Dear Ella,
It’s about time women started speaking up against sexual abuse. I only wish the power of the #MeToo movement was around when this happened to me.
The parties were ongoing for months, and eventually we got down to the last full week of eating and drinking at the palace. I was hosting my own party for the women while my husband was entertaining his crowd. This party was the talk of the town.
I don’t know what my husband was thinking or how drunk he was when he sent his thugs to come and get me. He ordered me to parade myself in front of him and his boozed-up buddies wearing only my crown. I’ve always been treated like royalty. Why was he doing this? Imagine me, strutting in front of a bunch of drunken
hoodlums. Are you kidding me? Just because he is the all-powerful king does not mean he owns me or my body.
I refused to go.
So what does he do? He decides to make an example out of me so other wives don’t get any ideas about disobeying their husbands. On the advice of one of his flunkeys, who told him, “If Queen Vashti can disobey, so can the others,” he banishes me forever! He thinks he can replace me with a better, more beautiful and obedient wife? Let’s see him try! Do you think I did the right thing giving up everything to keep my self-respect intact?
An Old Story

Dear An Old Story,
The #MeToo movement has given women a united, powerful voice against an old, dirty secret. Thanks for speaking out, even though your story dates back to the fourth century BCE. You did right to follow your gut!

Dear Ella,
Is lying by omission still lying?
I married a very powerful man, but my stepfather told me not to tell him I was Jewish. He said to me, “Don’t reveal your tools.” I sometimes wake up in a cold sweat thinking, “What if he found out?”
My husband was married before me to a stunning and strong woman. They divorced because she refused to give in to his demands.
He chose me out of a lineup of beautiful women. Perhaps karma played a bigger role than I’m willing to admit.
I knew when I got into this that I was getting involved with a man who was going to be difficult. But he was rich and powerful, and I thought it would be worth it. Besides, he lived in a very cool palace!
The problem was he had this vile, vicious friend that seemed to have his ear. My husband listened to whatever this guy said, and it drove me nuts!
The last thing he got my husband to agree to was going to devastate all of my friends and relatives, so I had to step in and fix it before it was too late.
I’ve always been a fairly modest women and have been submissive to all my husband’s demands. This task, however, required me to use my feminine wiles and step out of my comfort zone to get through to him. I felt a little guilty at first, but also a little exhilarated at my ability to turn the tables and control him for a change. It was all so Fifty Shades. There was a lot at stake, so I mustered up the courage to do what had to be done.
I consider myself a bright woman – certainly brighter than my husband – so I executed my plan perfectly. In the end, my husband took my side over his obnoxious friend Haman, whose ear I now seem to have. Do you think I went too far and compromised my values to get what I wanted?
Royalty Rocks

Dear Royalty Rocks,
You followed your instincts and that’s usually the right approach. The fact that you stepped outside of your comfort zone for a greater cause shows that you are a brave woman willing to put yourself in danger for a greater good. You did great! n

Hag Purim Sameach!