I hope they didn't make any promise to you." "Well, no." "No, not really, but I was led to believe our process would be fast-tracked." "Wow, that would be good for all of us." "The king hasn't been here in a while." "How long is a while?" "Well, I've been here 18 months and he hasn't been here yet." "How's the jet lag?" "Have you adjusted?" "Actually, I feel like a pane of glass that needs to be shattered." "Oh." "Have you got pills?" "No." "No!" "I figured I'd be executed at customs." "I have something for you." " Do you have good Wi-Fi here?" " Uh, sometimes, yeah." "But, you know, Wi-Fi is the least of our problems." "There you go." " Olive oil?" " That's what you tell anyone who asks." "Have a little taste when you get back to the hotel." "I'm pretty sure it will shatter your glass." "Okay, team!" "Here's what I got." "One... no update yet on the food." "Two... and I quote, "Wi-Fi is the least of our problems."" "And three... the king is coming, just nobody knows when." "That's all Mr. Al-Ahmad told you?" "I didn't meet with him." "I will tomorrow, hopefully." "So, should we set up today?" "Yes." "Unpack the rest of the gear." "Check that we're ready for showtime." "I think we should expect the unexpected." " This is Alan." " I've got Eric Randall for you." "So, did you meet the guy?" "Karim Whatshisname?" "No, but I met his associate." "Very nice woman from Denmark." "From Denmark?" "And?" "Really encouraging." "We should be ready to roll by tomorrow afternoon, I think." " Welcome to the Hyatt Jeddah." " You mean the king is coming tomorrow?" " Bye, Alan." " Probably not tomorrow, but she said Mr. Al-Ahmad will confirm specifics very soon." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Alan, half the board is calling me just about every 20 minutes." "Steve Milligan on the line." "Jesus, you have to give me something more exciting." "Okay." "Dear Kit, you say that your mother has always been emotionally unreliable." "That's true to a certain extent." "But who among us is completely stable all the time?" "Dear Kit, from this godforsaken hotel room" "5,000 miles away," "I offer you this confession and ask you for your forgiveness." "I've made your short life one of burden and worry when you should have been living carefree." "My penance for blowing it is my being here, a salesman, back going door-to-door, with my own burden being this mini hump on my back, which is either a disease about to eat my spine..." " Dad!" " Or a sack of spiders growing under my skin." " Dad!" " Your mother would be pleased either way." "Stop this, please." "Stop smoking, Kitty." "So, forgive me for not being the father you deserve, for not providing you with the means to follow your dreams." "All I can do now, and for who knows how long, is hope an opening comes along that I can somehow squeeze through... and make things right." "Oh..." "Ah!" "Ah." " Are you available?" " Alan, you sound terrible." "Were you run over by a camel?" " Can you take me to KMET?" " Of course." "Are you missing your shuttles on purpose to spend more time with Yousef, your guide and hero?" "You are using too many words." "Hey, do you like reggae?" "So, where'd you get the booze, huh?" " Excuse me?" " I know a hangover when I see one." " Where did you get it?" " I would rather not say." "What, you think you might endanger your source?" " Oh, you think that's funny?" " I do, yeah." "But, listen, you don't need to go to KMET today." "There's no way the king is coming." "He's in Yemen." " Yousef, what are you doing?" " Taking care of you." " Right here?" " Yeah, it's not too far." "Where are we going?" " Well, you said you wanted to try real Arabic food." " I didn't say that." "You'll do great." "It's the best hangover cure in town." "Come on." " That was her." " Who?" "The woman I shouldn't be talking to." "Jameelah's her name." "A gorgeous girl." "Very beautiful, you know?" "But, unfortunately, not very smart." "Sweet, but dumb as a goat." "Anyway, she's married to this older guy." "This older man is very rich." " But also a bit strange." " Strange?" " I think he's some kind of international swinger." " What does that mean?" " I think he goes to Europe and has sex with boys." " So he's gay?" "Gay?" "No." "You think that means he's gay?" "Anyway, a few weeks ago, she starts sending me these texts." "At first they were just bored, like, "What are you doing?"" "Blah, blah." "But recently they've gotten really sexy." "If he'd seen any of those messages, I'd be dead." "She'd definitely be dead." "So she's jeopardizing her life for these texts?" " Her again." " Why do you talk to her like that?" " What do you mean?" " That lovey-dovey way." "It's like she is your girlfriend." "She's a sweetie, you know?" " You need to sit down with him." " What?" "No." " No, no, no." " You need to sit down with him, and you gotta look him in the eye and you have to tell him you haven't done anything with his wife." " Because you haven't, right?" " No, nothing." "Never." "You tell him this." "This is how he knows you're telling the truth." "You look him in the eye." "Because if you actually were screwing his wife," " you'd never face him." " Mm-mm." "Trust me." "This is how you handle this." "Alan, your back." "What is that?" "I removed a scab." "Is it bad?" "You want to see a doctor?" "Alan, where are you?" "Why are you not out there?" " Because nothing is happening today." " Why not?" " The king is in Yemen." " Shit." " And where are you?" " At the doctor's." " Are you sick?" " No, it's nothing." "Don't worry." " I'll be fine." "Don't worry." " Okay, all right." " But don't forget..." " I think I have to go now." "I'll talk to you in the morning." "Bye, Eric." " Mr. Clay?" " Yes." "I'm Dr. Hakem." "Come inside." "Did you do something to it?" " I did a bit of investigating." " With what?" " A steak knife." " Was this an attempt on your life?" "No." " Are you on medication?" "Prozac?" " I'm not depressed." "I was curious." " I was just trying to see..." " You have a minor infection." "Well, what is it, that thing?" "I suspect it's just a lipoma." "And that's not bad?" "Well, if it's a lipoma, then it's just a growth, like a cyst." " So it's..." " Benign." " Are you sure?" " No, to be sure, we'd need to do a little bit more investigating." "It's just that it's so close to the spine and I haven't been well recently." "Not well?" "Clumsy, slow, lacking energy." " Can you specify?" " I don't know..." "I've lost direction, I think." "And strength and certain abilities." " For instance?" " I've always been pretty good at... creating simplicity." "Making complicated things and situations go smoother, easier." "So your feeling is that this bump is the cause of the loss of those capabilities?" " And that's unlikely, is it?" " I would say it's unlikely." "We should do a biopsy to make sure." " A biopsy?" " Yes, and then we send it to the lab." "Great." "This has you really worried, huh?" "Oh, I'm worried about a lot of things." "Okay, you can change now." "I had the same thing a few years ago, like a tightening in my chest." "When I got the EKG, I was so sure I'd find out I had a murmur or an irregular rhythm or something that would explain the fatigue." "And?" "And it was nothing." " That's too bad." " We're stuck with our stupid good health." "So, come back on Sunday" " and we'll take look at the results, okay?" " Sunday?" " Our weekends are Friday and Saturday." " Oh, right." "Right, right." " Will you be here on Sunday?" " Yes." " I'll see you then, Mr. Clay." " Thank you." "A woman doctor, huh?" " Where was she from?" " I don't know." " But she was Saudi?" " Yeah, I think so, why?" "We don't have many women doctors, so odds are against you running into one at first opportunity." " Was she veiled?" " Yeah, a hijab." "And you saw her alone?" "Interesting, interesting." "Hey, so what time tomorrow?" "Shut up." "Welcome to the Hyatt Jeddah." " This is Alan." " Hey, it's Hanne." " Good, how are you?" " I didn't ask you how you are." " I guess I felt you should know." " Okay." " Are you already in bed?" " No, why?" " There's a party at the embassy tonight." " At the Danish embassy?" "Name, please." "Soøren Kierkegaard." "City?" "Copenhagen." "Vodka." "I'm looking for Hanne." "Excuse me." "Hey, where were you?" "I don't know." "Where am I?" "Let's make a mistake." "Oh." "Okay." "You seem to have a plan." "I admire that." " This is how much I excite you?" " I'm sorry." "You're gorgeous." "But I can't help but be distracted by the fact that I'm a little drunk..." " Mm-hmm." " And I'm on the floor of the Danish ambassador's cloakroom with a beautiful woman I don't really know." "Mm." "Ooh." "Would you take offense if I tried something else?" "I wouldn't take offense, but I... prefer if you didn't." " So this is frustrating." " Yeah." "What do you think we should we do instead, then?" "Would you like to hear a really good joke?" " Hey, you like Elvis Presley?" " No!" "No!" "What?" "Yes." " Yes?" " Yes, just not now." "You know, your sleeping schedule is beginning to worry me." "I had a really weird night last night." " Yeah?" "What..." " I can't talk about it." " Why not?" " Because I promised not to." "Oh." "Okay, of course." "Yeah." "Oof." "What has happened?" "Hey, are you all right?" "Yeah." "What happened to the A/C?" "It just stopped working." "We've been asleep about an hour, sorry." "Any chance of the king showing up today?" "No, he's in Riyadh today." "All right, you know what?" "I've had enough." "I'm gonna go up there and come back with some answers about the A/C and the food and the Wi-Fi." "And at least some semblance of a timeline." "Wow, Alan, where's all this bluster coming from?" "I don't know, Rachel." "But I promise to utilize it to everyone's advantage." "Good morning." "Hello." "Hello, Maha." "How are you?" "Is Karim Al-Ahmad in today?" "I'm afraid he's not." "And will he be in today?" " I don't think so, he's in New York." " New York?" " What about Hanne?" " Hanne?" "Danish girl, works in payroll." " I..." " I'll be all right." "Thank you, Maha." "Excuse me." "Can I help you?" "I'm looking for Hanne, the Danish consultant." "I'm afraid she's in Riyadh today." "Can I help?" "Alan Clay." "I'm with the Relyand Group." "Karim Al-Ahmad." "Karim..." "Karim Al-Ahmad?" " You're not in New York?" " No, I'm not." "My apologies, Mr. Clay, but I have to leave for a meeting and I'm already late." "Why don't you join me and we can discuss a few things along the way?" "Where to?" "To that area of construction." "Where the condos are being built." "I'm meeting one of the architects." " Your receptionist said you were out today." " I'm sorry, she's new." " Were you here the last two days?" " No." "Nice." " Would you like to drive?" " Oh, no." "Ah, please." "Be my guest." "I assure you, no other vendor is more important to us than the Relyand Group." "Well, that's very good to hear." " But there are issues." " Tell me." "We cannot set up our presentation out there." " Why not?" " Because we are in a tent." "I'm sorry, but that's the designated presentation area." " We need a hard line." " I cannot do that." "We need very good Wi-Fi at least." "I will have it fixed." "What else?" "The air conditioning doesn't work." " My team is suffering." " It will be addressed immediately." "What else?" "How do we eat?" "We've been bringing food from the hotel." "After the weekend, you will have catered meals every day." "Anything else?" "How long will we be waiting for the king?" "Turn left here." " Is it days?" "Weeks?" " I do not know." "I don't know." " Months?" " I hope not." "Wow." "I can see you must be driving a sports car yourself in the US." "No, no, no." "It's an executive privilege thing." "We used to have private races down in Texas." "When you were with Schwinn?" "Yes." "I owned a Schwinn bike as a kid." " You did?" " Yeah." "I lived in New Jersey for about five years." "And then later in business school," "Schwinn was one of our case studies." "Mm." "Interesting period." "This way." "Schwinns were made in the US, the Raleighs in England, the Italian bikes, French..." "For a time, you had real international competition." "You were choosing between very different products with different heritages, sensibilities, techniques." " Well, that's gone now." " What happened, in your view?" " I thought you studied our case." " I did." " Schwinn went to China." " We did." "They could build our bikes a lot cheaper and a lot faster" " and it seemed like a good idea at the time." " But it wasn't?" "Well, obviously not." "We taught them how to build a good, solid bicycle." "They took that wisdom and started making all the bikes themselves." " Now they own the market." " Because they can sell them for nothing." "But it's just a matter of taking different stickers and putting them on the very same bikes." "It was built in the same factory somewhere in Asia, all the brands there are, and now Schwinn is just one of them." "Do you ever feel you might have done it differently?" " Me personally?" " You were on the board of Schwinn when all that happened, no?" "Do you think there might have been a way for the company to survive?" "In America, I mean." "It was complicated." "Hmm." "Do you know that some of our people are already living here?" " Really?" " Yeah." "You should take a look at one of the units." "Me?" "Why?" "You'll be spending some time implementing the IT plan, no?" "Well, yeah." "If we get the job, yeah." "Excuse me." "Huh." "This is going to take a few minutes." "Go ahead, it's on the fifth floor." "The elevators don't work just yet." "Take the stairs." "It's not a long way up." "Ring the doorbell at 501." "There's a man, Hassan, he'll show you everything." "I'll be with you shortly." " Mr. Clay, I presume." " Hassan?" "Very good to meet you." "Come in." "Karim Al-Ahmad called me." "He apologizes, he had to leave." "He ditched me?" "I don't know." "I was told to give you a ride." "Tea?" "Or something more compelling?" "Would you have a cold beer?" "Of course." " Oh, thank you." " You're welcome." "So, you actually live here?" "No, this is the sales room." "I have a separate space upstairs." "Ah." "So, how's business?" "Honestly, quite trying." " Oh, that's too bad." " We're not getting any firm commitments from anyone." "What about those restaurants you're promoting downstairs?" "When do they open?" "That's a bluff." "We haven't sold any spot to these companies." "Welcome to the Hyatt Jeddah." "Salaam alaikum?" "Yousef..." " I think I'm having a stroke or something." " Alan?" "Mr. Clay, don't sleep." "Look at me." "Have you been drinking?" "Speak to me." "You'll be okay." "As I said, you're stuck with your stupid good health." "Are you kidding?" "What happened to me?" "I couldn't breathe." "It was scary." "I think it was the scare that triggered the whole thing." "How do you mean?" "Those symptoms are usually indicators of what we call an anxiety attack, which often leads to a physical breakdown, and what with your jet lag and I'm sure this didn't help." " Am I going to jail?" " No, nobody saw it." "I think." " You did." " Yes." "Aren't you obliged to report I'm in possession of illicit beverages?" "No, but I don't think you should drink this stuff." "It's bad for you." "We have better booze in Jeddah." " I have a question." " Yes?" " What are you doing here?" " You called me." " I did?" " Yes, I was on a late shift." "I had just finished an operation." "Thank you." "Alan!" "Alan." "Yousef." " Salaam alaikum." " Alaikum salaam." " Oh, God, I called you, too." " You worried me." "I'm sorry." "Yousef, this is Dr. Hakem." " Oh, thank God." " You get some rest." " Try to relax over the weekend." " Thank you, I will." " What's going on?" " What do you mean?" "What's this Saudi woman doing here with you in the middle of the night?" "Well, she's my doctor." "You know, that's absurd, no?" "You and the Saudi woman doctor." " What are you talking about?" " She might be married." " For sure she has kids." " Yousef!" "There's a lot at stake for a woman like her." "Yousef, stop it." "What is wrong with you?" "I'm not having an affair with my doctor." "I'm sorry, Alan." " I'm sorry." " Are you okay?" "I heard some noises outside my house." "I got out of bed." "I saw three men standing at the window." "I nearly crapped my pants." " The husband?" " And his henchmen, yes." "They just stood there." "That was it." " I have to leave town." " Leave?" "Where to?" "To my father's place in the mountains." "They won't go there." "That's my home village." "Everyone there will look out for me." "We have guns and all that." "I'm sorry about what I said before." "How long is the drive?" " You like Rashed Al-Majed?" " Not bad." "It's my nephew, Salem." "He is coming, too." " This is my nephew, Salem." " Hey." "Salaam." " He's the grandson of my father's second wife." " Ah." " What are you?" " I'm the third son of his third." "My father has four wives." "Welcome to the KSA." "Ah, I forgot about that." "Oh, sorry." "You know who." "What does that mean, "Exit non-Muslims"?" "Huh?" "Yousef?" " What?" " Oh, shit." " What's going on?" " I missed the exit back there." "Stop it." "Hey, stop it!" "What's happening?" "You're not allowed to enter Mecca." "It's holy ground." "It's for Muslims only." " What?" " I forgot, you know?" "It's routine." "I always go this way." "Hey, want to get smuggled through the holy city?" "We can put you in a thobe, you'll pass." "If we get stopped, just quote your favorite verse from the Koran." " So that's the famous mosque?" " Al-Haram, yes." "Al-Haram." "Wow." "Actually, would you mind not looking at it?" "Oh, sure, yeah." "Yeah, sorry." "Yeah, I'm sorry." "Ah, shit." "What does it mean when you do that?" " Point up like that?" " That means "God will provide."" " And that works?" " It ends the discussion." "Cops." " Salaam alaikum." " Alan." "Alan." " Hello." " Want to come?" "No, I'll take a look around, okay?" " Salaam." " Salaam." " You need a ride?" " No, no, thank you." "I'm just out for a walk." "Taking some pictures?" "Yeah, it's a beautiful place." "I was watching you from above." " You take a lot of pictures." " Yeah, I guess." " American?" " Yeah." "All these pictures." "You work for CIA or something?" "Just a little freelance work." "Nothing full-time." " Alan!" " Sorry." "Sorry." " We thought you'd been kidnapped." " No." "I was..." "It was so beautiful, I kept exploring." "What's with these rifles?" "Ah, what I wanted to show you, actually." "This one belonged to my grandfather." " Oh, that's beautiful." " Yeah." "Hmm." "See, I thought you'd know something about rifles." "I used to be a decent marksman in my time." "Tonight, you want to hunt some wolves with us?" " Wolves?" " Yeah." "Where?" "Here?" "Yeah, apparently there's some wolves killing sheep lately and they're organizing a hunt." "Looking for anyone who can shoot." "Did you tell this guy you're with the CIA?" "Oh, he asked me if I worked for the CIA." "I said I just did some part-time freelance work for them." "Why would you say this?" "Well, it was a joke." "I was joking." " He asked me... it was a ludicrous question." " It's not ludicrous to him." "Now I have to convince him you're not with the CIA." "How do I do this?" "Well, if I was from the CIA, I wouldn't tell the first person who asked me." " Shake his hand." " What?" "Shake his hand." "Shake his hand." " You shouldn't have said that." " I know." " People don't like jokes like that." " I knew as soon as I said it." "It's like joking you have a bomb when you're in airport security." "That's the analogy I had in mind, yeah." "Let's go hunting, huh?" "That's where the sheep was taken last." " Were you ever in the army?" " No." "My dad was." " Where?" " He volunteered in Korea." " But you didn't want to join the army?" " Me?" "No." " Why not?" "No good wars?" " Exactly." "But you would have fought in WW2?" "I would have gone, would've tried to avoid the Pacific." " And if you were young now?" " Yousef, why all these questions?" "Are you thinking of joining the army?" " Maybe." " No, don't." "Don't." " Why not?" " No, you should go to college and finish and give yourself some options." " There are no options here, Alan." "You know that." " Well, then leave." "I prefer to stay here and have things be different." "It's nothing." "It's just the sheep." "Hey, Alan." "Would you fight for us?" "Fight for you how?" "No one's going to invade Saudi Arabia." "No, I know." "I'm curious." "Just about individuals." "Probably." "I think we have a lot of people willing to fight to support people who want to be free." "And Americans love a cause." "So if I start a democratic revolution here, you would support me?" " Oh, is this your plan?" " No, I'm just asking." "Would you?" " Of course." " How?" " Well, I don't know." " You would send troops?" " Me personally?" " No, you know what I mean." "The US." "Send troops?" "Not a chance." " Air support?" " Nope." "No." " Shock and awe?" " Here?" "No way." "What about personally?" "Would you personally come to support me?" " Yeah." " That was quick." " Well, I'm sure." " You're crazy." "I'll be back." "Welcome to the Hyatt Jeddah." "You'll... you'll wait here for me?" "So, you wait, right?" "Mr. Clay?" " Yes?" " Come in." "Please." "I'm confused." "Am I not meeting Dr. Hakem?" "Oh, no." "She's not in today." "But I've got these results here from your biopsy." " Please, have a seat." " Yes." "Now, we found some precancerous cells below." " Precancerous?" " Yes." "You should have it removed." " Have what removed?" " The lipoma, the whole thing, and the sooner the better." "We can do it here." "It's not a big deal." " When would that be?" " How about tomorrow?" "Hi." " What are you doing here?" " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Sorry." " Wow." " Alan." " What did you do?" " Did you resort to bribery or coercion?" " We've got a great, solid signal." " The food is amazing." " We've been trying to reach you." " I was out of town." " Well, whatever you did, it worked." " You're the man, Alan." " So, are we ready?" " One sec." " Hey, Dave." " Hey, Brad." "How's it going?" "Sorry." " Gotcha." " Me, too." "It's a bit low-res, but..." " Let me adjust this." " It's getting there." "There you are!" "Show me your movement ratio." " That should be your pretty face." " Yup." " And this is my hideout." " Got it." "Let's check projection stability with our favorite object." "Nice and easy." "So, is it really happening today?" "A great pleasure, Your Majesty." "Your Royal Highness, distinguished members of the royal family." "For centuries, business has been done in the same manner as friendships have been made." "With culture and language separated by the mere distance of a handshake." "In Boston, Massachusetts, your friends at Relyand have developed a new technology for virtual encountering on a global scale." "Allow us to give you a demonstration." "Hey, Alan." "Cheers." "Sticks and stones can break my bones... but holograms can never hurt me." "Alan, you're on with Eric." "Nice work, Alan." "Very nice." "Let's keep fingers crossed they don't choke on our budget." " Thrills galore." " Yeah, and we'll know soon." "Well, maybe we should celebrate that." "Do you need a ride?" "I think I should stay with my team." "Yeah, okay." "Are you the anesthesia man?" " Hello, Mr. Clay." "How are you today?" " I'm fine, thanks." "Good." "This is Dr. Wei from China and his assistant." " They'll support me with the procedure." " Dr. Wei from China." " Hi." " Let's do the marks here and antiseptic." " Hello, Mr. Clay." " Hello, Dr. Hakem." "I'm sorry I couldn't be here on time." "I didn't think I would see you again." "I'm taking over now." "The anesthetic should already work." " Is that warm enough?" " Yes." "Thank you." "Scalpel." "I will talk you through the entire operation, but it might be more comfortable for you to think of something completely different." "A good person." "A nice memory." "Or something you look forward to." "All right." "I will approach the affected area now with a small cut adjacent to the lesion." ""He took no notice of the village children and came enchanted thinking of Christmas Eve."" " You'll really love it." "Just listen to this." " No, Dad." " You promised." " It's a really great joke." "What?" "Now that I've made the necessary incisions, you might feel some tugging as I extract the cyst." " You're beautiful." " What are you doing here?" " I'm worried about a lot of things." " It'll be okay." "There it is." ""Dear Dr. Hakem."" "I hope this message finds you well." "Your skill made quick work of that cyst." "So I want to thank you again." "I've been feeling increasingly energized since the operation and I've already been able to transfer that energy to others successfully." "The only catch is now I don't have anything to blame my problems on." "That little growth explained everything, and now it's gone." "I am sincerely grateful, though, I think." ""Alan Clay."" ""Dear Mr. Clay, even though it went"" "a little harder than I expected, it was a simple extraction." "Usually the discovery that you're not dying of a malignant tumor leaves most people with their spirits high." "But you are not most people, are you?" ""Dr. Zahra Hakem."" ""Dear Dr. Hakem, actually, my spirits are very high indeed,"" "maybe too high." "I'm feeling a little dizzy." "The cause is mysterious." "But I have felt a strange new lump in my back." "I'm no doctor, but it feels like a rubber glove." "Is there a chance you left one?" "Sometimes people leave things like gloves with someone they like in hopes their retrieval will provide an excuse to see that someone again." ""Yours, Alan."" ""Dear Alan, I actually might have left something."" "I'm thinking a sponge?" "Or maybe part of a snack I ate during the surgery." "I think I need to see you again." "Perhaps out of the hospital?" "We don't want to worry your insurers." ""Zahra."" ""Dear Zahra, that's a very good idea."" "But to tell you the truth, I have no idea how this is done in the KSA." "I mean Mr. Alan Clay meeting Dr. Zahra Hakem outside of the hospital." ""And I hope it doesn't appear too inappropriate to ask you for advice."" ""I'll pick you up on Wednesday at noon."" "I'll write your initials on a card" ""and put it on the windshield."" " How are you today?" " Great, great." "How are you?" "Very good." "Water?" " I still need to apologize." " For what?" "The other day." "I invaded your privacy." "Oh." "Those were unforeseeable circumstances." " You seemed troubled." " I was." "I'm having legal issues with my husband." "We're getting divorced." "It's ugly." "I had just returned from court that morning." "And is it all sorted out now?" "It will be soon, I think." "It's in his hands, unfortunately." " You mean legally?" " Yes." "Divorce is complicated in this country." "It's pretty complicated in all countries." "So, the drive will be more than an hour." "By the time we get there, we'll know everything important about each other." " Okay." " I have children." " I assumed." "Me, too." " You assumed?" "Well, maybe not assumed." "I assumed it was possible." "I thought you meant you saw something in my hips." "You know, the way people can see from the way a woman walks." "Oh, I'm not that clever." " Well, they're teenagers now." "They live with me." " What are their names?" "Rania, she's 14, Mustafa, he's 15." "I'm trying to prevent him from becoming an asshole like his father." "Any advice?" " Does he tell you anything?" " Did you tell your mother anything?" "Get him alone somewhere." "Something like camping." "I can't take my son camping." "We don't go camping here." "We don't live in Maine." " How many kids do you have?" " One." "A daughter." "Kit." "She's 21." " Does she tell you anything?" " She does." "But I'm not sure..." " About what?" " Whether I'm helping." "Does she call you sometimes with no particular agenda?" " Yeah." " Then you're good." "What do you think our kids would make of this?" "How do you mean?" "You and me?" " The big culture clash?" " I guess so." "Please." "We're separated by the thinnest filament." "Well, that's the way I think." "That's the way it is." " Wow." " Yes." "Let me take your jacket." "Oh, thank you." "Strange in a beach house." "Everyone wants to be somewhere else." "It's horrible, isn't it?" "My brother buys paintings wherever he goes." "He has the worst taste." " Time to swim." " Time to swim?" "We're going swimming." "You'll borrow my brother's suit." " You ready?" " I'm ready." "You go in." "I'll follow." " Sorry." " Oh!" "Sorry." " I didn't mean to scare you." " It's all right." "I have to get under." "Neighbors." "I must warn you, though." "I'm dressed like you." "So if someone sees us snorkeling, they'll think it's two men." "Just two backs uncovered wearing men's trunks." "You understand?" "Wow." "Ah." "Yeah." "What now?" "Take a deep breath." "And then let it out slowly." "It's been a long time." "Yeah." "Same here." "How long?" "I don't know." "Me neither." "I can hardly remember." "I have a story." "I've been thinking about it since we spoke about your son." "Ah, please, tell me." "My father and I... went camping a few times." " Camping again?" " This is not about camping." "I was eleven or twelve." "Yeah, this one time, he brought me up to New Hampshire." "It was cold, 'cause it had snowed a week before." "And we drove into this national park." "And we parked and we walked deep into the woods for four hours, at least." "And the sun was already falling, so we stopped." "No sign of any civilization in any direction." "I thought he had a plan, you know, but he acted like he had just figured out the math of it all..." "That we weren't gonna get back before dark and the night would freeze us solid." "Not to mention the prospect of wolves, bears." " Wolves and bears?" " Yeah." "So he asked me, "What should we do, son?"" "And I realized this was some kind of a test, so I thought of all the Boy Scout stuff I knew and I said, "Build a shelter?"" "So we got started and we took turns chopping and tying." "We set it up there, a perfectly respectable A-frame." "We collected fronds from the pine trees and lined the bottom with them." "And he says, "Alan, what do we need now?"" "And I knew." "We needed a needle and thread." "Or... duct tape." "For what?" "To make a sleeping bag out of our clothes." "We cut up our jackets and we taped them together and made a big, wide sleeping bag." "And we slept there in our long underwear." " And you shared the sleeping bag?" " We did." "And I must say, when we were all settled in there, it was really warm." "And you didn't have a fire?" "No fire." "Just each other." "And in the morning?" "We taped our jackets back together and went home." "Good." "Hey, Kit." "I'm writing to tell you that I'm postponing my return to the United States and I don't know for how long." "The deal I was working on here in Jeddah didn't happen." "A competitor from China offered the same technology a lot faster and at half the price." "I shouldn't have been surprised, but there I was, surprised." "So, Kit, the money part of our lives is not solved just yet, but I'm working on it." "I've taken a new job here which pays pretty well." "It should be enough even to get you back into school next semester." "Keep believing, Kit, 'cause I believe in you." "You're strong and young and you have time." "I'm not so young, but I have to tell you, there's a force in my life now that makes me feel strong again." "And I feel that there's time." "There must be time."