In the Field of Grace

by Tessa Afshar

  “She can stay. If she slips one more time, mind, she is gone.”

  “Agreed.”

  “How did she make it home? She must have been in a bad state from what you have shown me.”

  Abel bent a knee and leaned his arm against it. “Ruth took her.”

  “Ruth?”

  “First, she tried to help the girl hide her condition. If I had not kept my eye on Dinah after I suspected she had filched my wine, Ruth might have succeeded. Then, she walked her home.”

  “Did you ask her to do that?”

  “Of course not. I tried to dissuade her, in fact.” He shrugged. “She had her mind made up.”

  Boaz rubbed the back of his neck where he could feel a crook coming on. “I thought you said Dinah had been taunting her. Why would she help?”

  Abel threw his hands in the air. “I asked that same question. She said because Dinah needed the help. I tell you, my lord, Ruth either lacks sense or she is an exceptionally good woman. For myself, I would wager on the latter. A good woman, even if she is from Moab.”

  Boaz did not need convincing. Making his tone casual, he asked, “Is Dinah resentful of Ruth because of Adin’s interest? Is he pursuing her?”

  Abel shook his head. “I don’t know, my lord. He hasn’t said so to me. But they spend time together on occasion.”

  Boaz forced his lips into a smile until his face felt like it would crack. Without his volition, he found himself softened by sympathy for Dinah. Her decision to drink herself into a stupor did not seem completely self-indulgent and childish anymore. In fact, if he were a few years younger, he might be tempted to join her.

  The next morning Dinah shocked Ruth by coming to her door to fetch her. Ruth, engaged in putting on her sandals, managed to say, “Shalom, Dinah.”

  “How you dawdle. Are you leaving, or would you like a servant to carry you? I am supposed to arrive early, before everybody.”

  “Leaving right away.” In the past, Dinah and Hannah had met her partway on the road to the fields. Today, Dinah had actually deviated from her path to fetch Ruth in person.

  Ruth did her best to cover her surprise. “You needn’t have come for me. You owe me nothing.”

  The woman shrugged. “It’s not safe walking alone in the dark, and I know you’re an early riser.” She shivered. “I feel like a sick rooster, being up before the sun.”

  Ruth fell into step beside her. “I’ve heard you sing. You definitely don’t sound like a rooster. More like one of the Lord’s singers on a holy festival.”

  “What next? Are you going to flatter my toenails?”

  “Uh no. I’ve seen those.”

  Dinah laughed. “You are a strange woman.”

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “That’s an improvement on stupid Moabite, which is what you usually call me.”

  Dinah dipped her head. “How about I call you Ruth?” She picked up speed before Ruth could think of an answer.

  Dawn had spread its pale, grey light over the horizon when they heard the steady beat of hooves behind them.

  Dinah glanced over her shoulder. “He’s abroad early.”

  Boaz rode toward them at a more steady speed than his usual wild gallop. “You never know when he will turn up.” Ruth was remembering Boaz’s unannounced visit at their home. She cradled her cheeks, trying to cool their heat.

  “Dinah. Ruth. The Lord be with you!” Boaz said as he drew abreast of them.

  “The Lord bless you!” they responded.

  He dismounted, and leading his mount by the bridle, began to walk next to them. It was his new, brown horse of which Mahalath had spoken.

  “I hear you had some excitement yesterday, Dinah.”

  Dinah’s head snapped up. “I had to go home early, my lord. I didn’t feel well.”

  “So Abel tells me. How unpleasant for you. But then, life is full of twists and curves, isn’t it? We have to learn to make do.”

  Dinah mumbled something under her breath that sounded like an agreement.

  “I always say you have to treat life like a pomegranate. You can only enjoy it if you learn to deal with the seeds.”

  Dinah lifted her bowed head and stiffened her back. Ruth tensed, hoping the girl wasn’t about to give vent to one of her sharp diatribes.

  “Some pomegranates are all seed and no flesh, my lord,” she said. Ruth let out the breath she had been holding. Dinah’s tone had remained respectful, at least.

  Boaz slashed an expressive hand in the air, the bridle of his horse following his movements. “That’s self-pity speaking. It will ruin your life if you keep giving in to it. You have lost much. No one argues with that. Now, you must contend with the life you have been given and find joy where you may.”

  The air grew thick with tension. Ruth cleared her throat, deciding she better interrupt Boaz’s discourse before Dinah cast off all self-control and said something she might regret. Gesturing toward the horse, she said, “Is she new?”

  Boaz gave a faint smile. She had a notion he knew exactly what she was doing. “She is a he. And yes, he is new. His name is Khaymah.”

  “You have named him fury? Sounds ominous.”

  “His former master named him. He can have a bit of a temper, though he has improved since I acquired him. Do you like him?”

  “You know my opinion of horses, my lord. And to be truthful, this one is not even particularly comely. His knees are knobby and he walks with a strange gait.”

  His smile broadened. “You should see him run. He may not be pretty, but he has the heart of a warrior.”

  Ruth shrugged. “Still a horse.”

  “Didn’t riding Shakhor change your mind?”

  “Only confirmed it.”

  He seemed about to say something and then closed his mouth. With an abrupt nod, he remounted and, wishing the women shalom, departed down the road.

  Dinah groaned. “I thought he would never leave. Do you think he knows? Do you think Abel told him?”

  “I fear that’s likely. This whole conversation was his gentle warning that you are not to repeat yesterday’s adventures.”

  “No warning needed.” She put a hand to her head and gave a moan. “I don’t know what makes people drink to excess. It is surely not worth the price.”

  “I heard what you did for Dinah,” Adin said quietly while they took their midday repast with the other laborers. “That was good of you.”

  “I did nothing. And you best avoid me. She thinks you like me.”

  “I do like you.”

  “Not like that!”

  Adin grinned. “Fine. I’ll avoid you.”

  “But don’t avoid her.”

  “What? You want me to woo a drunk for the mother of my children?”

  “She is not a drunk! She misstepped once, out of misery.” Ruth set down the piece of bread she had just picked up. “How did you know, anyway?”

  “My brother told me when I asked him why she left early.”

  “Do the others know?”

  “Of course not. Neither Abel nor I would ever shame her like that. She is doing a good enough job of that herself.”

  “You must be more forgiving, Adin. She stands at a precipice, do you not see it? We must help her choose right. If you judge her harshly now, you might push her over the edge until it’s too late.”

  Adin’s jaw clenched. Then, lifting his head, he grinned with a sudden glint of mischief. “The master sure looks your way a lot.”

  “He does not! And don’t you start rumors, or I’ll have Dinah beat you with the hard end of a broom.”

  Adin laughed aloud. “For that matter, there are two or three young men here who show keen interest in you, though you ignore them as if they were puppies under your feet. If you give them a little encouragement, they might even ask for your hand.”

  Ruth rolled her eyes and rose to her feet. “The ones who already have wives, you mean?”

  “So you’d be a second wife.” Adin shrugged.
“At least you’d have a husband.”

  “I don’t need a husband that badly.” But she wondered if she was being selfish. For Naomi’s sake shouldn’t she consider any kind of marriage if it meant some measure of security in their lives?

  Ruth stayed close to Dinah as they worked in the field. The girl moved slower than usual and seemed pale under the sun-touched brown of her skin. A twinge of pain ran through Ruth’s knees from crouching too long and she straightened to stretch.

  Dinah had been struggling with the same bundle of wheat for some moments, trying to tie them without success. Ruth stepped forward to offer help, but Adin was there before her.

  He knelt on one knee next to her. “I don’t need your help,” Dinah barked at him.

  “You’re going to get it, anyway.” He shoved her ineffectual fingers out of his way and grabbing several long stalks, twined them around the rest of the bundle with deft movements, making a secure knot.

  He leaned back, surveying the woman in front of him. “You need to rest. You’re the color of whey.”

  “Leave me alone,” Dinah snarled.

  “You are going to take a rest, I said.” Adin grabbed Dinah’s hand and pulled hard until she stood up next to him. “After yesterday’s mischief, you’re hardly in any shape to work from sunup till sundown without a pause.”

  Her spine drooped. “You know about yesterday?”

  “That you were foolish enough to steal my brother’s wine and drink until your brains were addled? I know.”

  Dinah bit her lip and looked down. Ruth saw a single tear course down her pale cheek. It was the first time she had seen the girl cry.

  Adin reached a hand and gently wiped at the tear. “Don’t cry.”

  Dinah stiffened and shook her arm to get free of him. “Let go!”

  Adin refused to release her. In the brief struggle, her veil slipped, revealing ebony curls flowing down her back and swirling against her cheek. Adin seemed fascinated. Reaching a finger, he twined a curl. “You are still so pretty.”

  Dinah stopped struggling. She remained rooted to the spot, her eyes large and dark, focused on Adin like he was the whole world. He leaned in and kissed her once on the lips, then stepped back hastily.

  Running a hand over his head, he said, “Pardon. I don’t know why I did that.”

  Ruth groaned inwardly. Not the best words he could have chosen.

  Dinah swung around, her body taut. Ruth waited to see if Adin would follow, but the young widower remained where he stood, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as if he had trouble swallowing.

  Ruth joined Dinah and reached for her hand. “Let’s fetch some water.”

  To her relief, Dinah did not shake off her hold. “He is such an idiot,” she said.

  “Yes. But did you like his kiss?”

  Dinah gave her a sideways look. “I didn’t like that he stopped.”

  Ruth bit down on a smile before it escaped. “Give him time. He knows he can’t take liberties without first committing himself to you.”

  “That’s why he’s an idiot! Why is it such a struggle to commit to me?”

  “I cannot understand the mind of a man, Dinah. But you must admit there are many things to give him pause. His wife died not so long ago. Perhaps he feels obligated to her memory. Then there are his parents. I don’t suppose they have changed their minds about your family just because he is a widower and no longer under their rule. And then, there is you.”

  “What about me?” Dinah asked hotly.

  “You can’t deny that you act like a hornet with its sting out first and the rest flying behind. A man takes his life in his own hands, approaching you.”

  Dinah stiffened. “I’m not such a shrew as that.”

  Ruth tilted her head. “Try going for one week without being sharp-tongued and critical toward everyone in your path.”

  Dinah threw her hands in the air. “Am I as bad as all that?”

  “Not really. Sometimes, you are worse.”

  Dinah burst out laughing and Ruth joined her. “What have I done to deserve so much haranguing in one day? First lord Boaz, and now you.”

  “I care for you. I don’t want you to be consumed by bitterness. I know what it’s like to lose your dreams, Dinah. Mine lie buried under the sands of Kir-hareseth. I know the temptation to give up on hope and goodness. To drown in bitterness.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Ruth sighed. “Not long ago, I stood on the road to Moab with a choice before me. To place my life under the wings of the Lord or to stay in Moab with what I knew. I chose the Lord and Naomi’s love. I knew there would be no husband for me here, for I am a stranger among you. But I chose to take the good in the life that awaited me here and bear with its heartaches.

  “It’s not easy. Some days, I want to scream and throw a few things. Then I remember the faithfulness of the Lord in so many things. Naomi’s love for me. The provision we have found in our poverty. The new friendships God has provided.

  “So what shall I do? Drown in my longing for what I cannot have or anchor my feet to the joy that I do have?”

  Dinah sank to the ground and buried her face in her hands. “I could not bear it if Adin rejected me again.”

  “Yes you could. The Lord helps us bear all our tribulations. He does not remove the sting of them. He does not wipe away their pain. But He helps us forebear. Think of Joseph.”

  “Joseph who?”

  “Joseph Ben Jacob. Who do you think? Do you know his story?”

  “Of course I do. I’m not from Moab!”

  Ruth laughed. “Sometimes I wonder.”

  Dinah rolled her eyes. “What about Joseph?”

  “Remember how for long years, things went from bad to worse for him? He went from having to contend with jealous brothers to the bottom of a pit. They sold him into slavery and sent him off into Egypt with shackles on his feet and brutal slavers for company. Still, he clung on. He worked hard and was rewarded with success in the house of his master. He did right in every way, but instead of continued success, he suffered the horrors of unjust betrayal and landed in the stinking hole of a foreign prison.

  “He was thirty when he was finally released. All those years away from home and family and his father who loved him. His youth gone. The best years of his life stolen. No wife, no children, no land or home of his own to show for it. We all think of the reversal of his life, and how he became a great man. But even great men cannot turn back time. He could never get those years back.”

  “Are you trying to encourage me?”

  “All I’m trying to say is that sometimes God allows bad to slide into worse, because in His hands difficulties have a way of yielding incomprehensible blessing. Joseph suffered unimaginable hours of torment and loneliness. Yet in the end, he saved a nation. Without him, you and I might not be here today. And every moment of his suffering played a role in the future of Israel. He became the man he was in part due to those heartaches. You think the God who used Joseph’s burdens for good can’t turn the ashes of your pain into beauty? Even if Adin were to reject you, the God of Joseph would see you through. No sorrow is ever wasted in His hands.”

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  I have calmed and quieted my soul,

  Like a weaned child with its mother;

  Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

  PSALM 131:2

  Ruth noticed a tear in the hem of her tunic. She only owned two and both had grown threadbare. After supper, she sat close to the lamp, doing her best to mend her garment. The dim light made it hard for her to see, and she squinted, bringing the fabric closer.

  “How are you progressing with your plans for Dinah and Adin?” Naomi asked as she washed the heap of wild capers she had picked that morning, before the buds had a chance to open. Her pickled capers were the best Ruth had ever tasted; her stomach gave a light rumble at the thought of them.

  She tapped her belly to quiet its murmurings. “He kissed her today.”


  Naomi raised her head. “Is he taking her to wife, then?”

  “Not exactly.” Ruth stopped her mending and laid her tunic across her lap. “Adin needs a little prodding.”

  “Some men are like that. I could name one or two, myself. You have to know the right approach, or you will cause more harm than good.”

  “I didn’t force him to kiss her, Mother. He did that on his own.”

  The corner of Naomi’s mouth tipped. “I’m relieved to hear it.” She started her preparation of brine, adding her special blend of herbs and spices.

  Ruth picked up her needle again and adjusted the wool. “For all that Dinah pretends to be so hard, she has a tender heart. Adin could break it with a harsh word.”

  “Does he love her?”

  “He is not indifferent. I suspect he cares deeply for her, though, of course, he won’t admit it to me.”

  “I hear she has a bad temper.”

  Pulling the tunic toward her nose, Ruth tried to see her handiwork in the dark. “She has been known to say a few harsh words now and again.”

  “I’ve heard she has turned that tongue of hers in your direction more than once. Not that you’ve ever complained to me.”

  Ruth gazed up in surprise. “Are there no secrets in Bethlehem?”

  “Few. Why did you not tell me that girl was harassing you?”

  “And worry you needlessly? You can see for yourself that she has changed toward me.”

  Naomi shook her head. “What did you do to tame her malice? I couldn’t believe my eyes when she came to fetch you this morning, like you were her childhood friend.”

  Ruth grinned. “I showed her kindness.”

  “I wonder if it will last.”

  “My kindness, or her civility?” Ruth asked, her voice wry.

  Naomi’s brown eyes crinkled on the sides. “Both, I shouldn’t wonder. It’s hard to be kind to such a girl.”

  “Some days, it is.”

  Dinah showed up at Ruth’s door again the next morning. She had changed into a clean blue tunic, her face shining from recent washing. A slight scent of almond oil clung to her.