Study Guide

A Hologram for the King Chapter 3

By Dave Eggers

Chapter 3

Alan's still waiting for a driver to take him the King Abdullah Economic City, where his very young crew has been waiting for him.
It really doesn't matter how late he is, since no one actually knows when King Abdullah will show up.
Alan isn't put off by this. He feels that he just needs to play by the rules of the game, and he'll be victorious. A little name-dropping when he meets the king won't hurt, either.
He realizes that a lot is riding on this contract: it's literally a "keep the wolves at bay" situation for him.
Alan finally meets his driver, a man called Yousef. Yousef's around the same age as Kit, Alan's daughter, and drives an extremely questionable car. Oh, and he's not really a chauffeur.
Yousef has another surprise for Alan: he's being stalked by a jealous husband. Yousef makes sure to check the engine before they start off, just in case it's been wired to explode.
Alan's not sure about this whole situation, but he goes along with Yousef. They roll out across the desert toward the new city.
We learn that Yousef speaks such good English because he attended an American university for a year. In Alabama.
Yousef tells Alan that the angry husband pursuing him is actually the current husband of his ex-wife. Hubby can't convince himself that there's not still something between his wife and her ex.