THREE: Untitled

THREE: Untitled

         Taking of vows was a simple ceremony, a few questions asked, a few sentences repeated, a verse from the bible read and then Ezekiel made the sign of the cross and it was done. Simple, yes, but I felt a change in me. When Ezekiel's hand made it's practiced motions before me, I felt like I had been reborn.

         Then, to much applause, he announced that I was forgiven and pure of heart. He motioned for Adah, Lamech, and a few others to join us at the front and then announced that my baptism would not be delayed.

         As the others set to work to prepare for a celebration, Ezekiel led a small group of us to a nearby stream. He seemed to know the know perfect spot, where the waters did not rush too much, but the depth was enough for me to be bend backward into the cool, fresh water.

         The lightness that consumed me afterward me speechless and teary-eyed. I could feel God in my heart, feel that He had forgiven me. A sense purity flooded through me. My entire being swelled with love.

         When we returned, Adah and I were sent to her tiny, two-room home where she and Lamech shared one room and the other, for now, would be mine. “I don't know if this will fit right, but,” she smiled, “I made this for you.”

         I took the bundle, my eyes welling with tears as I tore the simple paper to find a simple black dress with the sword rising from fire on the right side of the chest. I thanked her and quickly changed into the dress. I couldn't believe that my sister, that black-haired, Gothic anarchist Dakota had stitched some a beautiful dress –but, she hadn't. This was Adah's work; Dakota no longer existed.

         She brought a mirror from the other room. “I borrowed this from Ezekiel,” she explained.

         It felt perfect, hugging the developing curves of my breasts and hips and flowing to my ankles in a cascade of rich fabric. The sleeves went halfway down to my elbows, ending with a simple white lace. I looked at my chest and blushed as I noticed a tiny bit of cleavage revealed by the dipping neckline. I felt immodest, like I was showing too much skin. My hand immediately flew up to cover it.

         Adah giggled. “It is okay, Sister. The next one, we will make higher, if you would like.” She winked at me as my hand dropped.

         “We?”

         “Yes, we,” she laughed. “It is easy. I will start teaching you tomorrow.” She hugged me. “For now, though, we celebrate!”

         The celebration of my rebirth was beyond my imagining. We danced and drank wine and prayed and played games with the children. It was a joyous affair of smiles and laughter.

         About two hours in, Ezekiel called me to his side. His wife, standing on his other side, seemed to glare at me as he turned away from her. “I have a gift for you,” he beamed. He reached back and Hannah handed him a small box which he placed in my hands.

         I opened it to reveal a small gold cross on a chain. “Thank you,” I cried, throwing my arms around him.

         I stepped back and he took the box, removing the necklace and placing it around my neck. He traced his finger over the cross and then kissed my forehead. “You are welcome, Mary.”

         I looked at him quizzically, unsure of why he had gotten my name wrong.

         A burst of laughter erupted from him. “I have been thinking all night and day of what you should be called. It was just now, seeing that cross against your flesh that it came to me. You shall be called Mary.” He hugged me tightly. “My little Mary,” he whispered.

         I was beyond delighted. I felt almost like I had entered Heaven itself. This commune, this place that I had found so strange and scary at first, had proved itself as Paradise. I thanked Ezekiel once more and then turned away, my hand clutching my new treasure.

         Joanna, a young woman of sixteen with whom I had quickly become friends rushed to me, her six-month-old son on her hip. “God has smiled upon you.”

         I felt my cheeks grow hot from blushing. “God has smiled upon all of us.”

         She nodded. “I am glad that He has blessed us with your arrival, Mary.”

         I blushed deeper. “How do you know...?”

         She laughed, sliding the baby across her flat stomach and swollen breasts to her other hip. “Word travels fast here. We keep no secrets; there is never a need to.”

         “No, there is not.”

         She looked over my shoulder. “He favors you, I think.”

         “Who?”

         “Ezekiel, of course,” she said with short laugh. “I would think he shall marry you very well.”

         “Marry?”

         “Yes. Maybe to Matthew,” she said, nodding to the man that always seemed to be within a few feet of Ezekiel.

         I looked at him, considering his appearance for a moment. His hair was dark, his eyes almost gray in their coloring. He was not an ugly man, but his features were much rougher than Ezekiel's, his frame more muscular. He was tall and, at times, gave off a threatening vibe that made me fearful to ever cross him.

         “He is gentler than he looks,” she commented as thought reading my thoughts.

         “I am sure, but...”

         “He is favored. He is Ezekiel's right-hand man. You could not do better.”

         “Then why isn't he married?”

         “He is. You haven't met Naomi because she is still recovering.”

         “Recovering?”

         A look of sympathy and pain clouded her eyes. She looked down. “Two nights ago, she lost their son in childbirth.” She seemed to hold tighter the baby on her hip. “It was to be their first.”

         “I... I did not know.”

         She looked up, a smile returning to her face. “Of course, you had not yet arrived. Come, let us get a glass of wine.”

         “But...”

         She stopped mid-step and turned back toward me. “But, what?”

         “We are...”

         She shook her head. “Come, Mary. This is your celebration.”




Word Count: 1068 words
Written On: April 24, 2010