Living without Justice. Loren R. Fisher
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“No. I will ask Tamar and Khety if I can go to their place and meet Sharmila before she and her father arrive in Jerusalem.”
I could not wait. I went to Khety’s office, so I could ask him as soon as possible. Khety was in his office eating his lunch. He said, “Shalom. Come in and join me. I will even give you a bit of bread and cheese. I’m eating in my office, because Tamar left this morning for her old home. She wanted to check on her garden. The student, who lives there, does a fair job in tending to things, but Tamar likes to do a little extra now and then.”
“I don’t need to eat now. I will be going home soon, but I do have a question for you.”
“You may be going home for lunch, but this is a special bread and cheese. Tamar is an artist; her food is always prepared with one thing in mind: to please the palate.”
“And you are an artist with words. How can I refuse?”
The bread and the cheese were delicious. I enjoyed eating and being with Khety. He was always a lot of fun. I wondered if all Egyptians were like him. Then I told him that I was working on my translations of the stories. Then I said, “I have finished my translation of The Enchanted Prince. I even wrote an ending. Could I show it to you in a few days?”
“Of course. Bring it by any time.”
“Also I have a request. A few years ago when we went to Beth-shan, you teased me about being smitten by Abdi-anati’s daughter, Sharmila.”
“I remember her well. Beautiful. Beyond compare.”
“I thought you would remember. In a few days, she will be coming to Jerusalem with her father. I would like to meet them at Tamar’s estate before they arrive in Jerusalem. Could you ask Tamar if that would be possible?”
“I will ask her this evening. Come by the house just after sunset. But I should give you a warning. You will be meeting Sharmila at Tamar’s estate, and as you know that is where Tamar and I fell in love and decided to marry. It is a dangerous location. It is just far enough north of Jerusalem to cut out the city noise. The sky is clear; the stars are bright. You will have to watch your step,” Khety said all of this with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“I like danger and adventure, and I thank you for the bread, for the cheese, for the warning, and for being my teacher and my friend.”
“Not a word. See us this evening.”
4
During our evening meal, father said, “Today I received another letter from Abdi-anati. Naam, you will be interested in knowing that he is bringing his wife and both daughters. He has also been corresponding with Sheva, as the head of the academy, about this trip. Sarah and Sheva have invited Abdi-anati and his family to stay at their estate, which as you know is next to Tamar and Khety’s place. Also, Keziah, you will not have to make room for them here.”
“That does call for some big changes,” said mother. “But we will still have them for some meals, and I should talk with Sarah. We will probably do something at their country place.”
“Changes indeed,” I said. “I was going over to Tamar and Khety’s after dinner to ask them if I could meet Sharmila and her father at their place before they arrived in Jerusalem. Since both places are side by side, I could still meet the family when they reach Sheva and Sarah’s.”
“You seem to be anxious,” father said.
Mother’s comment was, “Jonathan, you know he is anxious. Naam, you should go on over to see Tamar and Khety. Elissa and Ruth, your dear sisters, will take on your after-dinner chores this evening. I can see that everyone is getting involved in this visit.”
I left at once. I knew that the girls would complain about the extra work but not for long.
I ran across the street to Tamar and Khety’s house. Khety greeted me with a cup of wine and said, “Sit down here at the table. We have finished eating, but we are still enjoying our wine.”
As I sat down Tamar said, “Khety told me about your request, and we want you to know that you are more than welcome to go out to the house to meet Sharmila and her father.”
“I thank you. I want to do this, but I have to tell you the situation is going to be different from what I thought. Father just told us that according to a letter he received today, Abdi-anati is bringing his wife and both girls. They have accepted an invitation from Sheva and Sarah to stay at their estate. I would still like to go to your place and wait for them. I can help them get settled at Sheva and Sarah’s.”
“That would be fine, said Tamar. “In addition, I think we should plan a party at our place while they are here. There is enough room with both houses for all of us to stay over night. I will have to talk with Keziah and Sarah. We will make some plans.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
Then Khety inquired, “Naam, do you remember Sharmila’s sister’s name? Their mother’s name is Pidray.”
“Her name is Huraya, but when we were there I did not get to talk with her. She is younger than Sharmila. She will be able to have a good time with my sisters. Elissa is now sixteen; Ruth is thirteen; and I think Huraya is also sixteen”
“But if Huraya spends her time with your sisters, Sharmila will be all alone,” Khety said.
“She won’t be alone. But the question is: can we be alone?”
I finished my wine, and I left after a few moments. As I was leaving, Khety reminded me to bring my translation of The Enchanted Prince to his office.
“I will bring it in the morning,” I said. “See you then.”
With that we said good night.
5
In a few days father received one more letter from Abdi-anati telling us when our friends from Beth-shan would arrive. I left Jerusalem one day before they were expected, and I went to Tamar and Khety’s estate. It was north of Jerusalem and just south of Gibeah where Saul had lived. I left after breakfast, and it was still in the cool of the morning when I arrived. Joel, the student who looked after things, greeted me. I recognized him immediately as I had seen him several times at the academy. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. He said that I could help him weed part of the garden, and after that we would go up the road to Sheva’s place and help his friend Jacob get ready for the guests. I thought it was a great plan.
“Just show me where to start weeding, and we will get this done.”
“Follow me. I’ll show you where to start, and I will do some watering.”
As we were walking along the path, I said, “Joel, do you like living here better than in the city?”
“Yes. The city is important, as is the academy for our work, but this country is so beautiful, so quiet; it is full of flowers and birds. I have to prepare my own food, but during the growing season it is fresh. Yes. I like it. Also, I like being away from the stress and conflict in the academy. There are students who are really searching for truth, but there are many who really do not care about anything. Well, here we are.”
Joel got me started. I had helped Tamar when I was younger, and I knew what I was expected to do. As I worked I thought about what Joel had said. There were students who should not be in the academy. Some of them were there in order to be on their own. They liked what the city had to offer; they liked the willing women among other things. But enough of that, I really did like being here. It was good to have my hands in the dirt. We finished our work about noon. We did not take time for a sit-down lunch. We grabbed some bread and cheese and walked over to see Jacob. He was busy cleaning up the house. He suggested that we could help by cleaning up the yard.
Sheva and Sara’s place needed a lot of work. At one time the property belonged to Joab, and it appeared that he had done very little to keep it up. Joab was known to everyone around this area as an evil person. He had tried to rape my mother,