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They met in the lobby after dinner, Lachlan pulling out his laptop. He popped her SD card into the computer, uploading her pictures into his article.
"What do you think?" He grinned, liking the results.
Arlana looked over his shoulder, reading through the lengthy article, noting where he had placed her pictures to illustrate the events he had covered earlier.
"You were right Arlana, this looks much better." He sat back in the chair, "I have another story to cover tomorrow..."
"We'll be ready," Arlana smiled, wondering why she hadn't thought of this plan sooner. She'd been thrown a lifeline.
****
JOSIAH HAD SPENT THE last three days in solitude, preparing his heart for Yom Kippur. He finally emerged from his bedroom wearing white. Shaul followed, dressed in an identical white Kittel, Rivkah already waiting downstairs.
"We are going to pick up Arlana and Aziel on our way. I asked if she was coming..." Josiah didn't continue, knowing she hadn't given him an answer. Time was of the essence as they needed to reach Toronto before sundown.
Shaul sat in the passenger seat, Rivkah in the back as they pulled into Arlana's driveway. Josiah stepped out of the car, knocking on the door.
No answer.
He paused, listening for the sound of Aziel in the backyard.
Silence.
Knocking louder, he banged on the door thinking she might not be able to hear if she was upstairs, but in his heart, he knew something was wrong.
Shaul lowered his window, "We need to go Josiah."
Josiah knew his brother was right as he turned away from the house, but he looked back hoping Arlana would open the door. Sliding behind the wheel, he reversed, stones protesting beneath his tires.
His brow was furrowed with worry as he drove, silence filling the car. He pushed Arlana from his mind, focusing again on the meeting ahead of them. This was the Sabbath of Sabbaths, the journey they made once a year as a family. He'd check in on her when they returned tomorrow, but until then, he kept his mind on heavenly things.
****
THE FAMILY WERE SOLEMN as they filed into the synagogue. Josiah and Shaul, descendants of the Biblical Levi, removed their shoes, walking to the back of the congregation to join the Kohanim, the descendants of Aaron, the High Priest and Moses' brother. Dipping their hands in a washbasin, they poured water on the hands of the descendants of Aaron moments before the Kohanim walked barefoot to the front of the assembly, covering their heads with their Tallit before raising their hands to bless the congregation.
May G-d bless you and guard you.
'May G-d shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you.
'May G-d turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace.
Look down from Your holy Heavenly Abode and bless Your people and the Land which You have given us
They listened as the Torah was read, praying for forgiveness for their sins.
****
REMAINING IN THE SYNAGOGUE for just over six hours, the service neared the end.
"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is one!" The cantor emphatically proclaimed.
"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is one!" The congregation called back, the echo reverberating the rafters.
Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever
Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever
Blessed be the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever
Again, the congregation echoed the cry, declaring Adonai's glory.
The L-rd is G-d!
The L-rd is G-d!
The L-rd is G-d!
The L-rd is G-d!
The L-rd is G-d!
The L-rd is G-d!
The L-rd is G-d!
The cantor proclaimed with all his might, the assembly echoing the declaration with all their strength.
As soon as the last cry rang out, they declared in unison, "Next year in Jerusalem!"
The hauntingly triumphant blast of the shofar signalled the end of the Day of Atonement.
****
JAIRA'S FINGERS FLEW over the keyboard as she messaged anyone she had ever known who had any faith. Everyone, that is, except her father. Her mind was still reeling from the revelation at the funeral. Oh, she believed her relatives, the ground shaking beneath her feet. In those few moments, everything she believed had crumbled around her. But in the ensuing weeks, there was only silence. She sent emails, messages on Facebook - anything, but it was always the same. Utter silence. And for the first time in forever, Arlana wasn't writing. Surrounded by silence, Jaira sought the comfort she craved in a glass of red wine.
Her cell phone lit up in the darkness, during another sleepless night.
Sarah, her cousin, wrote!
Forgetting the time difference, Jaira sat straight up in bed, forgetting to be careful not to wake her husband who snored softly beside her.
"All I can recommend is that you start to read your Bible. I mean really read it. I know the answer seems painfully simple Jaira, but you will find all you need in it. Hey, I love you and I believe God is calling you back to Him. Trust Him and you can't go wrong."
Adelaide was a different story. Things had been so tense at the funeral, and the truth was, she had never been as close to Adelaide as she was with Arlana although she and Adelaide were much closer in age. In a moment of recklessness, she decided to throw the past to the wind. Sending a message to her sister, she never was really expecting a reply. After all, why would Adelaide bother to reply after the way she'd snubbed her at the funeral just weeks before? Would Adelaide step off her pedestal to respond to a sinner like her?
****
LACHLAN STOOD IN LINE at the bank, looking down at his cheque. The fact it bore Josiah's signature on the bottom made his heart cringe, but he would keep that knowledge to himself. He worked for Josiah's company, The Resistance. Josiah was the founder, and as such, Josiah wrote their paychecks.
A muscle twitched in his jaw as he struggled with his betrayal of not only his boss but his best friend, yet was he really to blame? It had been Arlana who begged to join him, and she did have a skill at photography, evident by his readership statistics over the past few weeks. Was he really in the wrong? Hardly. All he was doing was keeping a promise.
Arlana had written to her cousin Rose explaining that things had changed since her grandfather's death and she really needed to make some money, promising to fill her in on more details soon. In the meantime, did she know if their relative would be able to look in on the animals again as he had done before she had taken over the house?
Rose had replied, concern mirrored in her message, but yes, of course, she knew someone wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the farm until she returned. Was there anything she needed?
Arlana didn't know where to begin, but one thing was certain, her spirit needed peace.
Having contacted her cousin, she made Lachlan promise not to tell Josiah where she was. She would tell him - in time. Lachlan didn't like the idea, knowing how much Josiah would worry, but he promised to keep his word.
Moments like this, however, he wasn't quite so sure. Aware of Josiah's dual identity, he wished there was a way to get Arlana to trust him when he told her that she needed to be at home with her husband. Josiah would understand if she would just trust him. Arlana ignored him, something within her spurring her on. Whatever it was, even Lachlan wasn't able to reach that part of her spirit.