A Dark Winter Night

CHAPTER XII: Uncle Joseph's Story - Love for Man or God?

"Your Father was a good man as I had already said. He was a God-fearing man and he passed this down to Mary Regina Scully, my sister and your mother. He met your mother at school, they soon became great friends. He always would say:

"How beautiful is Mary right?" since then I knew that he was already in love with your mother.

Your Father was a very intelligent man, he always sought after the greater good of all. He was a very poor man and his guardian could not anymore support him, so, out of desperation. Our Family supported his schooling while he lived here in this very shack we are now standing. Our family, together with your mother, used to live in that kitchen a few blocks from here, which is now owned by that Fletcher man.

Your Father often visited your mother, bringing her all kinds of gifts. He was very much grateful to our family for supporting his schooling, he always asked father if he can just even be hired as servant. Yet the firmness of Father that it is an unconditional of act of love that we are doing, always triumphed over his merciful pleading. Your Father was also a skilled author and writer, he often wrote books and letters that varied from themes of love, family, society and God. He even had a journal, here let me read a passage from it:

Dear Journal,

This day has been quite turbulent and hurtful for me. I have witness more of how cruel society truly is, people do not respect God and claim that they are not doing any harm when actually they are the ones doing the most. They claim to be Catholics and yet they do not put in their lives what being a catholic implies. They only love Jesus' teachings when they are comfortable to them and easy to obey but when they encounter the first trial. They then give up right away. I pray that they might be converted,, even God was patient to the Israelites when they kept on complaining after their escape from Egypt. If Yahweh has, then I shall too. But the soreness of today's pain is resolved because of the love of my life, Regina. She is a flower beyond all orchards and a jewel beyond all treasures could compare. How I really love her!

Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner!

As you have heard, he was also suffering because of other people's sins and trespasses and yet all of his pain goes away at the single thought of your mother. He really indeed loved your mother and he would do anything just to be her love forever.

And so the day hath arrived when the two turtledoves became of one flock and of one feather. It was a lovely day and I could still remember the long gown your mother wore. She was elegant and illustrious, and your Father wore a jet black suit. They were a couple welded in heaven, and I could have not found another better one.

They married at the basilica of St. Matthew, the large church just a few streets where you are now working. That was the last streak of the last joyful moment that they had. The accidents and unfortunate events went successively, one after the other.

Mary Regina suffered a miscarriage, it was never known whether the child was a boy or a girl. My mother died of cancer and the next... your father dying because of wound infection..

He cried loudly, I understood his pain. It was all that ever mattered at that moment, I embraced my uncle. It is now that I only realized that I was not the only suffering of this event, I was not the only one who has not yet recovered. My uncle was not only an old man who had problems, but he was also a brother-in-law who lost a sibling.

I understood him for the very first time, I said to him:

"It's fine uncle, I am sure God is already taking care of him in paradise".

After a few minutes, he said:

"Thank you so much Nephew, I think I must go to bed already. Would you kindly tuck me in?"

I willingly agreed. He laid on his bed and I covered him with blanket, as I kissed his forehead with a sweet "Good Night". He was already sleeping deeply, when I noticed a black book that I have not noticed ever before. It was hidden underneath the bed covers, already yellow by time. I grasped it, it was covered in wrinkly leather cover. I looked at it's spine and back, but it had no writing whatsoever. I was about to inquire from my uncle what was the book and what was it doing inside his room, when I remembered that he was already sleeping. I then just got it, exited the shack and returned hurriedly to the apartment.

What can this book tell me? Maybe it's just an ordinary notebook.

Or is it?