Joe

He sits in the yard behind his workshop. He often comes out here for a smoke and a cup of tea. It gives him space to think. And today he has a lot to think about. Recently, suddenly, his simple, straightforward life was shaken to its core. Everything’s changed. He was so sure he could trust her. Now he just doesn’t know. When she told him, she was pale and quiet, choosing her words carefully and obviously aware of the implications of what she was saying. How it all happened, he didn’t know. She didn’t seem too clear on it either. She mumbled something about an angel. Could he really believe a story like that? For some reason he did.

He knows how people will react when he tells them. This is a small town with old fashioned values. They way they treat girls in her position is utterly merciless. He can’t tell them. They’ll figure it out themselves soon enough. Hopefully, by then they’ll have got used to the idea.

There’s so much he has to take on trust. He has to trust his fiancée to be telling him the truth, however unlikely it seems. He has to trust God to somehow take care of what happens next. And he has to trust his own instincts. Can he trust the evidence of his own eyes and ears? Is he just the butt of some massive practical joke? He notices his hand is shaking slightly as he takes another drag on his cigarette. He’s not ready to be a dad. He never really saw himself as father material. And he certainly never expected to be bringing up someone else’s kid. How is he supposed to handle all this? All he can do is trust.