Naomi

A Crazy Scheme: Ruth Part III

~ Natalie Hart ~ Leave a comment

The woman of the house was muttering and slamming the door to the storage room again, which meant that, if Naomi and Ruth didn’t get out of there while her back was turned, they’d be subject to another fit, so they sped out of the house before anything got thrown at them.

“This isn’t working anymore,” Naomi said. “If it ever did.”

“There’s one more day of harvesting wheat,” Ruth said. “I’ll glean as much as I can.”

Naomi gave an irritated huff. “It isn’t really that we’re eating too much food. It’s that you’re too young and beautiful and I’m the previous woman of this house and my husband’s family and the elders are dragging their feet about deciding on a permanent solution for us.”

Ruth agreed with her mother-in-law, but there wasn’t much point to following those complaints with more of her own. Whining wouldn’t make people stop giving her sidelong glances and edging away when she came near. Sure, they loved to publicly praise her loyalty to Naomi, but that didn’t mean they were glad to have her around. At least, the women weren’t. And certainly not the woman of the house where they were staying. Ruth headed towards the dung pile in the back of the property. Maybe a fresh pile of fuel patties would help.

“Is Boaz still, ah, watching over you?”

“I’m still gleaning in his fields and eating with his workers.” Ruth tossed a forkful of dried grasses to the edge of the dung pile. “Just like you and he told me to.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

Ruth gave Naomi a sly grin and then crouched to mix the grass and aged dung.

Naomi snorted and sat next to Ruth, although she faced away from the work. “Good.”

“At least he was still giving me the eye the last time he came to the wheat fields. He hasn’t been there in a couple of days.”

“That’s because the barley is dry and they started winnowing,” Naomi said. “What we need is a way to light a fire under Boaz’s feet.” Her loud hand clap startled Ruth. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“Do you trust me?”

Ruth tossed one formed patty to the side and faced her mother-in-law. “You got me out of Moab and your pregnancy ruse found us so much help, we didn’t even use up our food. Of course I trust you.”

That got a chuckle out of Naomi. “Then here’s the plan. Boaz has his own threshing floor. A flat bit on the hill to the west of his wheat field.”

“With an oak tree to the east. I know.”

“Good. When you come back from your work today, take a bath, oil your skin and hair, put on a little scent and your softest robes. Then go to the floor, so you can see where he goes to sleep, but stay hidden. Nobody can see you or know you’re there.”

Ruth folded her hands in her lap, gripping her fingers so hard that her knuckles turned pale. What did Naomi expect her to do? Did she really go through that entire journey only to wind up doing what her friends in Moab had warned her about?

“When everyone’s asleep, go to him and,” Naomi leaned close and spoke in an undertone, “uncover his feet.”

That wasn’t what Ruth expected Naomi to say. She frowned. “His feet?”

Naomi wiped her fingertips across Ruth’s forehead. “Don’t make wrinkles. We don’t want Boaz to suspect your real age.”

Ruth made her face as smooth and placid as she could. “So, his feet.”

“Yes. Uncover his feet and make him choose whether to be honorable or dishonorable. So far, everything he’s done has been above board, and everything I’ve been told about him makes me think he’ll do the right thing. He just needs a little push.”

Wouldn’t his feet already be uncovered from tossing and turning in his sleep? It was the beginning of summer; nobody slept swaddled up. Maybe her mother-in-law meant something else. “Should I wash his feet while I’m there?”

Naomi recoiled. “You will under no circumstance touch his feet. He’ll think you’re a veiled woman and then all will be lost.”

“I’m lost now.”

“What? It’s a perfectly simple plan.”

Ruth shook her head slowly. “Feet have way more significance in your culture.”

Naomi blinked at her a moment before dissolving into giggles. By the time she finished, she had to wipe her eyes. “‘Feet’ here is a euphemism for the male member.”

“That makes much more sense.” Ruth managed to say this primly, but she couldn’t stop a smirk from forming. “So you don’t expect me and him to…”

“Certainly not,” Naomi snapped.

“But I’m to expose him to the breeze and curl up with him as if we were married and then await his instructions?”

“Exactly.” Naomi’s voice turned tender. “He won’t take advantage of you and leave you with the consequences. He’s in his forties. If he were like that, the women here would know by now. His wife died in childbirth four months ago. He just needs a little reminder of how nice it is to have a soft, sweet woman by his side.”

It had been a long time since anyone had been tender with Ruth, and it was so out of character for Naomi. Tears burned in the back of Ruth’s eyes. She blinked and went back to forming another patty. “What’s the thing you called him when I first gleaned in his fields?”

“Kinsman redeemer.”

“Kinsman redeemer,” Ruth repeated so she’d get the pronunciation right.

“So you’ll do it?”

“Everything you said.” Like she said, it was time to light a fire under someone, and Boaz was acting like tinder.

Naomi squeezed Ruth’s hand. “I’ll finish these up. Get down to the wheat fields so our gracious host doesn’t have more to complain about.”

*****

 

Fake It ‘Til You Make It: Ruth Part II

~ Natalie Hart ~ 2 Comments

Ruth dug her thumb into her right side as far as it’d go, but she couldn’t reach the itch on her stomach. She grimaced and plucked at the wrappings, but they were too wet from sweat to budge.

“Look alive,” Naomi said. “Shepherds.”

Two youngish boys, not quite within hailing distance, walked the same path straight at them.

“Keep the donkey between you and them,” Naomi said. “They might be from Bethlehem and that,” her gaze dropped to Ruth’s stomach, “won’t help anymore.”

Ruth slid back until she was at the donkey’s left flank, which put her on the downhill side of the animal. “Red,” she whispered, “you’d better not slip.” Its footing was sure, but its side bags kept bumping her stomach, which kept knocking her off the path.

“Good morning,” the boys yelled.

The women waved.

“Good sons,” Naomi called when the boys were close. “What is the nearest village?”

“Bethlehem.”

Naomi crumpled to the ground as if she were a grain sack with a large tear. Ruth was used to it, so she merely cried, “Oh no,” and reached out one arm, but the boys dashed forward.

The older one was fast enough that he caught Naomi before she fully hit the gravel, and eased her down. “Do you have water?” he asked Ruth.

Ruth leaned over the donkey as much as her stomach allowed and looked as pitiful as she could. “We ran out yesterday.”

“What are you waiting for?” He snapped at the younger boy, who scrambled to pull out their water skin. The older one held it to Naomi’s lips and she miraculously recovered enough to take a healthy gulp.

“Did you say Bethlehem?”

Ruth never stopped being amazed at how weak Naomi could make her voice sound.

“Yes, mother,” the older boy said. “Two hills over.”

Naomi brushed her hand over her forehead. “Who is your father?”

“I am Enoch of Hiram.”

“And your grandfather?”

“Seth.”

Naomi managed a weak smile. “I grew up here, but I’ve been gone a long time. Seth is my cousin.”

“Was,” the younger boy said.

“His legs were like tree trunks.” Naomi sighed. “Hard to think of him as gone.” She pushed herself up on her elbows and accepted another drink of water. “I used to take care of your father and his brothers when– You don’t want to hear an old lady’s stories. Help me up.”

He hoisted her up and she put a steadying hand on the donkey. “Time to go, daughter. Time to see whether anyone remembers old Naomi.”

“Brother,” Enoch said. “Run home and let them know Naomi is coming back.”

“But the sheep–”

“I got the flock. Go on!”

The younger boy took off across the grass. By the time Ruth got the donkey going again, he was out of sight.

“You are a good son,” Naomi said to Enoch. “May God bless you for your kindness.” She trudged away with a stooped-over posture until Ruth gave her the “all clear” signal.

Ruth’s breath came faster as she allowed herself to hope. “Does this mean I can finally take these pads off?”

Naomi waved a careless hand. “Being pregnant would only be a problem now.” She kept moving forward.

Ruth whipped off her scarf and robe and clawed at the knot between her hip bones until it gave way and she could unwind the wrappings and let the lump of wool that had passed for a baby for the last month fall to the ground. She’d daydreamed about this moment many times a day, every day, but now that she was staring at the bundle in the dirt, her first instinct was to rush to pick it up and brush off the dirt and cradle it. Which was ridiculous. Why was she on the verge of tears about losing the lump that had caused her so much discomfort for so long?

Her breath hitched. It seemed like her hand migrated to her stomach without her wanting it to. She’d lost that baby years ago. It shouldn’t be able to still make her cry.

She gritted her teeth, picked up the wool and shook it out of its balled-up state. When it flapped freely in the breeze, it lost its power, and she hurried to catch up to Naomi.

The path wound down to a valley and around one more hill, and then the village was in sight. From here, she could see the grain fields ripening on every slope. She wrinkled her nose. Those wheat fields were a month away from ripeness, so again, it was barley. They’d been following the barley harvest since they left Moab.

Naomi motioned for her to come closer. “Remember to look down as if you’re younger and more insecure.” She grabbed Ruth’s chin and tilted her head up. “At least the oil we used on your skin every day hasn’t been wasted. You could pass for eighteen, which is still a little old, but that can’t be helped. You are a widow, after all.”

As they trudged up the path, Naomi transformed back into the bent old lady and Ruth tried to look sweet and innocent, although all she felt was raw and exhausted. A couple of women ran down from the village, crying out, “Naomi, Naomi. Is it really you?” They fussed over her, but didn’t give Ruth a second glance.

When they were in the village proper, Naomi picked up a handful of gritty dirt and let it slowly trickle over her head. “Naomi? Who is this Naomi?”

More women crowded around. “It’s you.” “I know it’s you.” “We were children together.” “We were married the same year.”

“Don’t call me by that name. I’m no longer beautiful. And pleasant? Bah!”

The women herded Naomi toward someone’s compound, even as she was speaking. Ruth followed, unnoticed, with the donkey.

“No,” Naomi continued in her public speaking voice, “call me Mara, for the Lord has made my life bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer, when He has sent so much tragedy to me?”

By now, the village’s children had joined the women, and also a few men in from the fields for their midday meal. They jostled Ruth as they pressed closer to the scene, and she was pretty sure she felt at least one hand grab her behind, which meant the end of the meek and innocent act. She was not a servant to be groped at will.

“Mother,” Ruth said. “Mother Mara!” She let a hint of panic into her voice, which wasn’t much of a stretch.

“Ruth, my Ruth,” Naomi cried. “My one blessing from the Lord. Daughter, where are you?”

The two women pushed their way through the crowd. Naomi put her hands on Ruth’s shoulders and kept her at arm’s length a moment. The longer they looked in each other’s eyes, the tearier they got. When Naomi whispered, “We’re here. We did it,” Ruth felt it as a genuine moment, not one manufactured for the greatest crowd impact. They embraced, rocking back and forth.

When they separated, Naomi kept one hand firmly around Ruth’s arm. Their moment was over; time to get back to the performance. Ruth kept her gaze downcast.

“This girl.” Naomi paused as if overcome by her emotions. “This girl is not of my body, she is not even of our people. She is Mahlon’s wife.”

“Where is Mahlon?” someone shouted.

Naomi gave a keening mourning cry that raised the hair on Ruth’s arms, especially when some of the women joined in. “The Lord took him. The Lord took him and my Kilion and my Elimelech.”

The noise of the crowd became too loud for any one person to be heard over until an older man raised his hand and hushed them.

“This is Ruth.” Naomi walked them in a circle. “You could call her a foreigner, a Moabitess, but I call her daughter in truth. She left her family and her people, rejected her gods and idols for the Lord Almighty, and kept this old woman alive on our journey. If the Lord is just, he will bless her for what she’s done for me.” With that, she collapsed and had to be half carried into the nearest home.

Women put their arms around Ruth and patted her head and ushered her through the doorway, up stone steps built into the wall of the house and over to where Naomi sat in the center of the room, weeping, allowing herself to be fussed over. A bowl of goat’s milk was placed in Ruth’s hands and someone crumbled a dried raisin cake into it. She didn’t bother keeping her tears in checks as she ate and drank.

It was suddenly too real. She would be living among strangers. Strangers who were being kind now, but who knew how long that would last. Where were they going to live? How would they eat? When would life stop being a performance?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your People Will Be My People: Ruth, Part I

~ Natalie Hart ~ 2 Comments

No matter how close to sunrise Ruth woke up, Huldah was already at the village cistern, waiting with her “helpful advice.” Lately, that made Ruth turn tail, but today, she waited longer than usual to make sure Huldah and her cronies were there. Today, she was on a mission.

And she had a friend. “Orpah,” Ruth whispered. “Are you ready?”

Orpah just sighed.

Since their husbands had died, sighs were her main form of communication. Ruth would have to take that for a “yes.”

“I hear a loose sandal flapping.” Huldah’s voice was too loud to be just for her cronies’ benefit. “It must be Ruth.” She turned to face the path. “Ruth, honey, is that you?”

“Yes. It’s Ruth.” She plastered a smile on her face. “Good morning, everyone.”

None of the dozen women there bothered to be subtle. Their gazes dropped to Ruth and Orpah’s midsections while they got the morning pleasantries out of the way.

“It’s been how long since Kilion died?” Huldah’s head was tilted and her forehead furrowed, as if she truly were concerned.

Ruth took her place in line. “Over two new moons ago.”

“So neither of you is….”

Orpah sighed and shook her head.

Huldah smacked her tongue. “We were just talking about you and your situation now that there are no men at your house.”

Ruth smiled as if she were interested in her opinion.

“You really don’t have any ties to that foreign woman anymore,” Huldah said. “You should move back to your father’s house and let him find you another husband. One of us.”

First, her father hadn’t invited her to rejoin his household. Second, “Who? I was married for ten years and had no children.” Her father hiring her out as a servant was more likely than him negotiating another marriage.

“You’re not barren,” Beulah, who’d always been a real friend, said. “It’s all the fault of those foreigners. The voice of their god cancelled out all the offerings we made to Ashtoreth for you.”

Behind her, Ruth could hear Orpah begin the low keening sound that meant a wail was coming soon. Better start their conversation now. “Orpah–”

“That’s right,” another woman said. “Just get out of that house and back with your own people and I’m sure your troubles will be over.”

Huldah sidled near Ruth. “My brother-in-law was talking to my husband just this morning. You know my husband is the father of the household now? Anyway, he might be interested in bringing you into the fold.”

“As what?” Ruth asked.

“As a wife, of course.” Huldah giggled. “Don’t be silly.”

“Oh, good.” Ruth kept her voice as level as possible. “Which brother?” The one too stupid to keep his face out of the way of a donkey’s hoof or the one with cheeks so sunken he looked about to die?

“Bustan.”

The stupid one. Ruth nodded and tried to look regretful. “That’s so kind of your family, but it won’t be necessary. We’re leaving.”

There was a chorus of “leaving?” “how can you leave?” “where are you going?” as the women pressed closer.

Ruth elbowed Orpah.

Orpah cleared her throat. “Our mother-in-law is taking us back to her land.”

The women circled around them like buzzards. “Why?” “Are you crazy?”

“The traders that came through here a while back said that there’s rain in her land, Judah, now,” Ruth said. “She wants to go and we will support her.”

“She’s in Kerak now, figuring out the best route,” Orpah said.

Ruth gave Orpah a real smile. Those were more words than she’d said in ages. “We’re just waiting for the barley harvest, so we’ll have food for the journey.” Ruth lowered the bucket into the cistern, speaking louder so she could be heard over its banging. “I hope the wild animal that destroyed some of our fields doesn’t come back. If it does, we’ll have to wait another moon until the wheat harvest.”

She gave all her attention to filling their two water skins while the other women whispered amongst themselves, and several of them left in a hurry. With the real purpose of this chat over, she could relax. Her mother-in-law Naomi was right: the women’s network would get the word out that whoever was sabotaging their fields should stop, and without openly accusing anyone or confronting any of the men.

“What’s going to happen to the house and fields?” Huldah asked.

Ruth grunted at the effort of hefting the full skin over her shoulders. “Naomi will sell it. Maybe back to the man her husband bought it from. Maybe to the highest bidder. Your fields are next to ours, aren’t they?”

“That’s right, they are,” Huldah said as if it had just then realized it. “But you won’t get top price for it with your cistern problem.”

“How did you know there were issues with our private cistern?” Ruth asked.

Huldah scratched behind her ear. “You’ve been coming here for water every day. You used to come every five days or so.”

Yeah, right. But it wouldn’t help to directly question Huldah. It wasn’t like the woman would publicly admit to fouling their water. “I’ll tell Naomi to expect a lower price. Come on, Orpah, we’d better get back and keep packing.”

“Don’t forget to fix that sandal,” Huldah called, prompting a hailstorm of tittering from the other women.

Ruth had her back to them already, so she indulged in an eye roll before giving a thumb’s up. She couldn’t wait to leave this place.

*****

Fourteen days later.

With every step away from the village, the echoes of her “friend’s” words faded. Only the faintest strains of, “You’ll wind up a veiled woman,” and “Maybe the bandits won’t kill you,” remained.

But they weren’t even half a morning’s walk away when Naomi pulled the donkey to a halt. “I can’t do it. I can’t do this to you.”

“You aren’t doing anything to us,” Ruth said. “We’ve been preparing for this for days. There is nothing for us in Moab.”

Orpah whimpered.

“Your families are in Moab. Go back to your mothers’ homes.” Naomi put her left hand on Orpah’s cheek as her right hand cupped Ruth’s cheek. “You’ve been so kind to me and you were so good to your husbands. May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.”

Ruth couldn’t keep her tears in when Naomi kissed her, and soon they were all crying and wiping their eyes with each other’s head scarves.

“N- n- n- n0,” Orpah said.

“We’re going with you to your people,” Ruth said.

“Come on,” Naomi said. “There’s no reason for you to come with me. Can I give birth to any more sons who could grow up to be your husbands? No use waiting around for that.”

Naomi’s attempt to make them laugh failed.

“Think about it.” Naomi shook their shoulders. “Even if were to get married again and the Lord blessed me with a miracle to equal the mother of my people who had her first baby at age ninety, would you refuse to marry other men while you waited for my sons to grow up? Ridiculous.”

Ruth shook her head more vigorously than did Orpah.

“My daughters,” Naomi said. “My beautiful daughters. I’ve sold you a lame donkey. Things may not be more secure where we’re going. They have rain, but nothing can change the fact that we’re three widows, and we’ll have to survive on the kindness of people who are strangers to you. The Lord himself has caused me to suffer and there will be more suffering on this journey. I can guarantee it. The path to the Salt Sea from Kerak is easier than trying to cross the valley of Amon or of Zered, but it’s still steep and treacherous. The rains have just ended, so where there’s water, it’ll be plenty, but there will be stretches of this journey when we can’t find any. Not to mention the crevasses, the bandits, the heat. Show the good sense I know you have and stay here with your people.”

They huddled together, weeping, again. This time, Ruth wasn’t sure if she was crying out of shock at hearing the depth of the bitterness in Naomi’s voice or because she knew Orpah wasn’t strong enough for such a journey. When Ruth pulled back, Orpah was gazing up the road at their village.

“Go,” Ruth whispered to her. “We’ll be okay.”

Orpah’s breath came in whooping gulps, but she managed to kiss Naomi and hug Ruth before heading back where they’d come from.

Ruth smacked the flank of the donkey and followed it. She glanced back at her mother-in-law. “How long are we on this road?”

Naomi crossed her arms and stayed put. “Orpah is the wise one now. You should follow her example for once and go back to your people and your gods.”

Ruth ran back to Naomi, clenching her fists at her sides to prevent herself from poking her finger into her mother-in-law’s chest. “Don’t ask me to leave you again. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Her voice became louder and louder until she was shouting. “I will die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

For a few heartbeats, the only sounds were the wind through the fattening heads of wheat and the donkey’s plodding hoofs.

“You’ve always been the sweetest girl,” Naomi said. “So easy-going. Except when you really make up your mind.”

Ruth was still panting from the passion it took to get her to speak her mind so bluntly.

Naomi gave an almost-smile. “Let’s pray that death separates us later rather than sooner.” She linked her arm with Ruth’s. “Come on. Let’s catch up to that donkey.”