“Drink a little tea,” Mary said while holding a warm cup to her husband. Amias shook his head, not wanting the strong taste of earth and almonds. He coughed and tried to push her arm away. “It’s good for you. It will help,” Mary gently pushed the cup towards his mouth, ensuring she wouldn’t burn his lips or spill any on his clothes. Amias tried to push it away, but Mary held his shaking arm down. Mary was about to comfort Amias by saying that the tea was good for him when a loud clap of thunder roared above. The boom of the storm raged through the one-floor home, echoing through the bedroom, her sons' room, the central area, and the kitchen. The constant beating of rain pounding the roof and sides of the house assailed Mary’s mind as she concentrated on her ailing husband.
On most nights, the sound of rain would have been welcomed. The past few years have been arid, and the heavens opening with rain would have been considered a blessing to the dry earth. The residents of Rakkath, a town near the Sea of Galilee, all prayed to God for relief from the burdensome drought that plagued their farms. A plethora of the residents came to Amias, the town's prophet, to ask God to remove this plight from their lives. Mary knew Amias tried to explain that this drought wasn’t just affecting Rakkath or the people of Naphtali, one of the tribes of Israel living in the promised land. The drought had caused problems in the remaining Israelite tribes and the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Moabites, and Ammon. The entire region was calling on their respective gods for help. Mary knew that Amias tried to calm the residents’ fear with sweet words, but still, they blamed one another, God, leadership, and, of course, worshipping other gods not associated with Israel.
Baal worship was present throughout the country, and Amias often spoke against their believers. At dinner, he would rail against the effect of Queen Jezebel and how it was a blessing for Elijah, a prophet who no longer walked the earth, to stand against her priests and the god they serve.
Mary smiled at her husband, hoping to give him a comforting face during his coughing fits, restless eyes, and shaking hands. Seeing him in this condition starkly contrasted with what she remembered, the man speaking against all the gods people chose to worship instead of Yahweh. Amias never let his older age stop him from being determined to stand for what he believed was right, even if it meant going against one of the most powerful men in Rakkath.
Upaz, a prominent wealthy merchant in Rakkath, was open about his belief in Apis. Mary didn’t know what Apis did or control but knew it was a god from Egypt. Upaz had never been a religious man before his trip to the mighty empire south of them, but when he returned, there was a new vigor for this bull-like god. Mary had visited Egypt once before to see her eldest sister, Nina, in Thebes. She wanted to be with her during a tough time in the family when their middle sister, Lila, passed away from a similar breathing issue that Amias was suffering from. Mary thought it was interesting that Upaz came back with a new belief while she returned with memories and sand in her belongings.
Amias coughed and paused for a moment. He looked over at Mary, the tea in her hand, and nodded. Mary returned her gaze with a smile and prayed the tea would help. The mixture came from Rashida, one of Mary’s neighbors, who gave her the tea recipe to bring comfort and healing for the cough and lung issues. Amias had worked hard months ago on one of the few days it had rained in their olive grove. Some suspected that the sickness stemmed from that, others due to his advanced age, and a few whispers wondered if it was God punishing the people through him for their false idol worship. Mary knew people in town didn’t trust anything or anyone new or different than the culture they were used to. Rashida fought hard against that mindset.
Rashida was a Nubian who lived in Egypt due to some exchanges between the two nations. Mary didn’t completely understand why these two countries did this with some people but went along with what she was told. When Mary went with Phashar and Terach to Egypt, Rashida was so impressed with Phashar’s love of the Lord that she converted and became a passionate believer in Yahweh. Mary trusted Rashida, unlike some in Rakkath who assumed her healing methods were tinged with Egyptian spiritual beliefs and not medical information. Even Amias was a bit wary of Rashida’s ideas but overcame that when he learned of her conversion to believing in Yahweh and Mary telling him about her character when she visited Egypt.
“What is that?” Amias coughed and asked while wiping the spillage from his beard.
“Almond something-something,” Mary said, “I think.”
“Oh.”
“It’s good for you, that’s what it is, good for you,” Mary said with a smile and held the cup to his mouth. Amias sipped again, coughed, and shook his head.
“It’s not worth it,” Amias said and chuckled. His small laugh made him cough harder, and he squeezed Mary’s free hand. “I need to see my boys.”
Mary rubbed Amias hand, smiled and said, “You need rest.” Mary paused her gentle rub momentarily and fought tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. “There will be plenty of time tomorrow.”
“No,” Amias responded. His voice was weak, but he put in as much force as possible. Amias turned his head, smiled at Mary, and tapped his thumb on her hand.
He’s apologizing, Mary thought. She knew he wasn’t trying to snap at her but wanted to show strength in his decision. “Tonight?”
“Tonight,” Amias responded. “Like our forefather Israel to his sons, I will do the same with Amir and Amit.” Israel, born Jacob, blessed his multiple sons on his deathbed. The patriarch knew it was time to bless each son and give them a prophecy or blessing that would carry them for multiple generations. Since then, the various Israelite tribes have settled on land based on their group attached to a particular son. Only the Levites, who were priests, didn’t get a specific plot of land.
Since Israel, every father worth his stature has passed this tradition on to his sons. The men wanted to pass on the family line in strength, love, and harmony with God’s will. Mary couldn’t handle Amias acting like he was approaching the end, as Israel did thousands of years before. To her, there was always one more night, one more day, one more time to be in each other’s presence.
Mary nodded and called to her sons, who were in their bedroom. They could hear her, even with the onslaught of rain hitting the home. They came to the threshold of Mary’s bedroom door and waited for their mother or father to grant permission to enter. Mary’s attention returned to Amias when he coughed and winced in pain.
“Will father be okay?” Mary heard a voice from behind.
Mary turned around to see her sons, Amir and Amit, standing close but at a distance from their father. She marveled for a moment at how tall the two young teenagers were. The eldest, Amir, was taller than Amias, while Amit had a larger build. Mary nodded and stroked Amias hand. “Yes,” Mary said. She looked into her husband’s eyes, which were teary but still firm. There was peace in those eyes, and it made her smile. “Come and see your father. He has a blessing for you.” Amias coughed and nodded. He knew what he had to do.
Amir and Amit rushed to their father and helped him sit up in bed. The sudden move caused Amias to cough violently. Mary handed the eldest child a rag so he could wipe his father’s mouth. The old prophet steadied himself and thanked them for the aid.
To Mary, the age difference between herself and Amias, who was at least thirty years her senior, was only strange at the beginning of their courtship. For her family, attaching themselves to a prophet meant improving their station in life. Mary’s sister Lila married someone from Rakkath, but he was in an agricultural business similar to her family's. More coughs from Amias while talking to his sons reminded Mary of Lila’s persistent cough and eventual passing away. Nina still lived in Egypt with her husband, a physician Rashida used to work for while residing in Thebes.
Mary cleaned the kitchen and eating area while Amias blessed the two boys. She gave them space so the prophet could have a personal moment with his sons. Mary only came into the room once, offering water for his coughing fits between the words of truth and encouragement to Amir and Amit. She heard some of the blessings given to the boys. They were different, but both exemplified their personalities.
To Amir, Amias wanted to bless him with strength and intelligence. Of course, he would receive a portion of a blessing, which was his birthright, but pushed Amir to use his mind to do something great for the Lord. Mary remembered when Amir taught some of the people in the inn stories Amias told him at home. His favorite was Elijah calling fire down from heaven to embarrass the prophets of Baal. Mary loved her son's passion but hoped he wouldn’t endanger himself, considering multiple Baal worshippers were not fond of that memory. Amias loved it, encouraged his son to preach the truth, and never back down from representing God.
Although Mary was scared for her son’s safety, she was proud of her eldest, the man he was becoming, and how he desired to pick up the knowledge that his father would give. Amias knew he didn’t have all the answers and often encouraged Amir to learn from visiting prophets and priests who visited Rakkath. Amias would compare his oldest son to Afra, one of Amias’ best friends and a prophet from Jericho.
For Amit, he was clearly a person who would work with his hands. He was physically imposing for his size. Often, Amias would compare him to a friend near Jericho named Doro. Mary never had the pleasure of meeting Doro but knew of him through the stories Amias often told of his time there. Amit was blessed with perseverance and determination.
Mary knew that Amit would do whatever he could to help. Moralee, a woman of advanced age, sold fruit in the market with her husband, Bozak. Their son, Moumis, ran the inn in town and would usually help his parents when he could. There was a particularly scorching day when Moralee needed water from the well. Bozak couldn’t make multiple trips, so Amit did it for her. He went back and forth to the well, carrying her buckets until she had what was needed. She thanked the young man and gave him some extra fruit for his troubles. Amit was tired, but he never showed that to Moralee or anyone. He would have pushed on as many times as it took. It’s how Amit thought and why Amias pushed his blessing in that direction.
Mary shed a few tears, remembering her closest friend, Bayla. She used to live in Rakkath but had to go on a journey to raise money to get her children back. They were taken after her husband made a bad deal with a creditor named Kalil. He was also an Israelite but did a lot of business in Egypt. When Bayla couldn’t pay what was due, he took her children. Kalil could have taken what she had and put her on a payment plan, but instead, he used her children to work off a part of what was owed. Mary couldn’t imagine Amir and Amit being snatched away from her. She loved hearing their laughter, play, and inquisitive questions about everything.
Mary could hear the rain pause as Amias lay back in his bed. His coughing picked up, and more water was needed to calm him. Mary looked over at the tea brew, sniffed, and shook her head. She figured she would stick with the water unless Amias said otherwise. She questioned how he would have responded to the tea and doubted he would have made that request.
“Mom,” Amir started. He used a soft voice, meaning he wanted to ask for something. Mary raised an eyebrow, acknowledging his summon. “Can Amit and I help clean the oxen at Tamir's?”
Mary snickered at the question and thought about how much they loved their neighbor’s animals. Tamir had a larger farm than her family, but he mainly transported goods with his cart and animals. Tamir realized it was more challenging to make enough from selling crops and food with the drought. Like themselves, Tamir had an olive grove and wheat as well, but the olives were of lower quality due to the arid conditions.
“Tonight?”
“It’s still early,” Amir said. “Not fully dark yet.”
Mary shook her head in disbelief. “One hour,” Mary started, and the boys were about to run out of the room until she shouted, “But wait.” They stopped at the door and turned to meet their mother’s gaze. “Get permission first and come home before it gets late. There’s a break in the rain, but I don’t want you getting lost or hurt.” The boys nodded and thanked her for permission.
Mary kneeled by Amias as he slowed his shallow breathing. Mary rubbed his hand, which trembled in hers, and then grasped two fingers. “They left?” Amias asked.
“Yes,” Mary responded. “Went to Tamir’s home.”
“They love those oxen,” Amias said and laughed. He at once knew the laugh was a bad idea and coughed. This time, there were wheezes, and the cough sounded deep and liquid.
“More tea?” Mary offered.
Amias shook his head and waved his free hand in protest. “Please, no.”
Mary smiled and rubbed the hand that was grasping her fingers. “Be strong. You will overcome this.”
Amias did not say much for a while. Mary could tell by this silence and closed eyes that he was enjoying the touches she gave him. “No,” Amias said. “You’ve seen this before.”
Mary knew Amias was referring to Lila. Her sister had always had breathing problems. Mary was the youngest of the three, and Nina told her she remembered Lila wheezing when they were younger. She seemed to get better, but eventually, a sickness overcame her as she got older. Terach was broken when Lila passed away in their home. His brother, Tamir, tried his best to comfort him, but eventually, Terach left to go to Jericho.
Mary sighed. Amias trudging up memories of Lila brought thoughts of death and pain. She couldn’t handle the idea of not seeing him forever. She knew people were not immortals but wanted at least another day or week or, God willing, another year. Mary paused to take a deep breath to stop her from shedding a few more tears. She did not want to think or even imagine life without Amias. To her, Amias was God’s servant, so her husband would undoubtedly beat this sickness. “Lila was different.”
“No,” Amias said. He opened his eyes, and a smile crept across his face. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
Amias coughed, looked towards the ceiling, and then stared back at Mary. She hoped he couldn’t see her crying as she tried to look away but wanted to savor each moment with her husband.
“I have to apologize,” Amias said.
“You don’t need to,” Mary started. “This sickness…”
“No,” Amias rasped. “Not for the sickness.”
“Then for what?” Mary asked.
Amias coughed and strained while trying to get the words. He grasped his chest, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths to gather himself. “I owe a creditor quite a bit of money.”
“Oh,” Mary said in between sobs. She sniffed and used the back of her sleeve to wipe her face. “I knew it was tough,” Mary started and continued, “Who? Who is the creditor?”
Amias paused and let out a smooth, cough-free breath. He took his eyes from the ceiling and looked straight at Mary. “Kalil.”
