Hadassah's Sacrifice

CHAPTER 11

Hadassah jumped up from the bed and picked her shawl from the floor where she had dropped it when she got in. She thought she could see someone's head through the window standing on the door step. She wasn't sure if what she saw was real, but she adjusted her dress and replaced her shawl back on her head.

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"Okay, here we go." Benjamin took a deep breath and knocked on the wooden door. Hadassah opened the door gently, surprise showing on her face when she saw who it was.

"Benjamin." Hadassah called with a squeeze of her face. She couldn't believe he was in her house. How had he known where she lived? Looking around nervously, "What are you doing here?" She asked quietly. Not like she wasn't happy to see him, but in the community where she lived, everyone's meddled into everyone's business.

This wasn't the welcome he was looking forward to. Benjamin wasn't certain of the kind of response Hadassah would give him finding him on her door step like this, but it sure wasn't this. "I didn't see you in Bible Study today." His voice lost the usual confidence it had.

Suddenly realising that they still stood at the door step, Hadassah gestured for him to come inside the house. "Forgive my manners. Please come inside." She moved aside for him to find his way inside.

Benjamin walked into the small house, his eyes taking in as much detail as he could without Hadassah noticing. "So what happened today? Why didn't you attend Bible Study?" He takes a seat as Hadassah moves to sit on the bed.

"Will you like to take water?" Hadassah asked instead ignoring his question.

"Yes, thank you," he replied doing his best to hide his smile at her sudden question. Hadassah may be shy, but the lady knew what she was doing.

"I wasn't feeling too well," she replied with her back to him as she poured him a cup of water from the pitcher.

Alarmed, Benjamin sat upright. Was Hadassah ill? Was there something she wasn't saying? He couldn't help but be worried. Hadassah was more important to him than she knew.
"What happened? Do you feel better now?"

"I do feel much better." She smiled at him to put his mind at ease. Seated where she was on the bed after offering him the cup of water, Hadassah could see the worry on Benjamin's face. "What did Papa Emmanuel talk about?"

Now Benjamin wished he had listened and not let his mind wander the way it did. A hand on his hair, and obviously searching for the right words, he replied, "He...He, actually" with a slump of his shoulders, "I wasn't paying attention. I wish I did." He locked eyes with her. Hadassah found herself staring at the most beautiful olive green eyes she has ever seen.

"Ohh..." Were the only words she could find in response.

Seeing her confusion, Benjamin tried to explain. "When I didn't see you, I was worried and I just couldn't force myself to listen anymore." With a quick swipe of hand through his hair, he continued. "But I remember Papa Emmanuel saying something about how we should find strength in the Lord during this time."

Laughing loudly, Hadassah raised her hands to stop him from blabbing on. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Benjamin. I understand."

Did Hadassah really understand? He doubted her. She didn't know how her absence at Bible Study affected him so much that he wasn't able to concentrate. She had no clue how the sound of her laughter was like music to his ears. No, Hadassah didn't understand anything about how he felt.

But right now, he could only nod.

"What troubles you, Hadassah?"

"What do you mean?" She replied, her voice sounding like a whisper.

"You don't have to pretend with me. I want to be your friend, Hadassah. Please see me as one." He said more of a plea than a statement.

"Okay." Adjusting herself on the bed, out of being nervous than anything. "I just miss my parents." She raised her face to his. "I miss them so much." A tear drop threatened to fall, but she couldn't allow him see her like this – looking weak. Besides, she didn't know if she could trust him. Yet.

"I'm sorry." He didn't know how to comfort her. "Where are they?"

Looking at him, thinking if she could trust him, Hadassah decided she should. There was something about Benjamin that attracted her and made her mind at peace.

"They died during the inversion." She paused, folded her hands on her dress and just gazed ahead. Talking about her parents always made her emotional. Benjamin saw her unease and intervened.

"I'm sorry, Hadassah," he said with complete understanding. The inversion was the worst day in the history of their people. It was the day they lost their freedom and most of them their lives. It was also the day the Lord abandoned them. Benjamin's family had lost their wealth too. Now his family lived like wretched people, they who used to be wealthy. Nobody liked talking about the inversion. It brought too many bad memories.

"It's not your fault," she replied, her eyes to him. "But I appreciate you being here when you could have been at home and resting."

"I'm happy to be here." More than happy actually, but he wouldn't let her know that. With Hadassah, Benjamin swore to take things slowly. Hadassah was different and he was going to treat her differently.

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Gad was on morning duty on this day and he was delighted. For it meant he could spend more quality time with Hadassah. As he went about doing his morning ritual of checking the King's villa to make certain there wasn't anything amiss, he thought he heard whispered voices. He didn't know what they were talking about, but it didn't sound like it was good.

Guard 1: "How do we go about it?"

Guard 2: "We can't do it by ourselves.
We will need the help of the baker."

Guard 1: "Good idea. He'll help us with the poison in the King's food."

Guard 2: "(Chuckling) Of course it's a good idea. Now go. We don't want anyone finding us whispering around."

Standing afar off, Gad had seen and heard them and he didn't like any bit of their strange conversation. What did they need a poison for? And he knew those guards, they worked inside the villa. What where they even doing whispering outside.

The only thing Gad could do and that was what he was going to do – report the guards to the chief guard.

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"Are you sure about what you heard?" The chief guard questioned Gad suspiciously. He didn't really trust Gad, maybe because he was a Jew.

"Yes Sir." Gad replied emphatically. The chief guard may choose not to believe him, but he wasn't going to deny what he saw nor blot what his ears heard.

"Hmm... If this is true, those guards will be executed!" He said angrily with a raise of his voice. "The King will surely hear about this!"

Gad just stood there, listening to his chief threats.

"You can go now." He dismissed Gad, who made for the door. "And Gad," he called after him, "Thank you."

Bowing slightly, Gad hoped that actions will be made fast against those guards. He didn't particularly like the Babylonian King, not when he had his people under bondage, but he didn't wish the man death.

AUTHORS NOTE

The only words I can find right now is thank you. Thank you all for reading Hadassah's Sarcrifice. This means more to me than you know. I hope that beyond the story, you see the mystery and significance of all the characters.
Please continue to stay safe.
And as always, I am praying for you all. Remember to FOLLOW...COMMENT and VOTE.
Your girl, Jolade.