The Blessing

My third entry to this wonderful contest "You won't believe what I found in the woods". I received the second prize.

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TITLE: The Blessing
NUMBER WORDS: 300

“My dearest, I love you and…”
Joseph was staring at his mobile phone. What could he add to make his wife feel better?

Earlier on this morning, she was lying beside him, naked and entirely desirable. Her young breast… her tight skin… the smell of sleep lurking on her body. She was so angel-like in sleep that he felt like the beast preying on beauty. Joseph was already an old man, gray hair brightening his temples, his joints aching to remind him of his age.
“Come Joseph, love me, please!”
A warm hand touched him.
Still, he could not forget he went to school with her grandmother.
“I am the only married woman who is still a virgin. Six months, and I am not even pregnant yet! Joseph, I am 16 years old, why can’t you just take me?”
She impatiently turned around as he sheepishly tiptoed out of their home.

As he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly tripped and landed heavily on the path. He turned on his side to see what had caused his fall and saw a large basket with a note attached to it. It read:
“This is Jesus. Please, take care of him. I have nothing to give him”
He gazed upon the rosy-cheeked infant, wreathed with curly blond hair.
“Should a baby carry his cross too?”
He thought about his wife saddened by the gossip. “Jesus, you will be our savior!”
He grabbed his phone, and hurriedly composed a few words before hitting the send button. “She will be ecstatic” he thought.

Back home, Mary, her face wet with sweat, was mopping the floor. She heard a beep and reached for her phone. A message from Joseph: “My dearest, I love you and… you won’t believe what I found in the woods”