A Hologram for the King Chapter 16 Summary

  • The morning after getting some serious drunk on, Alan wakes to find that he has once again missed the shuttle to KAEC. Some boss he is.
  • He calls Yousef to rescue him with a ride out to the work site—and then examines the damage he's done to his neck with the steak knife. (It isn't pretty).
  • Yousef appears and realizes that Alan's hungover. He tells him that there's no reason to drive out to KAEC since the King is in Yemen.
  • On the way across the desert, Yousef and Alan stop at a restaurant for food. On offer: fish for breakfast.
  • Yousef explains about his former girlfriend and their doomed relationship. Although Yousef's father is wealthy, he's still a Bedouin—which ain't good enough for his girlfriend's family.
  • Yousef had been married to a hottie called Jameelah, but that, too, was doomed. Jameelah was an airhead—not Yousef's type, really. So they'd divorced.
  • Now, he's got another love, and he's trying to work it out between the families. And here's where Jameelah wreaks havoc: she's texting him again, and her current hubby isn't happy.
  • Long story short, Jameelah's jealous husband wants to kill Yousef. That's why Yousef has to check under the hood of his car before he starts it.
  • Alan advises Yousef to sit the husband down and have an honest heart-to-heart with him. Protest his innocence, that sort of thing.
  • And somehow, Yousef buys this. Alan feels useful—and decides not to tell Yousef that he's been a total failure in relationships.