An Instrument in His Hands

Part 2 Chapter 4

Part 2  

85 BC

Chapter 4

I was aflutter all day long. After I dropped a lamp, slopped water out of a pitcher, and dripped ink on my parchment, I told my class of girls that I was nervous because I was going walking with a man. Immediately, all education stopped and they sought to teach me how to behave. Me! It had been that long ago!

‘Remember to listen to what he says,’ they advised. ‘Put henna on your eyelids.’ And, ‘If you get the opportunity to trip, do so. Then he can take your hand.’

‘Enough!’ I protested. ‘I’m not going to run off and marry this man.’

‘Have you never been courted before?’ they asked.

I blushed, remembering. If they only knew! ‘It was so long ago… I’ve quite forgotten how,’ I sighed. ‘Besides, he may have not courting intentions!’

‘Why not?’ they asked. ‘You are still beautiful, and if you let your hair out of that wrapping, you will still look young.’

I felt quite confident after that compliment!

‘I’m only taking him to see the poor,’ I said to myself over and over. ‘We are not courting,’ I said to myself five times. But my fingers were shaking with nerves.

Should I wear my hair down in a long braid or up in my wrap? Should I wear my good robe, or the one I usually wore when serving the poor? How could I decide?

I finally got a hold of myself and wore my regular clothing in which I visited the poor, my hair in its wrap and an old brown robe. After all, I was visiting for their sake, not Daniel’s. If he was the kind of man I hoped he was, he would not wear fine clothing also. After deciding, I gave a large sigh of relief!

We met in the Central Marketplace by the corn cake booth, my usual place to begin my labors. ‘Christian Lady! Christian Lady!’ somebody called to me. A woman waddled up to me and placed her arms about mine and sobbed into my robe. How glad I was that I had not worn my good one!

‘My son. My only son, has been injured!’ she wailed.

That was how Daniel found me. His eyebrows went up in surprise and he did not know what to do, so I reached over to his cloak and included him so he would not walk away.

‘How will we live?’ she continued to sob.

‘Now, now,’ I patted her on the back. ‘God and your neighbors will provide. We will get you through this.’

‘My son won’t be able to work and we shall starve!’ she continued.

‘Has someone seen to his injuries?’ I asked her calmly.

‘No!’ she wailed.

‘Daniel, do you have any experience at healing wounds?’ I asked him.

He rubbed his head uncomfortably. ‘Some. I was in a few skirmishes with Lamanites.’

I smiled at him, encouragingly. ‘I would be so glad of your help, especially healing a boy.’

The woman looked up at Daniel, so I told her, ‘Daniel is a Christian man from Zarahemla that has come to help me tonight.’

‘Christian Man?’ she said, obviously putting our two titles together and looking from one of us to the other. ‘Oh!’

I blushed.

I wrote her directions on the parchment that I carried in my bag for such purposes and promised that someone would look at her son that evening.

‘Come, Daniel, we have to purchase goods for our cooks.’

When I had purchased rice and beans, Daniel offered to carry them for me.

‘Oh, no! You cannot deprive my boy of his coin. His whole family would starve if you did.’ And just then my little friend I called Todkin came to take the sacks from me. ‘Tell the girls to cook extra, for we will have a new family to feed.’ I called after him.

‘He is such a sweetie,’ I told Daniel.

‘Yes,’ he said. But he was looking at me as if I was the sweetie.

Oh dear! Was I ready for that?

So I explained my work. ‘You see, I give people work to do, so they have the means to help themselves and others. I could have the girls feed Todkin’s family, but the family benefits twice if I allow the boy to earn it. Do you understand?’

‘It’s brilliant!’

‘Why thank you. But I can’t take credit for the idea.’

We walked along the Sidon river to the poor part of town, following the directions I’d written on my parchment until we came to the hut of the mother of the injured son. Her son had a maimed and bloodied leg. Daniel turned pale at the sight of it.

‘Does this remind you of war?’ I asked.

He nodded.

‘Why don’t you go in search of two sticks. I’m certain we will have to set the bone.’

Daniel left thankfully. I thought of Muloki, so long ago. He would have made a joke of it to take the pressure off me. Daniel was not a Muloki!

When he returned I had the blood cleaned up and had him hold the upper leg fast. I’d given the boy an herb drink that dulled the pain and put him to sleep.

Snap!  The bone was in place. Daniel had the presence of mind to hand me the sticks. He was not stupid. We quickly wrapped them to hold them in place.

‘So what did you two lovebirds do on your first outing?’ asked Andrew after Daniel had returned me home.

I held out my blood stained sash.

‘Where on earth did he take you? Hunting?’

I giggled like a girl.

Andrew’s eyes grew wider. ‘Where?’ he asked again. When I did not answer, he grew serious. ‘Did he hurt you?’

I turned to face him. ‘Of course not! If you must know, we set a boys broken leg.’

Andrew threw up his arms. ‘You took the government representative from Zarahemla out to set a boys leg?’

I nodded. ‘He wanted to see my work. That’s what I do.’

Andrew sat down and groaned. ‘Now I will never be promoted! How much blood did he get on himself?’

I turned to hang up my robe. ‘None at all. He’s a bit of a sissy.’

Now Andrew really looked worried. He thought I didn’t like him.

I relented. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against him. He’s actually a very nice man, if a bit too formal for my taste.’

Andrew smiled in a calculating way. ‘Is he taking you out again?’

I winked. ‘Of course! He told me that my work is brilliantly organized. Perhaps you’ll get your promotion after all.’