The Sultan of Oman, Bar Mitzvah Dreams, Bob Hope

Dad comes home one day. He's on cloud-nine. He's just booked a huge job in Oman. Something about the Sultan's birthday party. Maybe it seems weird to us that Dad, who does big events like the Olympics and the Oscars, would do a birthday party, but a gig is a gig. There's just one question: where is Oman?

I'm 11. Allison is 9. We get out our globe.

"The Middle East," Dad says.

We spin the globe, find the Middle East. But we can't find Oman. It’s not a big nation, so cartographers don't exactly focus on Oman.

"Do they have money, Larry?" Mom asks.

Allison and I continue looking for Oman.

"Are you kidding? Huge oil money. Huge."

"I can't find it," I say.

"Me neither," Allison says.

We get out the Atlas, find Oman. It's easier to see Oman on the page than the globe. The country borders Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen.

That night at dinner, Mom asks about security. There is no U.S. embassy in Oman, so Dad and the other Americans will register with the British embassy. Mom doesn't love hearing that, but…