Love and Again - 4. Chapter 4: Equal Before the Sun

Equal before the Sun

So pass the great city of Sodom into the mists of history. The truth of the invasion, death, and destruction will never be known to outsiders or believers. However, the amazing artistic pottery that Matt and Zeke created flourished and expanded into new forms as it began to be mimicked by admirers after the great city fell. In the lands of the Nile, artisans, intellectuals, and people of all ability gathered again to form the great civilization that we know as Egypt. They mimicked the artistic qualities of these old pottery pieces and developed their own unique style. Trade flourished with a new fertile riverbed region. Some artisans developed more complex ideas based on sculpture and designed monuments, which became government buildings, temples, and tombs.

Most will not care or desire to know the fate of Lot's descendants, but they were also in Egypt. After centuries of theological strife and nomadic life under their ideals of God, they settled in Egypt and the Egyptians, who saw little use for shepherds for their fields, more whores for their brothels, or mercenaries for war in times of peace, made them laborers. The tradition of labor went on for many years as the Egyptians paid homage by food and shelter for their labors in the fields of grain and construction works. The Egyptian treatment was not the same across the spectrum; though some would be very generous and offer land to these laborers for their own use, others worked them for less than a bag of grain a day. Thus, the institution shall be born of what we will know as slavery. It was not born of malice or hatred for your fellow man, but simply the exchange of labor for some basic needs. Yet, without equal custom, some people took advantage of these laborers and began treating them little more than beasts of burden.

By this point, you may say that this action is fitting for such people, who in their blindness destroyed so much in the name of their God. Perhaps, but all things in life are equal in their own time. The first to cast the stone shall be the first to be stoned. The most oppressive shall be the oppressed. The most controlling shall be controlled. The nature of change and the revolution of history move in such ways.

Matt shall be reborn in this time as one of the descendants of Lot, who he had condemned so quickly before in Sodom. He shall be born the daughter of Levi in Memphis, but her mother died when she was very young giving birth to her younger brother, Jacob. Her name is Jochebed or the ancient word for "Glory of God". Zeke was born as the son of a noble Egyptian family, who were the Pharaoh's chief Craftsmen. His name was Paki or the ancient word for "Witness".

Levi worked as a common laborer for Paki's family, who were inexorably cruel to their slaves. Paki enjoyed the taunts and games that he would play on these lower beings; he even took a few to his bed chamber, mainly males for his private pleasures as a teenager. Paki never understood the slave's language or their condemnation of the Egyptians, who berated them.

Jochebed was an intelligent girl, who learned to read both her people's language and the language of her masters before the age of 12. She taught her younger siblings the stories of old and their origins in the eastern plains from the Holy Scriptures passed down by generations before. Her father ridiculed her for acting "unwomanly' and chastised her for speaking of scripture, when he himself was not a very learned man.

Jochebed worked endlessly in the day toiling with her father and older brothers on the great monuments of the Pharaoh. Temples, government buildings, and palaces were built by such toils. In the evening, she silently taught the history of their people and told the great stories of note; though for some odd reason whenever she mention the two cities of sin, she would break up her tale as if something in her was correcting a mistake in the story.

By the time both Paki and Jochebed grew to the age of 17, their roles were set. Jochebed was to be married off to a cousin with a dowry composed of a wool blanket and some bronze spoons. In comparison to Paki, his parents chose a most sumptuous bride to end their son's idleness with a dowry of gold, jewels, and priceless silk from east. In his parent's hopes, a marriage may finally allow him to give the family an heir after his many affairs with slave boys.

Jochebed did not want to be married off to anyone. She felt that her heart already belonged to another, but she could not give a name. Her father shamed her refusal and forced her into the marriage within one month as the preparations were made.

Paki knew his arranged wedding was coming up, so he embroiled himself in the pleasures of the slaves or torture depending on your definition. Every night, the young master picked his favorite from his father's herd and took them into his chamber. By morning, they would return with a small amount of coin and bruises with emotionless stares. The amount of bruising and damage intensified each night as the approaching wedding drew near. On one morning, the slave boy that Paki picked never returned; his family was given oxen and land by Paki, so they left without a word.

Paki knew not why he hated the slaves so much and enjoyed the pleasure he derived from these boys' suffering. If he only knew the hatred that these people had placed upon him in his last life, then he would understand the source of his pleasure was twisted revenge.

Jochebed returned home one evening and discovered her youngest brother Jacob had been chosen by Paki. Her father's face grew completely ill at what shall befall his young son, barely the age of 8. Jochebed in her rage and strong will crept to the master's home and silently entered.

Paki was disrobing Jacob and forcefully hitting his raw naked skin, while Jacob remained tied down to a post. As Paki began to remove his mount Jacob as if he were as woman, she stormed into the room and confronted Paki.

"This is my brother; how dare you violate him in such ways?" Jochebed protested in Egyptian.

"He is my father's slave as are you, what rights do I not have?" Paki argued.

"There are certain rights of men and women that are eternal. As your beliefs state "All mankind lives under Ra", what difference be that man or woman whether Egyptian or one of my people?" Jochebed replied.

"Are you willing to take your brother's place?" Paki spoke and smiled. Paki thought no one would take the suffering of another, especially with the knowledge of potential death.

"I would if you release him," Jochebed consented to what she knew might be her last moments on earth.

Paki untied the naked boy and threw his garments towards him. Jacob look upon his older sister and did not want to leave her to what he suffered through, but she bid him to leave. Jacob left.

Jochebed began to undress, but she was stopped by Paki.

"I have no love for feminine pleasures" Paki told Jochebed.

"Then, why release my brother?" Jochebed asked intrigued by Paki's sudden charity.

"Your strength of character, your intellect of Egyptian customs, and your pure heart forced me to stop" Paki said.

Paki sat down by his bed and Jochebed instinctively without asking sat next to him. A silence engulfed the room. Paki began scanning his bed without any realistic thought. The bed was not as comfortable as many beds of later ages.

An Egyptian bed is framed by wood, but intricately linked by smaller wooden cords and covered in animal skin. The head end of the bed had a small linen headrest; unlike the future creation of pillows, which many take for granted. The wooden construction was hard, but the comfortable compared to other makeshift beds of the time.

"Why do you not take female ever?" Jochebed asked breaking the long silence.

Paki thought and answered, "I never found a female attractive in anyway."

"Would you treat a female the same way that you would treat a slave boy?" Jochebed persisted.

In most circumstances, an Egyptian would never even have such a conversation with a slave revealing personal details like he was doing. However, there was something in Jochebed voice, her behavior, and her countenance that Paki could not ignore. He never paid attention to the female slaves; thus, he never knew of Jochebed's existence. His mind began to swirl with thoughts about her, not in a sexual war, but something more foreign to his sense.

"I've favored males, since my youth and for some reason; I favor the pleasure of torturing my slave boys in such ways" Paki admitted.

"Have you ever thought about those that you harmed in such ways? Many of the young ones have gone completely deaf after one night in this chamber of torture, which you call home" Jochebed replied.

"Perhaps, it is the place of the world that Ra has destined for all of us. Egyptians will be above their slaves and slaves forever be below" Paki told Jochebed, who in a fit of rage struck him.

If it were any other person, death would be certain, but Paki felt that he deserved worse than slap across the face after meeting Jochebed. For a reason beyond his knowledge, he felt as though he had wronged a part of himself with this latest act.

"You listen to me Egyptian; my people are not here just for your amusement or die for your pleasures. We are a people as well. As I said to you, earlier, we are all equal under the sun, no matter who we are or what we are. You should embrace your desires, not your vices" Jochebed told him.

"I am to wed a woman that I have no love for. What embrace can I have in this world?" Paki revealed.

"I too am to wed a man that I have no love for, but we must try to make our lives as vibrant and well as we can, despite the facts" Jochebed said in sadness.

"We share a life forced on us, not of our own choosing" Paki said in sympathy.

They both stared at one another with the distance of their bodies separated by mere inches of air and infinity of two lifetimes. Their face moved closer as their glance drew nearer. A kiss is given by both equal to the moment and mutual for their own sake.

Paki looked at Jochebed again and said in his mind, "if you were a boy of my age, then I'd make you MINE in this harsh world we live in". Jochebed looked at Paki and felt a strange pang inside her, "if you could love me as you would a boy, then I'd surrender my life before you at any moment". Jochebed did not understand; how such a cruel and despicable being could be so near to her heart?

She was conflicted by this man, her beliefs, and her hate for him. She stood up and left their gaze.

"If you shall not take me tonight, then I shall depart" Jochebed said and Paki did not speak. She left the room.

Paki and Jochebed would never see each other again after that night. Paki began to feel the guilt riddle him about his acts and the torturous pain overcame his senses. He found a small blade and drove it into his heart. His family will discover him later next morning.

Jochebed would go on to marry the man that she did not love and bare him children. She would teach them the ideals of freedom, integrity, and honor, which will help ensure freedom for her people and restore the honor lost after so many years. She will die many years after, but not before seeing her son begin the process for the reforms to end slavery once and for all.

Again, the souls shall move on and will meet again to right the wrongs that mankind have created. Perhaps as lovers once more or denied their love due to their backgrounds or environments. Yet, one cannot question that their love transcends any human barrier of mortal flesh, carnal lust, or the power of repression.