Joseph turned to two small girls behind him. One of them was Baktre, the child I had seen the day I first met him.
"Children," he said. "This is the Lady Asenath. She is a very special guest here today. Would you be so kind as to take care of her while I am gone?"
"Yes, Joseph," the girls said. "We will, we will."
Joseph and I exchanged fond glances.
"Thank you." He bowed to me. "My lady. I will try not to be too long."
Baktre tugged on my arm. "Come, my lady. We'll show you around."
The children were so sweet and well-meaning. As worried as I was, I did not want to dampen their spirits.
I glanced back toward Joseph. He had already disappeared. I could only hope that somehow, he would be able to evade his snake of a mistress and return soon.
I pasted on a smile. "What are your names?" I asked the girls. "I already know you, Baktre."
"This is Ubastet, my best friend," Baktre said.
"What about Taboubu?" I asked. "Does she work with you as well?"
"Yes," Ubastet said. "Joseph rescued her from the slave market. Nobody wanted her because she is deaf and mute. But Joseph discovered she makes the best honey cakes."
"Joseph rescued us too," Baktre said
I smiled. He was indeed priceless.
The girls and I wandered around a bit. We watched a street performance that featured a monkey performing clever tricks. We looked at some of the food stalls. I bought sweets for the girls, amidst their polite protests. Every once in a while, we ran into people my family knew. I exchanged a few words with them and promised to pass on their regards to my parents.
Some time passed. Still, Joseph had not returned.
The warning whispers grew louder.
Baktre clapped a hand over her mouth. "My goodness!"
"What is it?" Ubastet asked.
"I forgot to give Joseph the change from the marketplace yesterday."
"Yesterday? You'd better give it now or he'll think you're stealing."
"I will. But you know I would never steal from Joseph." Baktre shot her friend an angry look.
Ubastet said, "But what about Lady Asenath?"
"I'm coming with you." The words were out of my mouth before I realised what I had said.
"But you might still want to explore around a bit more," Baktre said.
"No. It's all right. Let me come with you."
At the gate, Baktre said to the guard, "Lady Asenath is with us."
"Of course, of course," he said breezily and waved us in.
The girls led me to the female servants' quarters. Ubastet and I waited at the door while Baktre retrieved the money.
She returned clutching a pouch. "We will have to go to Lady Zalikha's quarters now, since that is where Joseph said he would be."
The girls looked worried.
I understood them completely. "I'll go with you there too."
Their faces relaxed.
The courtyards, as well as the main house, were completely deserted. Every single person, down to the lowliest slave, was out in the streets. I sensed evil vibes lurking about in the air.
I followed the girls down a wide corridor, which I surmised led to Potiphar and Zalikha's private chambers. We were about to round a corner when I heard some sounds.
I grabbed the girls' arms and pulled them back.
There seemed to be a lot of shuffling—cloth swishing, feet dragging across the floor.
"Mistress, please! I cannot do this."
"Joseeeeeeph."
"Lady Asenath, what's happening?" Baktre asked. "What is Lady Zalikha doing?"
I did not want the children to see this. I searched my frenzied mind for something to say. "You two, go get help. I'll stay here."
I had to be there if Joseph needed me to save him.
"Will you be fine though?" Ubastet asked.
"Yes. Now hurry. Baktre, be careful with your money now."
The girls dashed off without making a sound. I tucked myself behind one of the columns.
"Joseph, come back," Zalikha purred. "I told you, no one will ever know."
"But my God will."
She sighed. "Joseph, Joseph, Joseph. How many times have we been through this before? I don't know anything about your God, but I am sure He would not want you to be alone. Come now. You were already so relaxed."
"I cannot do this great wickedness?"
"Joseph," Zalikha interrupted, "I know you are lonely. I am lonely too. I don't really have anyone to talk to. Potiphar is often away. Whenever he's around, he makes me feel like I don't exist. You are the only one who has been kind to me."
"Potiphar loves you."
"No, he does not. He cares only for his work and impressing Pharaoh. But you, Joseph, you are so selfless, so kind. Comfort me, please."
"I cannot, mistress." Those were his words, but his tone no longer sounded as convincing as it had earlier.
"Please, Joseph."
Their voices died down to incomprehensible whispers.
I sank to the floor. I did not want to imagine what was happening in there. I believed Joseph to be a good person, but Zalikha could be a fine actress when she wanted to be.
A strange sound cut through the eerie silence.
A cloth had ripped.
What on earth had happened?
There were footsteps. Someone was running.
I held my breath as the footsteps passed by me and faded away.
Someone screamed.
It was Zalikha.
I heard several people rushing through the corridor.
"Mistress, what happened? We heard there was trouble."
"It's Joseph," she cried. "He tried to rape me."
The words filled me with bloodlust.
I no longer feared Lady Zalikha. But I hated her with every ounce of my being. If murder was legalised, I would rip her apart without a second thought. She was truly an evil, evil creature. She had no heart. Or if ever she had a heart, it was black.
But now, I had to look for Joseph. I had to save him somehow. I peeped out from my hiding place. The last of the servants disappeared into Zalikha's room.
I fled and found myself back in the loggia. I did not know where to begin looking. But I had to help Joseph escape.
"Asenath, what are you doing here?"
I turned to see Lord Potiphar.
He hurried over to me. "What happened? Are you all right?"
Normally, I would have apologised for intruding into his private territory. But now was not the time for etiquette.
"Lord Potiphar." I looked at him straight in the eye. "There is something I must tell you."
"What is it?"
"We found him, my lord." Two burly guards appeared with Joseph. They dragged him over and shoved him to the ground.
One of the guards kicked him in the stomach. The other one grabbed his hair and forced him to kneel. The first guard raised a fist to strike.
"That's enough," Potiphar said.
I was dismayed. Joseph looked flushed. His skin was glossy, covered in sweat. A ragged piece of cloth was wrapped around his waist, like a sorry excuse for a kilt.
Sharp footsteps clicked behind us. I turned to see the cursed woman. The fiend! She wore no makeup and her squinted eyes made her look like the snake she truly was.
She pointed at Joseph. "See him? See how pathetically he covers himself? This is what he left behind after he failed to have his way with me."
She held up Joseph's torn kilt. She rolled it into a ball and hurled it at him. It slapped his face before falling to the ground.
"This Hebrew." She pointed again. "This Hebrew that you brought here, husband, has tried to make sport of us. Of me."
Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped forward.
"She's lying!" I yelled. "I came into the house and overheard everything. She was the one who tried to seduce Joseph."
"Shut up!" Zalikha screamed. "You don't know what you're saying."
I rushed o
ver to Joseph. I knelt by his side. The guards glanced at me, but did nothing.
"But I do," I said. "I heard every single word. It was you, Zalikha."
"Can you prove it?"
Alas, I knew I could not. I opened my mouth to fire back, but the words deserted me.
She laughed.
I spat at her.
Her eyes widened with rage. She began to head toward me. Potiphar grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong.
Finally, she shrugged. "Well, husband? What then?"
Potiphar stared at his wife for a long time. His usually stately features were twisted with agony. Then he turned to me and Joseph huddled on the ground.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Joseph?" he asked.
"Are you blind?" Zalikha said. "Can you not see what he tried to do to me, your wife?"
Potiphar held up his hand for silence. He turned his back to us.
"Take him to prison," he said.
"No!" I said.
The guards yanked Joseph from me. He made no move to resist.
"No, stop! Let him go!"
They ignored me and disappeared with him.
I sank to the ground in defeat.
All was silent for a while. Then Potiphar clapped his hands sharply.
"Get back to work," he said to the servants.
"Prison?" Zalikha said. "Prison? The slave tries to rape me and you decree prison? What will our friends and family think? The people at court? The royals?"
"I don't care. Asenath, we will still be having the banquet if you still wish to attend. I just won't be joining you."
I rose to my feet. "May the curse of Apep be upon you both."
I looked at Zalikha. "May the monster Ammit devour your soul in the afterlife."
I stormed off.
Zalikha called out behind me, "Asenath, I have to admit that it was very touching to see you stand up for Joseph. A pity though that dregs fall even when they try to unite."
I did not dignify that with even a backward glance.
I left Thebes the following morning. I knew that by the time I arrived back in Heliopolis, the news would have already reached my parents.
I was right.
"What have you done, Asenath?" Father said as soon as I arrived.
"Father, let me explain."
"Do you have any idea how shameful this is?"
"But I could not stand back and watch an innocent man accused."
"Yes, but do you not realise who Lady Zalikha is? Do you not know who her family is? Do you not know the connections she has?"
I gave him a puzzled look. I could not see how this was related to the matter at hand. "What do you mean, Father?"
"She is a woman of noble birth. You defended a slave against her."
"But Father, I overheard everything. Joseph truly is innocent."
Father made an impatient noise. "That is not the point. You have scandalised us."
"In defending Joseph?"
"In defending a slave against a noblewoman."
Suddenly, like a fragile piece of string, I snapped.
This society disgusted me. It was a shallow society, fixated on only wealth, power and connections. People who did not have those were condemned, whether they were innocent or not.
I no longer wanted a part of it.
I took a deep breath. "Father, I didn't expect you to take sides with that snake."
"I know she has some eccentricities. But she is―"
"That's it!" I interrupted. "I've had it. If an innocent person is going to suffer all because a vicious...bitch―"
"Don't use that language in this house."
"...wants to save her so-called honour, then I want nothing more to do with this."
"Asenath!"
I whipped around and headed inside the house.
"Don't you ever walk away when I'm talking to you." Father said.
I ignored him.
Father hurried up to me. He grabbed my arm. "What in Seth's foul breath do you think you're doing?"
I yanked my arm away. "Leaving. I'm going to find a way to rescue Joseph. Perhaps, he and I will run away together to Canaan."
Father gave an angry laugh. "Will you? Will you? I'd like to see you do that."
I went into my room. My parents stood at the doorway. They watched as I packed my things. Afterward, I headed back outside.
Father trailed behind me like a nagging shadow. "Asenath, if you leave this house against my wishes, know that you will never be welcome back here again."
"That suits me just fine."
I quickened my pace. I headed toward the gate, ignored the guards who gave me perplexed looks and walked out of the house.
I had not gone far when I heard Father call out behind me.
"Asenath, be careful. If you need anything, let me know."
I hurried forward.
I was weary from everything that had happened. So before returning to Thebes, I checked in at a cheap inn on the fringes of the city. The moment I entered my room, I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
However, even in my dreams, I was given no respite. I dreamed of Lady Zalikha brandishing a sword and hacking to death everyone I loved—Joseph, Menah, the twins, my first parents, my second parents and the village mother Mekten.
When I awoke the next morning, I was too drained to get up, but too troubled to lie still. I was still in my clothes from the day before. My bones were sore from lying on the hard narrow bed.
There was a knock on the door.
"Asenath, open up. It's Lord Potiphar."
I winced. I pulled the yellowed sheets over my head. "Go away. I have no wish to see you."
"I don't believe Joseph attacked my wife. Please, Asenath, let's talk. Do it for him."
"You threw Joseph in prison."
"Come now, Asenath. Open the door."
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping he would soon leave.
"Please, Asenath. I really have to talk to you about this. I believe Joseph is innocent."
"You lie."
"No, I do not. Please. Let us talk now."
Finally, I decided to give in and get it over with, if only to hush him up. I opened the door.
He held a basket out to me. "Food. Your parents sent this."
I was very hungry, but I did not want him to think he had done me a favour. I took the basket and set it aside. I would gobble up its contents later.
Potiphar closed the door behind him. "First, can you promise me that what I am about to tell you will not leave this room?"
I shrugged.
"Do you know what the penalty for adultery is?" he asked.
"Death."
"So do you know why I had Joseph thrown in prison?"
"Because that's where you'll kill him instead of throwing him to the crocodiles. Potiphar, do you think I'm so stupid?"
Potiphar gently interrupted, "No. He is not going to die."
I gave him a cynical look.
"He is not going to die," he said. "But because of this rubbish, because of Zalikha's so-called honour, I had to throw him in prison. Believe me, if I had my way, Joseph would have been free in a few months and I would divorce that woman."
He sighed deeply.
Despite everything, I could not help pitying him. He looked heavy with the burden of all that had happened.
"I am so sorry for the way Zalikha treated you and Joseph," Potiphar said. "You two are such good people. But Zalikha has always been jealous of you. She can't stand competition."
"Me? What do I have that she could be jealous of?"
"Really, Asenath, can you not see that you are a lady of many gifts? Zalikha knew as I did that Pentephres and Satsepdu were planning to
adopt you. She felt threatened from the moment she saw you. That is why she has always been cruel to you."
I did not know what to say. I still could not reconcile that a wealthy and beautiful woman could be jealous of a peasant like me.
; "As for Joseph," Potiphar said. "He was like the son I never had. Zalikha and I did not want children, you see. We thought them to be great nuisances. Joseph changed my perspective on them. Alas, it's too late for that now."
I wondered what he meant by that. But he looked so deeply grieved, I dared not ask him.
I later learned the reason from Mother though. Apparently, during his army days, Potiphar had been taken hostage by the enemy at one point. During this time, he had been robbed of the most important possession a man could ever have. I imagined it drove his starving wife mad.
Potiphar shrugged. "Still, Joseph filled the void in my life that only a son or daughter could. He was remarkable too. I knew he was destined for more than the life of a servant. Thus, as much as it pained me to do so, I planned to release him. He was virtuous too. He also abided by the commands of his God, who demands his followers to live a moral and chaste life. Thus, my wife's lie goes against everything I know of Joseph."
We were both silent for a long time. By now, my anger toward Potiphar had abated completely.
Finally, I said, "My lord, I thank you for sharing this with me. I apologise too for my earlier behaviour."
Potiphar waved his hand dismissively. "Please don't. I completely understand."
"There is something I ought to tell you though," I said.
I informed him of how I had sent Baktre and Ubastet to get help, only to have the servants come in after Joseph had escaped.
"So this is all my fault," I said. "I, too, put him in prison."
"No, you didn't," Potiphar said kindly. "The timing was just very bad. Don't be so hard on yourself. But I must also tell you this—surely, you know I am one of those in charge of Pharaoh's prison?"
My spirits began to lift. "I believe Father mentioned it."
"Inevitably, I will have to visit Joseph. I would like to invite you to come along."
I nearly jumped. "Yes please, my lord. That would be wonderful. Thank you so much. Surely you plan to release him soon?"
"Hopefully. Alas, the system is very convoluted. But I will try my best. In the meantime, I can send you news of him if you like."
"I would indeed. Thank you, my lord."
Potiphar leaned back, now regarding me with a look of fatherly tenderness. "In the meantime, I suggest you return to your parents. It is not safe for a young lady to be in a place like this."
"I don't know. We parted on really bad terms." I looked down.
"Don't worry. I explained everything to them. Besides, how will I be able to send you news if you keep moving around?"
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