Watch Your Back

by William V Weeks

“Time to get up, my dear. You said to wake you before sunrise. Come on. Your soldiers will arrive at the north gate before you if you don’t hurry. … How did your patrols go for you and your men last night?”

  “Hammath remained peaceful, so I’m pleased. How are you and our mothers doing?”

  “Everyone is well, but we ran out of food and other necessities before we could serve everyone who needs our help. It takes so much time to shop for the ingredients to make bread and purchase what fruits and vegetables are still available this late in the season. I end up giving away everything I have within a few minutes. I’m so frustrated. We need more women to help us, and we need to encourage people with extra food, clothing, and blankets to donate to our cause.”

  “How do you find the time to do everything you hope to accomplish, Abigail? You need to slow down.”

  “If I don’t do this, who will? It’s my passion, and God calls me to serve the poor. Our mothers are old, and their aches and pains slow them down. I am young and have the energy to help in this way.” Abigail smiled and hugged her husband. “I’ll slow down when you get me pregnant.”

  Tallis didn’t respond to her comment. “How do you plan to recruit more women to help the three of you?”

  “We don’t have time to sit and chat, my love. You have soldiers to meet, and I need to clean the house before I join our mothers at the marketplace.” Tallis stood, crossed the room, and grabbed his weapons. “After we gave our food away yesterday, the three of us met with Kiva. We prayed and asked God to provide more goods for us to share and other women to help us. Kiva agreed to talk with people, encouraging them to assist with providing for the needy. You and your troops might try to do the same when you’re on patrol.”

  “You’re right. A few days ago, I directed my soldiers to spend more time meeting our citizens. I don’t know why we can’t encourage the people we see to help our neighbors. … Let me share your request with my men this morning and figure out what we can do to help, but, I’d like to ask you for a favor. I met an old man the other day. His name is Addai. He told me he’d met both my parents. He lives in a tiny smoke-filled place on the fifth street. As you walk toward the lake, it’s the third house, from the water, on the right. He wears rags for clothes. He’s frail, so he doesn’t have much to eat. Would you take my mother and pay him a visit? I would appreciate you showing him some kindness and so would Addai.”

  Tallis’s statement surprised her. She had no idea her husband bothered to talk with the poor. “Our mothers and I will visit your friend today.” Abigail wiped a tear from her eye.

  “Thank you, dear. Addai may not say much. He’s a private yet proud man. I hope mother can get him to open up and talk to her. He lives alone, so I’m sure he would love for someone to spend time with him.”

  “Are you trying to become a matchmaker?”

  “Goodness, no. Addai’s an old man who needs some help and a little companionship. He’s way too old for my mother or yours. I’ve got to leave now.”

  Tallis headed toward the north gate and wondered if either of their mothers would enjoy spending time with Addai. Abigail and his father passed away so they might feel lonesome too. Impossible.

  Tallis and his soldiers had left the north gate before his wife arrived at the marketplace. This morning the streets overflowed with people. Farmers waited in a long line at the tax collector’s booth, their produce and money pouches in hand. Local craftsmen displayed their wares on tables in front of the shops, hoping to attract customers. Abigail found Nammi and Odelia waiting for her where the first street joined the main road through town. “Good morning. I hope both of you slept well last night.” Then she kissed each woman on the cheek.

  Nammi pointed toward the crowd and waved. “Here comes Kiva.”

  “He’s smiling too,” Odelia said. “That’s rare for him. He’s always so serious.”

  Kiva continued to smile. “Good morning, ladies. I’m so excited. The marketplace is bustling today. God is good, and He will bless us today. Come with me. I want to show you something.” Kiva turned and began working his way through the crowd as the three women struggled to keep up without spilling the contents from the baskets they balanced on their heads.

  “What is it, Kiva?”

  “Be patient, Abigail. We’re almost there.” The four of them continued pushing and weaving their way to the far side of the road. Kiva pointed at a small empty table placed between two stools. “Here we are.” The Rabbi turned and grinned at the women.

  Somehow, Abigail thought he planned to show them all the items he’d collected since they met with him yesterday. “What’s this for?”

  “After praying with the three of you, Abigail. It motivated me to find more people to assist your efforts to serve the needy and homeless. I set up this table so anyone who feels God compelling them to donate will use this space to do so.” Kiva had trouble containing his excitement. “I trust God will answer our prayers soon. I also invited Naomi and Esther to join us this morning, and they agreed. I hope they arrive soon. In the meantime, you ladies go ahead with your morning routine while I walk around encouraging people to donate what they can to God.”

  Abigail rolled her eyes as she turned and worked her way toward the north gate. Many of the usual folks waited in the madness for her arrival. Several minutes later, she’d given away her last loaf of bread, but what she saw next filled her heart with joy. “Mother, Odelia, this is so exciting.” Thanks to Kiva, word has spread throughout the marketplace, and farmers along with a few merchants began distributing food, clothing, and blankets to the poor. “Hurry, we need to get busy.” Abigail worked her way back to the table, covered with donations, filled her basket, and returned to her original location. She’d never seen so many people sharing with the less fortunate. What a blessing. This morning she gave away everything she’ brought in her basket, and because of people’s generosity, she repeated the process four more times. “God is good. This is an answer to prayer, Kiva.”

  New people come to Hammath daily, needing help. Their clothing, nothing more than rags, and many spend the cold nights on the streets, struggling to stay warm. “How can we ever keep up, much less provide more?” Odelia said. “I can’t help but feel inadequate. We spend our afternoons buying supplies and baking bread. Every day, we repeat the process, and we still can’t provide for everyone, but today, Kiva’s prayers resulted in a bountiful harvest.”

  With empty baskets in hand, the women worked their way through the crowd toward the Rabbi. Naomi and Esther joined him at the table. “Kiva, what a surprise. Your encouragement motivated so many others to help us this morning. What a blessing, and look how much you’ve collected since we left the last time. Naomi, Esther, it’s a pleasure to see you. Thank you for joining us this morning. I look forward to working with you tomorrow.”

  “God is good, Abigail, and He answered our prayers,” Kiva said. “We collected much more than ever before. Incredible.”

  Abigail grabbed her mother and twirled her around. “I can’t wait to tell Tallis.”

  Kiva watched the pair celebrate for a few seconds before getting our attention. “Ladies. You need to fill your baskets again and distribute more food. Once we finish, you can begin to hand out clothing and blankets to those in greatest need.”

  With their baskets restocked, Abigail led her mother and Odelia back to their usual location and gave everything they carried away in minutes. Kiva involved himself by handing out some donated clothes and blankets. Today, God was good indeed.

  Tallis and his troops began their morning patrols at sunup, but he didn’t realize such a large crowd would fill the marketplace. Farmers and merchants blocked the north gate, so people waiting to pay their taxes had to create a line along the main road, heading south toward the well in the center of Hammath. People couldn’t walk from one side of the street to the other with ease, and adding more soldiers to the congestion would create a shortage of men to patrol later in the day. As the tallest man in his Contu
rbenium, Tallis decided to supervise the crowd alone. His height allowed him to see over everyone, and people would notice him towering over them. As he walked, the Decanus greeted those he knew and did his best to make a few new acquaintances. The highway from Tiberias overflowed with carts, and other farmers bring the goods to sell, as the people waited to pay the tax collector, a few men began to complain. Tallis stepped in, hoping to calm the situation before tensions escalated and fighting broke out.

  Several hours later, the crowds had thinned, and the tax collector seemed pleased with his haul. Tallis headed to Tiberias. He wanted to find out what his friend had learned since their last meeting.

  Paroh spotted the Decanus as he hobbled along one of the narrow streets near the waterfront. “Tallis, I’m surprised to see you. When we didn’t meet this morning, I figured your job kept you busy.”

  “We had a large number of people crowd into our marketplace today. It seemed as though everyone wanted to pay their taxes on the same day and get the ordeal over with. Do you have anything new to share with me?”

  Paroh reported seeing several people visiting the blacksmith’s shop. Young men rather than craftsmen or farmers who may need the services of a smithy. Tallis thanked his informant then pulled out his money pouch and gave Paroh another four dinars. The Decanus wanted to encourage his friend to continue serving as his ears and eyes. Besides, Paroh needed the money. His injury had cost him his livelihood, and he had a family to support. Life wasn’t fair. “After we capture our troublemakers, I’ll help you find permanent work.” The pair shook hands and Tallis watched his friend limp up the hill toward his home before returning to Hammath.

  The local tax collector looked bored when Tallis returned to an empty marketplace. A few more days and there won’t be any produce to sell. Sometimes fish became available for those who could afford to eat meat.

  Tallis decided to visit Addai. If the old man weren't home, he’d try again in the afternoon, or while on patrol after sundown. As the Decanus neared his destination, he saw two soldiers patrolling the lakeshore near the south wall. This pleased Tallis. Turning right, at the next street, he saw the old man using a straw broom attempting to sweep the dirt out of his door and onto the street. What a waste of time. He has a dirt floor. How would he know if it was clean or not? If I had the money, I’d cover the old man’s floor with stone, or buy him a new house. “Hello, Addai. How are you?”

  “Same as usual.” The old man moaned as he stood up straight and rubbed his back. “My body aches when I move, but if I don’t move my joints get stiff. Then I can’t move.”

  “It’s tough getting old. I don’t look forward to being your age.”

  “I don’t like being my age either, Tallis, but I want to thank you for sending Abigail to check on me. I also had the honor to chat with her mother, Nammi, and dear Odelia. What a surprise to visit with them, and they brought me some fresh bread, figs, and some fish. Your mother also gave me a new wool blanket for my bed, and a tallit to help me pray. Today, God blessed Addai, and tonight I’ll sleep warm.”

  Tallis didn’t know how much contact Addai had with people until they met, thinking the man spent most days alone, wandering the streets, or begging for a morsel to eat. “I’m pleased they brought some joy into your life, my friend. I want to give you something, also. I appreciate your willingness to keep me informed on the issues we discussed when we first met. May we step inside? I want you to take these four dinars for your help.”

  The old man closed the door behind them and motioned for Tallis to sit down. “I spotted something interesting though I don’t know how it relates to the problems you and your men face.”

  “Tell me more, Addai.”

  “Last night, I saw a young man walking along a side-street, acting like he was trying to avoid your soldiers. The fella entered a house two doors away from the place your soldiers died, on the south side of the street.”

  “Was he alone?”

  Addai smiled. “Last night, yes, but he could be friends with your brother. The youngest one, I forget his name, but I’ve seen them together before.”

  “Hilarion is my youngest brother. Do you know the name of the other fellow?”

  “I do now. I asked around this morning, and learned the lad’s name is Dan.”

  Tallis rubbed his chin. So Hilarion knows the lad who bumped into me the other morning. “Is Dan home now, or did anyone come visit him today? It’s possible my brother dropped by for a visit.”

  “I haven’t seen him leave, nor did I see anyone come to his house this morning, but I try to remain invisible you know.”

  “You do enjoy your privacy. What does Dan do for a living?”

  “I don’t think he works, but I know he lives alone. He must get money from someplace so he can afford to live in a house. His clothes and sandals look new, not worn like mine. Some wealthy friend or relative may support him, or he received an inheritance. Your brother may tell you. Ask him.”

  “You might ask him yourself, someday, Addai. You might find a way to make a new friend. The two of you can discuss hard times, taxes, or whatever. He might surprise you and share some interesting insights if you manage to earn his trust. An old man won’t be a threat to a neighbor.” I need to learn if Dan and my brother have a connection with our insurgents, or do I wait and see how everything plays out? “You’re a good man, Addai.”

  “Who knows, Tallis. Tomorrow I may make a new friend.”

  “You could, and thank you for helping me.” Tallis stood to leave. “It’s time for me to meet my troops so we can begin our night patrols. Be careful. I’ll talk with you again.” I have a bad feeling knowing there’s a relationship between Hilarion and this Dan fellow.

  Every soldier reported on time as usual. “Tonight, I want everyone to pay attention to the lake, not only the shoreline. The moon is no bigger than a crescent so visibility will challenge you. I don’t expect an attack while we’re on duty though our luck will not last forever.” Tallis reminded everyone to stop and check the gates and to slip into the shadows near the waterfront for a minute or two before moving on. “We want to discourage anyone from coming into town during the night. The more we can confuse our enemies the better. Sound the alarm is you need help.”

  After the soldiers had begun their patrols, Tallis walked to the street where Masa and Kush died. Knowing a potential enemy lived a few houses away troubled him. Finding out Hilarion was a friend of Dan didn’t make him feel better. Is there a connection between the two, and where does Nikolaos fit in this picture?

  Chapter 13