While working on my class preparations, I had a difficult time concentrating. But I knew I must get started so I could be free when Sharmila arrived. I did not have to prepare for my beginning Egyptian class. Khety, our teacher from Egypt, asked me to teach this a few years ago, and I have taught it several times. Khety wanted to spend more time with advanced students. But I did have to work on my second class. This class would be about story telling. I was going to look at some of the stories in The Royal Epic and compare them with Egyptian stories that were told for entertainment. The Egyptian stories were: The Story of Sinuhe, The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor, The Enchanted Prince, and The Story of Wenamon. These stories all have a common theme: the wanderings of a hero, and they are climaxed with a joyous homecoming. Khety brought the texts of these stories from Egypt. However the ending of the text of The Enchanted Prince has been lost. Khety gave me some suggestions for writing an ending for this story. He said that the most important thing about the ending was to be sure that the hero got back to his homeland before his death, because he had to be buried in Egypt. Also we did not have a good text of The Story of Wenamon; it was damaged in transit. But we knew that if we could not figure it out, we would get another text. The Story of Wenamon was a recent tale compared to the others. It was about a hundred years old, and it was probably based on an actual report. I was drawn to it, because most of the events happened not far from here along the coast of the Great Sea. Furthermore, I immediately began to plan my visit to the places that are mentioned in this wonderful story.
I worked on my translations of these stories, but finally I had to quit. I kept thinking about Sharmila. I was convinced that I had always loved her, and I was certain that these feelings were not new and were not surfacing just because Rachel had fallen in love with Samuel. I decided to start planning for what we could do when Sharmila and her father arrived. Mother had already told me they could stay at our house, and that meant there would be some good times around our table. But we needed to do some other things.
I did not know how long they would stay, but I planned for several days. On the first day, I would show her around Jerusalem. The next day, I thought we should walk to Bethlehem. On the third day, I wanted to visit the estate of Tamar and Khety. But as soon as I thought about that I changed my mind, saying to myself, “No. I will ask Tamar and Khety if I can go to their place and meet Sharmila before she and her father arrive in Jerusalem.”
I could not wait. I went to Khety’s office, so I could ask him as soon as possible. Khety was in his office eating his lunch. He said, “Shalom. Come in and join me. I will even give you a bit of bread and cheese. I’m eating in my office, because Tamar left this morning for her old home. She wanted to check on her garden. The student, who lives there, does a fair job in tending to things, but Tamar likes to do a little extra now and then.”
“I don’t need to eat now. I will be going home soon, but I do have a question for you.”
“You may be going home for lunch, but this is a special bread and cheese. Tamar is an artist; her food is always prepared with one thing in mind: to please the palate.”
“And you are an artist with words. How can I refuse?”
The bread and the cheese were delicious. I enjoyed eating and being with Khety. He was always a lot of fun. I wondered if all Egyptians were like him. Then I told him that I was working on my translations of the stories. Then I said, “I have finished my translation of The Enchanted Prince. I even wrote an ending. Could I show it to you in a few days?”
“Of course. Bring it by any time.”
“Also I have a request. A few years ago when we went to Beth-shan, you teased me about being smitten by Abdi-anati’s daughter, Sharmila.”
“I remember her well. Beautiful. Beyond compare.”
“I thought you would remember. In a few days, she will be coming to Jerusalem with her father. I would like to meet them at Tamar’s estate before they arrive in Jerusalem. Could you ask Tamar if that would be possible?”
“I will ask her this evening. Come by the house just after sunset. But I should give you a warning. You will be meeting Sharmila at Tamar’s estate, and as you know that is where Tamar and I fell in love and decided to marry. It is a dangerous location. It is just far enough north of Jerusalem to cut out the city noise. The sky is clear; the stars are bright. You will have to watch your step,” Khety said all of this with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“I like danger and adventure, and I thank you for the bread, for the cheese, for the warning, and for being my teacher and my friend.”
“Not a word. See us this evening.”
4
During our evening meal, father said, “Today I received another letter from Abdi-anati. Naam, you will be interested in knowing that he is bringing his wife and both daughters. He has also been corresponding with Sheva, as the head of the academy, about this trip. Sarah and Sheva have invited Abdi-anati and his family to stay at their estate, which as you know is next to Tamar and Khety’s place. Also, Keziah, you will not have to make room for them here.”
“That does call for some big changes,” said mother. “But we will still have them for some meals, and I should talk with Sarah. We will probably do something at their country place.”
“Changes indeed,” I said. “I was going over to Tamar and Khety’s after dinner to ask them if I could meet Sharmila and her father at their place before they arrived in Jerusalem. Since both places are side by side, I could still meet the family when they reach Sheva and Sarah’s.”
“You seem to be anxious,” father said.
Mother’s comment was, “Jonathan, you know he is anxious. Naam, you should go on over to see Tamar and Khety. Elissa and Ruth, your dear sisters, will take on your after-dinner chores this evening. I can see that everyone is getting involved in this visit.”
I left at once. I knew that the girls would complain about the extra work but not for long.
I ran across the street to Tamar and Khety’s house. Khety greeted me with a cup of wine and said, “Sit down here at the table. We have finished eating, but we are still enjoying our wine.”
As I sat down Tamar said, “Khety told me about your request, and we want you to know that you are more than welcome to go out to the house to meet Sharmila and her father.”
“I thank you. I want to do this, but I have to tell you the situation is going to be different from what I thought. Father just told us that according to a letter he received today, Abdi-anati is bringing his wife and both girls. They have accepted an invitation from Sheva and Sarah to stay at their estate. I would still like to go to your place and wait for them. I can help them get settled at Sheva and Sarah’s.”
“That would be fine, said Tamar. “In addition, I think we should plan a party at our place while they are here. There is enough room with both houses for all of us to stay over night. I will have to talk with Keziah and Sarah. We will make some plans.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
Then Khety inquired, “Naam, do you remember Sharmila’s sister’s name? Their mother’s name is Pidray.”
“Her name is Huraya, but when we were there I did not get to talk with her. She is younger than Sharmila. She will be able to have a good time with my sisters. Elissa is now sixteen; Ruth is thirteen; and I think Huraya is also sixteen”
“But
