Shula stole a glance at her wristwatch and grimaced. She has been sitting there for three hours. Waiting.
Waiting to see the King. And being pointedly snubbed by his aides.
The most senior was intentionally rude to her and had snapped at her the last time she beckoned on him to ask when the king would see her.
“Woman, you can see that everyone here is waiting. Besides you met some of them here when you arrived”
Shula cast a surreptitious glance around the crowded Reception. And caught the pairs of eyes boring back into hers
Although, some averted their eyes from recognition, a few didn’t care and held her glance.
Whilst some stared with curiousity and interest, to others, she was merely another shrouded female here to beseech the king
Chagrin flushed through her veins as she smiled ruefully and thought
“How are the mighty fallen. Shula is this how low you have fallen – being kept waiting by courtiers?”
In another life, waiting was not a game she played with humans, irrespective of their status.
The only period she suffered the indignity of being kept waiting was in the early days of her marriage
“The good old days when you were a force to be reckoned with”. She mused
Suddenly she burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Not a low snicker. A low guffaw that turned heads and left the senior aide frowning as he glared at her
But at that instant, another aide walked in and went towards Shula
“Madam, His Highness would see you now”
“Thank you” she replied and stood up gracefully
In that instant, all eyes riveted towards her. She was regal and her gait spoke of a hidden authority which her gaunt appearance belied
Casting another cursory glance around the room, she followed the aide into the king’s presence
A handful of tribal leaders sat around the king’s table which made Shula cringe. This was going to be more humiliating than she envisaged
She was here to plead with the king and didn’t want witnesses.
As she knelt to courtsy, she heard a loud exclamation from one of the men
“Madam Shula is this really you” The excited man came towards her
Shula stared back in recognition. Life had apparently been good to him these past years
“Junior Prophet!” She blurred out glancing from him to the king
The man turned towards the king and pointed at Shula
“Oh king, this is that woman”
“Which woman” the king looked on bemusedly
“The one whose story I was telling you – the woman whose son Elijah brought back to life. This is her”
Everyone in the room sat up. Including the king who beckoned to the kneeling woman to step closer
“Are you the woman whose son died and that former prophet raised him to life? He peered at her like an antique
” Yes, my lord” She replied
” He claimed you fled the land when the famine worsened years ago. Is that true? The king’s eyes rotated from her to the man she called junior Prophet
“We returned last month”
” Where is your son?”
” He went to the labour market in the next town
“And your husband?”
“He is at home – quite ill
” Gehazi here has told me stories of you during his time with the prophet. I am willing to help you resettle into your homeland. What can I do for you? The king spread his hands
” If it pleases the king, I want to have my lands, houses and other assets back. Everything has been taken over and we are not able to get back any back”
The king summoned his senior aide – the one hostile to the woman.
” See to it that this woman is restored back to her rightful place”
The senior aide bowed in deference to Shula as he escorted her out of the room
” I am sorry madam. I had no idea you knew the king. I would not have kept you waiting”
Not breaking a stride she remarked..
“I do not know this king. He knows me”
Dear reader, this is an adaptation of the biblical story of the shunnemite woman when she returned as a refugee and went to the king’s palace.
It is a story about season’s of life.
In one season, she was the all sufficiently woman who needed nothing. Did turn down Elijah offer to introduce her to the king
Nice, after famine, asylum and kisses, she is seeking audience with the king
The lesson here is that life takes us through phases. And you should not bow your head in shame when life happens
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