Joe was in a quandary. A stable, actually. That stable. He had arranged for Mary to be as comfortable as possible. She lay there on the straw, a slight slip of a girl with an enormous belly. “Any day now,” he said. “Any day now, Joe,” she said.
Earlier, he knew exactly why that bloated innkeeper turned them away. Joe didn’t believe for a minute there was no room available there. The keeper had probably heard they weren’t married. Nazareth was not far from Bethlehem, and they were the talk of the country with her so young.
Joe had his eye on her for ages before making any move. His hesitation provoked mirth. “Poor old Joe, bidin’ his time,” mocked his friends. When Joe did move, it was too late. That’s what his friends thought, but he never did.
They were betrothed before either realised she was pregnant. That’s what she said. When she calmed down, they talked about it. “He said he was an angel,” Mary said. “Don’t they all?” remarked Joe. “And that God sent him,” she said. “Ah, here!” blurted Joe.
The Young Offenders Christmas Special review: Where’s Jock? Without him, Conor’s firearm foxer isn’t quite a cracker
Restaurant of the year, best value and Michelin predictions: Our reviewer’s top picks of 2024
When Claire Byrne confronts Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary on RTÉ, the atmosphere is seriously tetchy
Our restaurant reviewer’s top takeaway picks of 2024
“And that his name was Gabriel,” she said. I suppose that’s what the child will be called if it’s a boy, Joe thought to himself. “He said the baby should be called Jesus,” Mary continued. “Really,” said Joe, “and have I no say at all?” Mary began to cry. He put his arm around her and said “whatever you want”.
There was Mary’s cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zachary. They’d been trying for years with nothing stirrin’. Joe had long concluded that Zachary just didn’t have it in him. Nice fella, but, ... you know.
Then when they visited Elizabeth recently she said she was pregnant too. As the two women hugged one another, Joe thought to himself “I suppose that Gabriel fella was here as well!”
Quickly turning to Mary, he said, “...fair play to Zachary.” “And Elizabeth,” said Mary. “And Elizabeth,” he echoed.
Looking at her there in the stable he pondered on what might lie ahead. His main hope was that Mary wouldn’t insist he go along with this new Roman fashion for fathers and that he’d have to change the child.
“And what if it’s a girl, what’ll we call her?” he thought.
Stable, from the Latin stabulum, a building where domestic animals are kept.
