The Second Tale - The Tale of the Three Oranges - Day 14
Nicholas slowly moved his broom across the stone floor. He knew he wasn't doing much cleaning, but the soft steady movement helped him hold his sadness in check. He stopped for a moment, staring at a darker spot on the floor. After a few seconds he saw another one appear. Finally he realized they were coming from him. His tears were hitting the floor and making wet spots. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and started sweeping again.
It had been a hard year. When the plague hit no one knew what to do. The doctors were confused and had no idea what caused it. They each said to do something different. "Eat only fresh grape juice that is less than 3 days old," one said. "No," another said, " drink only water!" "Not that," said another, "unless it is from a stream flowing faster than a man can run." No one knew what caused the plague, all they knew is that people caught it and then people died.
His dad had been the first in his family to get sick. It started with a cough, but his dad just laughed and said he had been down at the docks too late in the evening. It was just a cold from the damp. He got them all the time. But Nicholas knew better. He had been there when his uncle died. That had been a good death. His uncle had lived a good life. This was worse. His dad was too young to die. He watched the strong healthy man that was his father be replaced by a thin, ancient creature gasping for breath. When he finally stopped breathing, it felt like a relief. That's when he noticed his mom had started coughing too.
Another tear hit the floor. Nicholas couldn't belive they were both gone. He didn't know how to stop being sad. He didn't know how to look at his friends as they told him how sorry they were. He knew other people were sick and dying and he didn't know what to do. All he could think of was to come back here to his uncle's church and sweep. He had done this so many times as a little boy. He had stood next to his uncle and listened to his wisdom. What would his uncle have done? He didn't know. He just kept sweeping.
"Excuse me, Nicholas?"
The soft voice of a man interrupted his thoughts. Nicholas looked up.
"Greetings Giorgos."
"Greetings Nicholas. May I speak with you."
Nicholas was not really in the mood to talk. Still he tried to be kind to those around him, so he sat down.
"Please, sit with me. What can I help you with Giorgos?"
"Thank you. It's just... Well I... You see.." Giorgos paused to compose himself. "It's just, your uncle Nicholas. Whenever I was concerned or worried I would speak with him and he would help me find an answer. I am so confused and I didn't know where to turn. I thought I would come here and think, and then I saw you. I thought, maybe you would know what to do. "
How can I possibly help, Nicholas thought to himself. I am barely a man. I have none of the wisdom of my uncle. Well, I guess I can try.
"Of course Giorgos. I will give you whatever advice I can. "
"Thank you, Nick. Thank you. I am just so concerned. You know I am a farmer and we eat what I grow. Any extra I have I sell at market. That is how I have the money to buy things. It's just me and my three daughters you know, ever since my wife died. They run the store and I work in the fields. Well, since this plague began, no one seems to be buying anything anymore. I don't know if they are afraid to come to the store or afraid of my food or just afraid to go outside, but we haven't sold anything for months. All my extra food has gone bad and we have eaten all that I was able to grow. Usually by know we have made enough money to make it through winter, but we are out and I don't know what I am going to feed my girls. "At this Giorgos put his head in his hands.
Nicholas thought. He needed to be wise like his uncle. "Aren't your daughters old enough to be married?" He asked. "If they were married maybe their new families could help them?" Nicholas knew this wasn't a very good answer, but he couldn't think of anything better.
Giorgos moaned. "That's just it. Even if they all three wanted to marry, they couldn't. They are all ready to move on with their lives. We were saving to make that happen, but now, we've spent all our savings. It's all gone. They can't leave and we've no food."
Nicholas was stumped. He didn't know what to tell Giorgos. But things were about to get worse.
"Excuse me, I couldn't but help overhear your predicament." Someone stepped from the shadows of the church." My name is Lykos and I may be able to help."
Giorgos looked up with hope in his eyes.
Lykos continued, "I have been looking for young women for a job I have. I will pay you kindly for them. I will make sure they are fed and then I will take them away from here and they will work for some friends of mine."
Giorgos was confused, "You will p-p-pay me for my daughters? You mean buy my children from me?"
"Don't think of it as selling them," Lykos quickly responded, "just think of it as finding them a home and a job."
"I am not sure about that," said Giorgos.
"I am," said Nicholas. "I am sure that is not the best way. Giorgos, I don't have the answers, but I know that if you love God with everything you are, He will help you find a better way. Selling your children does not sound right to me."
"And starving to death sounds better? Dying while they watch their beloved marry some other woman. Better they leave with me, live in a far away land, and you have money to survive on." Lykos smiled with what looked like sympathy.
"I am not sure. I will have to think about it."
"Think about it, but my ship leaves in three days, so don't think about it for too long. There are plenty of other poor women here." With that, Lykos walked out the door and into the night.
Giorgos sighed, "I have to go too. I just don't know what to do. Thank you for your advice Nicholas. Trusting God is fine, but it doesn't put food in our bellies." Giorgos walked off into the night, leaving Nicholas alone with his thoughts.
--------
Later that night Nicholas was sitting alone in his empty house. He couldn't get Giorgos words out of his head. What good did it do to love God if you were starving to death? He remembered his uncle's rules. Up, love God with everything you are. Around, love everyone around you the way you love yourself. And Love, always remember love. His uncle had said that the answer to any question was found in those rules, but Nicholas really didn't see how they applied to this situation. Love wasn't going to feed Giorgos. Loving God wasn't going to keep his daughters from being sold to Lykos. And loving those around him wasn't going to get Giorgos out of his problem.
Nicholas looked around him. His dad had been such a successful merchant. Nicholas couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be so hungry that you had to sell one of your own family members. Nicholas had never been that hungry. He had eaten food from all over the world. Figs and dates and oranges. He had even tried something called a coconut! So much wonderful food. And there were people in his own town that were dying from a plague and starving with no food. He was ashamed to say it, but all this thinking about food was making him hungry. He really wished he had some oranges. All he had were the silly gold ones in the bowl that someone had given them years ago. He couldn't eat those. Nicholas chuckled. Then he gasped. He had an idea! A crazy idea! Nicholas had a wonderful, crazy idea! He wasn't sure, but maybe he might have figured out just what to do.
--------
Nicholas hadn't had this much fun in years. He snuck from rooftop to rooftop, just like he had done as a kid. It was cold outside, so he was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot. The smoke from the cooking fires drifted out the windows and up to the roofs and soon he was covered in soot. Bit by bit he creeped towards Giorgos house.
From up on the rooftop he hung upside down and peeked in the window. Giorgos and his daughters were fast asleep. Nicholas quietly crawled through the opening. He didn't want to make much noise. He looked down and saw the oldest girl's shoes laying by the door. He quietly hid one of the solid gold oranges in the shoe and snuck back home. They would be so excited when they found it in the morning. That would be enough to cover the wedding expenses with a little left over for food. As he returned to his home and got ready for bed he could barely contain his excitement. How could he possibly go to sleep? Helping, giving, loving those around him, was so much fun! He couldn't wait until tomorrow night.
------
The next night was much the same. This time they had hidden their shoes away. He looked and saw the second oldest daughter had left her socks by the fire to dry. He quietly placed the solid gold orange in her stocking and snuck back out.
He hadn't understood how his uncle's rules could help in every situation. How could Giorgos loving God or Loving those around or just plain loving help him? The answer wasn't in what Giorgos needed to do. The answer was in what he, Nicholas, could do. The rules worked best when everybody followed them. By Nicholas loving Giorgos the same way he loved himself he became the answer to Giorgos question. He became the love in action that Giorgos and his daughters needed. Nicholas was amazed by what he had discovered. This changed everything. And he still had one more orange...
--------
Giorgos couldn't sleep. This had been the most crazy week. At the beginning, he thought he was going to lose everything. And then, the most amazing thing had happened. Someone had been sneaking into their house and leaving them presents! Enough gold to pay for the dreams of two of his daughters! It was amazing. He still had a third daughter, and money was still tight, but this was such a blessing. His girls were so happy. Who could be doing such a thing!
Giorgos was determined to find out. He was going to stay up tonight and catch whoever it was. His girls were excited too. They hovered around the fire talking to each other. Tonight they would find out who it was. They listened for steps outside.
Then they heard it. It wasn't outside the door, it sounded like it was on the rooftops! Giorgos peered out the window. He couldn't believe what he saw. Dashing from rooftop to rooftop was a figure so lively and quick, he knew in moment who it was.
"Nick?!" He whispered loudly. "Nick, is that you?"
Nicholas stopped at the edge of the neighbors roof. He crouched down so he couldn't be seen.
"Nicholas, I see you. Come down here this instant."
Reluctantly Nicholas dropped down and walked over to Giorgos' window.
"It was you, it was You! Nicholas you have saved me! You have saved us! You are wonderful Nicholas! You are a Saint! That's you, Saint Nicholas!"
Nicholas just stood there with a silly look on his face. He was filthy from crawling around on the roofs. He was tired from being up all night for the last three nights. But most of all, he was happy, very happy.
"Here" he said and handed Giorgos the last golden orange. "Now all three of your daughters can get married."
Giorgos laughed, "Thank you, but I don't think that they are all getting married."
Nicholas was confused, "But, I thought that was why you needed the money."
Giorgos laughed again, "No Nicholas, they each had dreams. But it is hard to live your dreams when you don't have anything to eat. Calista, yes, she wanted to marry and that first golden orange you gave us is enough for her to pay the wedding expenses with enough left over to get her started in her new life. Melissa though, she wants to study. Her cousin heard of an apprenticeship with a world-renowned blacksmith in Constantinople. The second Golden orange will be enough to pay her tuition, room and board so she can be the blacksmith she has always dreamed of being."
"And Filis? What will happen to her?"
"Filis just wants to be a farmer like me. This gold orange, will be enough to feed us through the winter. Then next spring we will use the rest of it to pay for seed. She is going to stay here with me and became an even better farmer than her dad. Oh! I am so happy Nick. You have done such an amazing thing!. Thank you. Thank you so much Saint Nicholas! That is what I am calling you from now on. Saint Nicholas!"
Nicholas said good-bye to Giorgos and asked him not to tell anyone about the gifts. He could already tell that wasn't going to work. Giorgos was knocking on the neighbors door to tell them. Nicholas walked home and thought about all that had happened. He thought about how happy it made him to give gifts to someone and help them out. He thought about all the money his parents had made and how much money he now had. He wondered what would make him happier, spending the money on himself, or giving it to others. With all the suffering that was going on around him, there was a lot of good he could do with that money. He remembered the rules. Up, Love God with everything he was, Around, Love those around the way he loved himself, and Love. Maybe there was a way to be happy in these hard times. Maybe that way was by showing others how much they were loved. Nicholas chuckled to himself. This was going to be fun.
Comments
Post a Comment