CHAPTER 33

A special guest in class

Monica finished to cut the last of the many small coloured papers and smiled. She had offered to wash the dishes but Andrew decided that as he was at home while their schedules were still matching, he would offer her "free and full restaurant service." Some tiny and sweet kisses were the "payment" for that special treatment and while she heard him working in the kitchen, the angel in human form busied herself with the preparation for the following day class.

Her questionings and fears from the other night had been left aside for a while as the angel in human form decided to put their destiny in their Father's hands. She knew that He would always be watching over them, and their existence was such a loving gift that the least she could do was to make every day count; loving her dear Andrew and doing everything she could to make him happy.

When she finished with the papers, Monica put all of them in an envelope and closed it carefully. Then, she placed the envelope together with other papers, all carefully printed for the much anticipated class. When Andrew finished his task in the kitchen, he returned to the room again and smiled to see her so absorbed in her duties, as he knew how much Monica was enjoying it.

"Everything ready for tomorrow's class?" he spoke, gently placing his hands over her shoulders and surveying her work over the table.

She threw him an affectionate gaze. "Actually there is one thing missing, you see..."

"Really? And what is it, angel?"

"You!"

Highly amused, and also surprised, Andrew raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

"Let me explain what I am doing here, and then you'll be able to tell me if you accept my invitation to a very special event!" she said, turning around to face him.

Noticing that she was really enjoying that little suspense, he decided to play along with her. "Okay!"

Monica opened the envelope on the table again and took one of the papers she had been cutting. "This..." she started, holding the piece of paper in her hands and showing it to him. "... is an honorary badge. And tomorrow's class will be a special one because every student is going to bring to the classroom an adult that they love and admire very much to talk about their job."

"That's a great idea, angel. Really, they'll love it!"He spoke, genuinely enthusiastic of his angel's loving plan.

She threw him an adorable gaze and finally told him what was in her mind from the start. "Ah, I'm glad that you like it, Andrew, because I was actually thinking about the person that I most admire and love and I came to the conclusion that it happens to be you!"

Chuckling, he reached out and caressed her face. "Oh, really?"

"It is! Except that... well, you are not a person exactly... you are an angel who is a temporary person..."

Laughing, Andrew wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Hum, if I were one of your students I guess I know who I'd take to class!" he spoke, placing a quick peck on her lips and enjoying hearing her giggling.

Monica's hands roamed delicately against his chest and the expression on her face turned to a soft one. "Could you open the class tomorrow and talk about your job as a firefighter?"

Lost in the beauty of her meek features, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. "Of course I can, baby..."

Andrew was greeted with her beautiful broad smile. "Thank you!" Barefoot, and standing on the tip of her toes, she could only kiss his chin. "See this wee badge? You'll receive one exactly like this!"

"That is a great honour! But I'm afraid there's something else I will want to receive!"

"Well, it's fair, after all you are my special guest!"

He bent his head and brushed his lips against hers, slowly at first, letting her feel his warm breath and the contact with his skin against her soft one. Only after they exchanged another loving gaze and then she closed her eyes, did he press his lips against hers more firmly, in a loving and languid kiss that made her sigh with contentment. The feeling of Andrew's fingers caressing her hair and settling on the back of her head made her feel limp in his arms.

"I love you so much..." she whispered, resting her head against his chest once their loving kiss was over.

The blond angel caressed her long auburn hair and kissed the top of her head. "Oh, my angel... I love you so much, baby... And I love the wonderful things you do for other people... I always have."

Her smile turned into a mischievous one as she spoke again, her eyes still closed as she was enjoying the feeling of being in his strong arms. "If this is your fee I'm beginning to consider inviting you for other classes, you know..."

Enjoying listening to his laughter, she looked up at him and received other loving and affectionate kisses. " Have you finished customizing your badges?" he wanted to know, never stopping to kiss her face.

"Actually I have..."

"Good! I wonder if there's anything else you have to prepare for your special class tomorrow?"

"Not that I remember, and I was exactly wondering what to do next as my loving husband gently offered to wash the dinner dishes!"

"Hum... I guess that can be arranged!"

When Andrew crossed the small distance between them she closed her eyes in sweet anticipation and he touched her lips with his once again. Other affectionate and long kisses followed that one, each of them a way to make them forget about life worries and to sigh with happiness at the multitude of feelings they managed to convey through such an intimate caress.

X

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning, Miss Monica!"

Fifteen bright-eyed little students and their respective parents and relatives replied in unison. The boys and girls watched with curiosity as their pretty teacher entered the classroom followed by a tall blond gentleman, wearing an impeccable fire-fighter's uniform. They had seen that gentleman there before, either bringing her to work or waiting for her when the classes were over.

The Irish angel placed her material over the table and looked at them again, happy to see that each and every one had managed to bring someone to that special class. Behind her, on the whiteboard, one could read: "Inspiration for the future."

"Well, first of all I want to thank you all for attending this class today and for giving some of your time to tell your children about what you do." She said, and then turned to her beloved Andrew, who had been standing next to her with a permanent smile on his face. The way she gazed up at him left no room for doubt: her brown eyes sparkled with love and admiration. "And to open our special class today I brought someone to talk about his job to all of you... This is Andrew, and I wonder if you can guess what he does!"

A little boy, considered one of the most extroverted of the class, raised his hand.

"Yes, Jimmy?"

"I don't know his job but I know who he is..." he said, with a mischievous smile on his face. "He's your boyfriend, Miss Monica!"

Not only Monica and Andrew laughed at that question but the parents and relatives as well. Highly amused, Monica took Andrew's hand. "Well, Jimmy, you are partially right as he was my boyfriend once, but now Andrew is my husband."

Another boy raised his hand. "Is he an astronaut?"

"No," his little friend interrupted, "He must be a soldier!"

"Of course he's not a soldier, he's a firefighter!" a smart little girl replied.

Chuckling, Monica and Andrew looked at each other briefly and then the blond angel turned to the children. "Well, good morning, children, parents and relatives. As Monica already said, my name is Andrew and I have the privilege to be married to your beautiful teacher!" As the children laughed, he kept on talking. "And you friend is right, I'm a firefighter. And today I'll tell you a bit about my work!"

Andrew spent the following minutes describing his work and the most relevant events in his short career. There were questions about his daily duties and he could see the admiration in those children's sparkling eyes. Actually, Andrew was somewhat proud of it, and happy to be adding something good to those little children of God.

When he finished, Monica thanked him and announced he would receive an honorary badge as a symbol of gratitude for his contribution to the students' formation. And the smart little girl who had guessed his occupation raised her hand again.

"Yes, Annie?"

"Aren't you kissing him too, Miss Monica?" She suggested, eliciting laughter once again.

"Well, that could be arranged!" The blond angel replied, bending down to place a featherlike kiss against Monica's forehead – nothing that resembled the loving kisses exchanged whenever the two were alone at home enjoying the silence of the night.

After Andrew, who had to leave soon after he had received his badge, other adults gave their testimony, filling the class with information that would be valuable to the children's future.