Grant is relaxing in the foyer after finishing a last minute rehearsal before Sunday School. He glances over to see the recent Northern News where the other periodicals such as “News of the World” and the British “Salvationist” are on display. He picks one up and is stunned to find a picture of Jane. He is appalled that she is sitting next to Allen Dixon of all people!
Allen Dixon has been his chief rival throughout his life. At music camp there was always a competition who would sit first chair. The divisional youth secretary when they were younger couldn’t decide who was going to be corps cadet of the year and made them both share the title. Even at youth councils, Allen seemed to get the lead role with him always as the best friend in the leading support role. Why did Jane have to be sitting so close to Allen Dixon for it to be broadcast to the entire territory? What was she doing? Didn’t she have a clue how much he disliked Allen Dixon? They are sitting so close together it almost appears they are holding hands while taking a photo of all the kids in the vacation Bible school last summer!
Grant snarls and rolls up his nose in disgust. He’s not going to be played the fool. He grabs a donut from the welcome table and chomps on it as he heads into class with the others.
As Jane reads her Bible in front of her before class begins, Grant sits across the table from her crossing his arms across his chest and glares at her. How could she betray him especially with someone like Allen Dixon? Maybe that is why she had to leave so quickly. Allen has moved to Bristol to be near his fiancé which is only a few hours away. Amanda Dixon use to be Jane’s best friend but Grant assumes this is probably no longer the case.
Jane feels someone watching her and looks up to meet Grant’s intense scowl. Jane backs up her head shocked by his appearance. He squints his eyes and purses his lips as they tighten and his jaw sets. Jane looks at him “What?”
But he shakes his head and sneers back at her.
Jane believes Grant is losing his mind for a moment and goes back to reading. She thinks that he will get over whatever it is that is upsetting him. Maybe he didn’t get enough coffee this morning. She certainly hasn’t done anything to upset him.
Jennings begins the class “Today’s lesson is about Jacob. He was an interesting character in the Bible. This particular lesson is about his father-in-law, and the sisters, Rachel and Leah. Personally, I don’t know how any man wouldn’t know the difference in the girl he is kissing on the day of his wedding. Perhaps he had too much grape juice earlier that day.”
Grant accidently kicks the chair in front of his as he crosses his leg turning to the side trying to ignore Jane “I’m sorry, I didn’t’ mean to disrupt the lesson there are enough disruptions today keeping me from focusing on the lesson” slightly acknowledging Jane for a moment with a look of disgust.
Jennings notices this and raises her eyebrows and shoulders smiling feeling that she is in on a secret between Grant and Jane who are fighting at the moment.
“Well, let’s see. Due to a bit of jealousy and struggle for some power, Jacob ends up with four wives to take care of. Personally, I think one would be hard enough but he had four to struggle with who didn’t like each other very much” as Jennings continues “Between Rachel, Leah, and their hand-maids twelve sons would be born that will start the tribes of Israel”
“Some people like to have more than one boyfriend or girlfriend, no matter how much it hurts the other person” states Grant looking directly at Jane who is rather clueless why he is acting so weird.
“I think it must have been very difficult to see your husband whom you sincerely loved and waited for seven years for with another woman” snaps Jane masking her feelings over Grants previous flirtations with other girls at the corps back home but relating to the story.
Jennings peers back and forth as if watching a ping pong match guessing who will speak next before continuing “As you know, Rachel had two children who were the youngest of all the brothers. One son was named Joseph and the other born a few years later was Benjamin. Rachel died at Benjamin’s birth”.
“Jacob was tricked by his father-in-law which is why he ended up with Leah. She wasn’t his first choice, Rachel actually was. But people like to play tricks and deceive others in my opinion” sharply states Grant as if from experience.
“But Rachel was the victim, not the cause of the problem. If Jacob had enough sense to know that it was not Rachel standing next to him maybe there wouldn’t have been a problem at all. If he knew her better then it wouldn’t have been an issue. But like a typical man, he is just into himself even on his wedding day” retorts Jane.
As Jennings stretches her arms in front of her with some shock at the conversation, “That was a good point Jane! I’ve always wondered the same thing myself” Jennings scratches her cheek and pulls at her chin “Well, he eventually ends up working 14 years for Rachel which is a long time. Her father, Laban, keeps the entire family working for him. He is a bit of a greedy entrepreneur”
“I don’t think that I would ever wait that long for someone” retorts Grant.
“I think that for someone to be willing to do that, they must love them very much. Real love is able to wait until the right person is ready for them” defensively explains Jane.
“I think it is a waste of time. Look how Jacob ended up with the wrong woman anyway as he started out with even though he spent seven years working and waiting for someone else” Smirks Grant in an I-told-you-so tone.
Jennings takes a sip of coffee not sure what the entire conflict is about but enjoying the repartee between the two of them. “Let’s see, ummm. Rachel is a bit of a trouble maker. She doesn’t always tell the truth. Rachel steals her father’s idols when they leave his house in secret to move to a place of their own. The father, of course, is upset and demands that the idols be returned to him. Rachel lies and says that she can’t find them. But she is actually sitting on them and refuses to get up. I’d like to refuse to get up sometimes especially where housework is concerned. I don’t care much for laundry or cooking. Maybe the next time when someone asks why my house is dirty or have no clean clothes to wear and I stink, I could just say “I didn’t want to get up!” What do you think?”
Both Grant and Jane look at her a little confused. They don’t know what laundry has to do with Rachel but it is typical of a conversation each week in their class. Grant though doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to speak, “Rachel is a liar. She pretends to be one thing and she is not” nearly spitting each word out at Jane “Rachel knew what she was doing and found it more convenient not to tell the truth. Even her husband didn’t know that she had stolen the idols.”
Keeping up with the argument, Jennings holds out her hand to Jane non-verbally suggesting that it is her turn to respond in the verbal tennis match. “Well, it did take her father three days to realize that they were missing. He was probably actually mad about losing free workers and not seeing his grandchildren”.
“So you think it is all about getting your way and not about telling the truth” retorts Grant “Is that what women think? That is doesn’t matter how they get something as long as they get what they want?”
“No, that’s not it at all. Rachel was wrong” starts Jane.
“Aha. You know it” snaps Grant “She admits that she is guilty”.
“No actually she never does” interjects Jennings “It wasn’t a smart thing to do though. Laban makes a covenant with Jacob called Mizpah which is often used at benedictions “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other” explains Jennings trying to move the subject on a bit further from the present argument.
“But you know, Jacob isn’t exactly truthful himself! He is the one who tricked his brother out of his birthright and then pretends to be his brother when his father is dying so he can receive the blessing. I think that is much more awful than taking a handful of stupid idols” remarks Jane.
“Esau chose to give up his birthright. Jacob didn’t make him do it, he just happened to be a good cook” explains Grant.
“I still don’t think Jacob was that honest of a person. He was reaping what he sowed” retorts Jane.
Jennings takes a bite of her last piece of donut and swallows hard. “Well, Jacob does do something nice for Rachel. When he encounters his brother whom Jacob has deceived, he makes sure that Rachel and Joseph are at the back of the welcoming procession so that if Esau becomes too angry Rachel and Joseph will be the first ones to escape.”
“His actions show how much he loves Rachel and their son even if she wasn’t entirely honest, I guess” offers Grant feeling slightly submissive aware of his own feelings towards Jane in spite of being furious with her at the moment.
“It is right after that when Jacob wrestles with God and has a change of heart. He gets a new name and a new attitude” explains Jane looking directly at Grant still not entirely sure why he is so upset with her this morning “Perhaps that is what some of us around here need”.
“On that note, it looks like it is time for class to end” suggests Jennings not wanting to prompt anymore confrontation during Sunday School class “Let’s pray” after offering a benediction which closes with the words from Genesis 31:49 the class picks up their belongings and start to leave.
Grant slides the newest edition of the Northern News across the table to her. Jane doesn’t look at it yet because she needs to get into the chapel to play the prelude to the worship service. She places the magazine between her Bible and Sunday School lesson notebook to look at sometime later in the future.
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