Letter from Egypt

 

Photo: Anastasiya Romanova

Leah, Beloved Daughter:

I do not know where in the wilderness this letter will reach you—if at all. Emet, son of Jehdeiah, returned for his wife who was too ill to travel when you all rushed off. She waited for him hiding in our chicken coop in the back. I hope they make it safely across the Sea and can rejoin your group. He did say that conditions were not good, that food and water and blowing sand were making progress difficult, and that people often doubted that they were indeed going to the promised land. I know you believe this man Moses and trust that the arduous journey will bring you to a place where you, Yoezer and the children will live and prosper. May it be so.

I am well, and so far I have no regrets about not having joined the trek. I am old and might have slowed the group down too much; and everything I know is here in this house and this village. Of course I realize that Pharaoh came down hard on Yoezer and the other draftsmen, but still, there was sufficient food, there were holidays, and there was family. And this Pharaoh will not rule forever.

Our quarter of the village is almost deserted, and some of the Canaanite families and even some Hyksos have taken possession of abandoned houses. They have made no effort to dislodge me from mine, and neither have the Egyptians. I believe that  they fear another set of horrible plagues or the murder of more of their children if they were to interfere with those of us remaining.

The chickens are all fine, and I am managing to keep up the garden. Alone, I don’t need much, so I have planted some flowers which give me great joy, though of course it is wasteful to pay the water carrier to bring water for plants that are not edible.

The loneliness has taken a bit of getting used to, but Beketaten who “lent” you all her fine jewelry has become a good friend. I share my produce with her to make up a bit for her loss, especially since I am now quite certain that she was well aware the jewels would not be returned. What a kind soul! Just imagine doing this for us when her own firstborn was not yet cold and buried.

Do you remember Aarun, the widower, who was overseer at the last project Yoezer worked at? Well, he has been dropping by quite frequently, the way he used to when I was young, long before you were born. It ended badly then, but he has mellowed, and his concern seems genuine; maybe it is not too late, maybe I should take another chance, silly old goose that I am.

That is all the news from here. I hope so much that you are all well, that this Moses is indeed genuine, and that this god he invokes is real and loving. I have been racking my brain trying to remember stories told by my grandparents, but it is no use, I don’t recall any Ehyeh, nor these forefathers named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So the blessings I send you are only those a mother can give to her child: be kind and generous of spirit, try to think well of everyone, have patience teaching the little ones so that they will grow into wise and thoughtful grown-ups. May Ehyeh be good to you and keep you from harm always.

                                         Your Mother