Page 20 of Ceremony of Lust

Yael

“Yael, you have a visitor,”my grandmother says, poking her head into my bedroom.

Zev said last night he would return, so I have a bounce in my step as I walk down the hall. It disappears when I see the man standing by the front windows.

The Chief Elder.

“Good morning, Elder Huxley,” I greet him.

“Good morning, Yael. I’m sorry for disturbing you. I know you’re very busy planning a wedding,” he says with a tight smile.

“Yes. I’m expecting Zev any moment.”

“Then I’ll make this quick.” In his hand, I catch sight of a large manila envelope. “I have some information I thought I should share with you.”

“Information about what?”

He brushes past me and sits on the sofa in roughly the same place Zev occupied yesterday. “I think you should know exactly who you are marrying, Yael.” He holds the envelope toward me with an expectant expression. I don’t take the bait.

“I know what is said about Zev, but Hadassah chose him. I cannot defy her or the traditions of this community. You know that.”

“I can prevent you from being shunned, Yael. I have the power to invalidate your match. You can go through the ceremony again.”

The very thought makes my stomach churn. When I say nothing in response, he lets out a breath and stands. “Very well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He drops the envelope onto the coffee table. “But if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

As he leaves, he passes by me, too closely for my liking. With a heavy sigh, I fall onto the couch and stare at the envelope. What could possibly be inside? What new horrors will I learn about Zev?

I chew on my nails, staring at the envelope, hoping it will magically disappear. But it doesn’t. The Chief Elder brought a bomb into my house, and it’s up to me to defuse it. My hands shake as I lean forward and snatch it from the table. I work to quickly open it. It’s like pulling off a bandage; the quicker, the better. I grasp the contents and pull them out.

One after another, the photographs of Zev and a blond woman fall into my lap. They’ve been taken over the course of a few weeks, maybe months, but the intimate nature of their relationship is clear. Kissing and touching and . . . other things which cannot be unseen. Unexpectedly, hot tears burn their way down my cheeks.

Men are different in Ripley. They don’t have to be pure when they marry, and I often hear my friends talking about how they wish to be matched with an experienced man. But to be confronted so violently with evidence of Zev’s indiscretions and freedoms is heart-breaking.

When the doorbell rings, I’m still rooted to my spot on the couch with the pictures in my lap. My grandmother rushes past me to answer the door but doesn’t seem to notice the tears or my shock.

“Oh, Zev! It’s wonderful to see you,” she says with such joy in her voice. “Yael is in the living room, but I don’t think she’s feeling well.”

“Has she eaten?” His feet quicken against the wooden floorboards, and I can smell him when he gets close. Fresh and clean. “Yael, what’s wrong?”

With the pictures gripped in my hand, I look up at him. “Is all of this real?”

He takes them from me and shuffles through them. “Mrs. Blum, will you give us a moment alone? Please?”

“I’ll just be in the kitchen,” she says.

When she’s gone, Zev sits on the armchair adjacent to the couch. “Where did you get these?”

I sniffle and swipe at my cheeks. “It doesn’t matter. I need to know who she is and if you’re still seeing her.”

“Who she is doesn’t matter, Yael, because I’m marrying you. Of course I’m no longer seeing her.” He slaps the photographs down on the coffee table. “Who gave these to you?”

“The Chief Elder stopped by this morning. He wanted me to know the truth about the man I am marrying.”

“Son of a bitch,” he hisses. “What else did he say?”

“He offered to invalidate our match.”

A flash of black catches my attention as Zev surges to his feet and starts to pace in front of me. “Is that what you want, Yael? A new match?”