ALIVE: Chapter 30 - Deceitful Refugees

They were in!

Sarai had never been happier. The life of luxury was certainly something she enjoyed. After all the time spent on the dusty road, and all those years in tents Sarai was in a state of clean ecstasy. Her ladies-in-waiting bathed her daily in sweet warm perfumed water mixed with goats milk to keep her skin supple. The rest of the harem was a sisterhood of lovely ladies; even the first wife was happy to be relieved of her duties.

Sarai slept in the bed of Pharaoh many nights. He enjoyed her body, and she enjoyed his body. They made each other tingle and they liked that feeling. Even if they were able to speak the same language, there was not much to say, except Sarai was grateful for the luxury. She let him know by pleasing Pharaoh with every technique she could think of to do. Sarai was glad to bring such joy to her powerful benefactor. She wondered if she would bear his child, but she never conceived.

Abram was located nearby where he pitched his lonely tent. To keep him company, or to keep him busy, or to thank him for his entertaining sister, Pharaoh showered Abram with animals and male and female slaves. Abram became rich, he was rich in sheep, oxen, male donkeys, female donkeys and camels. He was given figs, olive oil, grain for bread, chickens galore, food enough for his animals and for his slaves. His slaves cooked for him and cleaned for him and cared for the animals. But for Abram the food and animals were losing their appeal. With belly full, his heart began to ache. He was in a bind. How could he get his wife back, and would she even want to return to him after experiencing life in the palace? Abram prayed.

Abram worked too. He realized that he had to keep busy to avoid thinking too much about Pharaoh and Sarai sleeping together. His nephew Lot was a good distraction. Lot and Abraham enjoyed each other's company. They played games; they told stories and jokes to each other.

Meanwhile, Perambula was extremely annoyed with Abram's immoral decision to give his wife to Pharaoh.

"Lord! Forgive me, but you cannot let this happen!"

"Let WHAT happen?" replied God with a knowing smile.

"Lord, You know as well as I do, that it is wrong wrong wrong for Abram's wife to be disloyal to her husband! He is her mate for life. It is through Sarai that you shall bless Abram and make a great nation come from his groin. Will you bless Abram with this whore of a wife! What if Sarai gets pregnant!"

"Calm down Perambula. Sarai will NOT get pregnant! You are being much too emotional. We will put an end to this, but first I want them to enjoy this rest."

"Lord, let's send them plagues to punish Pharaoh and his house for taking another man's wife? He is violating the laws of nature!"

"Perambula, let Me remind you that Pharaoh doesn't know that he has taken another man's wife. The only culprits here are Abram who is suffering loneliness and regret, and Sarai. "

God smiled condescendingly and added, "Besides Perambula my dear, I believe the laws of nature dictate that a man will take any woman he can to please him. What he violates is the moral code, but he doesn't know it, yet. Let's not be too critical of Pharaoh."

Perambula nodded and said, "So what should our plagues be?"

It wasn't long after that conversation between the Lord and His Angel Perambula that Pharaoh's palace went from being a sweet dreamland to a nightmare. First there were the rats. Hundreds of rats scurried around every room in the palace. The servants tried to kill them with bats but they were outnumbered. Then, disease-carrying mosquitoes swarmed in to feast on the people and many became ill with high fevers and rashes. Children came down with chickenpox. Life was a hot mess.

Meanwhile, Sarai was untouched. She neither suffered the mosquito bites, nor was phased by the rats. She continued to eat grapes and figs and she napped a lot in her big feather bed from which she was summoned less and less often. Pharaoh was much too preoccupied with one plague after another.

He came to notice that it was only within the walls of his palace that the plagues hit and it made him wonder why? What was different that his home should be singled out for such calamity?

One hot day Pharaoh mounted his fine Arabian horse and rode into the hills to get away and to think. It was on this ride that he realized that the only difference in his palace was his new wife Sarai. It was since she came that the plagues descended upon his home. With that thought Pharaoh immediately turned his steed around and rode like lightening back to the castle and right into Sarai's bedroom.

"Good afternoon sire! What grieves you my beloved?" she begged.

"Who ARE you!" bellowed Pharaoh angrily.

"You know who I am my dear. I am Sarai, your nymph." replied Sarai sheepishly understanding every word he said by the tone of voice.

"Have you deceived me? Are you NOT the sister of this Abram fellow? Tell me the truth now or I will have you beheaded!" He threatened.

"If you must know, I am the wife of Abram, but we were suffering from the famine in the land and we came as refugees to your magnificent palace. Please don't be angry, we were desperate, and you have been so kind and generous with us."

Pharaoh began to calm down looking upon this beauty, who indeed had given him so much pleasure. He suddenly remembered the long passionate nights and said to himself. 'Surely if her God treated me this way, I cannot harm her, or her husband for then I would reap even more disaster. Her God is only protecting her from me. I must release her, but with gifts so that my palace and my kingdom may be restored.' And out loud to Sarai he said, "Get dressed! I'm sending you back,"

So Pharaoh sent for Abram and through his interpreter said, " What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, "She is my sister?" so that I took her as my wife? Taker her and go!" Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent Abram away with his wife and all he had.

Perambula looking down on this angry scene smiling the biggest spirit smile ever. Sparkles of light radiated from Perambula in colors of red yellow and white.

Abram looked ashamed and felt elated. He was ready to exodus Egypt and he had his wife back. His God had answered his prayers; more proof of the reality of his invisible God. He went over to Sarai and took her trembling hand. He did not dare look into her eyes. He wasn't ready for that because she was as a foreigner to him. He neither knew how she felt about this expulsion from Egypt or how being the wife of Pharaoh had changed her. They walked hand in hand as strangers to each other slowly out of the palace followed by armed guards.

Pharaoh stood and watched them leave until their two figures could be seen no more. Now, thought Pharaoh, to see if he was right and that the plagues would be lifted. He knew he would miss his white skinned wife who had brought him such joy and such tragedy.