David smiled and sat cross-legged on the bed. He patted the spot next to him, and Michal sat there. Lifting a bowl of grapes from beside the bed, he offered her some before taking a few himself. “First of all,” he said, “I will not force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Second, if anything hurts, all you have to do is ask me to stop. Are we in agreement?”
Michal nodded yes. She knew her husband had every right to treat her as his possession. Yet he spoke with her as if they were equal partners conspiring together, or children playing a game. The kissing was deliciously exciting, and she wanted him to kiss her again. But she dared not ask.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s start at the beginning. You do know that men and women are different? Our bodies are not identical?”
“I know that men do not have monthly bleeding,” she said proudly. “You don’t have breasts like we do. And we don’t have beards.”
“You’re right.” He seemed amused. “But there’s more.” He held a grape near her lips. She opened her mouth, and he gently fed her. “I suggest we remove our clothing. Then we’ll compare what you have to what I have and see how it all fits together.”
Michal hesitated. Was she supposed to voice her agreement, or merely keep quiet and do what he said? For years she was insatiably curious to know what it was that made men and women different. Should she say so?
“I’ll snuff out the lamp,” he said.
Michal shivered with excitement as David slipped off first her tunic, then his. She was fascinated to find hair growing on his muscular chest. He guided her hands downward and said, “This is what the old women called a sword.”
David’s delicious nearness inflamed Michal’s desire. She touched him cautiously, surprised at how different he was from her. “Amazing,” she whispered.
“That part of me fits inside of you, here.” His touch set her on fire. Yet her logic refused to accept what he said.
“That will never work!” she blurted without thinking.
David said, “It has been working for thousands of years, ever since Adam and Eve. I can’t think why we would be an exception.”
“We don’t match,” she said, certain he would divorce her when he discovered what she said was true. “It won’t fit.”
“I assure you, Michal.” He drew her close against him. “We will find a way.”
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
“AND HER HUSBAND WENT WITH HER ALONG WEEPING BEHIND HER TO BAHURIM. THEN SAID ABNER UNTO HIM, GO, RETURN. AND HE RETURNED.” II SAMUEL 3:16
Michal awakened the morning after her marriage to David, full of energy and happy to be alive. She turned her head to see her new husband silently looking her over. “Good morning, my sweet wife.” David smiled in a way that always melted her heart.
She said the first words that came into her mind. “David, you are wonderful.”
He took her hand and kissed each finger. “Is it possible so lovely a creature as you could care for a simple man like me?” He kissed the palm of her hand. “God has done some mighty miracles on my behalf. You may be the greatest of them all. Certainly the most enjoyable.” He yawned and smiled. “What do you want to do today, Princess?” he asked. “I have no duty for a while. We will do whatever you choose.”
“I would like for you to sing to me.”
“Of course.” David seemed pleased. “Anything else?”
“Last night…” she began. She was not certain how to put her thoughts into words.
“Last night?” he prompted.
“Last night we did the secret thing.” Michal felt the blush begin to creep up her neck. “I was wondering…” She stopped again.
“You were wondering?”
“After our child is born, will we do the secret thing again?”
David appeared to be holding back an answer. His lips formed a small circle. Then he flung himself onto his back and exploded with laughter.
“What is so funny?” Michal demanded crossly.
David sat up. “Michal,” he began. Laughter overtook him again. He kept trying to speak, but each attempt ended in another cascade of mirth. “My dear little wife,” he managed to say at last, “you are not automatically pregnant because we have slept together once.” He punctuated his statement with another laugh, and wiped his eyes. “And as strict as the laws given by Moses can be, the only limitation is that we will abstain during your time of bleeding and just before I go into battle.”
“Well, I didn’t know.” Michal was chagrined that he found her question so amusing.
“Of course you didn’t,” he said soothingly. “Are you saying you want to repeat last night’s pleasure?”
Michal burned with embarrassment. “It might be nice to… to… uh... I mean, it was very pleasant.”
“My sweetheart can deal with the concept easier than the words,” David observed. He drew her arms around his neck and kissed her lightly. “I hope I never disappoint you in any way. As for what you call the ‘secret thing’, I expect to give you as much as you want.” He looked upward. “If I am dreaming, Lord, please let me sleep on.”
Michal’s curiosity got the better of her. “How did you know what to do last night? Do you have another wife I don’t know about?”
“No.” David nuzzled her hair. “I have no other wife. Before I came to the palace, I lived out in the pastures with my father’s flock. Animals are not secretive about getting their young the way we humans are. Since I began to serve the king, I have lived constantly among soldiers. Add six older brothers who love to boast, and you can see I have had a thorough education. A little rough, maybe, and until yesterday strictly theoretical.”
“I love you, David,” Michal declared. “I always have, and I always will.”
“Out of bed, my lady,” he said. “We’ll get dressed and have some breakfast. I’ll take my harp, and we’ll ride up into the hills where the red anemones are in full bloom. I know a little brook where we can sit and listen to the birds sing.”
The days that followed were the happiest of Michal’s life. David held nothing back from her. She asked her husband searching questions about his family, God, war, poetry, and life. His thoughtful answers reflected a determination to deceive neither her nor himself.
“Why didn’t I realize you would be as intelligent as you are beautiful?” he asked one evening as they sat on their rooftop watching the sunset.
Michal said nothing. She never knew any man to grant the possibility a woman could have a share of wisdom.
“One of the best things about my friendship with Jonathan is that we make each other think,” he said, as much to himself as to her. “You’re his sister, made from the same blood and bone. How could there not be a fine wit hiding behind those incredibly beautiful, mysterious eyes of yours?”
“I used to wish I could study, like my brothers. Of course, that would have been impossible.” Michal glanced at him. “I’ve never admitted that to anyone before.”
“Your secrets are safe with me. I like knowing things that no one else knows about you.” David rubbed her back lightly. “I always thought I would like to design and build things. Houses, maybe even large public buildings. But that was out of the question for the youngest son of a family that farms and tends flocks of sheep.”
“And so you chose to become a soldier.”
“I cannot say that I chose,” he said. “After the business with Goliath, the king took me into his service. A military career was more or less unavoidable from then on.”
“Were you afraid of the giant?”
David leaned back and tilted his head toward the darkening sky. “Not really. The only emotion I remember is anger.”
“Didn’t you realize he could kill you? Or slice off an arm and disable you for life?”
“I was aware of those possibilities.” David seemed lost in thought for a moment. “How could I not be, with the king’s armor bearer and my older brothers arguing about who would be responsible for my death and who shou
ld break the news to my father? I even heard them bickering over who would provide the donkey to take my body home, since I walked into the camp on foot.”
“But you fought the giant anyway. Why?” she asked. “What was it about Goliath that made you angry?”
“I guess the giant’s blasphemy was a good part of the reason. It was bad enough when he belittled our army. Then he started hurling insults at our God. The king and his battle staff did nothing but wring their hands. I was furious not only with the Philistine, but with your father and his advisors as well. I decided if our soldiers wouldn’t do something about the giant, this shepherd boy would. I was confident God would take care of the results if I had the courage to make the effort.”
“I hope you are never that upset with me.” Michal snuggled closer to David.
“I can’t imagine you would ever speak against the Holy One of Israel,” he said as he put his arm around her. His tone turned playful. “Anyway, I wouldn’t use a slingshot on you. You strike me as the kind of woman I would prefer to stab. Assuming that would work”
“Stop teasing me!” Michal pretended to be upset. “How was I supposed to know?” Both of them laughed.
“Let’s go inside,” David whispered. “I think it’s time to polish my sword.”
“You talk like a foreigner.” Michal giggled as they left the rooftop.
* * *
“I thought we would go on that way for the rest of our lives,” she said.
Tirzah’s voice shocked Michal from her reverie. “So did I. Every bone in my body aches from riding so long in this stupid cart. I thought you were asleep.”
“I was remembering, half-dreaming.” Michal rubbed her eyes. “Thinking of my David.”
Tirzah nodded. “Those were good times.”
“They were indeed.” Michal sighed and took in the scenery around them. “What you heard was correct, Tirzah. This is the road to Bahurim.” Michal’s fatigue gave way to anxious concern.
Lord Abner’s house was situated on the crest of the hill on which Bahurim was built. Captain Osh dismounted and stopped the cart at the front entrance. Michal was shocked to realize the old man standing in front of the house with folded arms was Uncle Abner. She might not have recognized him, except for his hair. The locks that were once brown were now white. Yet the cowlicks that made the man’s hair stick out from his head like the blossom of a thistle were unmistakable.
“Good job, Captain Osh,” Abner said. “We will leave tomorrow at daybreak for Hebron. We take twenty men, no more.”
“Yes, sir. We will be ready. One more item, if I may.”
“Well, what is it? Speak up.” Abner’s impatience showed in his voice.
“Princess Michal’s husband, that is to say, the man Phaltiel has followed us all the way from Gallim with a handful of men. Their party has proceeded into the village and they are even now on their way here. Do you want me to kill them or take them prisoner?” The man tossed out the question of whether Phaltiel should live or die as casually as someone else might ask whether to take a glass of wine or not.
“Let him come,” Abner said after a moment. “A few men are no threat. But remain here with your troops until he arrives. If he listens to reason, I’ll avoid making an enemy of his father. If not...” Abner pointed away from his house. “Take them outside the village first so there will be no witnesses.”
Michal filled the ensuing silence by saying “Greetings, Uncle Abner. I trust you are well.”
“A blind man could see that I’m not well at all. In fact, I am worn out, sick, and near death.” Abner still stood tall and straight, but the man Michal remembered as fleshy was now reed-thin. The skin of his face stretched tightly across sunken cheeks. His clothing hung loosely around the bones of his once-powerful arms and shoulders.
“What news can you tell me of our family?” She yearned to hear the years had been kind to those she loved.
“Other than myself and Ishbosheth, there are no men left,” Abner said without preparing her. “King Saul and your other brothers died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa where we fought the Philistines.”
“My mother? And my sister? Have you seen them?” she asked.
“Your mother died in her sleep not long after you were sent to Gallim,” Abner said without emotion. “Merab, last year. It may be that a few children remain, none old enough for you to have known them.”
Michal felt weak with sorrow and was grateful for Tirzah’s comforting hand on her arm. She heard the thud of horses’ hooves on the packed earthen road that led to Abner’s house. “Go inside,” Abner barked. Michal knew the words were directed at Tirzah and herself, but she could not move. She shivered as Phaltiel and his men drew near.
A stone’s throw from the house, Phaltiel gave a signal and his party stopped where they were. He dismounted, threw a baleful look in Michal’s direction, and led his horse the last few yards to where Abner stood. “Lord Abner, what have I done to bring your evil down upon my house?”
“Go home, Phaltiel,” Abner said.
“I will gladly go home if you’ll give me my wife, Michal.” Phaltiel was on the verge of tears. “She is mine. King Saul himself gave her to me. I want her.”
“David, the Son of Jesse, married Michal before you. He is still alive, and he has never divorced her. Legally, she belongs to him.”
Michal silently thanked God for her uncle’s unyielding nature. She knew what Phaltiel could not, that nothing would keep this old soldier from accomplishing his mission.
“Her first husband deserted her,” Phaltiel insisted. “I have fed and clothed the princess for almost seven years. She gives me more pleasure than all of my other wives combined.” His voice broke as he choked out the words, “I love her.”
Michal could hardly believe her ears. How could Phaltiel dare to speak of love, after the way he mistreated her? The steward must have brought a plentiful supply of wine along to keep Phaltiel in a drunken stupor.
“Ridiculous,” Abner snorted. “King David of Judea demands to have Michal returned to him. So it shall be. Return home to Gallim, and count yourself fortunate to leave Bahurim alive.” He inclined his head slightly toward Captain Osh. “Most outsiders who dare to ride into this village bearing arms never live to see another sunrise.” Abner glared at Phaltiel. The silence seemed endless to Michal. She hoped her uncle was about to send Phaltiel to his death. Finally, the chief steward dismounted and walked to where his master stood.
“Come, my lord,” he said as if to a child. “Let’s go home.”
Phaltiel hesitated. Then he broke into great, heaving sobs. The steward helped his weeping master onto his horse. Without a backward look, the servant led Phaltiel’s mount to the group from Gallim. Then the steward swung his leg over his own horse’s back, turned in the direction from which they came, and retreated.
Abner and Captain Osh looked at each other quizzically. “Tomorrow at dawn then,” the captain said crisply. He swung himself onto his horse and led his men down the same road where Phaltiel and his men now appeared small in the dusty distance.
Abner turned toward the women huddled in the doorway. “What is wrong with that man, Phaltiel?” he asked. “Has he no dignity?”
“He’s drunk,” was Michal’s terse assessment.
Abner looked down the road. “Not merely a fool, but a drunken fool at that.” He turned back to Michal. “Rizpah will show you where you will sleep and get you something to eat. Be ready to leave by daybreak.”
Michal glanced around to make sure there was no one other than Tirzah within earshot. She doubted Abner would answer her question in the presence of his servants. “My uncle, is it true Lord David has asked for me?”
Abner exhaled noisily. “You mean King David. Yes. He refused to negotiate with me. Then he practically threw me out of his palace and told me to leave Judea and never come back, unless you were with me.”
Michal was rooted to the spot where she stood. “Why?” she managed to ask. What would David
do with her?
“How should I know?” Abner did not appear to be the least bit curious. “Your husband is a powerful man. He will not allow me to speak with him on a matter of grave importance until I bring you to him. And so I will do as he commands.”
“Powerful?” Michal asked incredulously. “Helpless little Judea?”
“You have been away a long time,” Abner replied. “King Saul fought a bitter war against the Judeans after David became their king. We lost every major battle. As a result, our nation has become weaker and weaker, while David has grown progressively stronger.” He continued, as if speaking to himself. “Once every five hundred years or so, someone like this son of Jesse comes along. He is not like other men. Successful commanders know how to force men to obey them. Something I cannot understand in David makes men want to do his bidding. Soldiers willingly give him more loyalty than a man like me could ever command. At various times he has been my student, my rival, and my enemy. I regret that I will not live long enough to serve him as my king.”
“If you were in David’s place, what would be your purpose in sending for your remarried wife?” Michal’s mind refused to function.
Abner spoke matter-of-factly. “For my part, the overriding concern would be to avenge my honor. I would either have such a woman publicly stoned, or I myself would plunge a dagger into her faithless heart.”
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
“AND HE SAID…THOU SHALT NOT SEE MY FACE, EXCEPT THOU FIRST BRING MICHAL SAUL’S DAUGHTER, WHEN THOU COMEST…” II SAMUEL 3:13
They were unable to leave for Judea the next morning. Abner had fallen dangerously ill. Michal overheard one of the servants say he would never rise from his bed again. Rizpah, once a handmaid in the palace of King Saul, stayed with Abner through the long nights, retreating to the women’s quarters each morning looking pinched and drawn. Then, after a few hours of sleep, she would return to Abner’s bedside. Members of the household were preoccupied with their master’s health, and they ignored his visitors.
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