She saw her firstborn: with his braids draped over his shoulders, and the part in his hair at the crown of his head, he bore the scent of paradise, laughing, revealing the tooth that had been broken in a fight over the water supply. She remembered that day well, when they arrived at the wells after four days, the camels parched, mounted on their saddles, and the camel trains swaying as they hurried toward the water. At the same time, other camels from the same group approached; conversations grew long, each owner eager for his camel to drink first. Her son was content, and she watched him from a distance near the wells, not far from the tents, when he set off to keep his camels from the water until it was their turn. Others joked, "By your mustaches, it is your turn!"

He paused for a moment, then headed to his saddle, pulled out a thick stick from his belongings, and turned back toward them. Fahda's heart fluttered as she watched her firstborn in his first struggle; she couldn't cry out at that moment and didn't want him to see her. When the boys brought him back to their home, his tooth was broken, dried blood on his forehead, and his camels had arrived before everyone else.

When Fahda came to her senses, she found Shalih telling his brother, "The bullet is lodged between flesh and skin; it won't harm him to stay there."