The Madonna and the Political Prisoner, Chapter 8/2

It’s the day before we set off for Kana. Joshua and James are packing the cart with the extra clothes we shall need and gifts for Susannah and Gad. Joshua comes in and draws me aside.

“Mother, I’m concerned about Gad’s family. They’re not really able to afford this wedding. Gad is the third son that they’ve had to arrange a wedding for, the previous one was only last year. I think we ought to take some extra provisions, both food and wine. But how can we do it without offending them? I’ve had a word with Salome and Andrew – they’re bringing some fresh bread from their bakery which they’ll slip into Gad’s home with the bread that’s been ordered from them anyway. They can supply more than was ordered and paid for without anyone noticing.”

“We can’t take any extra poultry. That would be too obvious.”

“We could take some skins of wine though. I’ve spoken to Clopas. We can cover them under our own belongings and slip them later into the feast when no-one is looking or is too tired to notice.”

We agree fairly quickly and after darkness James and Joshua go to Clopas’s wine storage cave with the cart and place six skins and secure them with rope under the other baggage. They’re taking this precaution as we don’t want everyone to know that we’re supplementing that provided by Gad’s family and if the guests see them arriving, it’ll be all round the village before they can even unload and his people will be most embarrassed. A rope is thrown over the lot to ensure the wineskins are not uncovered in the jolting and clear enough space for my mother to squeeze onto the back of the cart.

All goes to plan and the next day we arrive in Kana and the cart is kept in the yard of Rebecca and Simon’s house and covered. I don’t think anyone bar James, Joshua and me know of the additional wine supply. I go with Deborah and the children to meet up with my sister Rebecca. Salome is there too with her Lydia who was married a couple of years ago. I take one look at her and see at once that she is hugely pregnant. I didn’t know. I’m beginning to lose count of my grandchildren and great nieces and nephews. Gad’s mother is here and his two sisters – one of those has a child in arms, the other girl must be thirteen or fourteen years of age and looking forward to marriage herself.

Susannah is in the midst of the crowd of women. She is looking a little nervous, perhaps just a bit overawed by all the attention she is getting. Not to mention the superfluity of advice, both wanted and unwarranted. I extricate her from the hubbub and take her outside for a quiet word. Her older brother, Nathan, joins us with his wife and three year old – the newest baby is fast asleep somewhere despite the noise. I don’t know Gad, but Nathan assures me that he’s a good man, hard-working and sensible and that Susannah’s nothing to worry about. They’ll be living with Gad’s parents for a while in Kana and the young man has been promised a small piece of land to grow his own crops. I hope it’s enough to sustain the pair of them. Despite her pale complexion, Susannah is looking beautiful. Her mother and Salome’s girls will adorn her tomorrow morning for the ceremony itself and then we’ll all accompany her to the bridegroom’s home and after the two exchange vows and retire the rest of us will begin the feast and celebrations. My mother, Deborah, her children and I will be staying with Rebecca and Susannah tonight. The men are going home and will be back first thing in the morning.

We stay up late chatting. Mother rests early, her limbs are aching after the jolting on the rough cart track, and the children are soon persuaded to lie down, their excitement eventually turning to whining exhaustion. Salome comes round to join us and my sisters and I have a good natter about the old days, with Deborah listening with curiosity and Susannah - well, I’m not sure. She seems to be listening, but I think her mind is actually miles away. Tomorrow Benjamin and his family will join us and it’ll be the first time I’ve been together with my sisters and brother since the family marriage last year. At least we’ve had no funerals to bring us together since Clopas’s son-in-law, Joshua, died.

The wedding day passes off without any mishaps. Susannah looks radiant and Gad, whom I hadn’t seen before, looks a pleasant enough fellow. I hope they’ll be happy. The place is swarming with wedding guests – half the village seems to have joined in and Gad’s family have managed a good spread, though it must have cost them a good deal, probably with the help of a large loan they’ll be paying off for years. At least Gad is their last unmarried son. Mother is soon tired and I help her back to Rebecca’s house and get her settled, then return to the wedding celebrations to watch the dancing. The children are enjoying themselves and one by one they too are reluctantly dragged away protesting by their mothers. Then Susannah and Gad are processed to their wedding bed and the rest of us resume our dancing, or sit by listening to the hired musicians, sipping the wine and watching.

I offer to take Esther and Reuben back so that Deborah can have more time with her husband and my nieces and nephews. Esther is agog to know what Susannah and Gad are doing now, but I’m not sure at eight years of age she’s ready for the full facts yet, although I must admit most children know from a pretty early age as there is so little privacy. I think it best to leave such things to Deborah – I don’t want to upset her by usurping her role, however innocently. I just tell her that they’ve gone to set up their home together. From the look that Esther gives me, I have a feeling she knows the truth and was just testing me to see what I’d say, the imp. And Reuben at six is certainly not yet ready, I don’t think he’d understand, although they must see the animals. However, I don’t think he’ll relate that to what humans do yet.

I vaguely stir when I hear Salome, Rebecca and Deborah returning, but soon fall asleep again, drowsy from the wine I’ve been sipping all evening. Next morning we all sleep late. The sun is already up before we stir and I join my sisters and Ben’s wife, Rachel, as we pick up the largest water jars and fill them to the brim from the village well. Not that anyone will be drinking much water today and the washing of clothes will have to wait until the celebrations are over. By the time we get to Gad’s family’s home, the sun is directly overhead and it is hot. There is food laid out for us but no-one is particularly hungry. There is a flurry of interest when Salome and Gad’s mother appear with the stained bedcloth to assure the guests of Susannah’s previous virginity.

“What are they doing?” asks the precocious Esther, but as her mother is around I make myself scarce and let her invent any explanation that she will. The younger children are led out by Joshua to play in the fields at the edge of the village and the musicians reassemble ready for the dancing to recommence. More food is brought out and the wine flows once more, the hired servants scurrying to and fro. Susannah and Gad are seated in the chair of honour watching the proceedings and then the servants light the torches for dusk is creeping over the village. Some of the men in the corner are raising their voices, I think one or two have had more than enough to drink. I hope my sons are not disgracing themselves. I can see our baker Andrew and Rabbi Jonas in the thick of the group and then I spy James there as well.

Then I notice some consternation. One of the servants has whispered something to Gad’s father who is in charge of the celebrations and he whispers something to Gad and both men disappear chased by a couple of servants. The group of men I mentioned earlier seem to be having an argument with one of the servants. I’m wondering what all the fuss is about when Joe comes over to me.

“They’ve run out of wine. There’s a big argument going on. Gad’s father is under pressure to get more but he’s told them that he’s exhausted his means and can borrow nothing further.”

“Can you bring James over here?”

“Why? I don’t think he’s sober enough to walk straight. I certainly don’t think you’ll get any sense out of him.”

“Where’s Joshua then? He may be able to help them.”

“What can he do? He’s got no money on him.”

“Can you see if you can find him? He took the children to play in the fields. They must be on their way back by now, it’ll be too dark soon for them to see properly.”

“Alright, Mother, but I don’t see what he can do about it.”

At that very moment I hear the voices of children above the sound of the music and breathe a sigh of relief. Joshua will find the wine we’ve brought and get it in, hopefully before too many find out that the present supply has run out. I beckon him straight over.

“Joshua, they’ve run out of wine. You and James must have had second sight to have thought of bringing a spare supply. You’ll have to get it yourself, I don’t think James is fit enough to carry anything.”

“I’ll need the help of the servants if James can’t help me. I’ll have to tell them to say nothing of the source but just bring it in, otherwise all the guests will know that we’ve had to rescue Gad and his family and their shame will be great.”

“I’ll stress to the servants the need for secrecy.”

The children try to follow us from the house, but Joshua tells them to stay as we have to fetch something for Susannah from her old home. Of course, they all want to come too, but I ask Joe and Salome to entertain them while we slip out. They looked puzzled but we make our exit before they can ask us any questions.

We find the servants huddled over the empty wine jars. They are holding each one upside down, draining the last dregs into one of the jars in an attempt to take enough through to stop the complaining of some of the rowdier men. But I can see it’s hopeless, there’s scarce enough for a single cup. Gad’s father, the poor man, is sitting with his head in his hands, muttering to himself. I tell him it will soon be sorted and he looks up at me and smiles wryly, shaking his head.

I grab a couple of servants.

“Follow Joshua. Do exactly what he says and don’t tell anyone what is happening. You’ll need some of the largest jars – those wine jars are too small. Empty the water pots standing there – no, leave one, we may need water later. Take the others and follow Joshua. We’ve a supply of wine at the bride’s house, but don’t tell anyone. We’ll get it back and everyone will assume that Gad had a further supply in reserve.”

The servants grab another couple and they lift four of the large water pots and empty the contents on the ground outside. Hopefully no-one’s seen them. We then go off into the night, Joshua leading and untie the rope over the donkey cart revealing the wineskins from Clopas’s vine harvest. The servants, under Joshua’s watchful eye, pour the contents into the water pots until they are all full and overflowing, we are in danger of spillage as we make our way back to the wedding feast.

Now is the time to hold our breath. Can we get the wine in without the guests noticing? Gad’s father will know and Gad himself, I suppose, but there’s no need for their shame to be more public. Frankly, I don’t see why weddings need to go on so long or be so expensive, so many families stretch themselves beyond their means and live in debt for years committing their children to work for the money lenders’ interests. It’s a scandal really, but it’s difficult to go against the customs.

We manage to bring the water jars into the house and immediately Gad’s father, Mordecai, looks at us in some alarm.

“Don’t worry. We’ve found some more wine. You hadn’t run out after all.”

“But I had, I know I had. Where did you get that from?”

“Don’t ask any questions. No-one needs to know. Joshua has managed to organise it. But you don’t have to tell anyone. Go in and taste the wine from the new jar as you’d be expected to. It’s good wine, don’t worry about that.”

But the man is confused and overwhelmed. When he tastes the wine he exclaims that it is the best he’d got.

“Then why have you kept it until now?” shouts someone. Some of the men crowd round and the servants begin to fill their glasses.

One of the men exclaims “He’s quite right. It is the best so far. Why wait until now? Where did this come from?”

“I saw the servants bring it in. The wine was in the water jars. Was the wine there all along?”

“No. I saw the water there earlier.”

“Joshua brought the jars in. He told the servants what to do.”

“Is that right?”

Then one of the servants admits it.

“What’s this? Water into wine? Is that what my bloody brother is doing? Listen everybody, my brother thinks he’s the Messiah and can turn water into bloody wine!” He roars with laughter and some of the other men, worse for drink, take up the refrain.

“Let’s see how you do it,” screams another above the hubbub and Joshua’s protests are buried under the laughter and noise. Mordecai is trying to say something, but the chances are he’ll make it worse.

“I need to tell them,” says Joshua, “I can’t let them believe I did this in some miraculous way. This is not what I’ve been given my gifts for.”

“I should say nothing further now,” I say. “You’ll only make Mordecai even more confused and embarrassed than he is already. Don’t say anything. They’ll have forgotten about it when they sober up.

James comes rolling over to Joshua and stabs his finger into Joshua’s breast.

“Miracle man, miracle man! Now make the remnants of the chicken on this table into a feast fit for a king. Come on, let’s see your magic.”

“Shut up, James. I’m ashamed of you. You know perfectly well where the wine came from and don’t pretend otherwise. And don’t say anything more but pay honour to you host.”

The next day, James is very contrite and apologises to me and Joshua and Mordecai. He tells Mordecai the truth. But it’s too late now. Everyone at the feast believes that Joshua has turned the water into wine. Joshua and I tell Salome and Rebecca and Ben of course and Clopas and his family know what happened, but the rumour is carried by the other guests, even the servants who should have known better and soon the whole area is full of the gossip that Joshua is a miracle man.

“I’ve got to get away now, Mother. I’m not ready for this. They’re all misunderstanding what my role and purpose is. They think I’m a magician. I must get away to think more clearly before this gets totally out of hand.”