Christmas: the inn keepers strange offer

Joe was worried. Too worried. He fixed his hand into his jeans and looked around. ‘we’d  have to find another hotel’ he said to anita who was sweating profusely due to heat of uncomfortable circumstances.

They’d tried fifteen hotels in the dead hour of the night and they were already filled up with or reserved for people coming in for the census. He tried to drive steadily along the unsteady road, washed away by heavy rain in the summer. The ninth month of gestation was always very stressful, Anita thought to herself even though she knew her mothers and aunts hadn’t missed a day of work on their ninths months of gestation just excluding delivery day and the periods after.

She clutched tightly to her belly. Her water just broke and even though not being too much of a science freak, she knew that the amniotic sac had broken and there wasn’t too much too worry about. But the stress of the journey made her weak and if she was correct, the baby had kicked once or twice along the way. She wasn’t going to alarm him but after child birth, she was going to point accusing fingers at the government. She didn’t know why they would call a census at this time, when only a few months back they had their census. She could have been in the comfort of a civilized city with less people in a good hospital but for the census. She stared at her worry dazed husband. She could see the lines on his arched forehead. He was so caring, if it were some other man, they won’t have cared. At least the child wasn’t his.

He looked her and smiled after giving her a tight squeeze on her palm. He parked the car and walked out to a small motel. He wondered if the press would somehow get there and find out their little front page princess was going to birth to her ‘strange’ baby in a cheap motel in bayelsa. He smiled at the thought. He didn’t care about the press as long as the child and Anita were well. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and walked into the motel. He walked up to the front desk. The woman shook her head disdainfully as if she already knew what he was going to ask

‘no rooms available sir’ she said sorry.

A man walked in as joe was about to leave. Joe turned back immediately

 ‘pleaase, my wife is about to go into  labour!’

‘oh my’ the man said ‘well there is little I can do. All I have is a barn filled with animals with little or no spaceand my wife is a midwife. That’s the best this motel can do’ he said and immediately joe realized he had to be the manager.

‘I’m sure you wouldn’t want that’ the front desk lady said and the man nodded

‘but the offer is still open.’ The man said and Joe noticed the worry in his voice. ‘I doubt if you’ll get any hotel or even a hospital at this hour in this town, on this day. But if-’

‘no no, she is crying in the car now’ he cried out loud ‘I’ll take anything’ joe said

‘then we have to hurry’ the hotel manager said and rushed to his barn. He had never done this and he didn’t know why he was giving a room meant for aanimals to a human being. But his spirit pushed him to it and deep down, he knew he was doing the right thing for the young couple.

the inn keeper gave a room meant for animals for the king of kings to be born. He could have sent them away like all the other inn keepers did and said ‘this room is for animals not humans’ or something.  But he didn’t. his offer plays a key part in the story of christmas as it is said Christ was born in manger that the animals ate from. What a noble way of being born. Though, the inn keeper till today isn’t remembered for anything significant, I must say, his offer went a long way in history.

Christmas is about offering one thing or the other not just to those we know, but also to strangers e.g the less priviledged. As it is popularly said, it is more blessed to give than to receive J so, go look for that human or animal you want to bless this christmas.

THE SACRIFICE CHRISTMAS CAME WITH

Anita sat up all night with her best friends, elatedly schmoozing about the baby that was to be born through her. She felt awfully distinctive at least, for just this once in her life, she was achieving something without qualm that the world would remember her for. But the girls didn’t seem thrilled and enthusiastic a tidbit for her. They seemed to burden themselves about other things and felt it was all a bad idea. She didn’t worry. As long as Joe was going to be with her forever.

‘That’s the problem’ tiffany stars explained

‘Joe doesn’t want some bastard baby!” lily trumpet said without doubt, not mincing words.

She looked away angrily.  ‘It’s not bastard it’s of the Lord and Joe wants it.’

‘Kill the baby’ tiffany said ‘do you think society would believe that crap? For Pete’s sake your father is a wealthy oil tycoon. It would be all around the society pages’

‘It’s the lord’s and he has it all under control.’ She said turning away fast enough so as not to make sense of what they were saying.

‘I have to go’ she said worriedly and without any word from them she exited the room. She longed for a lot that she would have on her own and God had given her the one thing any woman at least religious, would crave for. Favor from God. She never dreamed of hearing directly from God and she did. Everything she had belonged to her father. She was known as her father’s daughter. She never had anything that was just hers. Something that said Anita not Anita Marshall.

She was going to sacrifice it all to have the lord’s child despite what anyone said. Joe was hers but her parents didn’t really approve because his parents were middle class and not in the society pages at all.  She tucked her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. But she was betrothed. It could cause a major scandal despite the fact that the elites didn’t know who Joe Robinson was... She sighed and entered into her small convertible. It was dark all around and day won’t be around for another two hours. She wanted to talk someone and thought of Joe but didn’t want to disturb her lover.

Just then her phone beeped. ‘Sorry Nita, I can’t do this anymore’ was the message from her fiancée. She was confused. Was he breaking up with her? God wouldn’t allow that she thought. She couldn’t even put the key into the ignition. She closed her eyes and when she opened them, her favor announcing angel was there again. ‘Don’t be afraid’ he said ‘I would have texted you but I really don’t know how this cell works’

She wanted to smile but her heart was troubled.

‘Don’t worry; you would marry your heartthrob in a lovely place. He would stand by your it’s just a phase- trust me a teeny weeny phase’

She was about to tell him she doubted it but he quickly spoke ‘don’t doubt me’ he said ‘I can’t lie to you.’ He said and vanished but she still doubted. Seeing was believing they said and so, she’d rather see him affirming to the fact that despite all was going on now, he would stand by her.

Few minutes later, she pulled over at the drive way of her father’s grand mansion. ‘Where

 Have you been?’ her sister asked agitated. ‘You’re late and the bishop has been waiting.’ She walked in slowly trying to comprehend her sister’s words.

She was slowly getting hanged of the situation but tried not to excite herself because she thought she might be wrong. But she wasn’t. She walked in and met members of her snooty, snobby posh extended family and members of her ex’s family. It was creepy that they were all there in the wee hours of the morning. Her mother rushed to her. ‘Sweetie, you look terrible get dressed’

‘My wedding was called off’ she said shaking her head miserably.

‘Ok, I think you’re confused because your wedding is taking off in a bit’

‘My darling’ her fiancé’s mum said ‘you need to get dressed. Not too fancy though because the wedding was on impromptu changed to a small one’’

‘Ok I think I’m dreaming’ she said and magically or maybe not so magically but something out of a fairytale movie, Joe walked to her back.

The two mothers who hadn’t been able to stand each other in times past walked off excitedly. ‘I am sorry’ he said ‘I was a jerk. I should stand by you no matter what!’

‘This has got to be a dream’

‘I thought so myself when I got a call from my mother and your sisters literally dragged me here’ he said ‘I then realized I couldn’t lose you. That message was all a mistake’ he said hugging her

‘Yes’ she said ‘let’s take a leap. Yes, let’s get married right now’

‘I thought as much but my dream to put on a tux on my wedding day not night must come true’

Her father walked towards them. ‘What about this tux. Properly slim fitted.’ He said

Christmas is about sacrifice. You see Christmas started long before Christ was even born. It started when he was conceived. The sacrifice joseph made to be with Mary despite Mary was with the holy spirits child started the gift of Christmas. Not many men are willing to sacrifice that. In fact, one in fifty men are willing to stay with their supposedly virgin girlfriends, pregnant for another. Its even preposterous and so, one in hundred are willing to be with a girlfriend that is pregnant for another man and gladly would accept that child. This should get thinking. What do we want to sacrifice this christmas and for who exactly?

Modern christmas

Sopping in moisture, he sprang up apprehensively. He kept on panting until it dawned on him that it had been but a dream. He lighted a matchstick and lit the candle on the small wooden table. It was still very gloomy but the moon shown lustrously and it seemed to be smiling half-heartedly down at him except he was hallucinating. He wanted to sleep back but the alarming dream came back to memory. He looked at Anita’s picture on the wall and was put off immediately. He was going to put off the engagement gently. No one had to know what was wrong with their courting. No one had to know why he was going to tear her heart to pieces.

 The sky was crystal clear. Nothing special, he thought looking at the sparkly view.

He picked up an old newspaper and began to fan himself. It was hot and the confusing state of things didn’t make things any better. Plus, he had a distressing catarrh that had refused to leave.

‘No, I cant hurt myself, I gotta let her go’  

Ah, but it was painful. After months of faultless and immaculate courting, something unordinary was going to tear them apart. She was everything a young average man would want but holy elements took a noble delight in tearing them apart.

She was fair and elegant. The fairest of all the women he knew. An exquisite jewel she was, worth more than any jewel. Her long thick black hair, worn plainly down with a crisp flower at the front was far better than any attachment, synthetic, or human hair.  She was as rare a gem as any decoration worth being purchased. But was it really all worth it? Was her gaiety elegant pose all worth the shock and embarrassment in the church of God? What would his folks say?

What would the parishioners gossip?

He sat back with his head in his clasped hands. Was it love that made him want to just keep it all together or that dream; that all so powerful dream that made him think divine power could be somewhat annoying when you didn’t understand its ways.

He shook his head. No way was he keeping the courtship together further more than today. It was going to end. Maybe a text-no a phone call-a gentle man could end it over dinner. Yes that was it. A normal dinner with two old comrades parting.

For all he knew, that angel that appeared to him could as well be the devil. Lucifer was once an angel so he knew their wiles and perils. He had said in a gentle low tone ‘the baby is of the holy ghost’ that was supposed to be good news but it had scared him to death. Plus, the public wouldn’t have it. ‘Holy ghost?’ that’s crap

He turned to the heavens as they gradually became clear. The candle light was gradually burning away so everything seemed a bit misty. Just like his life

‘Show me your will clearly’

man is man's enemy

He shuffled through the old dusty files hurriedly. He knew there was a way but he didn’t just know which one of the ninety year old books held the great secret. A secret that the universe needed right now. Beads of sweat came down his face. He was tired. Four weeks with only a total of thirty hours sleep was enough to drive a sane man crazy and he had survived it. Except he was somewhat crazy and he didn’t know it. He closed his eyes and realized it had been a strange mystic year and of all of his family, he was the only one who knew how to save the world. His wife Tasha, a Chinese woman in her constant contradictory red suit had walked out of his world promising never to come back. She said ‘I’m doing you a favor ken’ times were that bad.

When he closed his eyes that very day, wiping his tears, he promised himself, God and the animal sector of the United States that he would find kill that animal species that had multiplied in millions endangering lives of humans and other animals. It was four legged animal that couldn’t be killed or tamed. It stood on its feet in imitation to man.

During his sleep of thirty minutes to one hour, he always saw the animal devouring Tasha and that made him angry. Once he got the cure, he’d be richer than Kyla smith, world’s richest. A few hours left and he hadn’t gotten anything. Three months of existence and it had devoured over five billion humans. That excluded women and children in the world. If he didn’t find the chemicals, the recipe to make it, if no one did, there would be war and much more lives would be lost. ‘Thrust a knife into this being and its flesh would grow smoothly. Never saw it in my ninety years of working with endangered species of animals. Never even heard about this thing’ the CEO animal science ENT said scared. He didn’t live longer than that day. He committed suicide. ‘I’m not worth living if I can’t help humanity.’ He wrote in a note.

‘It is sheer terrorism’ the head of states of a far off country had said ‘its high time the animals rebel-’

He hadn’t made enough sense but the world took it. Parishioners started spreading the word of the end of the world at hand. 2100, the year tagged fulfillment was nothing but stress. Just as he was about to sit down for a minimum of five minutes, the books from the top most shelves fell to the ground. ‘More work?’ he asked himself and rang for the robot to come in.

She dropped a tray of rice on the table. He was repelled at the thought of eating anything. The hunger strike he’d been through had made him hate eating ‘coffee is enough to take me through the day’ he would say. He didn’t even know how his children looked like anymore. He knew one was lee but he had forgotten the others name. So much time had gone since the epidemic began. ‘Sir,’ she said in the robotic voice ‘do I pack up this books’

‘Yeah’ he said offhandedly then his eye caught something.

The scroll of all ages. Magnificently red and beautiful. Here, the secret to wipe off the animals lay. He hurriedly and excitedly still a little anxious caught hold of it and was about to start reading when he realized the scroll had been adapted to modern technology.

‘Before reading’ the voice said ‘eat something’

In confusion, he obeyed the machine and ate like three spoons of rice. He knew he’d eventually throw it all up. ‘Rest five hours.’ She continued.

He tried to sleep but he couldn’t. But when he did, he battled with dreams. When he woke up at the sixth hour, the scroll was gone.

TO BE CONTINUED