The Eternal Jew’s Tale, #143, Batkol’s Tale, 4

In this episode, Reina puts a hook in Father Enrique.
Warning: there is foul language in this episode and a crude, medieval understanding of sexual diversity.

The Eternal Jew’s Tale
Nineteenth Era, Part 3, ~1432 C.E., Palma
Batkol’s Tale, part 4

Reina’s presence still troubles Enrique.
“How long can we expect her to stay? Any day I’m expecting to hear,
“‘I’m going back out where I have a life.’”
It been my impression too her convent life were too quiet and too safe, her, used to living near the stark edge and its thrill and fear and total absorb, which takes her mind from her troublet self.
“But no doubt it will come with a scene, accusations, curses, screams, to help her break her bond with me.”

But days shorten and winds blow chill and she’s still here. We begin to fear we’re the stark edge she’s walking along, for that bishop, that many eyed Belial. Enrique decides she has to go, and come what may, he challenges her.

“Listen, Reina, what keeps you here? The life of a nun and the life of a scribe are not for you, that seems clear. You go about your labors each day unhappily, and sharp of tongue. Surely, we are a boring lot to you who are so young and adventurous. I know a healer outside of town. You could serve her and learn her skills.”

She looks at him with that little girl look of shock, resentment, fear.
“I’m sorry I be such a witch. I ain’t unhappy. I ain’t bored. That anger you see, that’s who I be. I’m tryin’ to wash it out of me, but I’m so filthy I can’t come clean. But livin’ among these holy dames makes me think there’s a pure spark inside of me that ain’t burnt out, in spite of all the wrong I done, and all the vileness and stench in me. Look at you, so kind and good. Yet I see evil lurks in you, unnatural desirin’ for men. And yet this place be restorin’ you, and helps you overcome yourself. Give me time to cleanse myself, too.”

Horrified by her view of him, Enrique recoils. Such a report to the bishop, whether true or false, would crash apart these protecting walls. What would he reveal, torn by the rack? How many lives lay in this arms? How many dead would accuse his soul?
“Don’t do to me what you done to Hagar. Don’t throw me overboard to the sharks.”

Enrique comes and tells me all that, and I can’t help thinking Reina’s words, ‘don’t throw me overboard to the church’ was just what we thought she’d do to us.

I go and set down with Reina myself, without an idea of what I might say. She be so disturbed she been dripping sweat. This were no mask to mislead us. Who can make themself sweat in fear? Is she caught between our hardness on her and fear of the bishop’s torture machines? If that be true, then I must provoke more fear of him, more faith in us. But truth be told, this looks plain. She’s afraid to go back out in the street.

As if another person be talking, I hear these words blurt from my mouth:
“Here’s the problem. We be a-feared the bishop sent you to spy on us. Is that true? Let your mouth declare!”

She smolders a moment then bursts in flame…
“You fuckin’ shittin’ me, you bitch? I can’t believe you’d think such shit. That I would serve that slimy prick. God-a-mighty! I can’t believe… Look at me! Workin’ so hard to straighten out my fucked up life. Look at me. You think I’m blind? I see there’s somethin’ goin’ on behind this show of books and scribes. Look at me. You once been Jew. That’s all I need to tell that swine to bring his inquisition down. Instead, it’s me challengin’ you to return the Lor and return to your ways. It’s me, trying to find a way to the Law a Mosheh and true faith. What the fuck be wrong with you?!”
And she falls on my shoulders, heaving sobs.

Stunned I be. For a long time we hold each other like mother and child. Strange how a storm can darken the sky, then lightning and thunder and thrash of rain, and after, the air be fresh and clear. She been prodding me, subtle and soft, about the Jewish way of life, which I interpreted as prying and spying, rather than seeing her own interest in Jewish traditions and worldly ways, and her wondering why I abandoned them.

Telling Enrique, he slams down his fist.
“She accused me of perverse lusts, and you of being a former Jew, and probably a Judaizer as well. She may be sincere, but how can we know? She’s still more dangerous than I first thought!”

I strongly disagree, thinking his fears are riding his mind wild and wide of the good sense of his eyes and ears. Long we argue, most bitterly, nor does sleep come to me that night.

Morning, he comes, fully resolved.
“We’ll send her back to Genoa to obtain pigments we can’t find here. And if our old friend the bishop comes asking about her or probing us, we’ll know for sure she’s owned by him. I’ll contact my people in Genoa and they’ll convince her to stay with them. Otherwise, she returns as planned, and we get some Venetian pigments, as well. A sound plan. I trust you approve.”

It doesn’t matter if I approve, so I simply turn and walk away. But I go to Saadia to talk it out. He be inclined to trust the girl. He also reminds me she likes the sea, and if I be right, she’ll come back fresh with new adventures to brag about, and maybe deeper trust in us all.

But we all miss the mark on that. Reina sees our true intent with fury and terror and many a threat. I can’t calm her so I ask a nun to rush and go get Saadia for me. Breathless he pounds on my cell door, and seeing Reina he immediate knows something roused a fury in her.

~~~~~~~~~~

In the next episode we see another side of Saadia.