Page 40 of In Just a Year
Esther began to scribble the words on a piece of paper and her vision blurred.
Dear Ben,
Dearest Ben,
Benjamin, my love,
Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!
Tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto the paper. A big clear blob mixed with the ink and made a tiny puddle. Esther wiped it with her hand and made a mess of the words she’d written.
Hannah came to her side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Esther, dear, are you serious?”
Esther nodded.
“You’re in love with him?”
Esther nodded again, turned around and dropped her head on Hannah’s stomach. Hannah wrapped her arms around her and drove her hands through her hair exactly the way Esther’s mother had done.
Eve joined Hannah. “I’ll help you. You need a mother’s hand in preparing a wedding.”
Caleb handed her a handkerchief, and Esther blew her nose.
“I’d like your help very much, please.”
Eve smiled.
“Has my baby brother”—Caleb cleared his throat—”my little brother.” He smiled sheepishly at Hannah, who blinked away tears. “He’s not so little anymore, is he?”
Esther had grown blotchy, she realized. This was not going to be her wedding to Ben, it was a union of two families that were already connected. The bond would strengthen. It was the Diamond Dynasty Pavel always spoke about.
“Esther, has my brother given you the ruby ring?”
Esther held her left hand up. “Gideon gave it to me on his behalf.”
Caleb exhaled. “Good. It only took him eight years to garner the courage to give it to you, and then he sent his big brother.” Caleb half-joked. “No matter. Do you know what kind of ruby this is?”
Esther shook her head.
Eve leaned in to get a better look. “Caleb, are you saying—”
Caleb rose and knelt before Esther. He took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it. “This is the pomegranate ruby. It’s said to be a fruit from a mystical tree. The way it captures the light collects the force of fire to protect its owner from the cold in the world.”
“It’s magical?” Esther only half believed the large, strong Caleb kneeling before her to tell her of this mystical gem.
“It’s not magic, no. We now know if the stone is placed in the sun for a while, it can heat because the rays bundled within it. It’s very precious and it’s Ben’s gem.”
Hannah bent over to see the ring on Esther’s finger. “What do you mean Ben’s stone?”
“Our father gave each of us a precious stone for our bar-mitzvah as an assurance that we have something for our futures. None of us have used ours, except Ben, who set his for Esther as soon as he received it.”
“So, he wanted a future with her from the beginning?” Eve gave a loving motherly smile as if she were delighted by what was unfolding.
“Yes.” Caleb gave Esther’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You’ve been more precious for him than even his gem, Esther. May the pomegranate ruby bring you much luck and prosperity and support your life together for many decades.Mazal tov, little sister.”
Eve wiped a tear from her eyes.
Hannah looked sad. “You are all grown up, baby sister.”
