Page 6 of A Lesson In Beginning

“I’d prefer to stay with my son if you please, Leviticus.”

“Of course. Let me show you the way. I’ll take your bags there as well.” He stood from the table, his arm outstretched, guiding me towards the living room once again.

“I’m sure Ruth can do that. It is the wifely thing to do, after all.” The couple exchanged a look again, a smirk forming on each of their faces, but Ruth nodded in agreement.

“Of course. Let me show you the way.”

Ruth led me through the living room and towards the room where we were to bed for the night. The room was larger than I had expected, though from the look of their home from the outside, I was not truly surprised. Their home was ostentatious and far more extravagant than any home I had seen in Zion. Even more so than their home had been there. But as I gazed at my son, sleeping in the playpen, I couldn’t bring myself to judge or care. Not tonight.

“There is a bathroom just down the hall on your right. Please feel free to make use of anything in there. And Adah?”

I turned to look at her as Leviticus set our bags just inside the door and then made himself scarce, leaving only Ruth and me standing just inside the room.

“Yes, Ruth?”

“I’m glad you’re both here.” She smiled at me, then turned to leave, shutting the door as she left, leaving me speechless. That was the last thing I had expected from her.

I walked over to the playpen, gazing down at Samuel.

“We will get back on our feet, little lamb. And we will be okay. You will be safe and loved and cared for. I make this my solemn vow.” I pressed a kiss to my fingertips, brushing them against the ruffled hair on his brow. Every word was true. I would protect him and give him the life he deserved, no matter what it took.

CHAPTER 3

“Mama?” My son’s voice filtered through my sleep-riddled mind, waking me from my slumber. I stretched, then blinked as I realized just how difficult it was to remove myself from the bed. It was easily the most comfortable bed I had ever slept in.

“Mama!” His little voice raised, and I heard the rattling of the playpen, pushing me to rouse and disentangle myself from the soft linen sheets.

“Yes, little lamb. Mama is here.” I rose from the bed to see his tousled hair poking up above the edge of the playpen. I pulled him up and out, grunting slightly at his weight. He was no longer the tiny thing I used to carry around with no concern or effort.

“Where are we, Mama?” He asked, his voice still rough with sleep. The light was filtering in through the curtains, just barely, the room still mostly shrouded in darkness.

“We are at your aunt Ruth and uncle Leviticus’ home, love. Do you remember being in the airplane way up in the sky?” I cuddled him close, soaking in the serotonin one could only get from morning toddler snuggles.

“Are aunt Ruth and uncle Lebitibus nice people?” His butchering of his uncle’s name made me chuckle, and I kissed his forehead lightly.

“They are kind people, sweetheart. You do not need to worry.” I glanced at the clock, gasping as I saw the time. “It looks like we slept far longer than is respectable, love. Let’s get going for the day, shall we?”

It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning, and I was appalled at my slovenly behavior. I had never in all my days slept so late into the daytime hours. Grabbing clothes from our suitcases, we made our way down the hall to the bathroom to freshen up for the day.

“Mama, can I go play?” he asked as I readied myself for the shower.

“Not yet, little lamb. Let Mama shower and get ready, and then we can head downstairs for some breakfast. How does that sound?” I kissed his forehead and hopped into the shower, making quick work of my morning routine and cursing myself for my morning idleness.

Idle hands are the devil’s playground, Adah May.

My mother’s words rang in my mind as I quickly finished my shower and readied myself for the day. It was not the way I wished to show my sister our gratitude this morning. As we left the bathroom and deposited our items back in the suitcase, the sound of a small child crying rang out through the house.

“Is there another child here, Mama?” Samuel asked excitedly, tugging at my arm. It had been ages since he had had any other children to play with.

“There is! Though I believe he is quite a bit younger than you.”

As we made our way towards the kitchen, the sounds of hushed voices reached my ears. At first, I thought it was only Ruth and Leviticus, but as we drew closer to the main area of the house, additional voices joined in. I felt my back straighten, my muscles stiffening in preparation for the unknown that I was about to face.

Who was here? And why?

“What are you going to do, Ruth?” A woman’s voice, hushed and quiet, filtered around the corner. I took a breath, leading my son into the room with a pleasant morning greeting poised on my lips. But of course, my son had other ideas.

“Who are you?” He called out loudly. Four sets of eyes turned towards us, and I felt the weight of their stares settle over me, though whether it was in simple discernment or in judgment, I could not yet tell. I recognized the two additional gazes to be Leviticus’ brother, Ezekiel, and his wife. Her name was Talia, I believed, though I could not remember for certain.

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