Estimated reading time – 3 minutes
Chapters 24 and 25 First Cut is the Deepest and Yemeni Blues
First – you may have noticed that Chapter 23 is missing. Most of what ended up in Chapter 22 was initially included in Chapter 23, but I re-wrote it. I will add a new chapter 23 next week.
The First Cut is the Deepest
Now on to the current chapters – You might recognize the title of Chapter 24, The First Cut is the Deepest, as it comes from a song written by Cat Stevens and recorded by many others. I found a YouTube video of the song by Rod Stewart:
The song describes the pain of losing a first love, which is what Gemma experienced but had not shared with Nick until now. Now you find out the story behind Gemma's tattoo. If you can forgive the pun, Gemma and Nick are currently on the road to recovering their relationship.
The pass Nick must obtain to take Gemma to Riyadh was required of all expats wanting to travel more than 50 Kilometers from their sponsor's location. It was needed at the airports for domestic travel within the Kingdom. As Sam told Nick, the checkpoints of the highways were only sometimes operated, but once the security situation became more severe after the invasion of Kuwait, the checkpoints were continuously operated and on alert, particularly around critical infrastructure such as desalinization plants and electrical stations. I took some liberties with having Nick and Gemma on the same pass, but it made sense for the story.
The hotel was one of my favorites in Riyadh, and their chef was quite good. Here is the website for the hotel:
https://hotel-al-khozama.riyadh-hotels-sa.com/en/
The website has a good selection of photos, including one of the restaurants and the front of the hotel. When you look at the hotel's image, you will see a very tall building on the left, which was not there in 1990.
The scene in which Nick spots the airplanes in the sky is one of my most vivid memories from this period. It appeared like a wagon train in the sky, and the planes were US Airforce’s F117 Nighthawks. This was my first time seeing these planes, which looked genuinely menacing. They would play an essential part in the air war over Iraq. I took comfort in the arrival of US forces, and we will meet some newly arrived troops in the next chapter.
Exile of the Yemenis
As mentioned in Post 21, the exile of the Yemenis was a result, at least in part, of the 'Plot.' Yemenis had worked in Saudi Arabia for many years without a Saudi Sponsor. Some Saudi businesses did sponsor Yemenis, but as the quote mentioned, a large number had to leave with barely the clothes on their backs.
The discussion in Julian's apartment covers several previous expulsions or exclusions. The Shia exclusions occurred before I arrived, but I was told about it by someone who worked for Saudi Aramco, the oil giant. The Thai incident was while I was living there and impacted a company I worked for. The replacements for the Yemenis were newly arrived Egyptians who were allowed to work due to Mubarak's support of the Saudis against Iraq.
The incident with the doors in the ER occurred around the time frame in the story – late August or early September and went more or less as described. I drew on Nick's previous incident, which had resulted in his dismissal from the hospital in LA, to reinforce the importance Nick places on patient care. You will also see how the game with the electric eye on the ER door was crucial in developing the story.
The threat of war gave Nick more leeway than he would have had before the invasion. He would most likely have been disciplined for his actions before August 2.
One of my readers commented on the casual attitude the Saudis had towards the expulsion of the Yemenis. This attitude is difficult to understand unless you remember that Saudi is a tribal culture and these actions are in line with tribal ethics. This is one of the significant cultural differences between Western and Middle Eastern cultures and takes some getting used to. This is a subset of the cultural differences. The basis of most Western societies is the rule of law and the rights of citizens. In Saudi Arabia, the culture is based on Islam and Sharia law. You’ve already seen the restrictions on exit and re-entry, and now you learned about the rules on movement within the Kingdom. We will see more of this in future chapters.
Energy, Politics, and Military
Oil Price August 1990 - $21.87 per barrel ($49.45 at 2023 rates)
Oil Price September 1990 - $28.46 per barrel ($65.94 at 2023 rates)
Source – US Energy Information Administration
August 23, 1990
Saddam Hussein, Iraq's dictator, held a televised interview with foreign hostage families, including children, hoping to frighten foreign governments. The broadcast backfired as the foreign community was shocked by his use of children as hostages.
September 9, 1990
President George H. W. Bush met with Mikhail Gorbachev in Helsinki to discuss the situation in Iraq.
September 11, 1990
"As you know, I've just returned from a very productive meeting with Soviet President Gorbachev. And I am pleased that we are working together to build a new relationship. In Helsinki, our joint statement affirmed to the world our shared resolve to counter Iraq's threat to peace. Let me quote: "We are united in the belief that Iraq's aggression must not be tolerated. No peaceful international order is possible if larger states can devour their smaller neighbors." Clearly, no longer can a dictator count on East-West confrontation to stymie concerted United Nations action against aggression. A new partnership of nations has begun."
President George H. W. Bush – Joint Address to Congress
September 13, 1990
The UN Security Council passed Resolution 666, requiring Iraq to ensure the safety of foreign nationals by a 13-0 vote, with Yemen and Cuba abstaining.
October 7, 1990
230,000 American Troops are in place. The multinational force numbers over 300,000 men and women from 25 countries. The Pentagon estimates that 430,000 Iraqi troops are in the area of Kuwait.
October 8, 1990
Israeli military began distributing gas masks.