Danya. Anne McGivern
And that I longed to see him.
“I know it would be a great consolation for you to see him, Danya. And Lev should know his father has died, but Chuza has decided not to seek him out right now.”
“Why not?”
“He thinks it would bring Lev to Jerusalem, and that Chuza’s enemies would try to link Lev to Judah ben Hezekiah, as they did with your father. Chuza would have to fight all over again, this time to prove his brother’s innocence. What if he failed?”
He probably would fail, I thought. “But if Lev is with the Essenes in Jerusalem, he would flee the city once he knew this. Then all of us would be safer,” I reasoned. “Let me look for him, please! Tell me how to find the Essenes.”
“I see what you mean. And a son should know that his father has died. There is an Essene quarter not far from here.” Joanna put the bowls back and closed the cabinet door. She explained that I couldn’t roam the streets and alleys of Jerusalem unaccompanied. That might be dangerous, and, anyway, Chuza wouldn’t permit it. But I felt that she was wavering and that I might yet persuade her when we heard heavy footsteps in the hallway outside the dining room.
“Here he is now,” said Joanna, and she began straightening the sleeves of my tunic as Chuza entered the room. “Your sister needs some clothing that fits her better and is appropriate to her station in life here,” she said. “You don’t want her looking like the poor relative from Galilee in front of our friends, do you?”
I was the poor relative from Galilee, and, though Joanna was joking, it stung a little to hear this said aloud. Chuza frowned, but Joanna persisted. “My things are too small for her, and hers are wearing out.”
“All right,” Chuza sighed. “Off to your father’s shop, but I don’t have time to accompany you. Take one of the male servants with you.”
“The servants are already overburdened with preparations for tonight’s dinner. Better not to tie one up waiting around for us. Father’s shop is close, and we’ll be safe with him.”
While Chuza considered this, Joanna shifted from one foot to the other. “Just see that the old crook doesn’t overcharge me like he usually does,” said Chuza finally.
She gave him a quick kiss. “Of course, husband. Thank you.”
After he left, I said, “Should you be doing this for me? What if Chuza finds out?
“Even if he does, which is unlikely, he’ll eventually see the propriety of it. A son should know when his father has died. Chuza believes this, but he’s not himself right now. He’s anxious because so much has changed in Jerusalem of late. Staying in favor becomes harder every day.”
Before we set out, Joanna gave detailed instructions to her servants about the dinner preparations. I admired her air of confidence as she did this. When she wasn’t with Chuza, she seemed so competent. Though she was small-boned and delicate in her mannerisms, she carried herself with authority.
Joanna knew her way around Jerusalem. Because Efron had no sons, he had schooled Joanna in his business. Before she was married, she often accompanied him on his business affairs around the city. The Essene quarter was close to her father’s shop though Joanna had rarely gone there because Essenes do not wear silk. But she assured me that they were pious, righteous people, so we would be safe among them.
A stairway at the southern edge of the Upper City brought us down to some twisting alleys and into the Essene quarter. The houses here, with their tiled roofs and plastered stone walls, were smaller but still elegant by my standards. We knocked on doors, intending to ask if anyone knew of a Lev ben Micah from Nazareth. But, in house after house, no one answered our knocking. The aroma of baking bread and grilled vegetables drew us to a long building, which turned out to be a dining hall where most of the quarter’s residents were enjoying a meal together. Men, women, and children, all dressed in white linen, stood and sang a hymn of thanks. “Thou hast redeemed my soul from the Pit, and Thou hast raised me up to everlasting height. I walk on limitless level ground . . .”
When the singing ended, the servers brought food to their tables, and all eyes turned to us. Joanna stated our business to one of their leaders. He went from table to table asking if anyone had heard of a new member named Lev, from Nazareth. But, even in this large group, no one had heard of him. They suggested we try the monastery in Qumran, whose ranks grew daily with young men from all over the country. But Qumran was more than a half day’s walk from Jerusalem, and it would be impossible for us to go there. Another of their leaders suggested we write a letter to Lev and entrust it to him in case he ever came across my brother. But I dared not accept his kindness. He, too, would be tainted if such a letter were to go astray. We thanked them for their time, and, discouraged, hurried back to the Upper City. We still had to go to Efron’s shop and order some clothes for me, so Chuza wouldn’t become suspicious of our whereabouts.
In Efron’s shop, sheets of silk lined the walls, hanging from pegs fastened near the ceiling. Long lengths of saffron, pink, red, and blue-hued silks spilled down to the floor and rustled with each breath of wind flowing through the door. Entering his shop was like walking into a fluttering rainbow.
“Joanna, my love.” said Efron as he popped out from a curtained back room. “And Danya. Is today the day you join the ranks of the most beautiful women of Jerusalem?”
I managed a polite smile. “Today is the day I stop borrowing Joanna’s clothing, at least.”
Efron told me to pick any color, and I chose the saffron. He wafted the length of silk over my palm; it was so soft I felt my touch might melt it. The women tailors clucked and measured and fussed over me. Joanna advised about trimming the cut. But I had no heart for this business. My heart had been fixed on finding Lev. When Efron asked me to pick a color for my second tunic, I listlessly pointed to the white. “How about something more striking? This crimson perhaps? Look how gorgeous it is against your skin.”
Crimson reminded me of Naomi. A light crimson tinted her cheeks when she laughed. “No thank you. The white will be more useful,” I said. “But could we also order something for my friend Naomi? Her clothes are as worn as mine, and she would be so happy to have one of your beautiful tunics, Efron.”
“Surely, my dear,” said Efron.
Joanna took my hand. “Danya, Naomi won’t need . . . I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but Naomi is no longer staying with us. Chuza has found her. . . a position.”
“What do you mean ‘a position’? What has he done now?”
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