At the dining room, Uriella held a mirror before Mary, “Blessed is the man destined to have this body of yours behind closed doors, at cold winter nights. Your cooking’s good, I must admit, but he's going to find it difficult eating with you in close range,”
Passing by was Anne, “Mary, take care of yourself, remember, don't talk too much while on the dinning table. After the table come out for fresh air on the balcony, we have neighbors, willing to gossip if you spend more time with Joseph alone, and behind closed door.” She said, “Hope we are clear on that? Because I'm off for market.”
“Okay, mom. Best of luck,”
“You need that more than I do, my child,”
She walked passed the exit and shot the door behind her. Almost immediately, Anne opened the door, “It might rain, Uriella, go pack your mother's straws,”
“Ding dong!”
“Joseph!” Mary said, “Please, Uriella, stay a little longer, I'm nervous,”
“Don't worry, I’ll join you guys after I'm done packing the straws.”
“Ding dong!”
“Take a deep breath while I get the door.” She reached for the door and it wasn't Joseph, then turned towards Mary who now stood before her finely decorated soup, at the dining table, “Its Cabbage,”
He peeped inside, “Hello, here is your delivery,” then came in, carrying a basket of cabbage.
“No, not today,” Mary moved him out, hurriedly.
“Ding dong, ding dong,”
“Joseph,” she adjusted, her clothes, and makeup, with Uriella's help, then rushed the door, only to find children hanging around. “Who rang the bell?”
Giggling, the youngest amongst them licked her little fingers covered in chocolate, not minding her running nose, and then cleaned both hands on her already dirty cloth. When Mary repeated herself, with lightening eye balls, she frowned.
Mary leaned closer to her, wiped clean her nose, and then, asked her why she made a face. She said her older sister didn't want her to bath at the fountain. “Why are these other children with you?” They were five of them, their mouth were covered with chocolate, and their feet, bare - the only one with sandals wore just a foot.
“We want to bath, too,”
“Then go ahead, the fountain is over there,”
“We want you to bath us,”
“No way, at least, not today. Uriella will,”
“No. No, we want you, not her,” they came pulling her hands, and some hugging her clothes. She felt the urge to beat them, but, a part of her held her back.
“Did I remember telling you about the straws, because I'm off to get them inside,” Uriella excused herself, on seeing the situation on ground.
Together with the children, she walked to the fountain, carrying the youngest in her arms. There, she bath them simultaneously, and later played with them at the fountain, seeming to have forgotten her date.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.”
She looked up, and found a stranger. Touched her hair, looked down at her cloths, found them wet, and little dirty, then looked at the stranger. Seeing him, she remembered her date, “Please, let's talk some other time,” she said. She ran home, entered, and shot the door behind her.
The stranger followed her home, knocked, when Mary failed to respond, he opened the door.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." He said, again.
Mary having heard him did not speak; she was troubled in spirit, because she knew not the young man, nor the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation, and also because Joseph would arrive in minutes.
“Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Mary understood there was
question of the coming Redeemer. But, why should she be elected from amongst women for the splendid dignity of being the mother of the Messiah, and why should the messenger come to her just when her betrothed is literarily few steps to her doorpost.
She froze in fear, but somehow managed few words, “I am a virgin, how then can this be?”
“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” He said, “Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old. Favoured one, no word shall be impossible with God.”
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.” She took a glass of water from the table, handed it to him, “My betrothed will soon be here, do you care for some soup? If yes, the table is open,”
“You worry too much, favoured one,” he reverenced her, and turned towards the exit.
“I know you are from God, but please I wish to know your name, for achieves sake.”
“Gabriel,”
“Ding dong,”
“Hope it's Joseph this time,”
“Please, get the door, it's him,” Gabriel said.
She fled for the door, and on letting Joseph in, she found Gabriel missing.
He hugged her, failing to recognize the wet state of her clothes, “Sorry for turning up late,” Joseph said.
No comments:
Post a Comment