Ten minutes later, we rolled up to the entrance of the village. An old man sat on a huge tire on the side of the road. I kept my eyes on him as we passed, not sure if I recognized him or not.
“We’re here,” I said. “Be sure not to wander off.”
“Trust me. I learned my lesson yesterday.”
I turned to Ryan. “Park by Jahmir's house,” I instructed.
“Already on it,” he replied.
“He’s the village elder,” I explained, glancing back at Rose.
“Have you known him long?” she asked.
“Always full of questions, huh?”
She shrugged. “It’s my job.”
The Humvee came to a stop and Ryan killed the engine. I opened the door, hopped out, and waited for Rose to climb down. At least a dozen village children swarmed around the vehicle, excitedly raising their hands and yelling at the same time.
“Enough!” Jahmir said as he emerged from the house, stroking his long, white beard.
At the sound of his voice, the children scattered.
“Welcome, my friend Warren,” he said, ignoring Rose’s presence.
“Thank you, Jahmir. I brought someone to talk with you. This is Rose.”
She offered her hand, but the old man stared at it as if she was offering him a pile of dung.
“How are things?” I asked him, trying to ease the tension and awkwardness.
Rose dropped her arm, but didn’t appear upset.
“They are peaceful now,” Jahmir said. “Have you come for the samples?”
I glanced at Rose and then back to him. “We’ll talk about that later,” I said. “We brought gifts. Maybe Rose can speak to your wife and daughters?”
“Fine,” he said then raised his hand into the air.
A half-dozen men all dressed in similar attire stepped out from behind two of the mud-brick houses and made their way over to us.
“Help with the gifts,” Jahmir told them.
They walked to the back of the Humvee as Ryan opened it and began setting cases of water onto the dry, dusty ground.
I could already tell it was going to be a long day.
“I’ll take you to the other families who want to talk,” I said to Rose.
“I’d like to talk to Jahmir too.” She looked at him. “Is that okay?”
“Maybe later.” I took her hand. “Let’s go.”
She pulled her hand from mine as we walked away.
“I’m trying to keep the friends I have here,” I said. “You have to understand—the culture is different.”
“I don’t care about the way they treat women. There’s something he’s hiding. What did he mean by samples?”