The Bible

The next morning, I was surprised not to hear the early call of the Rooster, nor the grandmother fidgeting in the kitchen with her coffee preparation which had become an anticipated ritual. i did not hear much of anything, except for the wet ruffle of rain drenched leaves, soaked by the previous un expected storm, which brought more rain then needed that year, to the point that the local farmers worried wrinkle, focused more on up coming floods than the long anticipated drought which never came. I saw that the cat had left, with only a slight wrinkle on the edge of the bed; a reminder of her quick visit, and good old Antonio was still there, looking a little more cheerful than the night before with his hat placed in proper position and even his predicted smile returned, so that somehow things felt like they were returning to normal. there was the whole issue of the priest, which up to now I had no answer. Monica was somewhat vague if not stringent on her take of the matter. She seemed like she wanted to brush it under the table; The whole matter of my seeing him at the edge of the olive grove, and how he took swift flight the moment he noticed me there. And than why did he leave his good Bible there like that; something so sacred and personal, and though perhaps worn and battered by the use of time, one would think he would never lose his clutch over that good book.
I assumed it was just another lazy day in the village, and took to heart that i was so lucky to be there. Of course I knew cities more than villages, and even had some bright moments when I longed for the rush of energy and excitement that my so called city offered. I could very easily fall into the groove here and melt into the scenery, I thought. Who knows, perhaps meet a local girl and raise a family. of course in these parts meeting a local girl, really is, meeting the whole family, and we are not talking nuclear size here, not to mention that the whole village would rise to the occasion, as well as our good natured priest.
I decided to venture out and see what is happening. i came down from my small castle and found Bilbo the cat lying in the middle of the waiting room, just outside the kitchen entrance. I peered into the kitchen and saw the Grandmother,with her back turned towards me, sitting with the daily paper opened with both hands. Her tiny head was nodding back and forward, focusing intently on the printed word. I did not want to disturb her, so I moved into the piano room, and saw Monica sitting on the sofa, slightly curled into herself with an intense look on her face; She was clutching the closed Bible with both hands, and seemed to pressing against its cover on both ends.