CH A P T E R 4 June 1956, King’s College S uhayb outmatched me in nearly every aspect of Kuwaiti life, and I could only lean on my academic success and storytelling. But the time for my distinctive abilities approached, and my father let it be known that my academic prowess qualified me for university in the West. I was thankful he took this occasion to be proud of me. When June 1956 arrived, at the age of eighteen, I prepared to depart for London. Salman made ready for my exit with re- newed vigor and apparent anticipation. My bookish ways made me stand out as unmanly, and he was eager for me to go. Father accompanied me to the Al-Nughra airport outside Ku- wait City, and neither of us spoke during the car ride. I boarded the newly created Kuwait Airways flight to London, which was a by-product of the now-flourishing Kuwait Oil Company. Our parting was a formal affair, and the emotional elements were stiff and unyielding. “Good-bye, my father, I love you.” “Good-bye, my son. May the peace of Allah go with you.” The farewells were completed with a loose embrace, and I boarded the DC-3. Fatima was not expected to be there, though she was losing her favorite son.