It appears that news gets around fast in this village because before the mid-day meal, one of my older sisters, Tamara, was at our home to congratulate me.
"Look at you, Mary, you glowing!" she said taking me in a warm embrace.
"Aunt Mary!"
"Kyla!" I said taking my little niece up into my arms.
"She's been whining to see you ever since our last visit," Tamara explained.
"Of course she has! We had much too much fun last time," I said giving Kyla a kiss.
"But let's put her to sleep for now, I must speak with you about your new husband!" She said excitedly. So we laid Kyla down for a nap and went for a walk in the gardens.
"Yes, now that I think about it, I believe I have seen him around town. He's that young handsome carpenter, Jacob's son, isn't he?"
"Yes," I said and blushed furiously.
"You're in love, I can tell. I'm so happy for you Mary," she said taking my hand.
"Were you in love with Matthias when you married?" I asked.
"No, not the day we were married, but I grew to love him very much. Look at us now; four sons, two daughters and were still young."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"What's it like… you know…" I asked as casually as I could but failed miserably.
"Why Mary! All this time I thought you were the more innocent girl I've ever met," she said teasing.
"Well?"
"You know, I asked the exact same thing to our sister Tirzah, when I was betrothed, and do you know what she told me?"
"No," I replied.
"You'll find out when you find out." She hugged me, laughing.
"Well, it can't be horrible since you already have six children…" I said quietly.
"No, no it can't."
We spent the rest of the morning preparing for my mid-day meal with Joseph. Mother helped me pack some water, some fresh bread and dried fruits for after the meal. Joseph said he would bring the rest. I bathed and dressed and was ready when a knock at the door made everyone run to answer it.
"I'll get it!" my father said in an authoritative voice. All he women stepped aside, just enough to give father his space, but enough to be able to see if it was Joseph at the door.
"Joseph, come in! Come in!" he said with a booming laughter.
As he stepped in I felt my face being to go red again. Would I ever get a hold of my emotions, especially in front of him?
"You're blushing, Mary! I wonder what you're thinking about," Ashley whispered in my ear, but loud enough so everyone could hear.
"Ashley," I said swatting her away from me. Joseph turned in my direction and smiled. That smile only made me blush even more!
"I'll see you later Tamara," I said and left with Joseph. As we walked through the town, I couldn't help noticing everyone's approving smiles and nods. "I wish they would stop looking at us," I said.
"It's because you're so beautiful," he said. "They can't help it."
"Thank you." Sometimes I didn't understand him. If I took an honest non-biased opinion of myself, I knew I wasn't beautiful. It wasn't that I was ugly, or that I had a poor impression of myself, it was just that I knew what beauty was, and I didn't have it. In fact, I was quite plain; medium length brown hair, brown eyes, not particularly tall or slender or stout. I was just… Mary, Heli's daughter.
Joseph and I left the village and started walking away from the main road. "So where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see," Joseph said taking my hand. "I spent all day looking for the perfect spot. You'll love it."
In a few seconds we entered into a beautiful clearing. It was as if the God's thumb had cleared this place just for us. His imprint had left flowers everywhere and a fragrance I can only describe as heavenly. It was as if the very air inside this clearing in the woods made time stand still.
"It's wonderful," I whispered. I could tell he was pleased.
He took out a blanket for us to have our lunch on, gave thanks to the Lord and started our meal. I loved spending time with him. He was one of the very few people who truly understood me. He knew that when I was silent, it wasn't because I didn't have anything to say, it was because there were no words to describe how I felt.
"Do you know what I like about you, Mary?"
"What?" I asked, taking a sip of my water.
"You're heart. You're so full of love, for Jehovah, for His people, His creation."
"Thank you…" I said. "I'm glad I'm marrying you. Tell me again, what our life is going to be like." I lay down on the blanket and closed my eyes, trying to imagine what he was about to tell me.
"Well, for a year I won't work. We'll be together, building our home and getting ready for al the children we'll have."
"How many?" I asked.
"Oh, many children," he replied. "You can plant all the gardens you want on our property. We'll have a donkey or two, along with a few goats. It'll be a simple life…"
"Good. That's all I want," I said. "A simple life, with you."
The days that followed, were indeed simple. I helped with my chores at home, went for walks with Joseph, talked with him, laughed with him… It was strange. Since we were betrothed, we were considered married. I was Mary, Joseph the carpenter's wife. The only thing was that our marriage wasn't consummated.
Soon, we had set a date. In exactly eleven months, we would finally truly be husband and wife. Until that one fateful day, my life was planned, down to the very food I would eat the next day, and I liked it. I liked the comfortable consistency that my life was made up of. Of course, meeting Joseph and perhaps even falling in love, was out of my routine. But nothing, nothing in my wildest dreams or deepest secrets of my heart could have warned me about what was about to happen to me. No person or thing could have prepared shy, quiet-hearted me, for the journey of a lifetime and my role in history.