If she says, “Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camel too” - let her be the one…Rebekah was very beautiful and old enough to be married…Then she quickly emptied her jug into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water for all his camels. The servant watched her in silence…Then at last, when all the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring for her nose…
-Genesis 24
Such is the way of choosing a bride in the desert. If she agrees to water your camel, put a ring on it. At ‘Idd Ahmed, an old lady well worker repaired the mud troughs and drew water for our camels and then shampooed Mustapha’s hair. I was talking to the school teachers and so missed my chance to maybe rid my head of lice. Rukaab, riders, they call them. The lady earned a silver coin, not a gold ring because she was probably already married. And she was definitely not named Rebekah. Probably Umm or Hajja Something. But in the desert, water is water, and we were very grateful for hers.