Tassie looked above the clouds. The blue did go on forever. The blue was there even when a storm was raging. Hidden from sight, but there nonetheless. Could God really be there in this storm of life? Could He be there? Provision that lasts forever?
Tassie shook her head. I must be really stressed, thinking about God.
The water caught her attention. The ripples were still traveling one direction, but the rolls from a distant wake were coming in at an angle, making it difficult to discern the correct current. Looking like a thousand moles under a carpet scurrying in every direction, the water never stopped moving. Each ripple hurried to the next and told it to move on. The grays and whites of the little waves reflected the white of the clouds. Further out the whole surface was a pale turquoise.
Tassie sighed. Oh, what am I to do? Where am I going? I do love my job. I do love my parents. Mother drives me a little nuts, but I love her. And I do love Omar. Tassie stared at the water.
Do I, do I love him? Does he love me? Do I even need to know that?
A fish jumped near her. Its graceful body propelled itself out of the water and just as quickly reentered it, leaving a few ripples to add to the confusion at the water’s surface.
Does it wonder where it’s going? Probably not. Tassie pumped her shoulders up and down a few times and stretched her neck both ways. Time to go.
What sounded like running water gurgling down a drain startled her. She turned totally around, searching for the strange occurrence.
“Silly,” she laughed. A string of ducks, wings flapping the water as they became airborne, passed before her. They gained lift and were soon dots in the distance.
Guess they know where they’re going. Or at least when it’s time to leave. That just might be the better thing . . . knowing when to leave.
Tassie gathered her things, returned to her car, and drove to her apartment. Turning off the music as she pulled into her parking spot, Tassie noticed her mother walking to her car.
Tassie stepped out of her car. “Mother, is everything okay?”
“Oh, Tassie, there you are. I tried to phone but there was no answer.”
“Sorry, turned it down at the coffee shop.” Tassie pulled out her phone and returned the volume level to high. “You thought something was wrong?” Tassie raised her eyebrows.
“Oh no, just was so eager to let you know Uncle Rupert passed.” Her mother smiled. “Mr. Luney has left this world.” She began to giggle. “Actually, we all thought he left years ago. I shouldn’t laugh, but I bet he’s so happy. He can prove all his theories now.”
Tassie shook her head and stifled the laugh gurgling up inside. “Mother, you’re terrible. That is just bad.”
Her mother wrapped her arms around herself. “I know, I know. How can I laugh? He’s probably watching me right now. He was ninety-six and just passed in his sleep, God rest his soul. It was a few days ago and my cousin lost our number. The funeral is this afternoon. Two hour drive. Do you want to go?” She sniffed and dabbed her eyes. “I am so bad. Your father has too much decorum to snicker like this. He’s getting ready to go and suggested I come tell you in person since I couldn’t get you on the phone.”
Tassie sported a wry smile. “He probably wanted you to leave so he could have a good belly laugh. How are Aunt Margaret and your cousins?”
“Oh, everyone is fine. ‘Best way to go,’ they say. ‘Live a good, long, funny life’. . . no they didn’t say ‘funny’ . . . what is wrong with me?” She pretended to slap her own face. “‘And then just go in your sleep.’ I do agree with that. So we have good long-life genes, my dear Tassie. Now, would you like to join us? It’ll be good to see family.”
“You know, I think I would. Omar is out of town.” A bit of a cloud seemed to pass across her mother’s eyes. “And, I’m actually almost caught up on all my work. Want me to drive over as soon as I’m ready?”
“Why don’t I just wait since I have to drive back home anyway. Then we’ll just drop you off when we return.”
“Sounds good.” Tassie trotted up the stairs to her second floor apartment, and her mother followed. “I need a quick shower. I took a jog before the coffee shop. I should be ready in twenty or twenty-five minutes. Is that okay?”
“Certainly, darling. I’ll let your dad know. I’ll need to change, too, but I think if we’re on the road in an hour we’ll be fine.”
“You’re Tassie, right?” The freckled faced, red-headed young man stood in front of Tassie. He shifted from one foot to the other, and Tassie wanted to show him where the restrooms were. “I’m Jethro, Rupert’s grandson. I think that makes us cousins twice removed or to some degree like that.” He smiled at Tassie, and then sneezed. “So sorry. Allergies. You are Tassie?”
“I am. Nice to meet you, cousin Jethro.”
“I’m glad you came. With your name and all, I figured you know all about the blood moons and well, the history.” He twisted his hands and sighed.
Tassie groaned.
Jethro’s eyes widened. “That bad? You’re not interested? You think we’re all crazy? Luney?”
Tassie reached out and touched Jethro’s arm. “I’m sorry, Jethro. My mother is the one you need to talk to. She has studied all this, and truthfully, I’m not all that interested. I just got stuck with the name.” She shook her head and laughed. “I would love to know nothing about this.”
“But, but, but you have the name,” Jethro sputtered.
Tassie stepped back. Dad was right. Strange family.
“Tassie, you are involved. There is some prophecy about you. It’s the end time, and you need to be prepared.”
“Oh puh-leeze, Jethro. It’s family legend. There’s a relic that’s probably worth a fortune. And, I got stuck with the legend and the relic in my name, but that’s it.”
“No, no, no. My grandfather did the research, studied the blood moons. This next couple of years are so significant. You need to be ready.”
“To do what.”
“To bring back the relic and help Israel.”
“I think Israel already has it.”
“What? How do you know?”
Tassie blanched. Privileged information, girl! You can’t share this. You don’t know this. “Oh, I don’t. But after all these years why wouldn’t they? Wasn’t it taken back after World War Two?”
“Well, that’s what my Grandfather said. But it was stolen from the Orbin’s shortly after it came to Israel. It is said that the Mahdi was behind it, and then he hid it. At this time no one knows where it is. But now that the four Blood Moons are here, it is supposed to return to a family member who will get it back to Israel. That has to be you, Tassel Lydia Stevens.”
Just then Tassie’s mother walked up. “Oh, Tassie, there you are. Hi Jethro. What a wonderful eulogy you gave your grandfather. It was like watching Rupert up there speaking. You are so like him.” She turned to Tassie. “Sweetheart, we need to go. Your father wants to get home before dark.”
“Mother, Jethro has taken up the study of the Blood Moons. He is indeed like his grandfather.” Tassie tried to not smile, knowing she might laugh.
“Oh Jethro, that is so wonderful. I would love to talk with you, but I do have to go. Perhaps you could email us.” Marge reached into her purse. “Here’s my card.” Without waiting for a response, she took Tassie’s elbow and guided her away.
“Mother, sometimes you are terrible.” Tassie’s voice was a whisper.
“I know, I know.” She put her arm around Tassie and shook with laughter.
Jethro’s voice reached them, “But, I wanted to know if you met Hector.”
Both women stopped. Slowly they each turned around to face Jethro. “What did you say?” Mother’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Hector. I want to know if you know Hector.” Jethro moved closer and looked from Tassie’s face to her mother’s. He smiled. “Oh, good. I was hoping you had met him.”
“Ladies, time to go.” Tassie’s dad walked up, tapping his watc
h. “Jethro, great job today.” He shook Jethro’s hand then looked at Tassie and her mom. “What? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Daddy, it seems Jethro has met Hector as well.” Tassie walked over and let her dad put his arm around her.
“Well, looks like we’ll be driving after dark. I really do hate driving after dark.”
The four of them sat down at a table, now empty. Many had already left after the funeral luncheon. Jethro fetched a coffee pot and four cups, pouring each a cup before sitting down.
“I’ll start. It was the day Grandpa died. We were at the funeral home making arrangements and this man walked in. I thought he looked pretty rumpled for an assistant funeral director which is what I thought he was. He began talking about Grandpa and what a fine man he was, and then he turned to me. His eyes just pierced me. ‘Young man,’ he said, ‘you need to carry the torch now for the blood moons and the tassel relic and the survival of Israel.’ I was taken aback and asked who he was.”
No one said anything. Jethro took a sip of coffee and looked at the questioning eyes in front of him. “He told me his name was Hector Woodley.”
Tassie coughed. Mother cleared her throat. Her dad drummed his fingers on the table. “I guess this is a lot bigger than we thought.” He reached over and put his hand over her mother’s hand.
“Yes, Jack, it is.” Jethro looked around. No one else was paying any attention to the four at the table. “He told me that Grandpa had actually seen the relic, the tassel in the bottle, when he was in Israel to watch the inauguration of Ben Gurion back in ’48. Hector said Grandpa went to the Orbins who actually had brought the relic back to Israel. They came to Eretz-Israel, the land of Israel, on the boats that the British kept turning away. They married after arriving and opened their home to feed and encourage displaced Jews returning to their homeland. They were a very gracious couple and were deceived by a man who stole the relic for the Mahdi, the Arab leader in the area, and it was never seen again.”
“So, it’s real.” Tassie’s dad wiped his face with his hand. “I guess I believed it. I mean there was all the research you did, Marge. But this is more evidence.”
“He also told me. . . ” Jethro paused and bit his lip, “that I should look out for Tassie.” Jethro looked at Tassie. “He calls you Tassel. I don’t think I ever made that connection . . . that Tassie was short for Tassel. I don’t remember Grandpa ever saying anything about your name. But Hector said you were very important in the end-time scenario around the blood moons and he was very concerned about you.”
“Jethro, did Hector tell you anything about himself. Where he is from, who he is, why he’s so involved.” Tassie spread her hands. “I mean, maybe he has the relic and is just playing us all. I feel like he’s stalking me. I really don’t want any more connection with all this.”
Mother patted her hand. “Tassie, have you seen him more than the time in your office?”
Tassie stretched her neck and then took a sip of coffee. “Yes, he’s found me twice at the park. He tells me to pay attention to the blood moon research and do—” Tassie stopped.
“And do what, Tassie?” Her dad leaned forward. “Is he wanting money or something?”
“No, no, just do the research with Mother.” Shut up, Tassie. They already don’t trust Omar.
“So, do you know anything else about him?” Jethro looked at each of them. “He’s a little odd.” A smile crept across Jethro’s face. “I know people think that about us . . . Grandpa and me especially.”
Her dad smiled. “No, Marge met him years ago, and then Tassie in the last few weeks, but that’s all. I don’t think I’ve ever met him and I had no idea that Rupert met him. Did you, Marge?”
“No, never knew. But then everyone’s experiences with him seem so odd that no one really talks about it.”
He stood up. “Jethro, it’s good to know that you know all this stuff. I don’t perceive that there is anything else that can be done at this time. Thank you for your concern for Tassie, but we really should be going. I really do not like driving after dark. We should keep in touch.”
“I gave him my card.” Her mom went around the table and gave Jethro a quick hug. “You are a fine young man. Do keep in touch.”
“Yes, thank you.” Tassie held out her hand to shake Jethro’s. Can’t do the hug. Sorry. She slipped her arm into her dad’s and walked down the hall.
CHAPTER 10
1507, NEW WORLD
Gabe stomped the glass and then took his bride in his arms and twirled her around. Everyone cheered and called “Mazeltov, mazeltov!”
Lydia laughed and wondered at the marvelous joy she felt to become the wife of Rabbi Gabriel Goldman. “I promise not to batter you anymore,” she whispered.
Gabe stopped, held her at an arm’s length and said, “Are you sure?” Laughter rolled out of them both. Gabe placed his arms around her and proclaimed, “In Spain, as we fled the King and Queen’s edict in the dark of night, I held the tassel that Lydia had retained and declared, ‘I will be a rabbi when I grow up and I will marry you, Lydia Liebermann.’” Cheers rose throughout the synagogue. “And then she said she would hit me if I tried.” Laughter replaced the cheers. “So now, after many such beatings and refusals, sweet, lovely Lydia is my wife and I am a rabbi.” The foot stomping accompanied with clapping made the floor shake. “So, before the celebration goes any further we must say the ‘shema’ as we did that night.”
Voices lifted in unison. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.”
As they danced and rejoiced into the night, Lydia recalled the gripping excitement and utter fear that swam within her when they arrived in the new land. Gabe rarely left her side, even as a boy, and by virtue of their journey together, they truly became best friends. Gabe’s father and mother she called uncle and aunt. Aunt Anna stepped in without hesitation to nurture Lydia as a mother, from the moment Lydia’s beautiful mother passed.
How wonderful it would be if Mama was here. There was a stirring within and Lydia felt she heard a voice, the voice of God whom she so loved and trusted. “She is with me here.” Lydia sighed deeply.
She would take time tonight to honor Aunt Anna. She had stayed close when every thought of Lydia’s screamed that she was leaving her mother behind in the ocean. She remembered her father holding her and praying for her.
And, now here she was, just fifteen years later, full of joy and hope, hope for a good future, and a long life.
The years flew by. As they passed, more colonists came from Spain and nearby areas, many of them Jews who had converted to Catholicism to escape death. Gabe and Lydia mentored and cared for them on a variety of islands in and around the Caribbean helping them find a financially feasible way of life and a life of freedom as Jews.
The year they married saw an epidemic of smallpox strike a huge number of the Europeans who found their way to Hispaniola and nearby islands. Gabe and Lydia spent much time ministering to those who suffered. Despite the devastation that smallpox wreaked on that population, the Goldmans did not become sick. Those of their congregation also were not struck down by the disease. Many associated it with the tassel in the bottle.
Family soon followed marriage for the young couple. Five children became the joy of their lives. Their first girl was given the name Esther after Lydia’s mother.
In 1530, with children ranging in age from ten to twenty, the Goldmans determined that God would have them travel to Florida to minister to any Jews that might have preceded them. Life was never easy, but always meaningful and joyful for the Goldmans. Two years after they arrived in Florida, Rabbi Liebermann and Joseph and Anna Goldman joined their children.
CHAPTER 11
PRESENT DAY, CHICAGO
Judge Stevens raised his eyebrows when Marge walked through the door. Heaving her shopping bags onto the counter, she breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at her husband. “What?”
; “Listen to this.” He looked down at his smart phone, scrolling it to the news story. “Russian President Nikoli Lemkrof has threatened to invade all of Ukraine, and troops are massing near the border of Czech Republic.”
Marge shook her head and bit her lip. “This is just all too real. That’s what appeasement does.” She pulled the bread out of the bag and put it in the freezer. “It doesn’t prevent war. It promotes war and all sorts of atrocities. What’s Israel saying?”
“Haven’t seen it yet, but probably, ‘I told you so.’ The State Department says it is having high level talks and the Secretary of State is on his way.”
“To do what? Slap their hand? Say ‘No, no, no’?”
The door was unlocked. Tassie smiled. She knocked as she opened it slowly. “Hi, Omar, I’m here.” She heard a low voice in another room. Must be on the phone.
She set her things on the couch and walked to the windows. The panoramic view of Lake Michigan and bevy of parks, buildings, and scurrying people always took her breath away. There was nothing like a city on the water. The variations of color in the blues from teal to aqua to azure provided a feast for the eyes.
This is where I almost believe in God, seeing this grandeur.
“We cannot wait.” Omar’s voice was loud and clear now. Tassie turned from the window. Eyeing the meat on the counter, she decided to make herself busy in the kitchen. Perhaps she would surprise him by starting dinner. He’s probably dealing with a difficult case or deadlines.
She opened the smoky glass inlaid cabinets and removed long-stem wine glasses. She poured two cups two-thirds full of the red wine on the counter.
After she set his glass on the little alcove table next to the windows with the panoramic view, she strode by the door to the office where Omar was on the phone. “You’ve got to be kidding! Israel must be stopped. If that’s what Lemkrof wants, let him think he’ll get it, but our timeline must be kept.”
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