A Predetermined Destiny: A Modern Nativity Story
Mary had grown up in a tiny apartment just above a small deli shop in Newark, New Jersey, where she and her small family lived on one side at the top of the stairs and another family lived on the other. A tiny hallway and two walls were the only things that separated the families. Early on Sunday mornings, before Mary’s family would gather, she could hear the busy shopkeepers preparing for the morning rush just below, and if she listened carefully she could hear her neighbor’s work boots stomp down the stairs on his way out.
Joseph was a few years older than Mary but they had known each other for years, playing in the stairwell when the streets were too busy to kick a soccer ball around. The two had grown apart recently the way young friends do. He was a carpenter now and Mary was still trying to get through high-school.
On this particular morning, Mary listened more closely trying to follow Joseph as he filled his coffee mug, pulled his boots on, and grabbed his tool belt. Just last week , Mary and Joseph had run into each other just as the small shop bellow was closing up. The night was so clear, the streets were so quiet, that they decided to pull out their old soccer ball that they hadn’t played with in years and kick it around.
As they both recalled fond memories the conversation turned to dreams and desires they way it does when catching up with old friends. Mary wanted to make a difference in her family. She wanted to get a job and help her parents pay the rent and Joseph wanted to go back to school rather than become a part of the family business. Becoming a carpenter, like his father, was honorable but not what he wanted.
The two of them possibly caught up in their childhood friendship and desires, decided that the only way their parents would let them go out on their own would be to get married. The notion wasn’t uncommon even for a young couple, Mary’s own best friend had just announced her engagement last week, the only difference was that her friend happened to be pregnant and Mary had never had a boyfriend before.
As desperate as the decision seemed, the two felt that they had been brought together for a reason. Mary felt that Joseph could understand her situation, like a sibling that she had never had, growing up in the same place so close, they could understand each other. The two could get married and build lives of their own. A moment of silence settled over the conversation when Mary brought up the obvious, but we’re not in love, what if we’re even more unhappy in a year? What will we do then? The silence was broken when Joseph rested a hand on Mary’s shoulder. We just have to trust each other, be honest, and believe that everything will be different in a year.
As Mary lay in her bed, not ready to get up, she listened for Joseph’s boots on the stairs as he left. A tiny pinch of guilt rested in her stomach as she realized that she was about to marry her childhood neighbor for perhaps the wrong reasons. Mary threw the covers to the side and slid out of bed ignoring the pinch in her stomach.
The house was quiet when she opened her door. Her mother and father were nowhere to be seen. It was Sunday morning though, they always read their scripture Sunday morning and had breakfast together. After that, while Mary helped with laundry or homework, her mother and father would sit at the kitchen table and go over their bills and budget for the upcoming week. Their faces usually both carried the same tired and worried looks. This morning was different, though, the apartment was silent, no sign of her parents could be seen but she hadn’t heard them leave, which was nearly impossible in the tiny apartment.
Where is everyone, she wondered to her herself. The room suddenly felt hazy and warm, like a soft fog had drifted in through the apartment window and rested over everything. A wave of exhaustion overcame Mary and she made her way into the kitchen for some water.
Mary could hear the wind beating outside against the window. The rhythmic sound of the rattling window sounded like a voice beckoning her to listen.
Like a flash, Mary saw her life with Joseph before her. She was to have a baby and they were to travel to New York City, where Joseph was born so many years ago. They would be a family, but that also meant that they would have to sacrifice some of their own dreams and desires. It would be hard but they would succeed. They would raise a beautiful baby boy, named Jesus, and he would accomplish more than they could ever imagine. The two would struggle but they would always spend Sunday mornings together trusting that they had made the right choice.
Just then Mary was awoken by the sound of the apartment door opening. Her mother and father came through the door seeming to clear the fog from the room. Mary felt a small pinch in her stomach and realized that she had fallen back to sleep on the couch.
"Oh, honey, we just went to buy something for breakfast." Mary’s mother said as she came through the door loaded with grocery bags. "We met the most lovely woman named Angel. She said that she knew you. She had the most darling son, his name was Jesus and I just fell in love with that name." Mary’s mother seemed to shine in the morning sunlight as her and her father put the groceries down. Mary felt another pinch in her stomach but she smiled anyway and moved to help.