by Sandi Rog
Ω
David walked through the garden, allowing his fingers to brush against the flower petals along the neatly trimmed bushes. He took in the scent of jasmine and thought of only one person. Alethea. She turned out to be a good cook after all. He chuckled. If only she knew how to make more than one dish. They’d all eaten wine rolls, green beans spiced with pine nuts, and lamb everyday for the past two weeks. Thankfully, Sarah offered to “help” and added some variety.
Now it was time for David to claim Alethea for his own. As soon as David had gotten back on his feet, Galen had treated him like a leper, slipping out every time David entered a room, avoiding him when he tried talking to him. David decided to give the man time. After giving Galen these weeks to enjoy his daughter, David couldn’t bear the wait any longer. He knew Galen was hiding in the courtyard, and the path he’d taken would lead to a dead-end. The man wouldn’t be able to escape.
For the first time in a long time, life was good. David had managed to find a way to make a living. He never dreamed he’d become an entertainer, but juggling was highly valued amongst the rich, and David had already secured a number of clients. Thankfully, no one he solicited had slaves that could juggle.
As he wound his way along the path of Manius’s courtyard, David found Galen waiting for him. He stood with his back to him, and David stopped a few feet away.
“Now that I finally have my daughter, I’ve lost her.”
David swallowed. He knew he should feel guilty, but he didn’t. If anything, he felt Alethea was more his than Galen’s, and by his comment, Galen too, seemed to realize that fact. Still, David didn’t dare voice it.
Galen turned to face him, a stern look on his face. “How will you provide for my girl?”
“Juggling.” David cleared his throat. “All I need is your blessing.”
Galen sniffed, chin still raised. “She told me everything. All that you did for her all these years. How you took care of her, protected her.”
David nodded.
Tears welled in Galen’s eyes. “I was so worried. I thought for sure Aloysius would distort everything I had taught her, contaminate her mind the way he did Paulus.” He shook his head. “Little did I know, the Lord had provided a guardian over my little Aucella.” Galen lifted a black, leather rope from around his neck. “I couldn’t be happier than to give her to a Christian, a man who has been her protector all these years.” He held out an amethyst stone hanging from the leather rope. “To you.”
David took the stone in his hand, studying its unusual shape. Dark purple, almost black in color, infused its center and gradually became a lighter lilac color at the tips of what reminded him of icicles. The icicles shot out in all directions, forming a star. A three-pronged, gold bail clamped around three of its arms and clasped it to the rope. A stark contrast against the purple.
“This is all I have of material value. My last master gave it to me. It’s never been cut, and its shape is one of a kind. It’s all I can offer for her dowry.”
“But you don’t have—”
“Allow me this. She’s my only daughter.” Galen lifted the leather rope over David’s head, letting the heavy stone fall against his chest.
David had never worn jewelry before, so it felt unusual to have the weight of the stone hanging from his neck.
“Amethyst is a Greek word. It means not drunken. Greeks believe that if a man wears an amethyst he won’t become intoxicated.” Galen smiled.
David raised a brow, half-smiling.
“But I believe it won’t help you any. Alethea is already in your blood, and you’ll never be sober again.”
They both chuckled, but David couldn’t help but think of the truth in his words. After all these years, to think he could have escaped and learned he was a citizen. Had it not been for Alethea he would have done just that. He wouldn’t have remained enslaved. Now he understood. His life was not his own. It belonged to Elohim. And He had His own plans.
Was it worth it?
Yes.
Like the heavy stone hanging on his neck, the weight of a new revelation came down on him. He shook his head at the enormity of it. Freedom. He wasn’t free. He would never be free. For the rest of his life he would serve one Master.
Elohim.
epilogue
David leaned over Alethea. Her dark hair cascaded over the cushions and over his arm in jasmine-scented waves. Contentment wrapped around him like a warm blanket. Was there ever a time he didn’t want for anything? Alethea finally belonged to him, and only him. This had to be a taste of heaven.
He dangled the amethyst stone over her. It swung from the leather rope, back and forth, back and forth, capturing the rays of sunlight through the window. The purple reflections danced over her hair, her nose, her lips.
“It all worked out for good, didn’t it?” she whispered, her brown eyes blinking up at him.
He wanted to touch her, to kiss her, but he forced himself to listen.
“What others meant for evil, God meant for good.”
David thought about her words. He wouldn’t be lying here with his wife in marital bliss had it not been for all that had happened. She was right.
Alethea pushed up on her elbow, her hair falling over her shoulder, and she studied him.
He wanted to push her back down, but he didn’t, exercising the restraint he’d had to use most of their lives together.
“Don’t misunderstand, but . . . .” She trailed her fingers over his chin, sadness reflecting in her gaze. “In a way, I’m glad I betrayed you, David.” She took a deep shuddering breath, staring at the scar. “Had I not lied, I never would have realized how sinful I am. How much I need Yahshua.” Shaking her head, tears welled in her eyes. “I’m just sorry my sin had to cost you so much.” Her breath hot against his skin, she brushed her lips along the branding mark on his arm.
David closed his eyes and remembered the pain, the agony. Could he be thankful for what she put him through, thankful since it meant she’d found salvation? Was the whipping, the branding, worth it? He’d already come to terms with his slavery, knowing that God meant it for good, knowing that it meant Alethea’s salvation. The branding and the scourging were all just a part of being a slave. That could have happened to him without her lie. So, if going through those painful circumstances wasn’t in vain and was actually a blessing for her, then yes, he too was happy.
“Yahshua paid a much higher price than I ever had to pay,” David finally said. “For us both. For everyone.”
Lips parted and eyes wide, she looked up at him. “Yes.”
“Elohim can take our sins and find a way to use them for good.” He ran a silky lock of her hair between his fingers, thanking God for the good that came of this.
“He can change us if we let Him.” Smiling with delight, she bounced closer to him, her softness and her scent filling his senses. “Change us for the better.”
David nodded, a sly grin pulling on his lips.
“What?” Her brows furrowed in playful apprehension.
“If we want Him to change us, we need to be moldable, flexible.”
She shrugged. “Of course.”
“For example, if He wanted you to lie down right now, you’d have to be willing to bend to his will.” David pushed her back against the pillows.
She giggled. “I think we’re talking about your will now, David, not Jehovah’s.”
David grinned, hovering over her. “We’ve learned to be happy with Elohim’s will.” He kissed her. “Can you learn to be happy with mine?”
Breathless, she smiled, her brown gaze drinking him in. “It’s fascinating how you’ve managed to change the direction of this conversation.”
THE END
Soli Deo Gloria
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