Jacob was boiling with frustration. Just how cruel could this greedy boss be?
t was a sweltering hot day in India as hundreds of merchants gathered in the local marketplace to sell their wares. Animals collided against each other as their owners struggled to maneuver them through the crowded, muddy streets. A mixture of sweet and harsh smells wafted through the air as fruits were displayed alongside animal hides. The voices of the energetic vendors created a racket loud enough to wake up half the country.
A Jewish boy awoke atop the rags he slept upon inside a narrow alleyway. He washed his hands with the tin cup next to him and recited the morning prayers from a tattered scroll he kept inside a sack that held all his belongings. Then he headed off to begin a grueling day of work.
He knew the streets like he knew the back of his hand. The sights, smells, and sounds of India’s busiest marketplace were as familiar to him as the beating of his own heart. It was here, in these chaotic streets, that he had been forced to take refuge after the sudden passing of both of his parents.
A heavyset man with an elegant turban on his head greeted the boy from behind a huge ox loaded with satchels that hung down from each side of its massive stomach. The man was looking over a parchment.
Create a free account to keep reading.
