shepherds talk about out there in the hills, if you don’t know anything about how your own family inheritances go?”
“Why would we talk about inheritances? They won’t get anything, and neither will I, and besides, it’s awful thinking about what will happen after Father dies, he’s not even old yet, is he?”
“So the man who kissed you, O Lady of the Visions, is just a second son after all.”
“He kissed me as a cousin. If you had been there, he would have kissed
you
just that way.”
“Oh, yes, men are always kissing me. Father buries them in the garden, to help the crops grow”
“Well, they’re not always kissing
me
, either.”
“I wonder why Jacob would come here,” said Leah. “Did he bring a great many men with him?”
“Not any, and no animals, either.”
“Alone?”
“With a bundle and the clothes on his back.”
“So he really is
poor?
” said Leah.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s bringing a message from his mother.”
“Isaac would send gifts,” said Leah.
“Why?”
“You don’t know anything about good manners,” said Leah. “You’ll make someone a perfectly awful wife.”
Leah was always saying things like that, and Rachel couldn’t answer with the obvious retort that at least she could
see
. It would be wrong to taunt Leah about her frailty. But it was also unfair for Leah to taunt
her
when she knew Rachel couldn’t answer. “I don’t want to marry anybody,” said Rachel.
“Oh, right,” said Leah, “that’s why you keep them all staring at you like a prize heifer.”
“I don’t
do
that,” said Rachel angrily. “I can’t help what people look at.”
“But you like it,” said Leah.
“No I don’t,” said Rachel. “You only say that because you want the men to look at you, but I don’t want them to.”
“I don’t want them to, either,” said Leah, “but I think you like it.”
Rachel turned to Bilhah. “She thinks she knows my heart better than I do myself.”
“Yes,” said Leah, “I do. For instance, I know that you let him kiss you because you were hoping that he was your vision coming true. I bet you let him kiss you before you even knew who he was.”
There it was—her secret. The thing she planned to deny if Father asked her. How could Leah guess it?
“I did not,” said Rachel.
“Did you hear that?” said Leah to Bilhah. “That’s how you know when Rachel’s lying. There’s that little pause, and when she tells her lie there’s that little whine in her voice.”
Bilhah clearly did not want to play the Quarreling Sisters game. She looked away, making no response to Leah’s words.
“I’m not lying,” said Rachel.
“There it was again—the pause, the whine.”
“She can mock me like this,” said Rachel to Bilhah, “because she knows that if I ever complain to Father, he’ll tell me that I should just be grateful that I have two good eyes and be patient with Leah.”
But the moment she spoke, she knew that she had done it—used Leah’s tender eyes as a strike against her in a quarrel. Never mind that she was quoting what Father said—in fact, that made it worse.
Leah did not burst into tears the way she used to do when such things were said. She simply turned and walked back to her tent.
“I’m sorry,” said Rachel softly. But she knew Leah could hear her. Leah could hear everything.
Naturally, though, Bilhah would think she was talking to her. “I never had a sister,” said Bilhah, “but I hope if I did we would never have been so hateful to each other.”
“We love each other,” said Rachel. “You don’t know anything.”
“You don’t love each other,” said Bilhah. “You hate each other. Every time something good happens to you, Leah thinks it was stolen from her, and whenever somebody treats Leah kindly, you think they’re giving you a slap.”
“You never saw me before this moment,” said Rachel. “And you’re very rude.”
“I didn’t ask to be part of all that
“Why would we talk about inheritances? They won’t get anything, and neither will I, and besides, it’s awful thinking about what will happen after Father dies, he’s not even old yet, is he?”
“So the man who kissed you, O Lady of the Visions, is just a second son after all.”
“He kissed me as a cousin. If you had been there, he would have kissed
you
just that way.”
“Oh, yes, men are always kissing me. Father buries them in the garden, to help the crops grow”
“Well, they’re not always kissing
me
, either.”
“I wonder why Jacob would come here,” said Leah. “Did he bring a great many men with him?”
“Not any, and no animals, either.”
“Alone?”
“With a bundle and the clothes on his back.”
“So he really is
poor?
” said Leah.
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s bringing a message from his mother.”
“Isaac would send gifts,” said Leah.
“Why?”
“You don’t know anything about good manners,” said Leah. “You’ll make someone a perfectly awful wife.”
Leah was always saying things like that, and Rachel couldn’t answer with the obvious retort that at least she could
see
. It would be wrong to taunt Leah about her frailty. But it was also unfair for Leah to taunt
her
when she knew Rachel couldn’t answer. “I don’t want to marry anybody,” said Rachel.
“Oh, right,” said Leah, “that’s why you keep them all staring at you like a prize heifer.”
“I don’t
do
that,” said Rachel angrily. “I can’t help what people look at.”
“But you like it,” said Leah.
“No I don’t,” said Rachel. “You only say that because you want the men to look at you, but I don’t want them to.”
“I don’t want them to, either,” said Leah, “but I think you like it.”
Rachel turned to Bilhah. “She thinks she knows my heart better than I do myself.”
“Yes,” said Leah, “I do. For instance, I know that you let him kiss you because you were hoping that he was your vision coming true. I bet you let him kiss you before you even knew who he was.”
There it was—her secret. The thing she planned to deny if Father asked her. How could Leah guess it?
“I did not,” said Rachel.
“Did you hear that?” said Leah to Bilhah. “That’s how you know when Rachel’s lying. There’s that little pause, and when she tells her lie there’s that little whine in her voice.”
Bilhah clearly did not want to play the Quarreling Sisters game. She looked away, making no response to Leah’s words.
“I’m not lying,” said Rachel.
“There it was again—the pause, the whine.”
“She can mock me like this,” said Rachel to Bilhah, “because she knows that if I ever complain to Father, he’ll tell me that I should just be grateful that I have two good eyes and be patient with Leah.”
But the moment she spoke, she knew that she had done it—used Leah’s tender eyes as a strike against her in a quarrel. Never mind that she was quoting what Father said—in fact, that made it worse.
Leah did not burst into tears the way she used to do when such things were said. She simply turned and walked back to her tent.
“I’m sorry,” said Rachel softly. But she knew Leah could hear her. Leah could hear everything.
Naturally, though, Bilhah would think she was talking to her. “I never had a sister,” said Bilhah, “but I hope if I did we would never have been so hateful to each other.”
“We love each other,” said Rachel. “You don’t know anything.”
“You don’t love each other,” said Bilhah. “You hate each other. Every time something good happens to you, Leah thinks it was stolen from her, and whenever somebody treats Leah kindly, you think they’re giving you a slap.”
“You never saw me before this moment,” said Rachel. “And you’re very rude.”
“I didn’t ask to be part of all that
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