No Woman So Fair (34 page)

“No, I think she's just playing with him, like she always plays with men.”

Abram's face darkened. “I don't like it. She keeps men stirred up. I thought at one time she would marry Eliezer.”

“I told you he would never marry her.”

“Why not? She's an attractive woman.”

“He wants more in a wife than just a pretty face.”

“Well, he should have married years ago.”

Abram got up and stretched, and then a thought came to him before he left. “What about Zara? How old is she now? Fourteen?”

“No. She's fifteen.”

“She's almost a woman, isn't she?”

“Yes, she is. But Eliezer doesn't see that. He still thinks of her as the eight-year-old whose life he saved.”

“Well, she's grown up to be a handsome young woman. Eliezer has been like a father to her. I guess he'll keep on feeling that way.”

“Yes, but he still thinks of her as an infant. He's going to have to change his ways if he's going to be a father to that girl. The young men are going to come swarming around her.”

****

Eliphaz had come bearing a flower for Zara that he had picked in the desert. Zara liked young Eliphaz. He was a good young man who was constantly bringing her small gifts. He was smitten with her, and this pleased Zara. As she pinned the flower in her hair, she said, “Thank you, Eliphaz, it's beautiful. You're always bringing me such nice gifts.”

Eliphaz was no older than Zara herself, thin and intensely bashful around her. He had fallen in love with Zara with the blind passion of an adolescent and spent most of his days and nights dreaming about her. His parents would laugh at him, his father saying, “You're so dizzy over that girl you can't even do your work. Wake up!”

His mother had defended him, saying, “He loves her.”

“Love! He's like a calf. He doesn't know what love is!”

But Eliphaz did think he knew what love was, and all morning he had been planning what he would do. He had never touched Zara, but he had talked himself into the notion that she liked him, and now, as she stood before him smiling, he suddenly leaned forward and put his arms around her. He bent his head down to kiss her, but she turned her head so that his lips landed on her cheek.

“Eliphaz,” Zara laughed, “what's wrong with you?”

“I love you, Zara.”

Zara was amused by this and tried to fend him off. She was not angry, for she liked him a great deal. She was not above a little innocent teasing and was actually enjoying the wrestling match, which was what the embrace had turned out to be. Eliphaz was determined to kiss her on the lips, and she continually turned her head to avoid his caresses, at the same time protesting, “Eliphaz, you are an awful boy! Turn me loose!”

Suddenly Zara did find herself freed from Eliphaz's embrace. She staggered back and saw that Eliezer had appeared and jerked Eliphaz by one arm. He was a strong, powerful man, and the boy was helpless in his grasp.

“I'm going to thrash you! You behave like a brute,” Eliezer said sternly. He started to drag Eliphaz away, looking for a stick, but Zara came after him, taking his arm. She tugged at him and begged, “Please, don't hurt him. He was just teasing.”

“Teasing! It didn't look like teasing to me!”

“I didn't mean any harm, Eliezer. Honest I didn't,” Eliphaz pleaded. He was terrified at what he had done, and the expression on his face softened Eliezer.

“You deserve a thrashing, and I'm going to give it to you!”

“No, please, don't be cruel, Eliezer. He didn't mean anything.”

Eliezer hesitated and looked into Zara's face. She had the most unusual eyes he had ever seen, green like the sea, or like he imagined the sea to be. Her mother's had been the same, he remembered. She had the creamy skin of her mother also. He growled, “Why are you begging for this whelp? You probably brought it on by teasing him.”

“I did! So if you want to whip someone, whip me.”

Eliezer suddenly released the boy. “Get out of here,” he said gruffly, and when the boy scrambled away, he reached out and took Zara by the arm. “Maybe I will thrash you! You deserve it. The poor boy. He didn't have a chance.”

“He was silly, wasn't he?” Zara showed absolutely no fear. She reached up and patted Eliezer, saying, “I'm glad you didn't hurt him. Now, go ahead and whip me.”

Eliezer knew she was teasing him now. “I ought to,” he muttered. Instead he released her but said, “I'm going to stop brats like that from coming around.”

Zara's smile faded into a pout. “I'm fifteen years old. Many of my friends younger than I are married. Motina even has a baby.”

“Well, you're not getting married, and you're not having a baby, and that's the end of it!”

He saw her face change and then growled, “I liked it better when you were eight years old.”

“Well,
master
,”—she stressed the word—“I couldn't stay eight years old all my life, could I?”

“I suppose not, but try to behave yourself.”

“I always behave myself. You know that.”

Eliezer smiled. He reached out and put his hand on her head. She was growing up, and he could see the traces of young womanhood on her, but he did not want to admit it. “I know you do, Zara. You're a good girl.”

He hugged her, then released her quickly, aware that she was no longer a little girl. “I'm going to be away for a few days,” he said to cover his confusion.

“Where are you going?”

“Abram's going to pay a visit to Lot. He wants me to go with him. We need some more supplies from the city.”

“Take me with you.”

“No, I'm not taking you to that awful place. It's no place for a young woman.”

“It's no place for a young man either, but you're going.”

“I'm old enough to take care of myself.”

“You're old enough to take care of me too. Please, Eliezer, take me with you.”

“You're not going and that's final! You have to learn that you can't always have your own way, Zara.”

Zara was wise beyond her years, especially about anything concerning Eliezer. She had developed a fondness for him that went deeper than Eliezer knew. She had learned she could get almost anything she wanted from him as long as he believed it was his idea.

“All right. If you won't let me go, I suppose I'll just have to stay here.”

Zara had also discovered a gift she had. She had found out some time earlier that she could cry at will. She did not know anyone else who could do this, but she had learned to use it to good advantage, for Eliezer could not bear to see her cry. Now she simply allowed the tears to flow into her eyes, making sure that Eliezer could see them.

“Well, wait a minute,” Eliezer said. “You don't have to cry about it.”

“I'm not crying!”

“Yes, you are.”

“I am not!” Zara turned away, or started to, but he caught her by the arm, and she permitted him to turn her around. She dropped her head so he couldn't see her eyes, and then when he put his finger under her chin and lifted it, she allowed the tears to form more quickly. She felt them run down over her cheeks, and she heard him begin to stammer, as he always did. “Wait a minute, Zara, I don't like to see you cry.”

“I'm sorry,” Zara whispered. “I don't mean to be such a crybaby. You go on, Eliezer. I know it's not right for you to take me.”

“Well, wait a minute! I'll make this decision. You always want to make my decisions for me. If I decide you're going, you're going, and that's it!”

“But you said—”

“Never mind what I said. You're going! Now, stop crying.” Evidently something happened to Eliezer's powers of reason where this girl was concerned, for he said in some confusion, “Now, let this be a lesson to you, Zara.” He made his voice stern and nodded. “You can't always have your own way.”

“I know it. I'm just awful.”

“No, you're not awful. Well, you can go this time, but no more.”

“Yes, master.”

“And don't call me master.”

“Yes, Eliezer.”

“All right. Let this be a lesson to you, now.”

Zara hid her smile as she turned away. How easy it was to make this big man do whatever she desired! “I'll remember that,” she said softly and then ran away to begin getting ready to go.

****

Sarai knew that Hagar had something on her mind, for she had been behaving herself extremely well. Finally it came out as Hagar was fixing her hair. “I know you don't like to go to Sodom, mistress, but I'd like to go with the master and Eliezer.”

“Why would you want to go to that awful place?”

“I still have some of the money you gave me last year, and I want to buy some nice things. You can't buy anything out here in the desert.”

“I'm not sure Abram would let you go.”

“Yes, he would. Eliezer's taking Zara, and I'd be company for her.”

“Why would you want to go to that place—even to buy things? I shudder to think about it.”

“I get bored out here,” Hagar admitted, being truthful with her mistress for once. “I always liked Lot, and I'll get to see his daughters. Maybe I'll get to go to some parties with them. Please, let me go.”

Sarai sighed, “All right. If that's what you want. But I can't imagine anybody going to Sodom on purpose.”

****

Zara enjoyed the journey to Sodom tremendously, except for having to share a tent with Hagar. When she had been younger she had liked Hagar, for the woman had been kind to her. She had been fun to be with, but during the past year while Zara had been growing to young womanhood, she had somehow found Hagar's ways distasteful. She was as aware as anyone in Abram's company that Hagar flirted with men, not only men from Abram's tribe but with the Canaanite men and the Amorites and the Hittites. It seemed to make little difference to her, as long as a man was young and strong and fairly prosperous. Zara had watched her carefully and knew that Hagar's morals were bad.

Even more irritating was the fact that lately Hagar had been showing a great deal of interest in Eliezer. Zara had learned that at one time Hagar had been very interested indeed in her master, but something had come between them. Now Hagar seemed to once again have decided that Eliezer was a great deal of fun to be with, for she had joined herself to him almost constantly. Eliezer seemed unaware of Hagar's wiles, and at times Zara wanted to shout at him.

One night, on the third day of their journey, Zara was in bed watching Hagar as she prepared to lie down for the night. Hagar had come in late, her eyes glowing with satisfaction.

“Where have you been?” Zara asked. “It's late.”

“Oh, Eliezer and I got to talking, and we forgot the time.”

“What were you talking about?”

“Things you wouldn't understand.”

Hagar's words offended Zara. “I'm fifteen years old. I think I'm old enough to understand anything
you
can say!”

Hagar turned and for a moment anger flared in her dark eyes. Then she came over and patted Zara on the head. “Maybe you will someday.”

“What were you talking about? Tell me!”

“Anything he wanted to talk about. That's what you do with a man, Zara. You find out what they like, and you talk about that. Sometimes he bores me to death going on about those smelly old sheep. You'd think they were made out of gold the way he makes over them.” She laughed and raised her arms to fix her hair. “Before I'm through with him, he'll love me better than any stinking sheep.”

Zara stared at Hagar. She had been impressed for a time by the woman's beauty and liveliness, but now she silently hated her. The thought of having her as a stepmother offended Zara, and besides, Hagar wasn't the right woman for Eliezer.

She'd make him miserable
, Zara thought.
She likes men, and she'll never be satisfied with just one. I wish she had stayed in Egypt!

****

Eliezer had at first been apprehensive about Hagar. He well remembered the strong seductive message she had sent to him that night in her tent. He had never forgotten it, but she seemed to have changed, at least toward him. He knew as well as anyone that she still liked men, that she had the reputation of being an immoral woman, but he did not believe these rumors. He thought she was simply unhappy with her lot in life and perhaps a little too friendly, but nothing more than that.

He had really enjoyed being with her, for the desert could be a lonely place. His chief occupation was twofold, keeping Abram's flocks and raising Zara, whom he considered to be a daughter or perhaps a younger sister. Hagar had not overwhelmed him with her attentions, and he had slowly begun to enjoy the times they spent together. She mostly came to him when he was out watching the sheep and listened to him talk. He had grown more talkative of late and was happy to find that he had someone to talk to.

More than that, he had discovered that she still was attracted to him. More and more he thought of his single condition, his lack of a family, and the more he thought of it, the more it seemed clear to him that Hagar needed a husband and he needed a wife. He never formulated these ideas into words, but neither did he run from her as he once had.

One evening, on the return trip from Sodom, they were walking together. The moon was full and brilliant, bathing them in silver light.

“It's a beautiful night,” Hagar said quietly.

“It is. Look at that moon. You could almost reach up and touch it.”

“Let me see you try,” she teased him.

“Well, maybe not quite touch it. But it is beautiful.”

As they continued to talk, Eliezer had a sense of well-being in her presence. They reached her tent, and he paused for a moment. “It's so quiet tonight.”

“The others are asleep, I guess. But I hate to go to sleep. Every night I hate it.”