Chapter 22
"I couldn't come immediately," Publius told Secunda six months later. "The army felt that it had given me quite enough leave, so I had to wait until it was my turn and then do a bit of organising with the clerk to get an extra week, otherwise I simply wouldn't be able to get down here and back again in time. I still can't believe that you are well. Tell me again: How did Rabbi Joshua heal you?"
Secunda laughed merrily and allowed Publius to pull her down onto his lap. With one hand she stroked the back of his head and let the other hand rest possessively on his forearm as she told the story of that terrible journey down to Tiberias and how Rabbi Joshua had passed so close that she was able to reach out and touch his garment. When she had finished Publius shook his head in wonder.
"Well, I don't like to say 'I told you so', my dear, but I certainly did tell you so, didn't I?"
"I know, darling," Secunda murmured. "If only I'd listened to you, I wouldn't have had to walk all that way."
"Well, just make sure you listen to me in future," Publius ordered.
Secunda glanced at him sideways and a smile played over her lips. A moment later they both burst out laughing.
"You silly man," Secunda giggled, brushing her lips against his forehead. "When did a wife ever listen to her husband? It would be contrary to nature!"
"Just so long as you remember that a husband never listens to his wife either," Publius grumbled, but he looked surprisingly content.
"There's one thing, though," Publius said several minutes later.
"What's that?" Secunda asked, toying with his hair.
"I vowed that I would erect a votive statue to whichever god healed you and I intend to fulfil my vow - but what am I going to do? Cornelius, that centurion down in Caesarea Maritima, told me that the Jews forbid the making of any image of their god, so no one knows what he looks like or even what his name is. How can I make a statue of someone who is invisible?"
Secunda nodded. "I know," she said. "I've been wanting to make an offering of my own too. The only thing I could come up with was to make a statue of this Rabbi Joshua. After all, he's the one who healed me, even if it was by the power of the Jewish god."
"You've got to let me do that," Publius insisted. "I was the one who made the vow. I'll go up to the sanctuary tomorrow and see about it. How about a statue of Rabbi Joshua standing there with his hand outstretched, as if he had just healed you?"
"Yes!" Secunda sat up straight. "You pay for the statue of Rabbi Joshua, because that's what you vowed, and I'll pay for a statue of me, kneeling in front of him with my arms outstretched like a suppliant. That's how I was when I thought the mob was going to kill me. I'll never forget his words, Publius darling. Never. He said, 'Daughter, go in peace. Your faith has healed you.' He called me 'daughter'; me, a gentile, a woman, and unclean - and he called me 'daughter'!"
