On that sad, tragic day, at least one thing had worked out right: the Romans believed Mary's story about Eran. Since they had no idea what he looked like, or the depth of his relationship to the family, it was easy to convince them that the slave had run away. Besides they were there for the property and the wealth. A slave was just another mouth to feed.

Eran was light-skinned for an Egyptian. His mother was Egyptian, and his father was Hebrew, so it was difficult to place his ethnicity. Eran, in addition to being Josh's lover, was treated like a member of the family. His Egyptian accent had been polished away by years of study and practice. He had good instincts when it came to dealing with people, and he was intelligent.

Mary had a secret fondness for Eran that was more than platonic. Her deceased husband, Joseph, was an older man, Their marriage had been one of convenience. she had never shared her bed with a sexually active man -- at least not that she could remember. She could barely remember marrying Joseph, she was young, and their wedding was arranged in haste because of her mysterious pregnancy.

Her parents had arranged the marriage to Joseph, without consulting her. She had only met him that one time when he was a guest of her father for Passover. The next time she saw him was at their very private marriage ceremony. Her uncle Zack had officiated at the wedding. The only other people at the ceremony were close family members.

Eran had always treated her with tender kindness. She had known him all her life. He felt more like an older brother, and he took care of her like a brother would. Mary had never allowed herself to consider Eran a love interest. He was always to be busy attending to her father's needs, helping run his businesses. And after all, he was her father's slave for as long as he lived. Although, if she allowed her mind to wander, and putting aside their respective situations, she had to admit that he was as a handsome, slightly older man.

Except for Eran, the servants had taken off on their own. For Mary, Eran, Jesus and John, the plan was to ride as far as they could into the night heading northeast toward Galilee. Eran had an estranged brother who lived in the wilderness outside Galilee in a religious community. He reassured Mary that he would be kind to him and his family, It was the only plan they had for now, and it seemed better than begging on the streets of Jerusalem.

Since they had little in the way of possessions or money, for now they would be sleeping outside, something they would have to get used to. At least it was summer and the weather was mild. Hopefully they would be resettled before cold weather returned.

Fortunately, the Romans had allowed them to take three good mules. Otherwise, their journey would be entirely on foot and much slower. Given their real motivations, Mary was surprised at the small act of generosity on the part of the Romans. Mary wondered if it allowed them to think of themselves as ethical and humane despite their tyranny and theft.

They travelled the dusty roads through the midsummer's night putting as much distance as they could between themselves and their lost home. They travelled mostly in silence and, when there was no longer any light to see by, Eran suggested they rest until sunrise. No one objected.

They found a safe place a little off the road. They tied up the mules and unpacked bedding for sleep.

Even though the boys were usually prone to bickering over the smallest things, they were uncharacteristically quiet and quickly fell asleep.

When she had settled into her blankets she rolled closer to Eran -- not because she was cold -- because she felt the need to be near someone stronger, someone to hold onto.

After the painful loss of her parents and almost everything familiar to her, she felt quite fragile and weak. She hoped that Eran would not mind, and she was reassured when he responded warmly by putting his arms around her and holding her close. He whispered in her ear "shlamah" meaning "peace". And for a moment, she felt at peace and safe in Eran's arms.

As he lay holding Mary, Eran's thought about the road and the days that lay before them. It had been several years since he had been in touch with Amun. The spiritual community he was a part of could potentially be a place for them to rest while they considered where to go next. It was the only place that he could think of where they might be treated with some charity. Most people saved their generosity for their own families, or for those who joined their families. It was rare to be welcomed into a family of any type, unless you have something concrete to contribute.

From what he could remember of Amun's recounting of his community's principles, he hoped that they would be welcoming. He hoped the adjustment for Mary and the boys, and for himself, would not be too difficult. The community practiced abstinence. His life with Josh had been anything but chaste. It would be a big change. But there no other choice.

A lot would depend on his brother and how he related to Eran after all these years. He hoped that their reunion would be a happy one. He closed his eyes and took refuge in the empty blackness of night, and hoped that in sleep there would be brighter worlds to visit.

(End of Chapter 22)