Advent 2019, Day Three: What If the Annunciation Were Trans? (Part Two)
Read Part One
The stranger sighed and gave her an indulgent smile. "You're gonna be a momma, Mary," they said gently. "And not just any momma. You're gonna be pregnant and grow your own little one, not just in your heart but in your belly too, and believe me when I tell you your child is going to be incredible."
And with that announcement, Mary completed her journey to speechlessness. No more stammering, no half-formed protests – she couldn't even decide if she wanted to laugh or shout, let alone make a coherent sentence. As if in a dream, she found herself tilting the half-empty laundry basket so it fell on the floor, and once the couch was clear, she half-fell onto it, her eyes never leaving the stranger, who was waiting patiently all the while.
"This isn't happening," she finally decided. Never mind that her pulse was so loud in her ears she could barely hear herself speak. Never mind the shaking in her limbs. Never mind the static in her head, a giddy mix of confusion and disbelief and a distant sense of unspeakable joy. "This isn't real. You shouldn't even be here, you can't be here, and this…"
The stranger pushed themself off the wall and came around to perch on the arm of the couch beside her while she rambled. "It's a lot to take in, I'm sure," they said conversationally as they wiggled a bit to get comfortable. You know, when I first heard about this whole scheme, I wondered if maybe God was off His rocker. Maybe eternity had finally gotten to Her, y'know? Like, yeah, They're God, but stuff happens. But nah, it's the real deal. God's decided to make an appearance here on earth, and you-" they pushed one finger gently against Mary's forehead- "get to carry Em while Ve grows."
"B-but…" Ah, there were the words. The problem now was that there were too many of them; protests and dismissals and outright rejections crashed through her mind until she was drowning in them. "But I can't get pregnant!" she finally blurted.
The stranger snorted. "Sure you can," they said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but God's kind of in the business of enabling the impossible."
"No, you don't understand." She was still shaking, but for some reason it was suddenly vital she say these words. "I can't get pregnant. Whenever we talked about having kids we always knew Joe would carry them if they were biological, o-or we'd have to adopt, or…I mean…I don't even have a uterus!" she finally wailed.
"Oh, Mary," the stranger sighed with a fond smile. "Mary, Mary, Mary. Weren't you listening? Doing the impossible is just another day at the office for God. I think it's fun for Hir, truth be told."
She was running out of excuses. "But why me?" she whispered.
They just shrugged. "Why anyone?" they asked. "Why'd Ze come up with this whole plan in the first place? I don't know that much, baby girl, I'm just the messenger. But I'm pretty sure Xe knows what E's doing."
Mary hesitated, and the stranger gave her a long, searching look. "Yeah, you're getting there," they mused, "but you're not quite there yet. It's like…" They thought for a moment, then lit up with an idea. "You know your cousin Beth? Doctors always told her she'd never be able to carry to term, didn't they? And how far along is she?"
Mary frowned. "Five…no, six months? But what does that have to do with—"
"Six months, and I guarantee you that baby is going to be born on time and healthy. No problems, no nothin'. Probably not the world's first post-menopausal baby, I mean weird things happen with human bodies all the time, but I doubt there's too many of them."
"But…I mean, that's awfully different from…from someone like me carrying a baby. And besides, I'm just—"
The stranger held up a hand, and Mary shut her mouth with a snap. "Honey, listen to me," they said. "You know the phrase 'the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'?"
Mary nodded, not sure if she was allowed to speak yet. "Well lemme tell you something," they continued. "Abraham told two separate kings his wife was his sister, just because he wanted them to treat him well, and if they knew he was her husband he thought they might take her away. And d'you know what? Isaac did the same fool thing. Jacob stole his brother's birthright and their father's deathbed blessing – two of the most valuable things he could have taken – and then tucked tail and ran. All three of those men were liars and cowards, and at least one of them was a thief. Yet they're remembered as the great forefathers of their people. Because God blessed them anyway."
The stranger leaned down and cupped her face, swiping a gentle thumb over her cheek. It was only then she realized she was crying, and that the stranger was smiling. "So," they said, "is it really so hard to believe that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wants to bless you, too?"
She glanced away and sniffed. "Yeah," she whispered. "Actually, yeah, it is." But then she turned her gaze back on the stranger, and there was steel in her eyes despite the tears that still gathered in their corners. "But I'll believe it anyway."
Their smile became a grin. "That's my girl."
She was never quite sure when the stranger – the messenger – left, just as she was never quite sure when they had arrived. But when she woke up the next morning and discovered some, ah, changes, she and Joe had a very interesting conversation indeed.
But that, my friend, is a tale for another time.
The stranger sighed and gave her an indulgent smile. "You're gonna be a momma, Mary," they said gently. "And not just any momma. You're gonna be pregnant and grow your own little one, not just in your heart but in your belly too, and believe me when I tell you your child is going to be incredible."
And with that announcement, Mary completed her journey to speechlessness. No more stammering, no half-formed protests – she couldn't even decide if she wanted to laugh or shout, let alone make a coherent sentence. As if in a dream, she found herself tilting the half-empty laundry basket so it fell on the floor, and once the couch was clear, she half-fell onto it, her eyes never leaving the stranger, who was waiting patiently all the while.
"This isn't happening," she finally decided. Never mind that her pulse was so loud in her ears she could barely hear herself speak. Never mind the shaking in her limbs. Never mind the static in her head, a giddy mix of confusion and disbelief and a distant sense of unspeakable joy. "This isn't real. You shouldn't even be here, you can't be here, and this…"
The stranger pushed themself off the wall and came around to perch on the arm of the couch beside her while she rambled. "It's a lot to take in, I'm sure," they said conversationally as they wiggled a bit to get comfortable. You know, when I first heard about this whole scheme, I wondered if maybe God was off His rocker. Maybe eternity had finally gotten to Her, y'know? Like, yeah, They're God, but stuff happens. But nah, it's the real deal. God's decided to make an appearance here on earth, and you-" they pushed one finger gently against Mary's forehead- "get to carry Em while Ve grows."
"B-but…" Ah, there were the words. The problem now was that there were too many of them; protests and dismissals and outright rejections crashed through her mind until she was drowning in them. "But I can't get pregnant!" she finally blurted.
The stranger snorted. "Sure you can," they said. "I don't know if you've noticed, but God's kind of in the business of enabling the impossible."
"No, you don't understand." She was still shaking, but for some reason it was suddenly vital she say these words. "I can't get pregnant. Whenever we talked about having kids we always knew Joe would carry them if they were biological, o-or we'd have to adopt, or…I mean…I don't even have a uterus!" she finally wailed.
"Oh, Mary," the stranger sighed with a fond smile. "Mary, Mary, Mary. Weren't you listening? Doing the impossible is just another day at the office for God. I think it's fun for Hir, truth be told."
She was running out of excuses. "But why me?" she whispered.
They just shrugged. "Why anyone?" they asked. "Why'd Ze come up with this whole plan in the first place? I don't know that much, baby girl, I'm just the messenger. But I'm pretty sure Xe knows what E's doing."
Mary hesitated, and the stranger gave her a long, searching look. "Yeah, you're getting there," they mused, "but you're not quite there yet. It's like…" They thought for a moment, then lit up with an idea. "You know your cousin Beth? Doctors always told her she'd never be able to carry to term, didn't they? And how far along is she?"
Mary frowned. "Five…no, six months? But what does that have to do with—"
"Six months, and I guarantee you that baby is going to be born on time and healthy. No problems, no nothin'. Probably not the world's first post-menopausal baby, I mean weird things happen with human bodies all the time, but I doubt there's too many of them."
"But…I mean, that's awfully different from…from someone like me carrying a baby. And besides, I'm just—"
The stranger held up a hand, and Mary shut her mouth with a snap. "Honey, listen to me," they said. "You know the phrase 'the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'?"
Mary nodded, not sure if she was allowed to speak yet. "Well lemme tell you something," they continued. "Abraham told two separate kings his wife was his sister, just because he wanted them to treat him well, and if they knew he was her husband he thought they might take her away. And d'you know what? Isaac did the same fool thing. Jacob stole his brother's birthright and their father's deathbed blessing – two of the most valuable things he could have taken – and then tucked tail and ran. All three of those men were liars and cowards, and at least one of them was a thief. Yet they're remembered as the great forefathers of their people. Because God blessed them anyway."
The stranger leaned down and cupped her face, swiping a gentle thumb over her cheek. It was only then she realized she was crying, and that the stranger was smiling. "So," they said, "is it really so hard to believe that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wants to bless you, too?"
She glanced away and sniffed. "Yeah," she whispered. "Actually, yeah, it is." But then she turned her gaze back on the stranger, and there was steel in her eyes despite the tears that still gathered in their corners. "But I'll believe it anyway."
Their smile became a grin. "That's my girl."
She was never quite sure when the stranger – the messenger – left, just as she was never quite sure when they had arrived. But when she woke up the next morning and discovered some, ah, changes, she and Joe had a very interesting conversation indeed.
But that, my friend, is a tale for another time.
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