| THE LIE PAGE 2 |
When she awoke the following morning With an uneasy sense of shame But she decided to forget the past And a mistake she'd not repeat Thanking God, she hadn't hurt her Joe Whose love was trusting and so sweet A few weeks later, two events Occured just days apart... One overflowed her soul with joy Until the other broke her heart! Joe's return was unexpected The family's pace was frantic But learning she would have a child Changed Rebecca's joy to panic! Her terror mounted daily As she awaited Joe's arrival Indecision haunted her About her marriage's survival! Still she had intended In her heart to just confess Praying Joseph's love was strong enought To get them through this mess! But since the day of his return They'd had no time alone... As a stream of friends and visitors Poured in saying, "Welcome Home!" Before she knew it, weeks had passed Then finally late one night She told him she would have a child And Joseph howled with delight! For he assumed the child was his And could not contain his joy At the thought that they'd be parents Of a precious girl or boy! It shocked Rebecca to the core Knowing what she did But Joseph seemed so very pleased That she kept the truth well hid What harm could it do, she thought No one would ever know... As long as she was careful To never let her secret show The baby girl was perfect Though the doctor said, "That's all!" She'd forgotten painful memories Before little Jenny learned to crawl! Raising her tiny daughter Made Rebecca's life complete She'd never had an inkling That motherhood was so sweet Day by day the years went by Jenny grew so very fast She was the apple of her Daddy's eye A stage that would never pass... And for Joseph, the sun rose and set On his precious little girl Who, in turn, believed her Papa was The greatest man in all the world! The close alliance they had forged Made the two as close as one And Rebecca thanked God daily She'd had the sense to hold her tongue! Jenny grew more beautiful Both outwardly and inside Until the day she fell in love And herself became a bride Rebecca and Joseph, older now Were as proud as they could be As their daughter furnished grandkids For them to bounce upon their knees! Still the years rolled slowly on Even the grandkids now were grown Rebecca still considered Joseph The finest man she'd ever known Time had only deepened Their devotion to one another Now, in the twilight of their years All they needed was each other And as Rebecca rested quietly In the darkened, silent room She knew the time had come to tell him And she felt it must be soon! She'd never seen Joe angry Not even in their youth But still she knew she could not die Without telling him the truth And though she dreaded seeing The accusation in his eye She knew it was the price she'd pay For having told the lie... |
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