The next morning, Joseph woke up tired.  He was happy, though due to the dream and he couldn't wait to talk about it with his brothers.  

During breakfast, they all gathered although their breakfast consistent of only bread and meat.  As they gathered around and sat together, Joseph told them about their dream.  He had the usual replies, but what really hurt him the most was his father's reaction.  He couldn't believe it.  

"How dare you say that your mother and I will bow down to you?  You really believe that we would do such a thing?  Shame on you, Joseph.  Shame on you!" Jacob said.  Joseph's happiness vanished.  Now his father hated him.  Joseph didn't speak that whole day afterwards.  Although he had some work to do with the animals, he decided to skip that and leave.  His brother noticed his absence and started to complain.

"Looks like he's ditching work," Zabelum said.

"He's always, been lazy.  What did I tell you?"  Isaachar remarked Reuben was quiet, but thoughtful.   He wondered suddenly, if all of the remarks were true.  He knew that all of his brothers were angry with Joseph, but could he control his dreams?  The answer was pretty obvious.  No.  Joseph couldn't really control his dreams?  Nobody could control them.  Reuben watched his brothers' complaining at each other about Joseph.  They basically repented their complaints over and over again.  Once Reuben realized this, he told his brothers to settle down and go do their work.  

"But, you're no longer in charge," Levi told him.  

"I wonder who is," Simeon said.

"Don't talk to him like that.  Father is just mad at him, but I think this is temporary.  He will be back to his post very soon," Zabelum said. 

"How do you know?" Levi asked. 

"I just know," Zabelum said.  The brothers all one by one decided to return to their regular chores just as Reuben had told them. 

"Do you really believe that?" Reuben had told them. 

"Do you really believe that?" Reuben asked Zabelum before he left.  Zabelum gave him a nod. 

Joseph was sitting beside the river.  He needed to be alone.  He didn't understand why his father had reprimanded him.  He grabbed a few rocks and angrily he began to throw each one into the water.

"I am the best.  They're just jealous because God speaks to me and not to them!  I am the best," Joseph remarked annoyed.  Tamar, the young servant girl that he really liked was walking towards him.  She was far away, but she was definitely coming.  He could see her from far away.

"Maybe I should take her with me, marry her and run off with her.  Maybe I should leave," Joseph said talking to himself as she approached.  She was carrying a basket.

"Shalom, Joseph," Tamar said.

"Shalom, Tamar," Joseph replied.  Tamar smiled and headed to the river.

"What are you doing here?" Joseph asked her.

"I'm washing clothes," Tamar responded.  She took out the clothes and placed them next to the basket.  Then, she grabbed one piece and began to wash it. 

"You look very beautiful," Joseph told her.  Tamar blushed and swallowed some bile.

"Master?"  Tamar asked.

"Joseph.  Call me Joseph," Joseph told her.

"But master-"

"Call me Joseph, I said," Joseph told her.  She looked up at him and smiled.

"Joseph," she said.

"Do you think I'm handsome?" He asked her.

"Sir?"  She asked as a response.

"Answer honestly.  Do you think I'm handsome?" Joseph asked her.

"Yes," she replied.  Then she bit her lower lip and continued to wash the clothes.  

"Tamar, if I asked you to leave with me, would you?" Joseph asked her.

"Go where?" Tamar asked him.

"I don't know.  Does it matter?" Joseph asked her.

"May I have permission to speak freely?" Tamar asked him and he nodded. 

"I don't understand what you're asking me exactly.  You want me to go with you somewhere, but you don't want to tell me," Tamar said.

"I'm asking if you want to marry me?" Joseph asked her.

"Marry you?  But, sir, I am a mere servant.  I can't marry you," Tamar said.

"You are a mere servant, but I'm the master of the household.  I can marry anyone I choose to marry and I have chosen you," Joseph said.

"You choose a slave?  What will your father say?" Tamar asked him.

"It won't matter because we won't be here," Joseph told her.  Tamar placed the wet clothes in the basket and stood up.

"You want to marry me?" Tamar asked surprised and he nodded.

"Yes.  Let's do it.  If you want to," Joseph said. 

"I want to, but I'm afraid of what Jacob will say or do.  What Jacob will say or do what if he takes your inheritance and you end up poor and homeless?" Tamar asked him.

"I am a skilled worker.  I will find work and provide for you.  I promise we won't go hungry," Joseph said.

"But then you will blame me for your troubles," Tamar told him.  He grabbed her wet hands. 

"I promise I won't. You have my word.  Besides, my father hates me," Joseph told her. 

"Is that what this is really all about?" Tamar asked.  Joseph wanted to be sincere.

"It's a part of it.  But the truth is that I have been secretly in love with you for a while.  I have been... watching you.  I didn't want to, but I could not resist," Joseph said to her with a bit of embarrassment.  He blushed.

"You have?" She asked.  She was surprised.

"I have," Joseph admitted.  Her eyes gazed everywhere and then lowered to the ground.   She was too nervous to look up at him.

"So, will you marry me?" Joseph asked her.

"Yes, Joseph.  I will," she replied.  Joseph smiled and then he kissed her.  He enjoyed the kiss and he wanted it to last forever.  He never knew how pleasurable it really was to kiss a girl until that moment.  He didn't want to stop.  Tamar had to push him a little to have some separation from him.  She giggled a little. 

"I have to finish my chores," she told him and he nodded breathlessly.

"Yes.  Of course," he told Tamar.  Tamar sat down again and grabbed more clothes to wash.  Joseph sat next to her and grabbed some clothes himself.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.  

"Helping you finish your chores," he said and Tamar laughed.

"It's okay.  I can do it," she said.

"I know, but if you finish sooner, I can kiss you again," Joseph said and Tamar laughed.  Then,  Joseph laughed back.

"You really liked to kiss me?"  Tamar asked.

"Oh yeah!" Joseph replied and they both laughed again.  It has amazing what a simple kiss could do.  His mood had changed and it quickly improved after that and although he didn't speak to his father later on, the experience was pleasant enough for him to reduce his grudges.

After he helped her, they hid in a cave and kissed again.  He didn't want to stop.  He felt his blood warm and before something else happened, Judah was calling out for him.  He stopped kissing.

"Judah is calling you," Tamar told Joseph.  Joseph almost cussed under his breath.

"Why doesn't he leave me alone? He hates me, doesn't he?  I shouldn't even return," Joseph remarked.

"But, you must.  You must go back master Joseph," she said.  Joseph gave her a brief nod and distanced himself from her.  Something that was very hard to do.

"Thank you," Joseph told her.

"For what?" she asked him.

"For everything," he replied.  He left the cave and walked back home with Judah.

"Why did you take off?  Don't went to work?  Want to be lazy all day?" Judah asked him.  Joseph didn't reply.

"What's the matter?  You don't want to speak anymore your highness?  You're too good to answer?  Is that what this is?" Judah continued to taunt him. 

"What's the point in saying anything, you probably made up your mind anyway," Joseph remarked.  Judah glared at him.

"Oh, I see.  Now, you can read my mind, also? Who do you think you are, God?"

"I don't control what I dream about.  If you have a problem with my dreams, then maybe you should talk to God," Joseph remarked.

"You probably didn't even dream anything.  You made it up," Judah replied.

"You're proving my point!  This is why I didn't want to talk to you," Joseph replied.  Judah stopped and almost slapped Joseph, but something didn't allow it.

"Reuben lost 3 years of wages and we lost a year of wages.  Now father has us working for free because of you.  You couldn't shut your mouth, but now you don't want to talk.  Go to hell," Judah told him.

"It slipped and I didn't tell him everything.  I didn't tell him about the drinks and smokes.  I didn't tell him about the pranks.  There's a lot of things I didn't tell him," Joseph said.  Judah turned and kept walking.  He didn't speak to Joseph again, and Joseph was glad. Finally, he was tired of his brothers.  Joseph decided that he was actually the best.  That he was better.  From now on, he was speaking up against his brothers.  He hoped that they would lose more than years of wages.  He was done with their crap.  Joseph decided that if they were going to hate him, then he might as well give them a real, legitimate reason to hate him.  If they screwed up, he would no longer keep it to himself. 

Joseph was going to tell Jacob everything.  When they arrived home he noticed that Simeon was now in charge.  Simeon barked orders like a mad dog.  He was nothing like Reuben who was calm and less demanding.  Simeon would also complain about everything.  That day Joseph decided that if Simeon wanted to play hard, that he would play hard back.

The next day, Jacob told his sons to prepare for another herding. 

"Now Simeon is in charge.  You will receive orders under him," Jacob told Reuben.  Reuben gave him a brief nod.  

"This better not be like the last time or you'll be losing from your inheritance and there will be no one who will convince me from not giving you all a public beating.  Are we clear?" Jacob said.  The sons nodded silently.

"Father, I can't go with them.  I must do some praying," Joseph said.  His brothers were stunned. 

"Fine.  You can stay here.  Besides, I need some help with the camels and with Benjamin. Zilpa is in her impure days," Jacob remarked.  The brothers all made preparations to leave again, but this time, Joseph wasn't coming.  Before they left, Joseph had on his colorful coat and decided to flaunt it in front of his brothers.  He also had in his hand a piece of bread with honey. 

"Thank you father for allowing me to stay here and eat like the prince that I am," Joseph said.  The brothers were red with rage, but they didn't say a word.  Joseph smirked at them and returned into the house.  He didn't even say farewell to them.  When they left the area they all talked about Joseph's behavior.

"It told you, he was a spoiled brat!" 

"What a jerk!"  

"He thinks he's better than us."

"Did you hear what he said?  He's prince now." 

"I can't believe was eating honey."

"Who does he think he is?"

"I wish I could urinate on his coat.  What a jerk." The brothers were incredibly angry at Joseph and they all felt that he had finally confirmed what they all suspected of him.  

"We have to be very careful with him," Judah said.

"Why?"  The brothers asked. 

"I suspect he wants to steal our inheritance and keep it to himself," Judah replied.

"Like father, like son," said Levi.  

"We're not going to let him do it.  Who does he think he is?" Asked Isaachar.

"A prince, obviously," replied Dan.

"Well, hell be a prince in hell!" Gad replied angrily.  

"Just forget about it.  Let's not screw this up.  Joseph isn't here anymore, so we can't blame him if we do,"  Reuben said. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Isaachar asked him. 

"It means exactly what it means.  If we do our work right, then Joseph can't take our inheritance," Reuben replied.  So, the brothers, although angry, decided that Reuben was right.  They couldn't give Joseph more weapons.

"You're right.  If we don't screw up, he can't steal our inheritance, like he stole your authority," Simeon said.  Reuben walked on without response.

"You are the older brother.  Father may have given me the leadership between us, you are still our leader," Simeon said and everyone agreed! 

"Thanks," Reuben replied and Reuben took the lead again.  Judah made a stop to his friend's house, Jaakobah, on their way to Shechem.

"Go on.  I'll catch up with you.  I have some business here to attend to," Judah told them and the brothers left.

"How's your knee, Dan?" Asked Naphtali.

"It's better," Dan replied. 

"I don't know why Judah has invested so much in that slave," Reuben said.

"Insane.  Father would never allow such a marriage.  Judah needs to forget about her," Reuben said.  Like you can talk," Neftali said calling him out.  Reuben didn't respond.  The brothers always wondered what on Earth was the deal between Neftali and Reuben.  Something, some secret they had, but the brothers couldn't figure it out.  They used to get along very well, but a few years after leaving Migdal-eder things between them had changed.

Reuben also never told Neftali anything and he hardly gave him orders.  It was as if he was almost afraid to do so, which didn't make any sense to them.  The brothers however adapted themselves to their strange behavior, but sometimes, deep down they wondered what was Neftali's problem with Reuben especially Dan.  Dan glared at the both of them.  Reuben decided to walk away from them and Neftali avoided Dan.  Now, Dan wanted to figure out what on Earth was going on between them and he decided that he would ask Neftali what their beef was all about. 

The brothers continued to work until noon.  It was a warm day and sweat was all over their bodies.  They had to wash before lunch and once they did, Jacob announced another task.

"I have just purchased 100 new sheep.  I have decided to send you back to Shechem to shepherd  but this time, you're leaving without Joseph.  Joseph is staying here with me and he'll be working on other things," Jacob announced.  The brothers gazed at each other.

"Joseph won't come with us?" Reuben asked a little bit surprised.

"No.  You will all go without him.  He has other work here," Jacob said.  The brothers didn't know what to think.  Joseph wouldn't be with them and they could  finally catch a break, without him.  On the other hand, he did most of the work and now they would have to work.

"You leave today! Jacob said.

"Today?  But father-"

"No buts.  Today.  Eat well, pack light and leave," Jacob said.  The brothers obeyed.  After they ate they packed and prepared for the journey.  Joseph hadn't been seen anywhere.  They wondered if he was already doing something for his father.

"Who cares?  Let's go," the brothers said.  Bilha walked then to the new herd and showed them.

"These are the new sheep," Bilha said.  Then, she left.  Dan noticed something for the first time. Reuben looked strangely and avoided Neftali's stare.  He wondered if it ahd something to do with his mother.  The brothers organized the flock and left.