“Will you help me find my husband?”
“If it’s what you want,” he said. “I’m your friend. Besides, I’d hate for Doeg to harm you.”
I dragged a smile across my face. “Then I will pretend to marry you. And I thank you.”
The wedding was a hastily done affair, no party, tent, guests, or feast. Elihu, my father’s priest, presided, while Father and Rizpah were witnesses. Elihu agreed to escort me to Phalti’s house the same afternoon. While Naomi packed our things, I took leave of my father, Rizpah and their two young sons. They walked with me to the gate.
“Goodbye, Michal.” My father’s voice choked. “I wish you happiness with your new husband. He’ll be good to you.”
His eyes were clear and at that moment, he was once again the father I had before the demons hounded him. A tear crept down his rugged face. He took my hand. “Forgive me,” he whispered.
My fingers slipped slowly to my side. “Goodbye, Father.”
* * *
David’s lungs burned and his sides ached. Footsteps pounded through the forest. He stumbled down a creek bed.
A shout. They had spotted him. He headed for the rocks. Oh God, let there be a crack, a hiding place. He scrambled over a boulder. An arrow whizzed by. He dove behind a rock wall. They had boxed him in.
He struggled for breath, his arms and legs twitching. He wanted to lie down, let fate take him, but the warrior in him urged him to keep moving, to fight, to live. He surged out of the crack, leapt to another boulder, scrambled up the face. An arrow struck above. Too close.
He pivoted, found a foothold and pulled himself into a crevice, climbed it like a chimney, his back against the wall, his feet pushing off the opposite wall. Above him, sunlight. He stretched. Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust.
Angry shouts popped in the air. Push, David, push. He reached for the ledge, but a large rock struck him. He fell and knocked the air out of his lungs. Michal! His last conscious thought spiraled to the sand below.
* * *
Phalti lived in Gallim, a tiny village, more remote and rustic than Gibeah. A few clusters of mud-brick houses spread between patches of farmland and rolling meadows. His house sat near the village well. Its small shuttered windows and peeling walls had a pastoral charm reminiscent of warm earth and fresh grass.
He helped me off the mule and gave me his arm. “Welcome to my home, wife. I know this isn’t what you’re used to, but please consider me your servant.”
He brought a basin, and Naomi bent to wash my feet.
While Phalti went to the pantry, I asked Elihu, “I’m not really married to Phalti, right?”
“Yes and no.” He rolled his lips and fingered his white beard. “If David had not abandoned you, then you are still his wife. You still have the scroll of your covenant?”
“Oh yes, I do.” I patted my satchel. “But what do you mean abandoned?”
“A man who deserts his wife, puts her away, or removes himself from the covenant of God by joining and serving another god has no right to a daughter of the Law.”
David had not really abandoned me. He was banished by my father. But I did not argue the point with Elihu. I needed his help.
“We should give him another chance,” I said. “Can you send a message?”
Elihu pulled his robe as he eased his way into a chair for Naomi to wash his feet. “Sure, don’t see any harm. I’m hungry.”
Phalti came back from the pantry with bread, butter, honey and wine. He set the food on the table and straddled a chair backward. “My wife, please accept my hospitality.”
I smiled to keep from gritting my teeth too hard. “Do you know where David is? Can you take me to him?”
Elihu and Phalti glanced at each other. Elihu coughed and buttered a piece of bread. “If we knew and took you, your father would be sure to find him. He could have Doeg follow us.”
Elihu’s explanation sent a sobering chill down my back. Doeg had lurked in the shadow of the wall, sharpening his knife and watching me with out of the side of his eye.
“We’ll send a message to David and ask him to come for you,” Phalti said.
“But how? If you don’t know where he is.”
“We go through the prophets,” Elihu said. “My servant will deliver this message inside a scroll to a young prophet from Ramah, Samuel’s hometown. He’ll pass your message to Abiathar, who escaped to serve David after the slaughter of priests at Nob.”
“And then? What then?”
“We wait.” Elihu looked at Phalti again.
“Yes, we wait,” Phalti said. “We’re not warriors, and we can do no more.”
I slammed my hands on the table. “Wait, wait, wait. Why can’t Jonathan show us where David is? I know he’s met him in the wilderness.”
Again, Phalti and Elihu stared at each other.
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. “What are you to up to? Answer me.”
“Jonathan refuses.” Elihu spread his palms up. “He doesn’t want to endanger David.”
“So why did he find you, Phalti?” I glared at him.
Phalti rubbed the back of his neck. “To help you. To keep you safe. Do you wish to endanger David?”
I steadied myself at the side of the table. Whose side was Phalti on? And Elihu? I should not have trusted them so easily. No matter, I’d get that note to David and be done with them.
“David promised he’d come for me,” I said. “Hand me the reed.”
Phalti’s eyebrows shot up. “You know how to write?”
Elihu winked. “Ah yes, she does. I taught her. Tell David you’re staying in Gallim with Phalti, son of Laish. He knows the area.” He turned to his meal.
As they ate, I penned these words:
Dearest Love, my husband David, I am freed from the palace and my father. I am in Gallim, eagerly awaiting you. Look for the house of Phalti, son of Laish. Come quickly, for I miss you and love you more than ever. Your wife, Michal.
I handed the parchment to Elihu, who glanced at it briefly before he tucked it in his pocket. Naomi and I retreated to our room to sleep. Whatever misgivings I had about David’s two wives, I ignored them. As soon as he received my message, he would lose no time and come to me.
I savored the night air and looked to God, calling on His glory. LORD, You’ve kept David safe and out of harm’s reach; please let me be with him. You answered my prayer to be his wife. I want to be by his side, to love him and to help him as a wife should.
* * *
Elihu and his servant left the next day for Ramah with my message. I waited a week, and then another week. Surely, now that I was away from the palace, David could chance to come for me. The women at the well said he had attended Samuel’s funeral. Even though Father’s men had guarded Samuel’s house, the townsfolk swore David had come and gone.
Phalti spread his hands across my doorframe.
“My dear wife, do you find the accommodations unsuitable for you?”
Dear wife, indeed.
“Phalti, you’ve been more than kind,” I said, “lodging us while we wait for David. Don’t worry about us.”
“I’d like to see you settle in, make a home here, maybe make a few friends.”
“That is kind of you, but I don’t see the point. David will be coming for me soon.”
Naomi excused herself to go to the well, and Phalti stepped into the room. Even though he was nonthreatening, my heartbeat unraveled. I stepped aside to let him pass.
“Let me help you unpack.” He opened the wardrobe and drawers in the corner of the room.
“It’s unnecessary. I need to be gone at a moment’s notice.”
“Do you always sleep with the windows open?” He latched it and opened his arms. “Come, let’s go for a walk. I’d like to be your friend.”
I clutched my shawl and brushed by him. “Actually, I need to catch up and help Naomi with the water. Thank you.”
Why was I rude to him? He only tried to be friendly. Bu
t oh, he was so handsome, and he made my insides quiver. And he seemed to look through me, or at least through my clothes.
I caught up with Naomi who gossiped with a handful of village women. They stared at me as if I were a walking apparition.
“Ladies, this is my mistress. Please, do not gawk at her.” Naomi spoke in a firm but friendly voice.
“A princess…”
“Is it really she?”
I tilted my head and stared each one in the eyes. They turned away—a harmless and foolish bunch. One set of determined eyes continued to stare. I held her gaze and waited for her to blink.
She was an older woman, perhaps in her mid to late-thirties. Her eyes were blue-green like the pool at my father’s palace. She had light complexion, and her hair was a mixture of brown and red highlights. She floated toward me.
I crossed my arms. “Do I know you?”
Undeterred, the woman held out her hand. “Come, come, my dear.” Her voice held a melodious quality, the sing-song lilting of a Philistine accent.
“Who are you?” My throat tightened.
The woman bowed her head. “I apologize for intruding. My name is Jada, the healer. If you ever need my services, you can find me in a valley tucked behind a grove of oaks, near a brook, a small brook.”
“What makes you think I would countenance your services?”
“You are Princess Michal, aren’t you?” Her voice warbled like a songbird.
“No, I’m the new wife of Phalti of Gallim.” I spat the words out. As hard as it was for me to admit it, I couldn’t jeopardize David by mentioning his name, especially to a Philistine.
The woman lifted an eyebrow and smiled. “I’m also a midwife. Should the happy occasion arise, I would be glad to assist.”
“I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.” I turned my back.
“It is true that you do not know me, but I know you. You’re hoping to meet someone in secret.” Her musical voice trailed into laughter, like silvery tinkling bells.
My eardrums pulsed. With a chilling sensation prickling my back, I marched back to Phalti’s house. The woman had to be a sorceress.
* * *
David squinted toward the cave entrance. Uriah, a recruit from the Hittites, dropped to his knee. “My lord, we’ve captured the king’s son. Shall we execute him?”
David jerked upright. “Where is he?”
He bounded to the entrance.
Two guards kicked at a disheveled man lying face down in the dirt.
“Prince Jonathan.” David raised his friend and slapped an arm around his shoulder.
Jonathan brushed his robe. “I expected a heartier welcome from these ruffians. At least they didn’t take my head.”
“It’s good to see you.” David motioned to his men to return Jonathan’s weapons. “Come into my throne room.”
Jonathan bent his lanky frame and crouched into the cave.
“Abigail,” David said to his third wife. “Bring my guest some wine and food.”
She pulled her shawl and scuttled to the back. Jonathan stared after her.
“It’s not what you think,” David hastened to explain. “She helped me at her own jeopardy.”
“You don’t know what I think, do you?” Jonathan grinned. “She’s beautiful.”
David’s face heated. “I had to take her in. Your father put a price on her head. She was the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite, remember him?”
“Ah yes, my father’s loyal informer. He gave away your position, but I misled my father and gave him the wrong directions.”
“What can I do to thank you?” David handed him a wine cup while Abigail poured.
“Give me your solemn oath before the LORD,” Jonathan said, “that when you become the king, you shall preserve my descendants.”
David clasped his hand. “I make a vow before the LORD not to harm a hair of your seed.”
They kissed each other, once on each cheek.
After Abigail retired to the back of the cave, David leaned forward. “How’s Michal? Did she get my last message?”
Jonathan’s eyes shifted. “She can’t travel like you do. Besides, she’s married now.”
David dropped his cup. It shattered on the stone floor. “Married? Already? Who?”
A sinking feeling wrung his stomach and ground it in the dust. He clenched his knees to steady his erratic heartbeat.
“It’s for the better,” Jonathan said. “My sister needs a stable life. I found her a scribe. It was either that or Doeg the Edomite.”
David shook Jonathan’s shoulder. “Did she want to marry or did you force her?”
“Listen to me. My father wished to marry her to the man who brings him your head. It took some doing to convince my father to marry her to a scribe. But it’s the best way to keep her safe and away from the dangerous men who loiter around the palace.”
David closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. By not answering his question, Jonathan had indicated Michal was willing. “She has no message for me? Any explanation?”
“David, my friend. What’s done is done. Leave her be and let her find a life with her new husband. Besides, you remarried twice.”
“It’s not the same. I rescued Ahinoam from the Amalekites. She had nowhere to go. And Abigail was a widow who helped me.”
Jonathan’s eyes twinkled. “Look, my friend. I’m not judging you. A man can have many wives.”
“Who is this man and does he treat her well?” David tried to hide the waver in his throat.
Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair. “I shall not tell you his name. You’d only endanger yourself. But I’ve paid him well to take good care of her. She will not be mistreated.”
“Thanks for informing me.” David stiffened his jaw and clapped a casual hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “Now, what are your plans? Why not join me? We can be brothers again.”
Jonathan drew his brows and shook his head. “I must honor my father. It is a commandment of the LORD. When you are king, I shall be your loyal subject. But until then, my loyalty is to my father, and I will not betray him.”
* * *
I placed the reed pen down on the writing table and rubbed my cramped wrist. Six months had passed, and I had settled into village life. Naomi and I tended a small garden of vegetables and herbs. Other than the occasional traveler, no news reached Gallim and certainly no message from David.
A flock of sheep grazed in the meadow, and the silvery green leaves of the olive trees swayed in the breeze. Phalti walked up the path with a satchel of scrolls and a serene smile on his face. I had become friends with him. In the evenings, we enjoyed long walks where we’d talk and share our thoughts and feelings without reserve. I even allowed him to hold my hand.
He dropped the packet on the table and bent to kiss my cheek. “Your script is beautiful—graceful, full of life. Like you, my wife.”
I held my tongue. My covenant with David still stood, whether he came back or not. In silence, I brought a basin of water and peeled off Phalti’s dusty sandals. As I smoothed water on his sturdy feet, I wondered if I’d ever get a chance to serve David in this manner.
Phalti pulled me close. He held my wrist and stroked it. “You work too hard.” His firm fingers soothed the tightness. Warmth replaced the cramp as he worked his way up my arm. My body hummed in response. I squirmed under his gaze, his dark lashes and serious eyebrows probed my inner thoughts.
“Michal, why do you still wait?” His already deep voice lowered.
Why indeed? The man staring at me was attractive and kind-hearted. It would be so easy to retreat into his arms—arms that tempted me and could comfort me—so easy, except my heart gnawed continually for David.
I pulled away and stood. “He promised he would come for me. I believe he meant it.”
“He might have meant it then. I don’t doubt it. However, would he not want you to be happy?”
I closed my eyes. How long without a message, a word? Happiness, ful
fillment, how is it measured?
“I don’t know if I can be happy,” I said.
“You can try. You can count your blessings. Go ahead, name a blessing.”
I swallowed the lump forming in the back of my throat. “I don’t know.”
He drew closer. “I’ll start. God has blessed me by making me an Israelite, a partaker of His Covenant. Your turn.”
“God has blessed me by making me a daughter of the Law.”
“That’s a good one,” he said. “And God has blessed me by teaching me how to read His Law.”
“And God has blessed me by having Elihu teach me how to write.” I grasped his hand, wondering how such delicate and flourishing script could come from hands so large. Safe, that’s what Phalti was. Not a man of war, not given to violence. Not my true husband. I dropped his hand.
“God has blessed me,” he said, his voice deepening, “in having you stay with me, help me, and be my companion.”
His brown eyes beckoned and he moved, almost imperceptibly, toward my lips. Pressing a finger to his upper lip, I traced the line below his mustache, keeping him at bay. “God has blessed me with your friendship and a safe place away from my father.”
His generous mouth curved as he wet his lips. With one hand around my neck and the other at my hip, he drew me to his face until our noses touched. My legs wobbling with uncertainty, I held his arms to steady myself.
He lowered his eyelids. “God has blessed me and made me love you with all my heart.”
My heart skipped and fluttered like an injured bird. A tiny gasp escaped as I opened my mouth. I clutched his shoulders, needing to recoil, yet drawn at the same time.
“I can make you happy.” Phalti’s voice tapered, waiting for my response.
“I’m still married to David.”
“I’ll never hurt you. In my heart, you’re married to me, and only me.”
He loved me. This beautiful man, dark hair swept at an angle over his eyes, gave me an open invitation straight to his heart.
He caressed my hair and massaged the back of my neck. A deep and comforting murmur rose in his throat, and he kissed my temple, my jaw, my cheek—winding kisses to my lips. A shower of shooting stars skittered across my neck, and I pressed my parted lips over his.
Michal's Window Page 9
