The Locket of Love  Chapter. 13 part 2 of 5

The Locket of Love
Chapter. 13 part 2 of 5

Inspecting her clothes, Lea continued, “You are certainly not fine. What happened? Did you fall? Was there an animal at the well?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Maya replied weakly.

Taking her hand firmly, Lea said, “You are my sister. You have never been able to lie to me, so please stop trying and tell me what happened.”

With tears welling up in her eyes, Maya finally exploded, sobbing on her sister’s shoulder. “I was… violated!” she managed to scream through her tears. “On the way back… from the well. A man grabbed me, threw me into the bushes, and… and…”

“Maya, that is terrible!” she said, hugging her tightly. “We must do something. We must tell the authorities. It is the only way to catch this man.”

“No!” Maya screamed. “If… if we tell the authorities, Ari will find out. If he finds out, he will be furious. I just know he will.” Looking into her sister’s eyes somberly, she continued, “If Ari finds out, he will blame me, and think that I was unfaithful to him, that the story of being violated is only to try to hide infidelity from him. I know he would divorce me and leave me homeless on the streets. I know he would do it.”

As much as she wanted to convince her otherwise, Lea knew that her sister was likely correct. Once Ari had his mind set on something, there was almost nothing that could change his mind. “Very well, if it is what you wish… I will keep this a secret. No one shall know,” Lea said sadly.

“Thank you,” Maya whispered.

From that day forward, Maya continued her life as if nothing had happened, tending to her household duties without a second thought. Soon, she celebrated with Lea and Tamir at the birth of their child, a son that they named Lot. However, the more she tried to push the memories of that fateful day from her mind, the more she felt that something was not quite right. After several weeks, her worst fears were confirmed. In a panic, she asked to have her sister over so that they could converse privately.

“Lea… something is wrong,” Maya said.

“What do you mean?”

“My… uncleanliness. It has not happened yet. It should have come a week ago, yet it never did.”

“Maya are you saying you’re…”

“I fear so. I am pregnant,” Maya choked through her tears.

Hugging her sister tightly, Lea said, “We now have no choice. We must tell the authorities.”

“No! Please, no!”

“Maya, what other option is there? Soon you will begin to show. You cannot hide this from Ari. Even if he beds you the moment he returns, the amount of time will not be correct. He will know something is wrong. We must come forward with this.”

“I… I can conceal it, for a time at least. When the time does draw closer, I can feign a great sickness, and stay with you, so that you can take care of me. Ari will certainly believe this, and I doubt he would want to nurse me back to health himself. Please, help me in this Lea.”

“All right…” she sighed in response.

For the next few weeks before Ari’s return, Lea helped Maya adjust her clothes in such a way that she would not appear pregnant, even as she began to show more obviously. When her husband finally returned, he was none the wiser, believing that everything was completely normal. This continued for six months, Maya successfully concealing herself, never allowing Ari to suspect that she had become pregnant. Even in the few times that they made love, Maya was able to hide her body in the dark while diverting Ari’s attention elsewhere. She knew well that this was a dangerous game she was playing, but the danger increased tenfold if her husband learned of her violation.

As she entered the sixth month of her pregnancy, Maya worked at home one afternoon, preparing the food for dinner that night. Ari entered excitedly, saying, “Prepare the best meal you can for tonight. An honored guest has agreed to dine with us: the prophet Isaiah himself!”

“Isaiah? That is wonderful!” she agreed. As her husband took his leave to meet with the prophet, Maya began preparing the bread, fish, and assorted fruits for the meal. As evening came, Ari and Isaiah entered the house right as the food was being placed on the table.

“Welcome to my home, wise Isaiah,” Ari said.

“Thank you, kind sir, and a wonderful home it is,” the elderly man said. “And who is this lovely woman?”

“That is Maya, my wife. Shall we eat?”

“Yes, thank you,” Isaiah said graciously.

As they dined, Maya remained mostly silent, only speaking to offer more food to their guest or when directly spoken to. Her husband and Isaiah talked at great length about many religious and historical matters. Ari elaborated extensively on his family history and experiences traveling to Jerusalem, clearly attempting to impress Isaiah. The prophet was polite, listening intently to every word his host said, but was secretly unimpressed with the man’s bravado. With the meal coming to an end, Maya began collecting the plates and taking them to the kitchen for cleaning. On her way out, however, she tripped on the foot of her stool, nearly falling to the ground. Thankfully, Isaiah was right next to her and deftly caught her in his arms.

“Oh my, careful my dear,” he said as she slowly regained her footing. As he helped to steady her, his hand casually grazed her stomach, feeling the obvious bump hiding beneath her clothes. “Ari, you did not tell me you were expecting a child! Congratulations!”

Confused, Ari asked his wife, “Maya? You are with a child? When did this happen?” Coming closer to her, he moved her robe aside and began inspecting her midsection. Now clearly seeing just how big she had grown, he glared at her, asking, “When did you conceive? Tell me the truth.”

Trembling with fear, she quietly said, “Six months ago…”

“Six months ago? I was in JERUSALEM six months ago!” he seethed in anger.

“Ari, please! I was violated, on the way back from the well! You must believe me!”

“LIAR! You are a pathetic, cheating WHORE!” Ari screamed. Her impassioned pleas for understanding only increased his rage further. Unable to contain himself further, he first slapped her across the face and then kicked her square in the stomach, landing her on the floor. Spitting in her face, he growled, “Get out of my house. If I EVER see you again, I shall have you stoned!”

In fear for her life, Maya ran out into the street, wincing in pain from her husband’s kick. As she sobbed on the side of the road, she suddenly felt a gentle hand resting on her shoulder. Startled, she snapped her head around to find Isaiah with her.

“Dear girl, was what you said true?” he asked calmly. “Were you violated?”

“I was. I swear it to be so,” she said breathlessly.

Sighing, he said, “There is nothing I can do to help you with your husband. This is his prerogative, as rash as his decision may be. Is there anyone you can stay with tonight?”

Thinking for a moment, Maya replied, “My sister, she lives next door. Oh, but she and her husband are away.” As she began to despair, the pain in her midsection suddenly began increasing drastically. “Oh no, something… is not right… I hurt…”

Isaiah felt her stomach and placed his ear against her, listening for the sounds of the baby. “Dear God, I believe the baby is coming.”

“What?! Now?! I-It has only been six months!”

“The stress of your husband’s actions must have caused this,” he mused. “It matters not how at this point. Where is your sister’s house? We simply need a bed.”

To be continued