In the beginning, it was only the three of them: Kadhim, Mohammed, and the corpse.

There was something about this young man’s look that made Baba nervous, and he tensed himself to run. Then the tips of the young rebel’s mouth twisted into an ominous smile. “Don’t you recognize me, teacher?”

The pounding came at their door at nearly ten o’clock at night, and almost before they knew what was happening, two armed members of the Republican Guard burst into the entranceway.

There could be no doubt about it. Firas was a blessing, a delight, and a complete surprise. Without access to prenatal testing, their new baby brought with him a few extra surprises.

When Kadhim at last returned the phone to its receiver, it was with a sigh of relief and a heady flush of excitement and embarrassment. He had a girlfriend.

“That’s right,” Omar laughed wryly. “I’d already handed it to him when I realized what it was. The whole damn card is printed in English! It says “military contractor” and has “United States of America” written across it in bold letters! And that’s when I knew we were fucked.”

“Kadhim!” Farouq looked at him suddenly, his eyes widened in panic, and he shoved his hands under his butt. “Kadhim, I swear to God! If you don’t stop this car right now, I am going to shit all over your seat!”