He decided to be direct, and hoped he would be tactful, “Rebekah, I know it’s only been a week, but I’ve really grown to like you, a lot.” There, he said it, with emotion and trepidation. “I want to see you again, somewhere, somehow.” Rebekah thought it might come to this. She couldn’t deny that she liked Heinrich, but what could she do? She was choking up as she admitted, “I like you too Heinrich, but I have to go back - to Krakow.” He was excited - she likes me! but that made the thought of separation even harder, “I could come to see you or maybe our family could move to Krakow! I could open up a business there.” Rebekah was taken aback by this.”That’s a pretty radical idea. You don’t speak Polish, you’d have to sell your house and business, pay for the move, and have enough to live on until you could start another business. You’d be leaving everything you’ve grown up with, not to mention how Sarah and your Mother would feel about that!” Heinrich replied, “Your family had to do the same thing when they went there.” But he knew that all of her points were legitimate, real, and would likely prevent any such thing from happening.
At this point, Freyda and Sarah came into the room. Heinrich wondered if they heard the conversation; Sarah provided the answer with, “Forgive me for listening, but were you talking about moving to Krakow?” He answered somewhat defensively, “I was just thinking about how we could see Rebekah again. It’s hard to accept that this is the end.” Freyda said, “It’s not the end. We will keep in touch and I’m sure we’ll find a way to meet again. This has become a special time for all of us. We must remember that the Lord is in this as well.” Rebekah concurred, “It’s true, you are all special to me; I’ve enjoyed my time here so much. I love all of you.” She scanned each face, ending up at Heinrich. “And I want to see all of you again - I’m not sure how it could be arranged, but I promise to do my part in making it happen. Until then, we must leave it in the Lord’s hands.” It seemed the best way to sum up the situation, so everyone took that as a goal.
Heinrich was thinking about the arrangements tomorrow as he said to Rebekah, “I think that leaving from Jüterbog is safer than here; I believe you can catch a carriage to Krakow from Jüterbog. I’ve reserved a horse and wagon so that Sarah and I can escort you there. I’ll pick it up tomorrow and we should leave early Sunday morning. The roads are fairly flat and we should make it there around noon. When we’re sure you’re safely set for the trip, we’ll return, hopefully in time so that I can get to work on Monday. My assistant is prepared to open up the shop on Monday if I’m late. We’ll rest tomorrow and make our preparations. What do you think of that?”
Rebekah was surprised at her reluctance for the time to end but wanted to acknowledge all that they had done for her. “It is more than I could ask for and I thank you for your kindness. I hope my being here hasn’t put your family at risk. I do appreciate the company. But I must say that I am sad to go, even though I know I must.” Everyone responded with a nod.
Friday night ended with a whimper. It was mostly small talk around the fire with an early retreat to the rest of Sabbath. Heinrich prayed in his bed as mixed thoughts of Rebekah swirled in his head. As crazy as the week had been he was definitely happy for all that had taken place. He continued to think of possible ways that they could meet again. The intrigue of secret hiding places, gold coins, nefarious church officials, and a beautiful girl who was sharper than a sword’s blade made falling asleep difficult. He prayed for the opportunity to stay connected to Rebekah. The fight for truth and freedom of worship was a fleeting concern as well. Somewhere between heaven and hell’s agenda the clouds covered the moon and the crickets chirped him to sleep.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment