As soon as I saw them I broke into a big smile. Jasmine made her way up first; she looks just the same – those long sexy eyelashes make her look so feminine. It was those eyelashes that first caught my attention on sale day nearly three years ago now along with her inquisitive nature that made her come to the front of the pen while her mates all hung back.
Omar took a little longer to make his way over to see me but once he did I’m sure he remembered me. I thought he looked a bit sad and I sensed a sadness in him. I patted and scratched and rubbed him in all his favourite places and he just stood there with his eyes half closed and lapped it all up. He followed me all the way along the fenceline as I slowly made my way back to the entrance. My last glimpse as I turned away was of him stretching his lips and mouth toward the sky and delivering a loud (and I’m sure, smelly) rumbling belch from way down in his stomach.
I walked back through the shop and the lady asked me if I had enjoyed my visit. I told her I’d only come to see the camels and she said “oh the devils who keep pushing our fences over?” I told her that I used to own them and she said I should have told her when I came in through the gate. She said that when they first came, the girls gave Omar a hard time (Jasmine and the other resident camel, Jedda). She asked me if I thought if they’d grown much and before I could answer her, I started to cry. Embarrassed, I mumbled something about how well they looked and left the shop.I’m pleased I went to see them as I've often wondered how they were doing. I was glad to see them in a big paddock looking lean and clean with no sign of the mange they sometimes suffered from here at home. My hands were shiny and dirty from massaging them; my eyes were wet and I felt both happy and sad at the same time.
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