Strange look in her eyes . . !
SHE was still staring at her husband; eyes full of love, and yes, some other expression, as though she was seeing his face after a long time.
The owner of the horse cart turned away after looking at the couple, he couldn’t figure out how a wife could still have that ‘honey moon gaze’. They were not spring chickens, certainly not.
“Well past middle age!” he thought, and yet the woman’s gaze fascinated him, and it wasn’t that her husband didn’t return the look.
There was certainly immense happiness in the man’s face too, but it was not of seeing his wife after a long time, he just continued looking into her eyes.
He was interrupted from his thoughts, with the chatter from a young boy who sat with his father at the edge of the cart. The boy, seemed to be ceaseless in his babbling.
It had first irritated the horse cart owner but as he listened, he felt the boy was uttering sounds of joy.
It was like father and son were not just listening to themselves speak, not listening to the words that came from the mouth of the young fellow, but as if they were enjoying the sounds.
Speech did not fascinate him much, but listening to the little fellows constant babble, stirred a sense of well-being all around.
The cart was full. He had heard there was a crowd of four thousand people near the sea, “And it is on a hill!” he was told.
He’d hurried his cart there, knowing people who climbed a hill, were weary to come down.
But not this crowd.
They were a happy lot, as if they’d been given a new boost to their lives.
“We do need a new boost!” he thought wearily to himself, and then heard the young boy addressing him, “Did you also get fed?” “Fed?” sked the horse cart owner.
“Yes, He fed all four thousand of us, and do you know with what?” He heard the father and son chuckle, then heard the woman with the strange look in her eyes laugh too, “With seven loaves of bread and a few pieces of fish!” “Who fed four thousand people with just that?” asked the horse cart owner in disbelief. “Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah!” all four said together.
“And then he gave me back my eyesight!” said the woman as she looked at him. “And my voice!” said the boy as his father hugged him.
The horse cart owner looked at the woman and the boy, and wished he had come earlier to hear the man they were talking about.
Just then a man walking down the hill asked, “May I sit with you?”
“That’s Him!” shouted the all four, He wants to ride with you!” “Please do!” whispered the horse cart owner, and as he felt Jesus next to him, felt his weariness disappear and a peace in his heart, even as his old horse began a joyous canter down the hill..!
