Day 208 - The Syndicate

I have always thought the term syndicate slightly threatening, probably because the first time I heard it, the term referred to organized crime (see meaning 3 at left). And the next time I heard it, the reference was to groups of people who bought interests in a race horse, a business that seems dangerously close to organized crime (see meaning 2 at left). Then heard about syndicated newspaper columns at which point it was clear there was another, less menacing meaning (see meaning 4 at left).

In Doha I got involved with a syndicate - the Cable and Wireless Liquor Syndicate. Cable and Wireless was a British company that operated in many countries around the world providing telecommunication service and consultancy. Since alcohol was not available in stores or served in restaurants, there was only one way for us to buy liquor. First we had to get a liquor license from the British embassy. Liquor licenses were only issued to expatriates. But the British embassy couldn't be in the business of selling liquor. The solution - Cable and Wireless went into the business of importing liquor and handling the controlled sale to those with liquor licenses.

Having a liquor license permitted the holder to purchase up to 400 riyals (about $133) of liquor each month. Payment had to be by check; no cash changed hands. Since most of us at the embassy did not have local bank accounts, we had to purchase cashier checks each month at a cost of 10 riyals. Because we could not get change if our purchase totaled less than 400 riyals, we were determined not to waste a riyal. After all, we already had to lay out 410 riyals for the 400 riyal cashier check. We all got very good at adding up the numbers on our head, turning in our orders only when we were sure the syndicate wouldn't get a spare riyal from us.

One month a year, the syndicate was closed: in the month of Ramadan. To make up for the loss of a month's purchasing power, we were each able to purchase two month's worth of alcohol either the month before or the month after Ramadan. Since I had a liquor license, and Alex had a liquor license, that meant once a year we would end up purchasing 1600 riyals worth. That much beer, wine, and hard liquor put a lot of strain on the suspension of the car, but we made it work.

Alex's Mom

That much liquor needed a lot of room to store. We had a closet in the back of the house fitted with a lock that became our liquor closet. When we later arrived in Barbados, we realized that our Doha  liquor closet often had more in it than a typical rum shop in Bridgetown.

Alex's mother came to visit us and was more than a little concerned about what she saw as excessive quantities of alcohol after Alex gave her a tour of the house. Within a few days, however, she was getting up about the same time Alex did. One morning she slipped into the hammock in our central patio with a gin and tonic in her hand. "Don't tell your father," was all she said when Alex looked at her with a smile.