Love By The Nile

3

Netanya's p.o.v

My mother escorted me to the river bank, where the boat to take us to the palace laid. She was quiet throughout the trek and only made loud exhales. She really didn't want me to go. I could have stayed behind and be with her, watching the stars at night on the roof or pressing her leg with oil but If I did, she would never come to the realisation that I needed to do this. That I needed to be free.

"Take this" she pushed a small bottle of oil in my hands "I don't know how long you would stay there but I hope this is more than enough to sustain you"

"Thank you Amah" I smiled trying to avoid her weak watery eyes by staring at the bottle, trying to figure out what the orange oil was.

"It's too help you relieve pain" she explained "the work maybe too much to handle for your arms, press it against your skin before you sleep" I smiled as my eyes began to sting then went in for a hug. Her belly bump pressed against my belly as the tears flowed down my eyes "I beg you Netanya, don't fail your promise. I beg you". I nodded as I peeled from her body.  she used her veil to clean my tears before cleaning hers.

I walked down and climbed the boat, barely getting my dress wet. Noa waved at me from the back of the boat. As I walked towards her, I noticed some other familiar faces in the wooden boat. Nurit was here, the mostly lovely girl I had met, good standards, lovely skin and full of virtue. She was a role model to all the girls in Goshen and the owner of my brother's now dark heart. I waved them and greeted as I sat by Noa.

"I wish I had a mother that cares like yours" she said as the boat moved and my mother waved. My mother stood as we sailed away, for a moment I wanted to come down and go back to get. A sudden sick feeling fell on me as I realised it was my first time away from home, I wanted to vomit.

"Are you ok?" Noa asked her hand resting on my shoulder. I nodded looking back at her, her black eyes were big and so was her nose but her lips were smaller. Her face shaped like an almond and her cheeks were filled with small tiny bumps with white tops giving her these hidden beauty.

"I'm glad your mother finally released you from you cage, you can finally see the world with me" I grinned, she was my best friend even if my mom disapproved of it. She was wild and street smart and didn't care about the rules at all.

"I'm glad too"I spoke softly

"I promise you, you would love upper Egypt. You would feel so good but that's if you are wise and swift" she said

"Aren't we going as slaves?" I asked perplexed at how lively she spoke about serving in upper Egypt.

She puffed sounding like a camel "like I said if you are smart, we are only needed for petty and strenuous jobs so it wouldn't be that hard and if you stick with me" she pushed my shoulders with hers making me look at her dancing eyes "I'll show you around and a few new things" her eyebrows jumped. I giggled, I loved the idea of new things and new places. I was glad she was with me.

When we passed the region where the stranger had seen my nakedness, I frowned. I hoped I never see him again, his last words had stung me and made me self conscious. How could someone so good looking be so wayward? His face was so handsome that i almost lost words when i spoke but he was loose, virtueless. I came out of my thoughts when I spotted people waving at the boat from a cliff and we stopped in front of them.

We came out and the girls stood behind each other forming two straight lines. I stood behind Noa as I watched the woman with the ernomous hair touched the girls, turn them around and move them aside and directed the other girls back to the boat.

"What is she doing?" I asked Noa, whispering closely to her ears.

"Selecting"

"Selecting?" I asked