Mary’s heavy eyes and drawn face betrayed the weariness she already felt. “We will leave early in the morning,” she said. Zebina wanted to hold her and not let her leave Nazareth, but she understood that it was in God’s plan for Mary to go to Bethlehem and bear this blessed child.

“The Lord will be with you, Mary, and guide you as He has thus far.” But Zebina’s lower lip began to quiver and immediately they both broke into streams of tears at this departing. After a long embrace, the two long-time friends parted.

In the next weeks, Zebina found joy and anticipation to replace the heartache she felt over Mary’s absence. Her days were filled with making wedding plans. She checked her list: meet with the rabbi, schedule the musicians, prepare the decorations, finish her dress, purchase the drinks and food, and on and on.

She wished Mary had been here, but she and Joseph had been gone several months now. She wondered how things had turned out for them. The baby would have been born by now and growing. Just then, Seth popped his head in the door and called out to her. She smiled at him, so grateful for their coming marriage and being busy with the wedding. “I just borrowed a nice suit for the wedding,” he said with his wide handsome grin.

“Oh, let me see it!” she laughed.

“No, no, not until the wedding,” he teased. And off he went.

Zebina loved her tall, broad-shouldered farmer. His hard work had already paid off with a full field of wheat and a few cattle. They would have plenty of milk and meat to eat and sell. She would tend the garden and be happy ever after.

Soon the big day arrived, and she felt like a beautiful bride. She thought about Mary and the quiet wedding she had. Just then her mother came into the room. “Ah, there’s my beautiful daughter, but why the sad look? Did we forget something?”

“No, Mama, I was thinking about Mary, wishing she could have been here.”

“Your dear friend, you miss her so, don’t you?”

“I just wish I knew how she is doing and where they are. I thought she would have been back by now.”

“You always say she is in God’s hands, so you must believe your own words. And now, it’s time to go to your wedding!”

What a happy successful event it was, climaxed by arriving at their own house on the farm.

As the months went by, Zebina became a loving wife and learned the ways of her husband. Then, a few months later, she began to have ongoing stomach cramps. What’s wrong with me? she wondered. She couldn’t hold her food down or work in her garden.

Seth was getting very worried about her and talked to Zebina’s mother. “Sounds to me like you’re on the way to becoming a father, Seth.”

“Really? You think she is going to have a baby?”

“Those are all the signs!”

Seth couldn’t hold down that wide grin. “Thank you, thank you,” he blurted out.

“You’re welcome,” she started to say, but Seth was already on the run home.

“Zebina, Zebina,” he called, as he came running to the house.

“What is it, Seth, what’s wrong?” she called out the door.

“Nothing wrong. Everythings’s all right! I talked to you mama, and she said the symptoms you’ve been having sound like you’re going to have a baby!”

“A baby?”

But before she could say another word, he grabbed her up and swung her around. “We’re going to have our first child!”

~ Joyce ~