Chapter Four - Part Three (18,015 words)

I must confess our visit with my father was much more pleasant than I had expected. He was kind to us and hospitable. He cooed over Jeremiah and loved to show him off to the people in the village. Jeremiah loved all the attention he was getting and was doing a fine job and playing to the crowds. The time for us to leave came quickly. I was relieved to be returning to our home but I was also a little sad. I felt for the first time that I had a father who truly loved and cared for me. I felt as if I had finally forgiven him for the way he treated me as a child and young woman. I still could not forgive him for all he had done to Akiva. I do not know how he would have welcomed Akiva and I would never have a chance to find out. It was hard to say if my father was remorseful of the way he had treated us both before. If he was, never apologized or made it know. But at least in our visit, he was kind and warm. I had actually begun to think that he had changed. What a fool I would turn out to be.

It turned out that we left Magdala later than planned. We had planned to leave soon after sunrise but did not truly leave until midday. This meant we would have to stop and camp along the way, as it was not safe for us to travel after sunset. Fortunately, Elias had brought along tents and supplies in case of the need for setting up camp. I felt uneasy about camping that night. Elias continually reassured me that he had set up camp at night many times and he had always been safe. He also pointed out that we had quite a few servants with us and I had no need to worry. This did not settle my fears. Something inside of my body told me it would be better for us to press on in the dark. Elias would have none of that and we set up our camp.

I insisted that Elias have one of the servants stay up through the night to stand guard. He thought I was overreacting. I would not relent and finally he agreed. The servants were going to take turns staying awake throughout the night. This made me feel somewhat better but still did not ease my fears entirely. I retreated into our tent as soon as the sun touched the horizon. I did not even wait for it to fall fully dark. I climbed inside and held Jeremiah to my breast. He fell asleep instantly but I lie awake listening to the sounds from outside the tent. Long after the sunset, when Elias crawled in beside me I was still awake and had not slept a wink. Elias took Jeremiah from me so that I might rest easier. Elias stroked my hair as we lay in the dark, desperately trying to calm my fears; but they would not be calmed.

I drifted off to sleep at some point not long after Elias came to my side. It was still dark when I awoke with horrible pains in my belly. I was in agony and knew I had to get out of the tent for fear that I would wake Elias. I climbed out of the tent and told Nadar, the servant on watch, where I was going. I scrambled into the bushes to relieve my pains. It was then, while I was huddled in the bushes that evil swept through our camp. I did not know what was happening but would hear the tale later from the sole servant to survive the onslaught.

Bandits from Magdala that had heard of our visit to my father had kept a close eye on us when left to return to Tabgha. My father, the fool that is, often boasted in town of the wealth of his son-in-law. This sparked the interest of these bandits who sought to take some of that wealth. They had followed our party the whole way from Magdala to our camp; always keeping a safe distance behind so that we would not suspect we were being followed. They waited for us to set up camp and for night to fall. Their plan was not to wait for me to leave the tents, it just so happened that way. This was all in Yahweh’s plan.

The bandits crept up to camp and ambushed Nadar. He put up a brilliant fight but in the end the four bandits were too much for him and they killed him. The bandits proceeded to each tent, ransacking what was inside and slaughtering the occupants. The commotion awoke Elias who called out to me. Jeremiah was screaming. Elias tried to hush him but saw that it was no use. He handed the child off to Mala, one of the servants we had brought, and told her to run back to Magdala with the child and that my father would give her shelter and protection. Elias went to look for me but met the bandits first.

“This is the man!” they cried out when they laid eyes upon Elias. They rushed to him and seized him. They started beating him but did not kill him right away. One of the bandits caught Mala and Jeremiah and drug her and the babe back to the camp. Mala, my husband and my son were the only three left alive. One took Mala away to have their way with her, leaving the other three with Elias and Jeremiah. The one who seemed to be leading the raid spoke, “Let us kill the heir.”

There, before Elias’s own eyes they slaughtered our son. Jeremiah cried out in anguish as they slit his throat. Elias called out to Yahweh.

“Yahweh will not save you now. Your riches will be ours and you will go to Sheol and live in the memory of how you were not man enough to save your family.”

The head bandit walked to Elias and instead of sparing him the pain and killing him quickly, he thrust his knife into Elias’s belly and turned it slowly. It was my husband’s cry that I heard from the bushes. They gathered up the remainder of the belongings and left Elias there to die on the road. I saw the bandits as they ran away and once I was sure they were out of sight I ran to my husband’s side. He was still alive, although barely.

“My love, my love. Please do not leave me!” I cried out through my sobs.

Elias had little strength but he was able to find some to speak to me, “It is time for me to join Yahweh.”

“Jeremiah! Where is our son?”

Tears filled Elias’s eyes as he managed to point to a bloody pile of clothes a few feet from him. Understanding hit me like icy water and I began to wail. The men I had loved were taken from me right there in the blink of an eye. All that was my world my life was gone. To this day the last words of my husband haunt my soul: “Mary, Yahweh has much planned for you. Go on, be strong. You will always have my love; now Yahweh is calling me home.”

My husband died in my lap. After he breathed his last I collected my son in my arms and lay down between their bloodied bodies and wailed. I called out to Yahweh and begged Him to take me too. When He refused I cursed Him.

Chapter Four - Part Two (15,509 words)

Jeremiah proved to be a good natured baby. He was always content to be swaddled in the sling against my chest. He never fussed when he was passed around the women in Elias’s household. He had the same emerald eyes as Elias and they managed to captivate all who took one look at him. His hair was a blend between the fire of my own and the sand of my husbands. It was thin and there were only a few small wisps but it was quite clear the color. There was no denying that he was our child.

Devora was unable to stay long after Jeremiah’s birth but promised she would return, bringing Mordecai with her. We had spent hours together after Jeremiah’s birth dreaming of the way our sons would play together and become best friends as she and I had been in our childhood and still were in our adulthood. It was pleasant to think about the future of my son with such a dear friend.

Elias’s brother, Jonah, loved to tell the child stories of all kinds. Jonah had no wife and no heir so he lived through Elias’s love for me and treated our son as his own. Akiva spoiled Jeremiah just as any grandmother should. She toted him about the house and into the village showing him off to all who would look and listen. I was pleased to see the way she responded to him. Although, I should have expected no less from her. Even my father sent a sack of grain as a gift to his grandson.

It was safe to say that our little Jeremiah was one of the most loved children in all Tabgha. No child had so many aunties and uncles or had so many kisses peppered on their cheeks and heads. He was the greatest gift Yahweh could have ever given me and I thanked Yahweh daily for providing me with such a wonderful son.

I was constantly in utter amazement of my son. I loved just watching his eyes exam the world. They were so bright and took in everything around him. The first year of his life was a delight as I rediscovered the nuances of the world right along with him. I do believe I learned as much from him in that first year as he learned from me. Elias proved to be a wonderful father. He would carry the babe to the fields with him and allow him to reach out and feel the softness of the ewe’s wool. I remember well the way he squealed with delight when a lamb licked his cheek. It seemed to me he would come to love animals as his father did.

Our home had come to be filled with much joy and there was always laughter ringing out from the chambers. It amazed me the way a child could change people. I saw the harshest man become as sweet as a lamb in Jeremiah’s presence. I saw a bitter old woman kiss his head and breathe in his sweet smell. The change I saw in Akiva was the most dramatic and it delighted me the most. It seemed as if Jeremiah’s birth had added years to her life. She was moving about with much more ease than she did before and seemed to be constantly smiling. I think it was safe to say that the only person Jeremiah loved more than Akiva was myself. This was perhaps the same for Akiva.

Jeremiah brought with him so much joy that my father sent word that he would welcome us into his home and that he had much desire to see his grandson. I was shocked. I accused his servant of lying at first. Elias still did not understand my attitude toward my father. I had yet to tell him the truth. When I had screamed at the servant for lying Elias pulled me aside.

“This servant was once a trusted servant of mine. You do not know the severity of your accusation. What is causing you to behave like this? Why do you not believe him?” Elias spoke sternly to me and I could see that I had wronged him.

“This does not sound like my father,” was all I could reply and when I did I could not look Elias in the eyes.

“Does not sound like your father? Whatever do you mean? Did you father not send us grain at his birth and send on your dowry after we were wed? Why do you say this does not sound like your father?”

“My lord, my father is not a kind man. He is not a good man. This is hardly something he would propose.”

I was startled when Elias laughed out load, “This is nonsense! Your father showed me nothing but kindness when I did business with him and I sought your hand. He has shown nothing by kindness to us since the birth of our son. It seems to me that your father is a kind man.”

“You do not know my father. You were not his daughter or his servant. If you were, you would understand that he is not a kind man. I have not told you everything there is to tell about my father, Elias. I have spared you the truth, as I thought no good could come from the truth. I see now, I must tell you.”

I proceeded to recall for Elias every detail of my life before he came along. I told him the dark truth about who my father was and the way he treated Akiva and me and how he abused us. It brought many tears and Elias did not know how to respond. He had been fooled by my father and it angered him. When I had finished confessing all my father’s evils Elias reached out to me and held me to his chest. He stroked my hair but said nothing; he knew that there were no words he could offer. I kept going over and over in my mind why on earth my father would want us to come visit. I told Elias my fears. I feared my father would try to harm Jeremiah or take him away to claim him as his son. Elias vowed this would not happen, nothing could take his son away. In the end Elias convinced me that my father meant no ill will and we began preparing to go to Magdala to visit him. I sent word with the servant we would be coming and also sent a message with him to Devora. I was dreading the journey.

Chapter Four - Part One (13,403 words)

My pregnancy was a very happy time of my life. Elias doted on my every movement; Akiva would not let me help with the bread and Devora traveled from Magdala to be with me. All the while I watched as my belly swelled from the child that grew within it. Every morning I would run my hands over my swollen belly, feeling the way my body was changing. At night, when Elias would lie beside me he would run his hands over the curve of my abdomen, attempting to feel the child beneath. We were both certain the child I carried in my womb was a boy. I was pleased at the thought of providing an heir for Elias. He was equally as pleased with the notion; I could see the delight in his eyes each time he looked at me.

The baby came on a Shabbat two weeks before the Passover. I made Akiva allow me to help with the bread in preparation for Shabbat. We were working the dough when I began having pain in my back. I did not realize that I was beginning my labor pains at the time. Akiva kept insisting I sit and rest my body but I refused. I was going to help her with the bread as I said I would. I could be very hard headed from time to time and no one knew this as well as Akiva. The pains became stronger and my womb released its pre-birth issue. This was when I knew my labor had begun. Akiva immediately led me into the bedchamber and sent one of the servants to Elias and another to the village for the midwife. In that moment I was very thankful for Akiva’s presence. She could always soothe me when others could not. It was not long after she had sent the servants when Elias arrived. He sat with me only a few moments and it became quite clear that he was not able to handle seeing his wife in such suffering. Akiva sent him out of the bedchamber and assisted to me herself. Every so often he would send a servant in to check on my status but he never entered himself. I did not blame him for this as men often have difficulty with such things. Devora arrived not long after Elias and she and Akiva were my comforters. The midwife arrived just before sunset. She had gathered her things and traveled as quickly as she could. She set about to her work and told Akiva and Devora to keep my comforted.