Hadassah's Sacrifice

CHAPTER 4

"Where's that silly slave girl? I don't know why Mother won't sell her. I hate that girl." Mylitta whines as she scatters her room, her face red with anger, ready to pounce on anyone who provoked her. What she was searching for, she couldn't recall. There it was - her pink palus. She was in dire need for a walk, being indoors sickened her.

                      ****************
"Had to leave early, and be sure to pay Adah a visit."

Hadassah woke up from the small bed to see on the table a note written she presumed in a state of haste. She knew by the slant writing and fading of the ink. Her uncle was thoughtful of her when he wasn't ordering her around. She had completely forgotten that she promised to see Adah today. It's been ages since the two women sat together and just shared each other's burden.

Adah was like the mother Hadassah has lost, and the most thoughtful woman she has met. There was something about her that Hadassah admired. From the quiet way in which she spoke, to her love for the Lord. "How could I nearly forget?" She asked herself as she moves away from the bed to prepare for her visit.

      
                  ****************
"Hadassah, oh child, how I have missed you!" Adah cried when she opens the door and finds Hadassah standing with a shawl around her beautiful face.

"I missed you too, Adah." Hadassah replies, hugging her, and refusing to let go. "How have you been? She asked when she finally let go.

"My child, what can I say?" Adah asked shrugging her shoulders. "The Lord hasn't called me home yet." She added, offering Hadassah a crooked grin.

"And He won't anytime soon." Hadassah replies with a shudder and a light frown. Thinking of a life without Adah was not one she wanted to imagine. "I'm happy to see that you are well."

"The Lord bless you my child." Adah says with a smile, taking Hadassah's hand as they make their way inside her house. Hadassah was like a daughter to her. All her children were grown up now and they hardly visited her anymore.

"What would you eat?" She was beside the stove trying to cook something for Hadassah who was seated comfortably nearby.

Moving swiftly, Hadassah stops her from further work. She ought to be the one working for her, not the other way round. Adah appeared fragile to her and even though the woman loved doing her business herself, Hadassah wished she'd let her help more.

"I already had breakfast, Adah. You shouldn't bother." Hadassah says placing a hand on her wrinkled own, patting them gently. This was the reason she loved Adah; the woman acted like a mother to her.

Studying her, Adah moves to sit down, but not without a word: "You wouldn't dare. I might be old, but I can still cook my own meal." There was no way Hadassah was going to return home unfed. She even feared the girl didn't get enough food, not with Gad's busy life.

"What have you been up to?" Hadassah asked bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Nothing much," she shrugs. "I weave occasionally and spend more time with God. I never know when my time here will end." She locks eyes with Hadassah. She wanted to prepare Hadassah for her dismissal which she sensed was near. Being one of the few surviving elderly since the inversion, her work was coming to its end.

It wasn't a topic Hadassah liked to hear.

And now, she pretended not to hear that last part of Adah's statement. The older woman talked more about death lately and that scared her. Life without her parents was hard enough; losing Adah would be like losing her mother all over again.

"Oh and how's that been?" She asked with feigned excitement.

"Hopeful. He still hears us, Hadassah." Her voice suddenly low with emotion. "And one of these days, we may need to talk about me." She adds. Aware that Hadassah understood what her words meant.

With a sigh, Hadassah only nods her head in understanding. A thick silence stretched between them after that, the weight of Adah's words falling on them, but more on the younger woman.

                 ****************
"I think I like someone." Benjamin tells Emmanuel as he gulps a cup of water. Excitement laced in his every word. Emmanuel listened with a blank expression but his eyes encouraged him to continue.

"She doesn't know it yet, but I feel it in my heart, Papa Emmanuel. I think she's the one." An excited Benjamin continues, giving no attention to Emmanuel's masked expressions.

"Hmm, the one you say," Emmanuel replied with his brows raised and his eyes forming a curve as they join, which made Benjamin chuckle. His spiritual leader was a natural at making people laugh, the only thing was that, he never found his own 'jokes' funny. Like now, he didn't even smile a bit.

"Tell me about the one." Emmanuel added, giving no attention to whatever Benjamin found amusing.

Smiles were suddenly replaced with confusion as Benjamin's brows recoiled, and words hung in his throat. This wasn't the type of questions he expected. He thought the man would be happy for him.

Emmanuel's voice brought him back to reality. "Benjamin, answer the question." He thought Benjamin didn't understand the gravity of what he was saying.

"Well...." Benjamin started, combing his hair with his hands. "I think about her often. She appears in my dreams. I mean what more do they mean?" He asked, his smile returning. But Emmanuel wasn't amused.

"I'm not trying to downplay your emotions, Son, but it takes more than all you've mentioned to conclude that a person is the one. You have to be certain before assuming anything."

Benjamin knew that tone - it was Emmanuel's fatherly instinct playing its role. He also knew what it meant; his ears were going to listen to a whole epistle of teachings.

"What did you say her name is?"

"I didn't."

"So what is it?"

"Hadassah."

The tiniest of smile appeared on Emmanuel's serious looking face. Even him knew it was easy to like Hadassah.

     
                  Authors Note
I appreciate everyone who has gotten this far with this book. Thank you so much. This is a story I'm grateful to God for the privilege of writing and I'm happy to share it with you all.
Please do well to comment and vote.. Let me know what you think. For me, I think Benjamin is a little bit forward☺. Don't you think so?
Stay safe y'all by God's grace.
Love, Jolade.