EPILOGUE 289pay the bribe, for a variety of reasons. We were at risk of going out of busi-
ness after fifteen strong years in Iraq, thanks to a band of Iranian-backed
thugs. (I am beginning to seriously consider the possibility that I may be an
Iranian-thug magnet.)
Then a funny thing happened. Omar, our erstwhile Sunni driver who
was kidnapped, abused, and then released by AQI in Mosul after we paid
more than market price for his freedom, is married to a Shi’ite woman.
Her father is a high-ranking military intelligence officer in the Basra area,
and he was able to make our existential threat disappear. Tribal connec-
tions are always key in Iraq. Always. Our potentially disastrous run-in with
the Shi’ite militia had an unforeseen happy ending.
When we paid $50,000 for Omar, it was a simple humanitarian invest-
ment in his life. Little did we know at the time that quiet, dependable
Omar would go on to save our entire business, a feat worth considerably
more than the $50,000 we handed over.
Some might say this story perfectly exemplifies the wishful concept
known as karma. I’d like to believe that, although I can’t say for sure
whether karma is at work or if it’s just plain old good luck. Either way,
I know that we did the right thing for the right reasons for our terrified
employee and his family many years ago, and we have been unexpectedly
rewarded one-hundred-fold in return. Sometimes good things happen in
this world.