Watch Your Back

by William V Weeks

One of the fortress guards spotted Paroh as he limped through the north gate and entered the courtyard. “Good day. Tallis said he was expecting to meet with you this morning. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Paroh. How are you doing?”

  “I am well, Ori. Other than my limp. Do you know why Tallis wants to see me?”

  “He didn’t say, but please, follow me. I would like you to meet our new Centurion.”

  “What happened to Kaleb?”

  “Retired. Two weeks ago.” Ori pointed to a stool. “Sit here. Tallis will be with you soon.”

  As he entered his office, Tallis caught the man studying the décor. “Paroh.” His friend jumped at the sound of Tallis’s voice. “Thank you for coming.”

  “You startled me, Tallis. I didn’t know you’d received another promotion. Congratulations. You have a beautiful office, but allow me to ask you one question. You don’t owe me any money, and you won’t need my services any longer, so why am I here?”

  Tallis smiled at his friend. “I have a proposition for you, Paroh. Relax so we can talk. Herod promoted me to the rank of Primi Ordines Centurion. Today, I serve as the Senior Centurion of Herod’s Army in Galilee. Besides commanding the Century stationed in Tiberias, I am responsible for recruiting new soldiers so we can expand the military in the province. I also provide the troops with on-going training.”

  “Impressive. Was this due to your capture of Zamir and his friends?”

  “I’m sure it did, and Kaleb retired. Would you like something to eat, Paroh?”

  “Thank you, no. I ate some bread this morning, so I’m good. This is a fabulous office, Tallis. It’s larger than my entire home, and it’s not dark and gloomy, like my place. How will you get any work done surrounded by so much luxury? I don’t think I could concentrate on doing my job if I had an office like this to work in. So much polished wood, marble, and tapestries on the walls.”

  “It is quite a change from patrolling the streets at night in the wind and rain.” Tallis walked to the chair behind his desk and sat down.

  “Will Herod make you move to Tiberias? As I recall, you said Abigail would never live here.”

  “Moving inside the city walls won’t happen, but I’ll share more news with you later. There are some other items I want to discuss with you first. Let me begin by inviting you and your family to my home two days from now. Abigail and I would like to get to know you and your family better. Some of our relatives and other friends will join us. You are a true friend, Paroh. We intend to eat at the sixth hour, and we will feed you well. Feel free to arrive early.”

  “You honor me too much, Tallis. We would love to come.”

  “Good. I have one more item to discuss with you, so please listen to what I have to say. With greater responsibilities than Kaleb’s, I find myself in need of an assistant, assuming, of course, you could handle working in an elegant office next to mine. I would like to offer this new position to you, Paroh. But, before you commit, I want to make sure you understand what the job entails. First, you won’t need to travel away from home for extended periods of time, if at all. Second, you will help me organize the recruiting and training processes and keep track of all correspondence. Third. I will pay you sixty dinars each month. Think my offer over and let me know what you decide.”

  Paroh sat on the stool and didn’t move. A blank stare covered his face which changed to a big smile. “What is there to think over? You know I will accept your offer. Sixty dinars. Soldiers don’t make as much as I will. What a blessing.” Tallis smiled as he watched his friend. He hadn’t seen him so happy in months. “I can’t tell you how pleased my wife will be after I share the news with her. Thank you so much, Tallis.” Tears began running down Paroh’s cheeks, and he lowered his head and whispered. “You’ve saved the lives of my family and me.” Tallis struggled to maintain his composure.

  “Don’t sit there with a big grin on your face. Go home, and tell Ruth you found a job, and I will see you first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you for helping me capture Zamir, his friends, and my deserters. We wouldn’t have caught them without your contributions.” Both men stood, and Paroh hugged his new boss as Tallis patted his friend’s back.

  Tallis waited several minutes after Paroh had left his office before leaving the fortress. Tallis wanted to thank another person who’d helped him capture his enemies.

  Several minutes later Dodi responded to a knock on her door. “Tallis, what brings you to my house? I was getting ready to walk to the well and fill my water jug.”

  “Hello, Dodi. May I come inside? I’d like to talk with you if you don’t mind.”

  “Please, come in. I never expected to see you again since Zamir, and his men are no longer a threat to anyone. I’m sorry Herod killed them, though. What did you want to discuss?”

  “I’m checking to see how you are getting along. Life is hard for you. Isn’t it Dodi?”

  “What do you mean hard? I’m getting by, so life is good, no?”

  “No, you’re not getting by. I don’t believe you, Dodi. Do you own this house?”

  “I did until I couldn’t pay the taxes, but the new owner doesn’t mind if I stay here.”

  “Does he know you’re living here?”

  “He hasn’t asked, so I don’t discuss the subject with him.”

  “I thought this might be the arrangement the two of you worked out. How do you support yourself? I mean besides working for me?”

  “But I don’t work for you anymore, Tallis. You realize finding work is difficult for a man and impossible for a woman, but I keep looking. Do you know any women with jobs beyond their duties to their husbands and families? I’ve never met such a person. Have you?”

  “We both know your chances of finding a job are next to impossible. Let me do some searching on your behalf. I may get lucky and find a solution to your problem.”

  Dodi’s eyes began to tear up. “Nobody wants to hire a woman. Everyone believes a girl should marry, and bring babies into the world. But, I don’t have a husband to care for, Tallis.” It took Dodi several minutes to compose herself.

  “I suppose the culture we live in discourages women working anyplace besides in her own home. Do you have any suitors?”

  “Who’s going to marry someone as old as me? I’ll be nineteen on my next birthday. The women talk behind my back when I visit the well to draw water. They say I’m an old maid. I worry, living alone will be my lot in life.”

  Tallis saw the disappointment and pain in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dodi. Like I said, I’ll do what I can to help you, but in the meantime, I’m going to give you some more dinars. We’ll call it a gift if you like, or a bonus if you prefer. It’s for helping me keep tabs on Zamir and his associates.”

  “But you paid me double what workers earn in a day, Tallis.”

  “It’s something I want to do. Besides, you might have some good uses for the extra money. I’ll place your bonus on the stool by your oven, and in the future, I will help you whenever I can.”

  “Thank you, Tallis. You don’t have to do this.”

  “You’re right. I don’t need to help you, but I want to.” Tallis could see the relief on Dodi’s face due to his kindness. I’m not going to allow her to starve to death. If the owner of her house found out she still lived here, he’d throw her out on the street, or she’d become his servant. Neither of us knows what would happen if she became homeless. There are way too many people living on the street already. “Dodi, the other reason I came to visit is to invite you to my home two days from now. We’ll eat at the sixth hour, and you’re welcome to come earlier. I would love to introduce you to my wife, family, and friends. I won’t take no for an answer, so please honor my request.”

  “Why would you invite me to your house? I’m not important, and I don’t know where you live.”

  “Abigail and I live in Hammath. After entering through the north gate, take the first left. We live three houses before you reach the tower, and our door has a new coat of red
stain. I got tired of our home looking like all the others on the street, and you’re wrong, Dodi. Don’t you ever forget, you are somebody.”

  Dodi smiled. “What’s the special occasion?”

  “We plan to celebrate my promotion, and you played a role in my success. This is one way I can say thank you to everyone who helped me. Paroh and his family will celebrate with us. In fact, I’ll ask him and his family to come by your house and accompany you to mine. I will also introduce you to everyone, and you’ll meet new people. You’ll enjoy yourself, and I look forward to seeing you.”

  “I will come, Tallis. Thank you for including me. I am honored.”

  Tears flowed down Dodi’s cheeks when Tallis excused himself and returned to the fortress.

  A soldier stood outside of Tallis’s new office waiting for his Centurion’s return. “Benson, thank you for meeting with me. I trust you’ve recovered from your stay at Zamir’s country estate. I heard the last time Zamir had a guest, it cost him his life. Speaking of guests, I want you to come to my house two days from today. We’re having a gathering of friends and family. You know where I live so I expect to see you. We will eat at mid-day, but you may come before then. There is someone I would like to introduce to you. They played a significant role in helping me discover where your captors held you. I will see you then. Dismissed.”

  “I am honored to celebrate with you, Tallis. I’m sure Zamir wouldn’t feed and house me forever, and life became so boring at his place. All I did was sit, eat, and sleep. Otherwise, nothing much happened until Bazak burst into my room and woke me up. I will see you in two days. Thank you so much.” Tallis shook Benson’s hand before both men returned to duty.

  Tallis felt relieved, he’d waited for this day to arrive for a long time though he rose through the ranks much faster than anyone else in Herod’s Army had done before to earn the title Centurion, much less leading all the other Centurions serving the Tetrarch. He hoped his new colleagues wouldn’t be jealous of his quick rise in status and superior rank. Building relationships take time and hard work. So does bringing people together to achieve a new goal. While Tallis was glad to see Zosimos, he wished his father was alive to celebrate this day with family.

  “Thank you for coming, brother. Welcome. Ya-el, I hope both of you are well.”

  “What’s the special occasion, Tallis?”

  “We’re celebrating my promotion and spending time with family and friends.”

  Zosimos pulled his brother aside as Ya-el crossed the courtyard to greet Abigail. “Thank you for explaining my situation to the Tetrarch on my behalf, or my wife and I would have found ourselves running for the rest of our lives like Hilarion. Too bad our younger sibling never took life seriously. He and his friends ended up chasing a crazy dream, held by a man who inherited a fortune but with no purpose in life.”

  “There’s more going on than you realize, Zosimos. I want to tell you we will honor the agreement you made with Nikolaos and the army though I need you to inform me if you see our former Commander or Hilarion again. Herod plans to chase Nikolaos to the end of the earth. He has soldiers searching the areas around Nazareth, Sepphoris, and Cana as we speak. The men who helped their leader escape will need to watch their backs until Herod dies or he captures them. I would encourage you to change your dream related to driving the Tetrarch from power since he keeps food on your plate.”

  Zosimos nodded but didn’t respond, and seconds later everyone present found themselves standing next to a table covered with food. Tallis looked at each person present and smiled. “Please allow me to thank everyone for coming to our home today. It is an honor to spend time with each of you. Also, Abigail and I will move into a new home Herod plans to build for us. We will live next door to the house where mother and our late father lived, south of Tiberias. So, we love each of you, let’s eat and enjoy ourselves.”

  Abigail leaned over and whispered in her husband’s ear. “I thought you would thank God for blessing us first, Tallis. It’s the least you can do after everything He has done for us.”

  “I’ll pray later, Abigail. I need to do something else first, so let’s wait until after we eat. We don’t want the lamb to get cold.”

  After the meal, Abigail watched her husband act like a little boy running around playing with Paroh’s son. Tallis also spent some time talking with Ya-el. This was a pleasant change. Since the promotion, Tallis acted more relaxed after the trials came to an end. The stress had left him, and he slept better. Today, the troubles in Hammath no longer existed, so those fears didn’t haunt him either.

  “Tallis,” Abigail said. “My mother is getting tired, and your friends who traveled from Tiberias need to leave so they can return home before nightfall.”

  “I know, my dear. Thank you for reminding me, but I want to share a few comments with everyone before I give thanks to God. … Friends and family, please allow me to share a few things with you. I apologize for putting this off until the end of our gathering, but I want to recognize some of you for the contributions you made in the elimination of the Zealots from our region. First, I want to thank everyone for coming to our home and spending time with Abigail and me today. Second, I want to say thank you to my new assistant, Paroh. You’ve met him and his family. Paroh helped us capture Zamir along with the people who ransacked our marketplace and disrupted our peaceful community and lives.” Tallis turned and smiled at Benson, and put his arm around the soldier’s shoulder. “Next, I want to welcome Benson home. As you know, Zamir’s men captured and beat him, then held him hostage. I am grateful he is back with us. Third, and I saved the best for last. I would like to introduce Dodi. Benson, this is the young woman who helped us capture Zamir. She also discovered the connection between Zamir and the suffering we experienced in Hammath, and this led to your rescue. Benson, I want you to meet Dodi. Dodi, this is Benson.” Tallis winked at his soldier after making the formal introduction. “Now, I would like to give thanks for our blessings and—”

  Abigail stepped next to her husband and brushed his arm. “Tallis, may I interrupt you. I have something important to share with everyone.” Gazing into her husband’s eyes, she paused then smiled. “I don’t know how to say this, but Tallis, you’re going to be a father.” Everyone rejoiced except Tallis, who stood in the middle of the room with a stunned look until a big grin covered his face. Abigail told him later, sharing the news was worth the wait to see his reaction, along with the biggest smile she’d ever seen him make. Odelia and Nammi hugged Abigail before Tallis could respond to his wife’s news, as the joyous shouts continued.

  After the celebrating had ended, Tallis asked for everyone’s attention. “Please, allow me to say how surprised and delighted I am to hear the news my wife shared with everyone. I don’t know how Abigail managed to keep her pregnancy a secret, but today, I am a blessed man. With your permission, I would like to pray. Dear God, thank you for loving us, for your goodness, and the blessings you’ve given to everyone in this room. Help me to be the man you want me to become as I lead and train the soldiers I supervise. Please protect them and their families. Watch over our friends also. I will praise your name forever. Amen.”

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