Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: CAMP (08/18/22)
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TITLE: Once a Carpenter Always a Carpenter | Previous Challenge Entry
By Anne Warden
08/22/22 -
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Pounding the peg for a sukkah pole into the sunbaked ground, Joseph smiled. Deborah was always late and in a hurry. She could learn from her cousin, Mary, who accomplished just as much, yet rarely hurried. He caught Mary’s eye and winked.
Mary grinned. She shouldered her empty basket to follow Deborah.
Joseph observed his wife move gracefully through the camp toward Jerusalem, weaving among tents and partially raised sukkahs. At forty-eight, she could still flutter his insides.
He reached for another thick pole and hefted it to his shoulder. Heavy pain engulfed his chest. He grunted, the pole falling.
Immediately Simon called, “Abba?”
But Joseph couldn’t speak. Turning anguished eyes on his son, he gripped the top of his tunic in both fists and pulled, to relieve the suffocation. His knees buckled. As he hit the ground, his vision went black. Something was standing on his chest.
“Abba,” yelled Jesus in his ear. Seconds later, Jesus’s urgent voice rose. “Go get Ima.”
Joseph tore at the neck of his tunic. But his pathetic efforts yielded nothing. In the darkness, as voices faded, Joseph realized he was dying. "Adonai, watch over Mary," he pleaded.
* * *
Mary barely listened as Deborah complained about the heat and crowds. Instead, she pictured her husband in her mind. Joseph was graying. His hearing was failing. Yet he was still strong, lending his expertise to build their family sukkah for the Feast of Booths, which started tomorrow evening.
She smiled. Once a carpenter, always a carpenter.
This Feast would be joyous. Their garden had yielded bountiful produce, giving them plenty for the winter months and enriching the tithes they’d contributed to the storehouses of Jerusalem’s Temple. Both their daughters had blessed them with grandbabies. Their son, Judah, had brought a delightful wife into their home. Hannah was an excellent cook with limitless energy.
Yes, Mary’s praises for Adonai’s goodness were abundant this autumn.
To her left, her name was called. She glanced that way to see her old friend and mentor, Noadiah, limping toward her. Mary interrupted Deborah’s chatter. “Wait. I must talk with Noadiah.”
Her cousin groaned. “The best etrogs will be gone.”
Irritation flared. A friend not seen in many months meant more than a fruit. Let the best etrogs be gone. Shoving her basket at Deborah, she hurried toward Noadiah. "Blessed are You, Adonai, Who gives us friends for comfort."
The older woman hugged her fiercely. When they stepped apart, Noadiah grinned. “Shalom, dear woman. How is your family?”
“Growing. We have two grandsons.”
“All is good then?”
Mary nodded. Warmth lit her heart by Noadiah’s presence. She had missed her friend and their quiet conversations. “And how is your family?” She linked her hand in Noadiah’s.
Suddenly, from behind, came a call. “Mary, wife of Joseph.” It was her son’s voice but there was something odd about it. Curious, she pivoted and shaded her eyes, Noadiah turning with her. Judah was running her way, dodging campers and leaping over tent lines, his tunic skirt gathered above his knees. As her son drew close, his face was colorless, his eyes filled with terror. “It’s Abba.”
Mary dropped Noadiah’s hand and, like Judah, lifted her tunic above her knees. She raced back toward Joseph, not caring if she exposed her legs. She just ran through the camp.
When she reached Joseph, she dropped beside him. His eyes were open, but vacant. She placed her ear to his chest, anxious to hear his steady heartbeat, as she had so many nights while they lay together.
There was no beat. No breath came from his nostrils.
“Joseph!” she screamed. “Wake up!” She pounded his chest. He didn’t respond.
Hands tried to stop her, but she slapped them away.
With her face mere inches from her husband’s, she finally realized it was no use. Adonai’s breath of life had departed his body.
A panicked wail rose in her throat. It exploded from her lips, unstoppable. As she rocked on her knees, the wails kept coming. Until they finally drowned in her sorrow. She toppled to the ground and curled into a fetal position, her head on Joseph’s silent chest, her limbs trembling.
“Mary!” cried a scandalized voice, “Get up!”
Then Noadiah’s firm tone. “Let her grieve.”
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sukkah = temporary shelter for celebrating the Feast of Booths
Abba = Daddy
Ima = Mama
etrog = lemon-like fruit
Shalom (greeting) = total contentment
Leviticus 23:33-43
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Descriptive and respectful.
Who knows how it happened? You gave us a peep using imagination and it is very readable.
Thank you.