Asenath (12 page)

"This Hebrew." She pointed again. "This Hebrew that you brought here, husband, has tried to make sport of us. Of
me
."

Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped forward.

"She's lying!" I yelled. "I came into the house and overheard everything.
She
was the one who tried to seduce Joseph."

"Shut up!" Zalikha screamed. "You don't know what you're saying."

I rushed over to Joseph. I knelt by his side. The guards glanced at me, but did nothing.

"But I do," I said. "I heard every single word. It was
you
, Zalikha."

"Can you prove it?"

Alas, I knew I could not. I opened my mouth to fire back, but the words deserted me.

She laughed.

I spat at her.

Her eyes widened with rage. She began to head toward me. Potiphar grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but he was too strong.

Finally, she shrugged. "Well, husband? What then?"

Potiphar stared at his wife for a long time. His usually stately features were twisted with agony. Then he turned to me and Joseph huddled on the ground.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Joseph?" he asked.

"Are you
blind
?" Zalikha said. "Can you not see what he tried to do to me, your
wife
?"

Potiphar held up his hand for silence. He turned his back to us.

"Take him to prison," he said.

"No!" I said.

The guards yanked Joseph from me. He made no move to resist.

"No, stop!
Let him go!
"

They ignored me and disappeared with him.

I sank to the ground in defeat.

All was silent for a while. Then Potiphar clapped his hands sharply.

"Get back to work," he said to the servants.

"Prison?" Zalikha said. "
Prison?
The slave tries to rape me and you decree prison? What will our friends and family think? The people at court? The royals?"

"I don't care. Asenath, we will still be having the banquet if you still wish to attend. I just won't be joining you."

I rose to my feet. "May the curse of Apep be upon you both."

I looked at Zalikha. "May the monster Ammit devour your soul in the afterlife."

I stormed off.

Zalikha called out behind me, "Asenath, I have to admit that it was very touching to see you stand up for Joseph. A pity though that dregs fall even when they try to unite."

I did not dignify that with even a backward glance.

I left Thebes the following morning. I knew that by the time I arrived back in Heliopolis, the news would have already reached my parents.

I was right.

"What have you done, Asenath?" Father said as soon as I arrived.

"Father, let me explain."

"Do you have any idea how shameful this is?"

"But I could not stand back and watch an innocent man accused."

"Yes, but do you not realise who Lady Zalikha is? Do you not know who her family is? Do you not know the connections she has?"

I gave him a puzzled look. I could not see how this was related to the matter at hand. "What do you mean, Father?"

"She is a woman of noble birth. You defended a slave against her."

"But Father, I overheard everything. Joseph truly is innocent."

Father made an impatient noise. "That is not the point. You have scandalised us."

"In defending Joseph?"

"In defending a
slave
against a
noblewoman
."

Suddenly, like a fragile piece of string, I
snapped
.

This society disgusted me. It was a shallow society, fixated on only wealth, power and connections. People who did not have those were condemned, whether they were innocent or not.

I no longer wanted a part of it.

I took a deep breath. "Father, I didn't expect you to take sides with that snake."

"I know she has some eccentricities. But she is―"

"That's it!" I interrupted. "I've had it. If an innocent person is going to suffer all because a vicious...
bitch
―"

"Don't use that language in this house."

"...wants to save her so-called honour, then I want nothing more to do with this."

"Asenath!"

I whipped around and headed inside the house.

"Don't you
ever
walk away when I'm talking to you." Father said.

I ignored him.

Father hurried up to me. He grabbed my arm. "What in Seth's foul breath do you think you're doing?"

I yanked my arm away. "Leaving. I'm going to find a way to rescue Joseph. Perhaps, he and I will run away together to Canaan."

Father gave an angry laugh. "Will you?
Will you?
I'd like to see you do that."

I went into my room. My parents stood at the doorway. They watched as I packed my things. Afterward, I headed back outside.

Father trailed behind me like a nagging shadow. "Asenath, if you leave this house against my wishes, know that you will never be welcome back here again."

"That suits me just fine."

I quickened my pace. I headed toward the gate, ignored the guards who gave me perplexed looks and walked out of the house.

I had not gone far when I heard Father call out behind me.

"Asenath, be careful. If you need anything, let me know."

I hurried forward.

I was weary from everything that had happened. So before returning to Thebes, I checked in at a cheap inn on the fringes of the city. The moment I entered my room, I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

However, even in my dreams, I was given no respite. I dreamed of Lady Zalikha brandishing a sword and hacking to death everyone I loved—Joseph, Menah, the twins, my first parents, my second parents and the village mother Mekten.

When I awoke the next morning, I was too drained to get up, but too troubled to lie still. I was still in my clothes from the day before. My bones were sore from lying on the hard narrow bed.

There was a knock on the door.

"Asenath, open up. It's Lord Potiphar."

I winced. I pulled the yellowed sheets over my head. "Go away. I have no wish to see you."

"I don't believe Joseph attacked my wife. Please, Asenath, let's talk. Do it for him."

"You threw Joseph in prison."

"Come now, Asenath. Open the door."

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping he would soon leave.

"Please, Asenath. I really have to talk to you about this. I believe Joseph is innocent."

"You lie."

"No, I do not. Please. Let us talk now."

Finally, I decided to give in and get it over with, if only to hush him up. I opened the door.

He held a basket out to me. "Food. Your parents sent this."

I was very hungry, but I did not want him to think he had done me a favour. I took the basket and set it aside. I would gobble up its contents later.

Potiphar closed the door behind him. "First, can you promise me that what I am about to tell you will not leave this room?"

I shrugged.

"Do you know what the penalty for adultery is?" he asked.

"Death."

"So do you know why I had Joseph thrown in prison?"

"Because that's where you'll kill him instead of throwing him to the crocodiles. Potiphar, do you think I'm so stupid?"

Potiphar gently interrupted, "No. He is not going to die."

I gave him a cynical look.

"He is not going to die," he said. "But because of this rubbish, because of Zalikha's so-called honour, I had to throw him in prison. Believe me, if I had my way, Joseph would have been free in a few months and I would divorce that woman."

He sighed deeply.

Despite everything, I could not help pitying him. He looked heavy with the burden of all that had happened.

"I am so sorry for the way Zalikha treated you and Joseph," Potiphar said. "You two are such good people. But Zalikha has always been jealous of you. She can't stand competition."

"
Me?
What do
I
have that she could be jealous of?"

"Really, Asenath, can you not see that you are a lady of many gifts? Zalikha knew as I did that Pentephres and Satsepdu were planning to

adopt you. She felt threatened from the moment she saw you. That is why she has always been cruel to you."

I did not know what to say. I still could not reconcile that a wealthy and beautiful woman could be jealous of a peasant like me.

"As for Joseph," Potiphar said. "He was like the son I never had. Zalikha and I did not want children, you see. We thought them to be great nuisances. Joseph changed my perspective on them. Alas, it's too late for that now."

I wondered what he meant by that. But he looked so deeply grieved, I dared not ask him.

I later learned the reason from Mother though. Apparently, during his army days, Potiphar had been taken hostage by the enemy at one point. During this time, he had been robbed of the most important possession a man could ever have. I imagined it drove his starving wife mad.

Potiphar shrugged. "Still, Joseph filled the void in my life that only a son or daughter could. He was remarkable too. I knew he was destined for more than the life of a servant. Thus, as much as it pained me to do so, I planned to release him. He was virtuous too. He also abided by the commands of his God, who demands his followers to live a moral and chaste life. Thus, my wife's lie goes against everything I know of Joseph."

We were both silent for a long time. By now, my anger toward Potiphar had abated completely.

Finally, I said, "My lord, I thank you for sharing this with me. I apologise too for my earlier behaviour."

Potiphar waved his hand dismissively. "Please don't. I completely understand."

"There is something I ought to tell you though," I said.

I informed him of how I had sent Baktre and Ubastet to get help, only to have the servants come in after Joseph had escaped.

"So this is all my fault," I said. "I, too, put him in prison."

"No, you didn't," Potiphar said kindly. "The timing was just very bad. Don't be so hard on yourself. But I must also tell you this—surely, you know I am one of those in charge of Pharaoh's prison?"

My spirits began to lift. "I believe Father mentioned it."

"Inevitably, I will have to visit Joseph. I would like to invite you to come along."

I nearly jumped. "Yes please, my lord. That would be wonderful. Thank you so much. Surely you plan to release him soon?"

"Hopefully. Alas, the system is very convoluted. But I will try my best. In the meantime, I can send you news of him if you like."

"I would indeed. Thank you, my lord."

Potiphar leaned back, now regarding me with a look of fatherly tenderness. "In the meantime, I suggest you return to your parents. It is not safe for a young lady to be in a place like this."

"I don't know. We parted on really bad terms." I looked down.

"Don't worry. I explained everything to them. Besides, how will I be able to send you news if you keep moving around?"

I sighed. "Very well."

"But first, I believe you need a meal." He nodded toward the basket. "You haven't eaten at all, have you?"

As if answering for me, my stomach growled.

Later, as I shared the contents of the basket with him, I asked, "How did you find me here, by the way?"

His eyes twinkled. "Army training. We were trained to think strategically. Also, remember that I was young once too."

CHAPTER NINE

Nothing happened for a couple of years. True to his word, Lord Potiphar sent me news of Joseph. He had yet to actually visit Joseph himself so everything he told me was second-hand, relayed to him from the prison warden.

Apparently, for the first few weeks Joseph had kept to himself, weeping and sleeping. Sometimes, he was overheard talking in a language no one could understand. Hebrew, probably.

But one day, Joseph approached the warden and volunteered himself for tasks around the prison. The warden was astonished, but pleased too, as there was always work to be done.

He started Joseph on the dirtiest tasks, such as cleaning the chamber pots and sorting through the garbage. Joseph accomplished these without a single complaint.

Hearing this amazed me. I thought that if anything, he would have despaired and wasted away into nothingness. I wondered if he felt any more hopeful than I did about his release.

During this time, I cut down my social schedule. I was sick of being hounded by pesky, idiotic questions. But even at home, I was given no respite.

One day, I saw a scroll on my desk. Knowing it from Lord Potiphar, I happily pranced over to it.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

The seal on the scroll was broken.

"Nafre!" I yelled.

She rushed into the room, nearly tripping. "Yes, mistress?"

"Look at this." I held up the scroll. "The seal is broken."

"I am sorry, mistress. I did not know."

"Was it already like this when it arrived?"

"No, mistress."

I suspected who might be responsible for this.

Later at dinnertime, I said, "I received a scroll whose seal was already broken. Do any of you know anything about this?"

I looked at my parents fixedly.

"Yes," Father said. "I was the one who opened it."

I could not believe he was so flippant. "But why?"

"I need to know what's going on with you. You have not been saying much lately, so you give me no choice but to resort to such measures."

"But Lord Potiphar intended the letter for
me
."

"That is true. But as your father, I have every right to access the details of your comings and goings. It is a simple principle—my house, my rules. Especially knowing how you get involved with such...
characters
."

My anger was nearly at breaking point. "That's odd, Father. Not long ago, you commended Joseph for his deeds. Now you condemn him as if he was the worst of criminals."

It was too late to take back the unintentional pun.

Father smiled. "That is exactly what he is. A criminal."