POOR CLIENTS WANT SYRIAN WINE

Proverbs 31:6 Good News Translation

Give ye strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto them that have grief of heart.

The attendant saw the hand Pierre Jean had raised and walked over to their table. He was a man in his mid-twenties with a lean build, short dark well-trimmed hair, with a beardless kind face that could put whoever he addressed at peace. He wore a brown robe ending at the ankles.

"Welcome dear patrons. Sayed at your service, what can I get you?" The attendant introduced himself.

"Well Sayed, this is our first time here and as such we are not very familiar with what you have in stock." Jean Pierre spoke up.

Hearing this, Sayed smiled and drew close so that they could not miss what he was to say over the sound of the musical instruments.

"We have hard drinks like wine imported from Syria and Lebanon, as for the soft drinks there's tea from the far east and the aromatic coffee from Ethiopia." He paused in the speech before continuing when he saw that they were following every word.

"Wine from Syria is twenty copper deniers, and the Lebanon wine is twenty-five copper deniers for a cup. Then the tea is ten copper deniers per cup while the coffee is charged at sixteen copper deniers also per cup." Sayeed narrated the prices of the drinks.

"So fine patrons, what can I get you?". Sayeed asked while looking at them expectantly with a smile on his kind face.

Deep inside he was hoping that they could choose the Lebanon wine. That wine was praised by all those who tested it, it was also addictive. Seeing the eager look on these European men, he knew they could handle their drink and could end up drinking tens of cups which could entitle him to a bonus at the end of the night. The more cups he served and depending on the cost, the more his bonus.

For every ten cups of Lebanon wine, he served and the clients paid. He earned a bonus of five copper deniers, while the Syrian wine could earn him three copper deniers for every ten cups served and paid for. As for the tea and coffee, every twenty cups served could earn him only two copper deniers.

If by bad chance the client failed to pay, the money could be deducted from his weekly earnings.

Because of this, he developed a sharp eye for those clients who could afford to pay or were not financially stable to pay. For those, he saw as being not very well off. He recommended that they take tea mostly. They could remain sober all the time and could not drink more than the money they had in their pockets or wallets.

"I personally recommend that you order the Lebanon wine, it has a sweet and strong taste. It warms up the stomach and enlightens the mind. You won't regret testing it, it's the best wine produced from this region." Sayeed added his opinion to indirectly influence them into going for the Lebanese wine. However, he omitted to tell them that it's addictive and they could easily become drunk. If they are wise, they could understand the keywords 'sweet and strong.'

"What about the Syrian wine, is it not special?" Ambrose Henri inquired.

"Oh no, don't take it, that it's not special. Actually, it is good. The taste is sweet like grapes, only that it's not strong. Looking at you gentlemen, am of the opinion that you want your wine a bit strong or more." Said Sayeed.

'It looks like I made a mistake, these men may not be having enough money. If they are asking about cheap wine. Should have started by recommending coffee to them. Shit! My bonus will be affected, must have woken up on the bad side of the bed to start my day with such poor clients.' Sayeed told himself.

"Ok. What did you say was the price of each of the two wines?" Ambrose Henri asked so that he could choose the most affordable wine.

"The Syrian wine is at twenty copper deniers per cup good gentlemen," Sayeed answered back. Inside his heart, he was fuming at these poor clients.

'If you can not afford wine, stop pretending to not have heard the prices. Just order for tea which you can afford.'. He lamented in his head.

"I see, then do get for us two cups of that Syrian wine." Ambrose Henri made the order.

"Alright, can I have the money for the two cups? That will be forty copper deniers." Sayeed decided to not take any chances and asked for the money upfront.

If they had shown him they were financially capable, he could have asked for the money after serving them several cups.

Hearing the attendant asking for money, Ambrose Henri turned to Jean Pierre. "Bring two silver deniers from the other money I told you to carry."

Jean Pierre was surprised to hear this from him. 'You picked the balance at the entrance, so which money of yours do I have?' He asked himself.

'Just say that you want to first use my money, instead of pretending that am carrying your money.' This thought ran through his head.

With resentment in his heart. Jean Pierre opened his wallet and took out two silver denier coins before passing them to him.

"Here is the money, no need to give us the balance now. We shall order more wine as the show starts." Ambrose Henri said while passing the money to Sayeed.

When the attendant Sayeed moved away to get their order, Jean Pierre turned to Ambrose Henri. "Why are you behaving like this, pretending as if you gave me your money to keep? Be realistic, ask for money if you need but don't try to brag to the attendant as if am your servant who keeps your money." He told him in a stern voice.

"Come on Jean, we are acting here. Have to play the part. Nothing personal my brother." Ambrose Henri defended his actions.

***

Late evening in Jerusalem. Yosef Gideon was taking a walk on the street heading to the Huldah Gate as he tried to clear his mind from not being able to meet with Abbot Jeromy as they planned.

The sunset over the horizon cast a golden glow on the street houses, giving people relief from the scorching afternoon sun that had chased them indoors. The temperatures were now bearable even though the pavement stones were still releasing some of the excess heat they acquired. Since he was in sandals, he was not feeling it except for the warm air from the pavement stones brushing against his ankles and calves as he walked.

Brother Philemon had communicated that he (the Abbot) could be away for about a week. This set him backward in finishing the mission entrusted to him by Master Balian of Ibelin to collect the accumulated pilgrim's treasure and Holy relic stored in Holy Sepulchre church under the custody of Abbot Jeromy.

Initially, he had planned to stay in Jerusalem for less than a week. Pick the treasure after less than two to three days of arrival, and be back in the saddle transporting the treasure by the fourth or fifth day.

Now, he had no option but to wait. Implying, he and the squad of Commander Gallo Francis would most likely spend up to two weeks in Jerusalem.

Yosef was worried that the longer it took, the more unplanned issues could crop up and complicate the whole mission. The treasure and relic are meant to be picked in secret and securely transported to the county of Jaffa.

There was also the long journey of several miles from Jerusalem to Jaffa. The roads were riddled with bandits, Assassins Order mercenaries, and other rogue elements out to rob travelers of their valuables. Many lives had been lost on the road, and that's why he was entrusted with the escort of Commander Gallo and his squad of knights.

However, he was worried that it may not be enough with the type of luggage they were going to transport. He had thought of requesting more knights but desisted from it as a big number could attract unwanted attention.

Many people were out on the street, making it very lively. Street-side vendors had set up their stalls to sell their merchandise before they closed for the night. The two hours before nightfall, were the busiest for them.

"Hello mister, stop here! I make and sell the best hummus in Jerusalem. My prices are very good." A short and fat street vendor wearing a Jewish cape rushed from his stall to intercept him while shouting.

Before he got a chance to answer back, the vendor continued. "Please come and have a sit over here. Let no one deceive you, I Zechariah make the best hummus, with a secret recipe that has been passed down for five generations."

Thus Zechariah the street side vendor intercepted him from his evening walk and gave him a seat to sit on. Yosef had wanted to resist and tell him he was not interested but seeing how talkative and charming this vendor was, he decided to taste what was special about the advertised hummus and its special recipe passed down for generations.

"Zechariah, how do you know that am interested in hummus?" Yosef asked.

"Mister, me Zechariah, I have an eye for people who can benefit from my hummus. Not everyone who passes by is worthy of eating it." Zechariah praised himself.

Not believing his flattery sell words, Yosef asked. "I might be allergic to it, are you willing to take that risk?"

"No way, me Zechariah," he said while patting his chest. "Never, and have never made a mistake on identifying a person who can enjoy and benefit from my hummus."

"You can consider me a prophet, I know you may not believe me now. But by the time you are done, you will testify that me Zechariah am the real deal when it comes to hummus here in Jerusalem." He added.

"Okay Zechariah, I hear you. How much is this hummus you talk so much about?" Yosef decided to ask otherwise this fellow may talk nonstop.

"That will be only ten copper deniers. Do not say it's very high, I use the freshest and most nutritious cowpeas which you will not find anywhere else in Jerusalem I tell you." Zechariah defended his price.

"And am going to cook it from here in your presence. Forget about these other people who cook from their homes and come to sell here when it has become cold. You will eat hot and spicy hummus from only here." He said as he sorted the cowpeas to use in the hummus.