A Rope and a Prayer by David Rohde, Kristen Mulvihill Read Free Book Online Page A

worst case scenario, or if any evidence is found in Afghanistan that could indicate the location where he is being held captive.
    The agents ask whether David is a friend of the Taliban, and whether the book is about them. I explain that he is writing about the struggling American effort in the region. I edit my words carefully before speaking, fearful of saying anything that could mislead them into thinking that David is somehow in cahoots with the Taliban.
    Lee and I leave the interview several hours later with the understanding that another set of agents will be assigned to our case in New York City. We are to update the agents if we receive any new information about David from his colleagues. In turn, the agents will keep us posted on any new developments on their end.
    Calls begin to flood in: David’s literary agent, the editor of The New York Times . The newspaper alerted David’s book publisher about the kidnapping. David’s agent, in turn, was contacted by his publisher. Despite the fact that Lee and I have made no public announcement of David’s predicament, word has traveled like wildfire among the journalism community.
    I am relieved to hear from a colleague of David’s in Kabul. Upset but calm, this reporter informs me that David left behind a note addressed to me. I ask the reporter to read it over the phone. I sense a hesitation. “He has rather unfortunate handwriting,” the reporter jokes between tears. “I will scan and e-mail it to you and send the original in the mail.”
    A few hours later, the infamous note appears in my BlackBerry inbox. I smile: David’s colleague is right about the handwriting. The letter has been scribbled on a page from a notebook. The whole thing feels rushed, like an afterthought. Knowing David, though, he probably agonized over its content.
    Kristen—
    I believed I had to do this to make this a credible book. Most people in Helmand support them now and I need to tell that part of the story. I honestly believe this is a calculated risk that will be ok.
    Scribbled in the margin is a phrase that makes my heart sink: This is my passion and I must do what I love.
    The letter continues:
    If I get kidnapped, use money from my book advance. Do not involve money from your family or mine. This is my responsibility.
    I love you so much and am sure this will be ok. Please go and be happy and move forward if things go very wrong.
    I love you so very much and thank you for giving me more joy and love than I’ve ever known.
    I love you,
     
    David
    Afghanistan has been David’s preoccupation for the past seven years, since 9/11. For me, it has been a source of intrigue, sadness, and anxiety—a needy child or mistress that requires his attention, often with the cost of long separations. The events on the ground in Afghanistan have a direct impact on David’s moods and motivations. It has been a challenge for me to support such an all-consuming interest.
    I was introduced to David by a mutual friend two and a half years ago. We were both in our late thirties at the time and ready to move on to a new phase of life, one that we each hoped would include family and children. Our relationship progressed steadily, despite several month-long periods of separation to accommodate David’s overseas reporting trips. These separations were often a strain on my nerves as we both struggled with the tensions inherent in straddling two very different worlds together.
    The note does not comfort me. Part of me immediately recognizes that he’s thrown us under the bus at month two of marriage. I know that David is writing the book in part to distance himself from his dangerous work as a war correspondent. But pursuing an interview with a Taliban commander was a bachelor’s decision. I have just committed the rest of my life to David. I haven’t even unpacked from our honeymoon. But if I—we—are going to get through this, I’m going to have to forgive him and set aside my anger. At some point, I