Joseph, The Great Servant

CHAPTER 3. MARY AND JOSEPH MEET AS CHILDREN

CHAPTER 3. MARY AND JOSEPH MEET AS CHILDREN

Joseph had turned thirteen years of age. He was out one day in the palace courtyard when a family arrived on a cart and among them was a young girl. As soon as Joseph saw her, he fell madly in love with her. However, not knowing how to talk to her, Joseph approached the cart and asked the family what their business was. The girl, who had also become equally smitten when she saw the young man, turned red and said nothing. At the sight of her blushes, Joseph grew in confidence to the point of arrogance, saying to her, “Well hello, young lady!” And he proceeded to put on all the gestures of someone important as he strutted about the courtyard like a proud peacock. At the sight of seeing the handsome and mature boy addressing her, the girl's eyes almost popped out of her head. She wanted to respond but became even more stunned by the effect the young man was having on her.

Joseph directed his gaze at her once more, saying:

“Hello gorgeous!”

At that moment, an old man who was hard of hearing came around from behind the cart and asked,

“Were you speaking to me?”

The sudden appearance of the old man gave Joseph such a fright that it stopped him dead in his tracks, and now it was he who was suddenly lost for words. Joseph felt so embarrassed and turned red while the girl was laughing and he quickly scurried away from the scene.

From a distance he kept an eye on the young girl. She, on realising this and being a bit more determined than the boy, went over to where he was half-hidden and said,

“Did you put on that display for my benefit, perhaps because you like me?”

On hearing this, he turned as red as a tomato; something which made her instantly throw back her head and laugh out loud. This time however, her laughter caused a different sensation in him. This time, instead of embarrassing him, the girl's laughter excited him. He answered,

"Yes, I really do like you. But tell me, what brings you here?”

The girl answered, "We’ve brought supplies from the town. We were asked to drop them off for you as we were passing.” And she continued, “Don’t worry, I don’t bite" and she held out her hand to him.

The boy, more in embarrassment than anything else, took it and when he felt her hand touch his, a tremendous warmth and energy surged through him. However, he managed to temper his emotions, thinking to himself: "I have to act like a man!" And so, he said to her,

"Would you like me to show you around the palace and the grounds while you wait for your family?” and the girl nodded.

He showed her the palace, the courtyard and the nearby fields, all the while constantly holding her hand. Then, he took her over to the kitchen where they were both given something to eat. Suddenly they heard her family calling out for her, and that’s when he found out that her name was Mary.

Without so much as a by-your-leave, the girl got up and ran off back to her family leaving Joseph alone with his thoughts. He pondered where and how he could get to see her again, as well as how long it would take for him to do it. Until he achieved this, he would still have the image of Mary, along with the memory of her eyes and her smile, etched on his heart.