Blood Moon Redemption

by Judy DuCharme

  Tassie set down her glass without taking a sip and kissed her mother on the cheek. Her father stood and gave her a big hug. “Goodnight, Daddy. Love you.” She picked up her jacket and purse and walked out.

  CHAPTER 2

  1492, ATLANTIC OCEAN OFF THE COAST OF SPAIN

  The ship gently rocked as Lydia drifted off to sleep. Most of her fears had subsided and she enjoyed the excitement of traveling on the ocean. She missed her home and neighborhood terribly. She chose her happiest memory to be the last thing she thought about each night as sleep came, and fear tried knocking on the door of her mind.

  It had been her eighth birthday just a month before their eviction from their home at the edict of the Queen of Spain.

  “Lydi Liebermann, what an impact on the world you will make! The most beautiful daughter ever!” Papa had beamed as he handed Lydia her present.

  “Ha, ha, Papa, so funny. I am the only daughter of the Liebermanns. That would make me most beautiful and the smartest.”

  Papa’s eyes had twinkled. “Ah, Lydi, there has never been a more beautiful Liebermann daughter ever. Just as the Psalmist said, ‘Many daughters have done beautifully, but you outshine them all.’ Is it not true, my dear wife?” Papa bowed and swept his hand in the direction from Lydia to his wife.

  “True, it is,” laughed Mama. She picked up the towel draped over the chair and swatted her husband. “But, it is also true, dear husband, that you have only one daughter, your brothers have only sons, and your papa had only sons.”

  Papa extended his hands, raising his arms. “As I said, never a wiser, smarter daughter than mine. She will be remembered as were Rachel and Sarah. I know it!”

  Lydia ran her fingers over the luxurious texture of the brocade bag before peeking inside. Reaching in, she pulled out a small cloth doll with a beautiful porcelain face. She loved the lacy dress her mother had sewn. It was the best present ever.

  The three held hands and danced in a circle, a traditional Jewish dance. Papa gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and his daughter a kiss on her head.

  Lydia lay quietly and smiled as the memory faded. I don’t have that doll anymore, but I have my Mama and Papa, so I am okay.

  A few days later Papa reached down and felt Mama’s brow. Lydia knew it was too warm. She had also touched her forehead.

  “Is she okay, Papa?” Lydia sat at the foot of her mother’s bunk.

  “I think it is just the sea and the rocking. It makes one dizzy sometimes.” He dipped a cloth into a bucket of water, wrung it out, and laid it on her forehead. Mama moaned.

  She opened her eyes and looked at her husband. Lydia could see the fear screaming out of her mother’s eyes. Papa swallowed and patted her hands. “Esther, all will be well. God is with us.” He closed his eyes and Lydia wondered if he, too, was afraid.

  Lydia heard what sounded like mumbling from her father. She knew he was praying. Good, Papa doesn’t fear anything. He knows how to pray. Mama will get well.

  Mama moaned again and placed her hand on Papa’s arm. “My ribs. Such pain. Can’t get my breath.”

  Papa’s voice was full of compassion. “You bruised them, dear wife, when you fell in the woods. Remember when I bruised myself after falling while building the house?” Mama nodded, and a slight smile crossed her lips. Papa laughed. “Yes, I was not a good builder, now was I? Why did I bring that up?”

  He looked at Lydia. “I am a better Rabbi than I am a carpenter. I will tell you that story someday.”

  Lydia nodded. She took a deep breath. Her parents were smiling and laughing. Surely all would be well now.

  Papa touched Mama’s ribs gently. She winced. “It will take time to heal, dear one. We will be patient. It took me quite a while to heal.” Mama smiled again. Papa chuckled. “I know you think I nursed that too long, so our friends would do the building for us. But a bruised rib takes a long time. You just need to rest.” He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

  “Come, Lydi, let’s let your mother sleep a while.”

  “Love you, Mama.” Lydia paused and gazed at her mother. She kissed her mama’s cheek, took her papa’s hand, and walked to the upper deck where Gabe and the other children played.

  Gabe called to her to join them. Papa smiled and nodded, and she ran over to see what her friends were doing to pass the time.

  A FEW WEEKS LATER

  “I am so sorry about your mama, Lydi. I will say the Prayer of Mercy for her.”

  A tear ran down Lydia’s cheek. She didn’t speak but nodded.

  Gabe put an arm around her. “I will take care of you, Lydi. I promise.”

  Lydi stiffened and pushed Gabe with both hands. “No, Gabe, my papa will take care of me. And I want my mama.” Her little chest convulsed, and she ran from the lower deck sobbing. She found Papa on the upper deck just staring at the ocean. Blinded by her tears she slid into the railing.

  “Lydi, Lydi, you must be careful. I cannot lose you as well.” He scooped her up and the two wrapped their arms around each other and sobbed.

  “Papa, why did they drop her in the ocean? How will we find her for a proper burial?”

  “We won’t, little one, but even in the ocean, she is in Abraham’s bosom. And, we will see her again.”

  Lydia stopped sobbing. Putting both hands on her papa’s chest she pushed back so she could see his eyes. “What do you mean? She lives? How will we see her? When?”

  Papa set her down, took her hand and walked along the deck. “Lydi, the Torah tells us we will all be in heaven with Father God one day. That is where we will see her.”

  Lydia stopped and pulled her hand from Papa’s. “No, Papa, not when we die. I want her now.”

  Papa stooped to eye level with Lydia. “So, do I, my sweet Lydi, but we must know and accept the truth. Mama will always be in your heart, but you will see her no more in this life. We must take care of each other, my sweet Lydi.”

  Everything was blurry. Wiping her eyes did not help. “I will always take care of you, Papa. But not Gabe.” Lydia stamped her foot. “He thinks he can marry me.”

  Papa laughed a big laugh. It was so good to hear that Lydia stopped crying and smiled at Papa.

  “Maybe someday, Lydi, he will marry you, but not for a long, long time.”

  EARLY 1493, NEW WORLD

  Rabbi Liebermann stood with Lydia on the sandy shore and waved as Christopher Columbus sailed away on his return trip to Spain. Lydia missed him already. Not long into the voyage, she started to call him Uncle Colombo. She and Gabe had loved to stand with him as he steered the ship.

  Gabe’s mother, Anna Goldman, wiped a tear from her eye, as she turned to her husband and the rabbi. “May God give my cousin safe travels. I wonder if we shall ever see him again. I did not know him that well growing up, but watching him as the admiral of our ship, stirred great respect. Now, he goes back with reports of ways through the sea, the lay of the land, the peoples, the riches.” She scowled. “I think all Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand want to know about are the riches . . . whether there are gold and spices. Wouldn’t she be surprised to know this journey opened a whole new world for the Jews of Spain? Perhaps the Jews from all over the world will come here, too.”

  Mr. Goldman placed his arm around his wife. “Yes, a whole new world and we must explore it as well.”

  “Look what he gave me before he sailed.” She pulled a small cloth package from her pocket. Unwrapping it revealed a small coin. On one side was the image of Queen Isabella.

  Her husband raised his eyebrows. “Truth be told, I don’t care for that image, dear wife.”

  “Ahhh.” Anna smiled. “Study the other side.”

  Mr. Goldman turned the coin over and there was the image and name of Cristobal Colombo, 1492. Lydia stood close to Mr. Goldman. “Ooh, look. Papa, look. It looks like Uncle Colombo. What a nice gift.”

  The Rabbi leaned in. “Right you are young lady. It is a wonderful gift. Joseph, this is a wonderful memorial of how God Almighty, blesse
d be He, has taken care of us.”

  They gazed out at the water and watched the ship get smaller and smaller as the sails billowed and the ship flowed with the wind. The sky was blue and feathery clouds lazed about the sky. Small birds graced the air above them and they all just stood and soaked in the beauty.

  “Papa, Papa.” Lydia tugged on her father’s sleeve.

  He reached down and patted her head. “What is it, Lydi?”

  Lydia pointed at the sky. “Papa, how far is the sky blue?”

  “Oh my, Lydi, I guess forever.” Each person crooked their neck and peered into the heavens. “What do you think . . . as far as heaven?”

  Lydia placed her hands on her hips, tilted her head, and scrunched up her lips and nose. “I think it’s as far as God will take care of us.” She turned to her father. “Because He will.”

  Rabbi Liebermann reached down and picked up his daughter and held her close. His words were choked. “Yes, Lydi, He will.”

  PASSOVER, SPRING 1493

  “Papa, Papa!! Look!” Lydia’s face was aglow with excitement even in the dark. “The moon’s face is moving!”

  Rabbi Liebermann and his daughter stepped outside and stood next to the little home they now shared with the Goldmans. His dear wife was gone, but Lydia filled his life with delight. The Goldmans daily provided love and strength as the rabbi worked to set up a simple synagogue for all the Jews displaced by the edict of Spain.

  As Rabbi Liebermann looked up, his stomach churned. He stepped back and gulped. “Oh my. Oh my.”

  The night was cool and clear. But the sight before him sent shivers up and down his spine.

  “What is it, Papa?” Lydia stiffened as she watched her father. “Is it bad?” Tears formed in her eyes.

  “Oh, not to fear, sweet one, not to fear. It’s one of God’s majestic events in His creation. I learned about this as a young man in my studies of the Talmud and about the heavens. The earth gets between the sun and the moon and makes a shadow on the moon.” He took her hand. “Isn’t it amazing?”

  Lydi looked at the moon, then gazed up at her father’s face. “But it looks red, Papa. Our shadows aren’t red, are they?”

  “No, they are not. You are so smart. They call it a Blood Moon because it’s red.”

  “Why did you look so surprised, Papa? You almost looked scared. Were you scared?”

  “I was surprised, sweet one, because this is Passover. And a blood moon on a holy day is very important to the Jewish people.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “I am not quite sure. I must pray and seek His face. Times and seasons are in His hand, bless His holy name. Our people in Spain just came out of horrendous pain and suffering, and now we are in a new land. Perhaps this is His sovereign plan.” The rabbi took his daughter’s hand and bent over to kiss the top of her head. “He does know the end from the beginning. So, it is our duty to seek the wisdom revealed in His Word and hidden from those who do not seek His face.”

  “Maybe it’s like the blood sacrifices in the temple so long ago, Papa.” Lydia’s face lit up. “Remember those?”

  “Oh yes, Lydi. God commanded the blood sacrifice for the removal of sin.”

  “Oh, Papa!” Lydia squeezed her papa’s hand and signaled with her finger for him to come closer. He kneeled on one knee and Lydi put her mouth to his ear. “Maybe He’s showing all the people who left Spain, wherever they are, that He has forgiven the sin of the whole world. Cause that was a big sin, Papa, what they did in Spain.”

  Rabbi Liebermann coughed and cleared his throat. A single tear ran down his face. In barely a whisper, he said, “Out of the mouth of babes.” He stood slowly and picked up Lydia. “Oh Lord, what wisdom You place in little ones. My heart is overrun with Your presence. You have forgiven the world. You have forgiven Spain. I, too, will forgive.”

  He grasped the tassel that he wore on a loosely woven rope about his neck like a pendant. It had been lovingly kept and held in high honor as they crossed the ocean and settled in a new land. “Blessed are You, God of the universe. I will walk in forgiveness, and every time I see a blood red moon, I will perceive that You have done sacrifice and forgiven the world.”

  The rabbi shared the story with his small but always growing congregation. “We have lost much and yet we have gained a whole world in which to live and grow. Let us always be mindful of the lovingkindness of our God, not just toward us, but to all those, good and bad, who live in this world.”

  CHAPTER 3

  PRESENT DAY, CHICAGO

  “Tassie, this man asked for you.”

  Tassie held up one finger as she finished writing her closing remarks. I need to practice this. Almost have this thought down.

  “Miss Stevens?”

  “Uh-huh, Uh-huh.” Tassie nodded. Satisfied she had the wording correct, she looked up. “Yes?”

  “I do apologize, Miss Stevens. The man insists he wants you to represent him.”

  “Certainly, send him in.”

  “You may want to come out, Tass.”

  Tass? Tassie frowned. Normally Teresa maintained proper decorum and called everyone Mr. or Ms. To call her Tass? Something must be wrong.

  “What is it?”

  “See for yourself, Ms. Stevens. Please.”

  Tassie sighed. So focused on her closing arguments, but always willing to add a client. Why in the world did she need to go out there?

  Tassie smelled him before she saw him. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at Teresa. Teresa ran her hand over her face and returned to her desk.

  “Aah, Miss Stevens. Thank you for seeing me.”

  Tassie wanted to run. This was not the type of client her firm attracted or serviced. The older man ran his fingers down his long gray beard.

  Oh, no, his eyes twinkle like Santa Clause in Miracle on 34th Street. She had watched that movie every year with her mom while growing up. It was a Christmas movie, but her parents always taught her to appreciate the culture she lived in. But the man in the movie didn’t wear a plaid shirt and she doubted he smelled.

  She glanced over to Teresa’s desk, hoping she would intervene. Teresa smiled, winked, and looked down. Then it dawned on Tassie: this was a trick to embarrass the rookie. Okay, I’ll play along.

  “How may I help you, sir?”

  “I would like to discuss a case with you. I’ve met your mother.”

  Sure you have.

  Tassie kept seeing images of her cousin’s farm, and she was reminded of the smells of cows, pigs, and sheep. It didn’t fit in this high-class office. But this must be her initiation. They would all have a laugh over drinks about what a good sport she was.

  “Certainly, please come to my office, and we’ll talk.” Okay, Tass, don’t sound too cheery. Everyone is looking, big eyes, smiling, some even holding their nose. Well, it was fun at my cousin’s farm.

  Tassie opened her office door and held out her arm inviting Santa Claus from the farm into her office. She paused before following him in, smiling at everyone observing her.

  Trying not to chuckle, knowing she was passing the initiation test with flying colors, Tassie started around her desk. She hesitated, then grabbed her legal pad from her desk, rolled the pages to an empty sheet, and sat down facing the man on the same side of the desk. I’ll be kinder, be at his level.

  Picking up her pen, she smiled. Hope I can get the smell out of my office. “So, you know my parents, Mr. . . . I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

  “Hector, Hector Woodley.” He reached out and patted her arm. Tassie fought not to recoil. “Your father is a very kind man.”

  “That, he is,” Tassie agreed. “You know him well?”

  Mr. Woodley rubbed his chin. “He may not recall me. Your mother probably would though.”

  “Oh.”

  “Your mother and I visited many years ago, but enough of that. Today is your day.”

  “My day?” Tassie crossed her legs and wrote Hector Woodley at the top of the page.
/>   “Yes, you need to pay attention to your mother’s interest in the blood moons.”

  “What?” Tassie leaned back in her chair and looked straight at Hector. “Who are you and why are you here?” Her face heated.

  “Tassie, don’t get upset.”

  “Mr. Woodley, you may call me Ms. Stevens. You said you needed to speak to me about a case.”

  “Yes, yes.” He leaned forward. “There is a very strong case for you to play an important part in keeping this nation safe.”

  Tassie stood up. “Mr. Woodley, I will convey your greeting to my parents. I do believe our conversation is over.”

  Trying not to march, she strode to the door and opened it. Hector remained sitting. “Have a nice day, Mr. Woodley.” She tipped her head toward him.

  Nodding, he stood up, ran his hand down his beard again and smiled sweetly. Santa Claus. “Don’t forget, Tassie.” He walked out the door and down the hall.

  She stood with her hand on the door knob for a minute, shook her head, and shut the door.

  What was that? How did he know my mom was into blood moons? Wait, maybe he’s a security breach.

  Tassie started to open the door and call for security. Wait, get a grip, Tass. This is not a company issue.

  She walked around her desk and sat down.

  How did he know? Is he a hacker? That doesn’t even make sense. I’ve never written down the words ‘blood moons’. Did my mother put him up to this? Mother drives me nuts at times, but she is too classy to send smelly Santa to my office.

  A noise brought Tassie out of her musings. Teresa stood in front of her desk.

  “Ms. Stevens, are you okay? I’m so sorry I let him in.”

  Tassie looked hard at Teresa. “This wasn’t a rookie lawyer initiation? A good laugh for everyone?”

  “That has never happened here, Ms. Stevens. Did he scare you?”

  “No, he just made no sense. Must have wandered in from the street.”