[joe-frank-list] 'Another country, part 3'

[russellbell at gmail.com]

	The story picks up where part 2 left off: Protagon (the
protagonist of the story, whom I give this name to make writing this
synopsis easier) and Ali walking back to Naim's after their
conversation at the Peacock cafe.  Ali tells Protagon about how groups
mistreated outsiders, colonizers the colonized, big business
third-worlders.
	2:40: Naim and Protagon spend weekends touring Sana'a's old
city, the Red Sea port city Hodeida, and Taiz (capital of South
Yemen).
	4:00: Protagon can't see a future with Naim.  She gets mad.
They fight.
	6:40: Ali gives Protagon a letter to carry back to America.
Protagon worries that it may have a sinister purpose but takes it.
	9:00: The day after he gets back 'the next morning an Arab
wearing an expensive Western-style business suit and a pair of dark
glasses came by the apartment to pick up Ali's uncle's envelope.'
(sounds like a depiction of Arabs that Naim deplored in American
movies.)
	9:20: 'in the middle of December he called Naim to tell her
how much he missed her' which just makes her mad; she tells him not to
call again.
	9:40: He visits his parents in Cleveland, tells them, for the
first time, the real purpose of his trip.  They're appalled at first
but he makes up a story that makes him out a hero.  They arrange a
small party to celebrate his heroism.
	11:40: He places an ad in the 'City Paper''s
(http://washingtoncitypaper.com) personals, SJM looking for an SJF.
He's surprised by all the responses.  The first date stands him up,
without explanation.  The second is a psychoanalyst who wants to
analyze him, so he drops her.  He and the third date a few times, have
no sex; after a farcical Passover Seder at her parents he drops her.
	17:20: Protagon has a longer relationship with the fourth,
Michelle.  She's into submission so much it bothers him though.  They
vacation on the resort her father owns on St. Thomas (Virgin Islands).
(The story in 'The queen of Puerto Rico' starts on St. Thomas; Henry
Dennis's stories in 'The Future' and 'Margarita' start on St. Thomas)
It's luxurious for them.  The motor on a boat they take out fails;
they have to swim to shore, spend a night rough, walk back to town.
They tour the parts of the resort where the work is done, see how
miserable, dirty, and dangerous it is.
	31:50: The narrator tells the story of Beauregard, the famous
hitchhiking dog of St. Thomas, who rode buses, boats, and planes, was
celebrated by all, given a funeral when he died.  (Fictional, as near
as I can tell.)  The traffic jam at the funeral makes them miss their
return flight.
	35:50: Protagon learns of a bombing of the Israeli embassy
when he gets back.  (I can't find this.)
	37:50: Protagon loses his job at the recording studio.
Michelle tries to get him to go to Lifespring
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifespring), a 'human potential
organization'
	38:30: Naim calls in April, 4 months after they had last
spoken.  She's visiting in May.
	39:20: Protagon picks up Naim at the airport.
	40:10: They go to see 'Star Trek 2' (released 1982 June 4 - a
lot earlier than the present time of the story -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_II:_The_Wrath_of_Khan).  They
see a trailer for 'Best defense' (released 1984 July 20 -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_Defense), which depicts Arabs as
fools, which angers Naim.  She's come to divorce Kamal, who is now
trying to start a burger chain in the Middle East, Queen of Sheba,
which angers Naim for its abuse of her name.
	42:20: Michelle gets him to go to Lifespring, which he
dislikes, which ends their relationship.
	45:40: He writes Naim a letter, wants to get back together.
	47:30: The narrator describes a Queen of Sheba burger joint,
how bad the food is, how wasteful.

	https://jfwiki.org/index.php?title=Another_Country_(Part_3)

russell bell