“Fine! Lie all you want, but you’ll never be able to deny... this!”
David could not believe what he was hearing.
“Do you mean to tell me that Jacob never told you that I bought him out of the partnership? He was supposed to walk away from everything, hand you the keys, and never have anything to do with me again!”
“He’s been at the store as usual. He never told us anything about any agreements.”
David leaped up from the table in pain and anger.
“My partner, my brother, has turned into a complete thief! You would never have believed how he aggressively pursued my ship, then practically twisted my arm and forced me to either return from my trip or pay him off. He’s turned into a vicious snake!”
David’s family was also outraged at the incredible injustice.
“What will you do, Abba?”
“I’m going to go confront him, face to face, right now!”
***************
David felt like the trip to the marketplace took a million years. With every step he felt his frustration growing, making his stomach sick with anxiousness.
But then his conscience began whispering into his ear as he approached his store, seconds from seeing with his own eyes if Jacob had indeed betrayed him so greatly.
It looks like you’re not the only thief in town, David! You swindled Jacob out of 10,000 coins and now he’s also giving into greed. If he indeed has been working the stores since the agreement, perhaps his yetzer hara got the best of him. So don’t yell at him right away, give him a chance to apologize.
“Look who has come back from the dead! Baruch Hashem!”
Jacob was all smiles as he looked up from a basket of merchandise he was assembling for a waiting customer.
“David! Come in, come in! But you look a little weak! I thought your vacation in Eretz Yisrael would have brought some more light to your face! But it’s good to see you, nonetheless.”
David gasped.
“You have the audacity to joke around with me?”
“David, what’s gotten into you? Relax!”
“Relax?”
David leaped forward and gave the basket in Jacob’s hands a mighty kick. Shards of broken wares flew through the air. The would-be customer yelled in alarm and ran out of the tent.
“First you chase down my ship, ranting and raving like a lunatic. Then you ruthlessly force me to either give up on my vacation or pay you an enormous sum of money to buy you out of the business. Then you go behind me back, return home, and continue working in my store!” David grabbed Jacob by the lapels of his robe. “Get out of my store and don’t ever touch another piece of my merchandise ever again!”
Jacob drew back, yanking out of David’s grip.
“No.”
“No?!”
David felt like he was about to have a heart attack. Had Jacob no conscience? No shame?
“That’s right, I said no. I don’t know when you had time to think up such a ridiculous story, but I won’t be intimidated by outright lies.”
“I can’t believe my ears! You’re going to deny you chased my ship?”
“Chased you? I’ve been working in the store ever since you left.”
“You were screaming at me!”
“Never happened.”
“Fine! Lie all you want, but you’ll never be able to deny... this!”
