TAMAR
Episode 4.
“Today I will be taking a walk with Zain to the museum, so get things ready for the outing because we won’t be back till dusk, hurry, and don’t get food or drink we will buy some there.
I quickly packed up few things into a leather bag, I also put her shawl, and a cover just in case the weather gets cold, I put a little water bottle and fried meat with few fruits, even though she asked me not to bring food or water, knowing the kind of person she was, she may not get a good food outside and will end up angry with me, so it was better I carry everything necessary, even if she did not demand or needs it I will return them back.
A year has gradually gone by, I can still remember the day Abel brought me to live and serve here, and it has not being easy serving Zity but I get use to her everyday.
Zain, her friend met up with her, she also came along with her personal maid, who looked me over like I never existed, she rolled her eyes and sigh, while Zity and Zain walk in front, we quietly followed behind, Zity makes men to turn and stare at her, she was very beautiful, she never gave attention to any one as she went ahead talking with her friend who seem to be boiling with jealousy at the way men and women were staring at Zity,
Zain suddenly said she wanted to restyle her hair and also to add more make up to her face, so Zity allowed her, and we stop at a little kiosk, and Zain ordered her maid to restyle her hair and add more make up to her face and the girl who seem angry with her mistress disturbance, grudgingly did, and when she was done, Zain checked herself in the mirror and seem satisfied.
The make up on Zain’s face was much but she was okay with it, Zity spoke
“Isn’t that much, I mean the make up, the one you had on before was far better off…
“what do you mean Zity, what of the one you have on your face isn’t that also makeup…are you trying to say you are more beautiful than i?
“mmh, I’m not saying that, I did a very light makeup because I sweat a lot, and the weather is very hot, I’m just saying the whole makeup on you will probably wipe out if the weather gets hotter…you will sweat…
“don’t worry about that, that’s why I have my maid with me, she will fan me if the weather gets hot, her job is to make sure I don’t gets uncomfortable…so even though I know she is very arrogant and lazy she will still hand fan me, making sure I’m alright.
When we got to the museum, which was crowded with people, they started touring round the whole place, Zain pointed at some group of handsome men, they were four in number, and after sometime, two of the young men’s walked away leaving the other two behind, they look young and vibrant, Zain started urging Zity to were the young men where standing, but Zity who was not interested in what Zain was showing her turned away.
“look they are so handsome like your brother Vim, they look royal too, come let us go close maybe they will notice me, just take a good look at them, they look like they were carved by mars, just like your brother who is always rude to me, he never pays me attention no matter what I do, and you have refuse to make it possible, you can tell your brother that I really like him or just say anything that will make him look at me like I’m special, Vim is proud and full with himself, April is always flocking herself around him, maybe because April is older than us, April should be eighteen or nineteen right… and her father is in charge of the big arena game, but she is not as beautiful as I am…
“Zain, mother has thought me never to lie, and I know I can be stubborn but there are certain teaching from my parents I hold dearly, in truth April is beautiful, far more than you. leave my brother out of our discussion, he doesn’t want you and no matter what i do or say he will still not want you, Vim is just like that, leave him alone, you know I can tear down when it comes to my brother… father said I’m too young to keep a man friend and mother has warned me not to go too close to any man except my brother, Vim will kill any man he sees close to me because I’m not allowed to keep men as friends, my people want me to marry as a virgin, keeping a man friend may bring distaste and will stain their good name, I don’t want that either I just turned fifteen now and mother has said when I’m sixteen i will be allowed to have a male partner, or they will get me married off, I don’t want that though, I want to choose a partner for myself…I know I will
“sometimes, I don’t like you, I hate you for always painting yourself as an angel, I’m also my father’s favorite yet he allows me to do whatever I want, loosing your virginity doesn’t mean you will bring shame to your parents, is only when you tell them, they don’t even have to know, you have your own life to live, I lost mine when I was twelve and it feel so good, I told you back then to try it but you are always preaching “mother said this father said that” eventually you will still loose it before you get married or after, whichever way, you will, except if you want to grow old and die with it, please stop acting like you are perfect, will you walk me down to those boys or not..
“Zain, i came here to check out the art of history and fine work of the craftsmen not to check out boys, you can go I’m not going anywhere…
I felt so proud of Zity, she can be difficult to please but she was very principle despite having everything at her disposal, she still respect her parents both absent and present.
One of the young man suddenly turned to our direction, and tapped his friend’s shoulder who also turned
“aaah, I’m hot all over, They are looking at me, they like me, hope my make up is still there, is my hair well styled, I asked my maid to style it in perfect order, Zity hope is perfect, stop being jealous of me because I know you are, well I was hoping I will meet with them and make my choice among them, Zity please, be a true friend for once and walk with me to where they are, I’m blushing, look…look they are coming…they are walking towards me…ooh I’m hot, they are too handsome, look at the taller one, he has so much muscle, broad shoulder and chest out, he has red lips too, oh I’m melting inside…I just need him to smile at me and I will be his, he is like a god, one of those god carved in the temple, as if he was perfectly carved by mars, the god of sunlight and rain…I’m in love with him already…
The men walk up to where we are, they greeted us and walk passed Zain who was admiring the tall one with a full smile on her face, thinking they were coming to her, she frowned as they went straight to Zity, Zain’s heavy makeup face changed into terror like one of those small witches in their idol temple,
The taller one that Zain has wanted started speaking to Zity who seem uninterested,
“you look like you came from Aliah, the goddess of beauty, are you in anyway related to the goddess, you are beautiful, your kind of beauty is hard to behold, I’m chakan, my father is the third district ruler, here is also my friend, I got caught up in your beauty the moment I saw you, you look like Lord Reese princess, oh I’m right, you were little the last time I saw you with your parents and your brother at the gladiator parole, I have admired you from where I sat, as you wave with your parents on the chariot that day, is being five years now, and you look far more beautiful than all the royal maidens of the land put together, what is your name, please I want to be your friend…
“is good to meet you, I’m not allowed to keep men as friends, my friend Zain will appreciate your friendship more…
the young man was obviously not interested in Zain who stormed out with her maid angrily, he tried to get Zity’s name but she suddenly walked out too after Zain ran out of the museum,
when we got outside, Zity started looking for Zain and when she found her, sitting under a tree while her maid was fanning her, Zity joined her and sat down on her mat, Zity apologized to her and she pretend not to be angry
“I don’t even like him, the one that said his name was Chakan, the son of a common district ruler, he maybe handsome but he is not my type, he look like he has too many women, I don’t like such men…
I watch Zity laugh and later said
“you were dying for him earlier now he is not your type of man, well after you ran off he whispered to me that he likes you and don’t know how to talk to you…but since you said you don’t like him then is fine, any day I see him again I will deliver your message
I watch as Zain’s eye light up joyfully, not knowing that Zity was only joking
“don’t you dare say anything to him, oh goddess of kindness and love has favored me, Aliah has visited me and has put a smile on my saddened face, did he said that he likes me, I thought he wanted you, i like him too much already, please wait here let me go and look for him inside or is he coming out to meet us…oh I’m getting hot all over again…
“I was only joking Zain, he never said that…
“you are a cursed being Zity, may the gods deal with you for laughing at my misfortune, how can you joke with something like that, who do you even think you are, always getting the good things of life, good family, handsome brother, men dying to have you instead of me, I will go and burn incense in the temple of Venus and Aliah to favor me greatly and when they do I will taunt you like you have done to me, and before I forget I can also boast with my maid, she is far more beautiful then yours, even though your maid look better now than when she first came she can never be compared to mine, and I don’t need you to tell me that she can tell good stories or sing, she is still not as beautiful as mine,
“and yet you complained that your maid is too lazy, you told me five days ago that you wish your maid is as hardworking as submissive as Tamar is, Tamar is not only hard working and respectful she tells me good romantic stories all night and can also sing, Tamar’s hair is covered up now, have you seen her coyly fine hair, she got it from her mother that is what she told me, I’m glad mother picked her for me, I did not taunt you Zain, I was only joking and I don’t have all the good things of life, I’m always grateful for what the gods blessed me with, I’m sorry anyway, can we at least stop fighting and act like friends, we shouldn’t fight over everything…
Zain pretend to be at peace and ask Zity to give her the necklace on her neck if she want her to be her friend again and Zity removed it and gave it to her, we were asked to go and look for food and drink but I told them I packed up some food in the bag and I quickly brought it out and serve them, they both started eating, talking and laughing while I stood beside Zity and Zain’s maid sat faraway from her as she eats the food I gave her.
It was sundown already and a long walk back home, when we arrived, Lady Phin was walking round her garden with Vim her son, Zity ran to her brother who was hardly around, he hugged her, while their mother smile, I left them to go and set water for Zity to bath, after that i went in search of Abel and when i didn’t see him I asked of him from the other kitchen assistant who seem to be use to me now,
they told me he was at his usual place, close to the fountain, I went straight to the fountain and saw him, his eyes were shut, his head raised high, his mouth closed, it looks like he was in deep thought, the whole place was quiet except for the sound of water, I quietly sat beside him and he opened his eyes, he turned and looked at me before smiling, he tapped my shoulder gently,
“is something bothering you Abel… you like sitting out here all alone sometime, I thought you are praying but your mouth never moves…
“I am, that’s the way I pray, i praise God loudly in my mind while listening to the water fall, I tell God all my worries and allow him to speak to me, I can’t say it out loud, I can’t pray or worship like I would have love to because is forbidden to do so, someday I will have the boldness because I still have fears, and I’m praying to God to help me overcome it, you can also try to sit out here by yourself sometime, and have a quiet time with God, tell him whatever bothers you or whatever your fears are, allow him to envelope you in his love, we maybe in a strange land but nothing ever happens without God’s knowledge, he knows you will be here, he will use the weak to shame the strong and will use the things the world call foolish to shame the wise, God said “my ways are not your ways” I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
“my father use to read psalms to us when he was alive, I still remember few, I wonder sometime how this people have gods of different shapes and sizes all around them and yet they feel empty and sad.
“in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. No matter the images they bow to it can never do anything for them, for they have eyes but can not see and ears but can not hear.
I sat with Abel as he empowered me with the word of God, I excused him to go and check up on Zity and to know if she was done with her bath.
I still wonder what I will do without Abel, when I seem to be loosing hope he strengthens me up, I feel so close to God anytime I’m close to Abel, I find favor before my owners, and no matter how much of song and stories I tell Zity she only sees them as romantic stories not as God delivering his people or showing love and kindness to people, someday, I have this believe that one of them will come to know the real God more than the gods and goddesses they carve for them selves and call it a name. but for now I will keep serving as I was meant to serve.
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