The Sons of Isaac(60)

“It was the Lord Himself who appeared to me,” Isaac had said. “‘Do not go down to Egypt,’ was His message; ‘I will be with you and will bless you.’” They were all so shocked and confused that none of them remembered hearing the rest of the message, though Isaac had repeated all of it. For Abraham’s sake his seed was to multiply as the stars of heaven and all the land that had been promised Abraham would be given them. And, as had always been promised before, in his seed would all the nations of the earth be blessed.

While they sat too stunned to question the vision, Isaac told them that Abimelech, king of Gerar, had also urged them to stay. “He is very friendly,” he said. “Even he says we can trade with them as long as the food lasts.”

In this way Isaac’s family gave up all thought of moving down to Egypt. Reluctantly Rebekah unpacked her things and started to make the large fortress next to the palace into a home.

The balcony that jutted out on the side of the king’s palace was a delightful place. There had once been a grapevine that twined up and over, forming a shaded area. Now the vine was leafless and dry but offered strong limbs on which to hang her cages of pigeons. The herbs she used for cooking were soon growing in the clay pots, which could be easily watered. She had basil, cumin, coriander, and mint. With these herbs she could make many different dishes of the meat that was still plentiful.

It soon became quite evident that even the king and his family had begun to suffer from the famine. Instead of the lavish feasts that had been held in the past, now there were only a few dates served on dry reed mats, and the last of their store of wine was carefully portioned out.

The king’s sister Anatah still held afternoon parties for her friends, and the women of Isaac’s family were always invited. The entertainment was usually gossip, village dancers, or sorting through the merchandise of traders from Egypt who brought jewelry, cloth, perfumes, and scarce herbs.

On one of these occasions, Abimelech had arranged with his sister to sit behind a curtain where he could see the women of Isaac’s family. “I have heard that even his serving women are doe-eyed and shapely,” he confided to his vizier. “His sister is reported to be a great beauty.” His eyes narrowed and he pulled at his short beard as a lustful grin played across his face. “I need a distraction right now. This woman may be just what I need.”

When the time came for the visit, Abimelech could not take his eyes from Rebekah. “She is the sister I have heard about,” he whispered, “and indeed she is all that I’ve been told. I’ll have my chief steward speak to Isaac at once.”

When Anatah heard what he wanted, and was given the description of the woman, she was appalled. “The woman you are so interested in is not his sister but his wife,” she insisted.

“Impossible,” her brother stormed. “I have carefully investigated and my friend Isaac says she is his sister.”

Anatah was not to be outdone. She had spent several hours every day on the palace roof hidden behind a screen where she could watch what went on in the apartments of Isaac and his immediate family. What she saw both intrigued and angered her. Their balcony was wide with a couch, large storage jars, a loom, and several reedy cages for pigeons. Off to one side was a fire pot, which was always lit in the early afternoon by a serving girl. Soon after this, a woman she knew as Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, would come with a tray, squat beside the pot, and make what looked like a delicious stew.

Even from her vantage point, Anatah could smell the tantalizing aroma. It was obvious Rebekah was making the most of what she could still find as the famine had undoubtedly hampered her usual procedure. There was no bread and no small grains in this mixture. All this interested the princess, but what followed made her resentful and angry.

Isaac, still handsome and virile, would appear and come striding through the curtained doorway, calling out some cheery greeting. Rebekah would jump up, push her hair back from her face, and, laughing, run to him. Sometimes she flung herself into his arms and, pulling his face down to her, would kiss him enthusiastically.

Other times they seemed to play a game where she flirted brazenly and he pretended not to notice; he even went to investigate the steaming pot. All the time it was evident to Anatah that he was very aware of Rebekah and was enjoying her attention. It always ended with both of them tumbling together with laughter and frenzied excitement on the couch. Only after a time, when they lay exhausted and spent, did she rise and ladle some of the fragrant mixture from the pot into a bowl and bring it to him.

He never took his eyes from her as he ate. He listened and nodded, sometimes laughed, and even examined some new piece of jewelry or apparel. It was at this point Anatah turned away; she had seen enough and she was desperately jealous. She had never had a man really notice her as a person. Though she had practiced every ploy in the art of seduction that she had learned in the temple of the goddess, she had received only jewelry for her efforts. With her husband there had been children, including three tall, handsome sons, but never anything really caring and personal.