"Stomp, stomp!" The thud of Joseph’s heavy, work boots announced his return. "Hello beautiful," he said picking his wife up and twirling her around. "Nice to see you to," she replied. Carefully he set Micca down, gently untangling the wisps of hair that got caught on his whiskers. (He never mentioned it to his wife, but he always enjoyed this sensation.) "Joseph you need to shave!" Micca exclaimed playfully.
"Mmh this smells good, thank you," he said as he pulled his wife’s chair out for her, before sitting himself down. "I’m going to be out all day. I’ve got to fix the West fence before this storm hits- if I don’t get it done right away this weather will cause more damage." The couple bowed their heads, "Dear Lord," Joseph prayed, "thank you for this food and for this day. Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus to take our place on the cross. Please forgive us of our sins. Help us to love each other the way You love us. Please bless our work Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen." "Amen," Micca echoed, pushing her braid aside, before beginning to eat. Finally the meal drew to a close and she got up to get Joseph’s lunch.
The weather was starting to look bad, during conditions like these she hated to send him off but she new he had to go. "Lord, please keep him safe," she prayed as she watched her husband leave. As the day wore on, Micca would glance out the window or front door, occasionally she gave her braid an anxious tug. The storm clouds kept getting larger and darker. Trying to keep her worries at bay she busied herself around the house: mending Joseph’s shirts, putting up laundry, washing dishes, washing the vegetables she had picked for their evening meal. Micca put the fresh vegetables in the soup pot. While they simmered she made biscuits…
Micca looked one last time out the window, before going to bathe and wash her hair. She always tried to freshen up before Joseph came home, and she enjoyed this time of solitude…It gave her time to relax and reflect on the day’s events. After making sure her hair rinsed clean, Micca got out and patted herself and her hair with a towel. Then she put on her evening gown and slippers. ‘Joseph where are you?’ she wondered. It was getting late and he was always home by now. To make matters worse, peals of thunder and lightning could be heard close by. Micca sat down in her rocking chair and anxiously combed her fingers through her wet hair, moving the chair back and forth…
Finally, ‘bang, bang, bang’ Joseph rapped on the wooden panel, "Micca open the door!" he exclaimed. With her damp hair flying about she rushed to the door and opened it. "Joseph, I was so worried …" "I know, I know – I’m sorry. It took me longer than expected," he replied. Gingerly he embraced his wife and removed his dirty, wet coat. While Joseph made himself presentable, Micca filled their soup bowls. "Mhh that smells good," he said. The couple sat down to eat.
Later that evening, Micca was finally able to brush her hair out next to the warm fire. Joseph sat near by, working on his latest carving project and admiring the scene in front of him…His bride sat perched on the hearth. The fire’s light glowed softly all around her, through her hair and gown… Carefully she combed out her hair, working her fingers up the entire length. Then she took the carved brush, her most prized possession (Joseph had given it to her on their wedding night) from its case and began to brush her hair from the bottom up. Unexpectedly one of the logs in the fireplace cracked and rolled off its perch. Hot, red sparks flew in all directions – POP! POP! POP!
Micca gasped, as one of the sparks landed in her hair… "JOSEPH HELP!" Joseph lunged forward, scattering tools everywhere… With his bare hands he gathered up her burning hair, trying not to swear - he patted the tresses over and over. Finally the flames were extinguished, and thanks to Joseph, most of her hair was intact. Large blisters welled up on his hands… Micca started to cry – it seemed strange that the sight of his wounded hands was both painful and beautiful to look at.? After the couple regained their composure, Micca went to the cupboard and brought out some ointment and bandages to put on Joseph’s hands. "Thank you so much," Joseph. "You’re welcome." he replied. From a safe distance, the couple sat entwined looking at the fire. "Thank you dear, I really do appreciate it. You were so brave and you saved my hair!" Despite the pain in his hands, he carefully moved her hair around to the front, and gathered his bride in his arms, carrying her upstairs. A mischievous grin spread across his face. He knew he would continue to be ‘appreciated’ for the rest of the evening in their bedroom..:+).