Lifted

(Ruth Chapters 1-4)
“That one is mine- I saw it first!”
With that shout, Michal pushed her 
aside, picked the corn hub and threw
 it in her basket. She wanted to protest, 
but she restrained herself- afterall, 
she’s a foreigner and a widow: these
 other women would always want to 
intimidate and harass her. 
She moved on, trying to fill her basket 
with other corn hubs that litter the 
ground. 
If they were all civil and orderly, everyone 
would go home with enough for her family. 
Unfortunately, poverty and hunger do 
not understand civility and orderliness…
She managed to get enough corn to feed 
her mother in-law, Naomi and herself for 
the day. 
She would have loved to glean more for 
an extra day or two, so she would not have 
to go back to the farm the next day. 
She got home exhausted and tried to sleep. 
Her mind wandered to her wedding day a 
few years back. 
She was the happiest woman in the world 
as she took her vows, looking straight into 
her husband, Chilion’s eyes. 
She had memorised the vow because she 
wanted to enjoy the moment, looking into 
his eyes…
Unfortunately, her husband died a decade 
later. 
It was a very devastating blow, but she had 
a very loving mother in-law in Naomi who
 comforted her through the pain. 
She also lost her son, but Naomi seemed to 
be more committed to comforting her than 
seeking comfort herself for the loss of her 
son. “I’m a widow, I know how you feel,” 
she had told her. 
The two women bonded so much that 
when the mother in-law decided to return 
to her country, she chose to go with her. 
Naomi tried to persuade her to stay in her 
country to no avail.
So she followed her back to her country. 
They returned to practically nothing, and 
she decided it was her responsibility to 
take care of Naomi. 
“I’m the younger one”, she reasoned. 
“Naomi shouldn’t be hustling for a living 
at her age”. So, out she went to look for 
food. 
She saw a few women gleaning in a field 
'and she joined them. No sooner she did 
that they realised she was a foreigner. 
And the antagonism started. 
She would be pushed and shoved, 
kicked and slapped. 
They did everything to discourage her 
from gleaning with them, but she stayed 
at it. 
She knew she had to endure every treatment 
she was given to survive in this country. 
She could not afford to be upset and lose 
her cool, knowing that her mother in-law 
has to eat.
“Seriously, why are we allowing this 
foreigner to come glean corn here? 
Go back to your country!”
“I hear she’s a widow. 
She probably killed her husband, thinking 
he’s wealthy so as to inherit his wealth!”
“Yeah, I heard that too. She made sure she
 had no children for him, after ten years 
of marriage!”
“Ten years? 
Wow! 
Honestly, she should be stoned! 
The corn is barely enough for us, why should 
we share with this witch?”
The women were discussing her to her 
hearing. 
She was very disturbed and wondered
 if they could one day become violent 
towards her. 
As she was pondering on these things, 
a tall handsome man appeared and all 
the women bowed down in unison to 
greet him. 
She quickly bowed down too. 
Apparently, this man must be a very 
important person.
As she looked up, she realised his eyes 
were fixed on her. She trembled. 
Without taking his eyes off her, he asked 
the other women, “who is this woman? 
I don’t think she’s from these parts-
 I haven’t seen her here before…”
“She’s a foreigner, alright,” 
Merab answered. 
“I understand she just came to town from 
her country with her mother in-law, Mrs Naomi”
“Ah! I have heard so much about you! 
Naomi happens to be my late distant 
cousin’s wife! 
I heard how you and Naomi are very close, 
how you left your parents to follow her 
back here. 
You are indeed a very virtuous woman. 
My name is Boaz. 
What is yours?” She blushed. 
“My name is Ruth sir,” she replied. 
“Ruth. Please, come and have dinner with 
us tonight- we are family, you know!”
Merab, Michal and the other women 
looked at each other, dazed. 
What is going on here? Mr Boaz had never 
taken an interest in any of the women 
gleaning his field. All they ever get from
 him was a nod or a wave. 
To think he actually stopped today to 
talk- to this silly foreigner! She could be 
an illegal immigrant, for all we know. 
He even invited her to his house for dinner! 
There is God ooo, Mr Boaz! This isn’t fair…
She got home that evening and Naomi 
was worried. 
“You’re very late tonight, why?
 I called you several times; your line 
wasn’t going through”. 
“Mum, you won’t believe what happened
today! 
I met the man, the owner of the field I 
glean in. 
He happened to be a distant cousin 
to your late husband. He invited me to his 
house for dinner, that’s why I’m back home 
late!”
Naomi hugged her daughter in-law. 
“He invited you to his house for dinner, 
you say? I think he likes you, Ruth. 
He’s a good man. In this country, men do not
 invite women over for dinner if they are not 
interested in them. I think he’ll make you a 
good husband,” 
Naomi winked at her. 
Ruth laughed, “Come off it, mother! 
Your mind is working overtime- he was just 
being nice to a foreigner and a widow.” 
Naomi smiled, “well, let’s see how it goes- 
you’re so naïve! 
As the saying goes, what the old see, 
sitting down, the young can never see, 
standing on tip toes…” 
Both women burst into a happy laughter.
As the days went by, Boaz spent more 
time with Ruth. 
After a few weeks, the women gleaning 
at the field suddenly realised she was not 
gleaning with them anymore…
“Hey, Dinah, do you notice that foreigner 
is no more gleaning with us?
 I hope she’s been deported. 
Good riddance to bad rubbish!” 
Michal laughed at her own joke. 
Dinah hissed, “Shut up! Are you a learner?
You have no idea what is going on?
Haven’t you heard?” Michal realised everyone 
was wearing a long face. “Heard what???”
“She’s getting married to Boaz! Do you know 
what that means?”
“I guess it means she won’t be disturbing 
us again, yeah?”
“You moron! It means she’s going to own 
this field- then she can decide to stop us 
from gleaning on it again”
“Whoaaaaaaaa!!!!”