chapters 5 and 6

CHAPTER 5

Two days later, at the hospital, Mr Schmidt was impatiently waiting for the results of the tests. Together with him were Tess, Mary and Father Rosenberg (who, trying to hide all his great concern for Mrs Schmidt, gave them a feeble excuse that he used to visit the hospital once a week). Finally, Andrew showed up holding some papers in his hand:

“So can we set the operation already?!”, Rose’s father eagerly asked. But Andrew’s face was not a happy one:

“Mr Schmidt we have to talk...”

“What do you mean, Andrew? Isn’t everything alright?!”

“I checked the results 3 times, so that there isn’t any mistake... Your mother has a component in her blood, which is rare, even to another member of the family. I’m sorry, but... you’re not compatible...”

Hearing that, despair became evident on the man’s face:

“So... what am I going to do now?!”

“We’ll keep on looking for a donor, it may be Rose, it may even be a person who is not a relative. I’ve already send a request asking for a donor in a bone marrow bank.”

After some seconds of silence, the man spoke again, his voice hoarse with sadness:

“She’s not gonna make it, right?”

“Mr Schmidt there is a chance to save your mother. It’s not gonna be easy, but we have to try everything we can. And I’ll do everything possible, you have my word!”

“I’m sorry, Mr Schmidt, but don’t give up... I’m sure there’ll be a donor somewhere!...”, Mary said, trying to reassure him.

“She’s right, Mr Schmidt. We cannot lose our hope in the first attempt!”, Tess agreed.

He looked at the others, sorrow and pain evident in his eyes:

“Thank you for being here, but, if you excuse me... I wanna be alone...”

He left the hospital filled with despair. Mary watched as he disappeared in the corridor, feeling equally sorry for him as well as for Rose. The two had given her a house and their friendship even not knowing who she was or how she had arrived in the town. Their hospitality had touched her deeply, and it didn’t take too long for her to consider them a family; at that moment, the only family she knew:

“Andrew...”, she said, “I was thinking... I don’t know if this is going to help but, as Mr Schmidt’s blood isn’t compatible and you will have to make other tests... Well, I hope Rose can be a donor, but I would like you to test my blood too. You see, I don’t know anything about me, but, if I could be of any help, I’d be very happy...”

“Well, that’s alright, Mary.”, the blond angel agreed. Tess smiled pleased with that demonstration of friendship:

“I’m sure that Mr Schmidt and Rose will be very grateful for you attitude!...”, the supervisor looked at Father Rosenberg, who had been watching all that without saying much, and put on a stern face, “You are even setting a good example to everybody around here!... Although I’m sure that there isn’t a single soul in this city who would refuse to help Mrs Schmidt!”

Annoyed by her insistent look in his direction, Father Rosenberg turned to Andrew:

“Of course you can test my blood too, son!...”, he said, with a displeased expression on his face, also facing Tess, “I really think that some people around here speak too much...”

“I beg your pardon, are you insinuating that I should keep quiet?!”, the supervisor replied, even more distressed.

“You were the one who said that...”

“Hey it’s ok, alright, Father Rosenberg, Mary, you two can come back here in the afternoon, I’ll do the tests with Rose and with you two!”, Andrew said, interrupting what would become a very serious argument.

*

Rose was at home, anxiously waiting for her father, but when he arrived at the ranch, the girl noticed all the sadness in his eyes:

“Dad? What is it?”

“I’m sorry Rose... But... The doctor cannot operate your grandma... She and I are not compatible...”

Tears formed in the corner of her eyes and soon rolled down her face:

”She’s gonna die, isn’t she dad? She’s gonna die just like mom!...”

Mr Schmidt opened his arms:

“Come here, sweetie!...”, he said, holding his daughter tightly, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, Rose!... I would do anything to change this situation, but I can’t... I just can’t!...”

“I don’t want grandma to die! I’ve lost mom and I miss her so much, I don’t want that happening again with grandma!”, the girl never stopped sobbing, “Why is all this happening to us? Why daddy?!”

“I don’t know that too, dear... I don’t know what else to do...”

Both cried in each other’s arms for some instants, when a sudden voice, with a familiar Irish accent, interrupted them:

“You can start by praying to God to help you through this difficult time.”, Monica was standing in front of them.

“God? God forgot about us 3 years ago, when He took Rose’s mother away! Since then, things seemed to get worse and worse... As a matter of fact, I doubt whether God really exists, but, that doesn’t make any difference anyway, ‘cause, He abandoned us!”

“God never abandons His children, Mr Schmidt. A disease, the result of an imperfect world, killed your wife. But she left part of her with you; Rose is an adorable and loving little girl who needs you more than ever.”

“It’s so difficult sometimes...”, he said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“I know that, but you’re not alone. God has sent some angels to stay together with you...”

By saying so, a brilliant glow involved Monica’s figure, causing father and daughter’s eyes to grow wide in amazement:

“Monica, what’s happening to you?!”

“I’m an angel, Rose. And so are Andrew and Tess. God sent us here to remind you that He is always watching over you. He knows how much pain you’ve been through in the last years and He suffers together with you, believe me.”

“And does He know that grandma is very ill?”

“Oh, yes, Rose. That’s why He sent Andrew to stay with her too. And, right now, He would like to give you something very precious to go on and face this difficult moment: faith. Accept it and keep it inside your heart.”

She turned to Mr Schmidt:

“And from you, Mr Schmidt, God is asking to be strong, as you’ve always been. For Rose, for your mother and for you too.  The rest, leave in the Father’s hands and He will take care of all of you.”

A sad smile appeared on his face:

“He’ll be with us until this is over, won’t He?”

The Irish angel nodded her head:

“All the time, not just now, but forever.”

“I trust Him. If He sent you 3 to be with dad, grandma and me, then, it’s because He won’t let us down...”, the girl said, wiping her tears. Shedding some tears herself, Monica smiled:

“Never, sweetheart!”

Mr Schmidt reached for Rose’s hand:

“Rose, let’s pray for grandma. Monica, would you mind joining us?”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

*

On the following days, the entire city was praying for Mrs Schmidt’s health, and many people appeared at the hospital offering to be a possible donor. At the church, Tom was arranging the altar, as the Mass had just finished, but he couldn’t concentrate on what he was doing, and let the wine glass fall on the floor:

“Tom! Look what you did!”, Father Rosenberg stern said.

“I’m sorry, Father Rosenberg...”, the boy replied, with a sad expression on his face. The religious man sighed: try as he might, he couldn’t hide how sorry he was for Tom, as, deep down inside, the boy reminded him of himself, a long time ago.

“Hey, Tom, come here...”, both sat on the pew; the church was now empty.

“I know how much apprehensive you’re feeling for Mrs Schmidt; we all are.”

“She’s like my mother... the only one I knew. What will I and the others do without her?”

“You don’t know what will happen to Mrs Schmidt! Only God knows that. He is in command here on Earth and knows everyone down here. He knows what’s best for her and we have to trust in his infinite wisdom.”

“But I don’t want her to go... If I could help somehow...”

“Nobody wants her to go, Tom. Mrs Schmidt’s good actions captivated everyone who happens to know her; no exceptions. And you can be sure of one thing: God is now taking care of her, holding her hand and He will never leave her side.”

The sadness in the boy’s eyes was deeply annoying him, and, suddenly, he stood up:

“Come with me! We can finish this later!”

“Where are we going?!”

“To the ranch. I have to talk to Mr Schmidt anyway and... well, you can talk to that little friend of yours, I’m sure she will like it and it will do good to both of you...”

The boy’s eyes widened:

“Can we go now? Really?”

“Yeah, before I regret what I’m doing!... And don’t you dare telling somebody that I let you go without finishing your duties!”, he stated, following Tom towards the exit of the church. But little did he know that, invisible to his eyes, Tess had heard all that conversation and smiled.

*

“... I shouldn’t be crying, God has even sent some angels to be with us but... I’m so sad, Tom.”

“It’s alright to be sad, Rose. She’s your grandma. And I’m sad too, ‘cause I feel like was her grandson too...”

“She always thought about you like a grandson. All of us, grandma, dad and I consider you part of the family, Tom.”

The boy blushed at that comment:

“Gee, Rose!...”, he exclaimed, slightly embarrassed, “I consider all of you my family too!”

At that moment, they saw Andrew crossing the gates of the ranch and ran towards him:

“Hey Rose, Tom!”, he greeted.

“Andrew, what are you doing here?! Is anything wrong with grandma?!”, Rose asked, already scared.

“I can assure you that Mrs Schmidt is still where I left her.”

The children exchanged a look and the boy looked at the blond angel:

“Andrew, is it true that you, Monica and Miss Tess are... angels?...”

He smiled:

“Yes, that’s true, Tom.”

“Boy! Father Rosenberg always said that angels exist but I never thought I would meet them in person!”

“Well, all I can say is that we come when people need us most. And I came here to talk to your father, Rose, and with you too.”

“Come with me; he’s inside the house.”

Mr Schmidt was in the living room together with Mary and Father Rosenberg when the children came in, bringing the blond angel:

“Andrew, did anything happen to my mother?...”, the man asked, all of them apprehensive with his presence. Andrew cleared his throat:

“Please be calm. Mrs Schmidt is stable. I came here to talk about the tests you made two days ago.”

“Do you have the results?”

“Yes, Mr Schmidt. Unfortunately, Rose isn’t compatible with her grandmother...”

Everybody was taken aback by that announcement:

“Oh no...”, Mr Schmidt ran his fingers through his hair, as if he knew that, now, everything was lost:

“And what are we going to do now? I don’t want grandma to die!”, Rose said, holding her father. Andrew continued talking:

“Just calm down. I said that Rose isn’t compatible, but I tested other people’s blood as well. I told you that there was a possibility to find a donor even if he or she wasn’t a relative. And, indeed, I found somebody who is compatible, even not being a relative...”, he looked at the religious man who was standing in the living room: “It’s you, Father Rosenberg!”

Amazed looks went to his direction, and Father Rosenberg himself was greatly surprised:

“Me?!... Are you sure, doctor?”

“Yes, I’m pretty sure, sir. You and Mrs Schmidt are compatible and you can be her donor.”

Mr Schmidt and Rose looked at each other, happier than never:

“So grandma is going to live?!”

“There’s a good chance, Rose. We’ll transfer her to a bigger hospital and do the surgery.”

Happiness quickly spread in that house and everybody celebrated that good news.

*

Later, at night:

“The prayers for Mrs Schmidt were so many and all of them came from the bottom of everyone’s hearts in this city. I’m so happy that there’s a hope for that lady.”, Monica said, sitting beside Andrew; both observing the little dog that had born some days before.

“I truly hope that everything goes well for her during the surgery.”, he answered.

“Will you be there too?”

“I’ll be there with her all the time.”

The blond angel looked at the little animal that remained still inside a machine:

“What about this little one? How’s she doing?”

“I’ve tried everything I can, but she won’t eat Andrew!”, Monica sadly sighed, standing beside the small dog which was still striving to be alive. Andrew took the small dropper filled with milk and tried to force the puppy to drink the liquid, but he too failed:

“Yes, she’s quite stubborn. No wonder you’re getting attached to her!”, he joked, in an attempt to cheer Monica up.

“I’ve never had a pet, you know. Tess won’t let me...”

The blond angel sat next to her once more and wrapped his arm around her shoulder:

“I know how much you like animals, Angel Girl.”

“But this wee one is so weak and defenceless, Andrew! She really needs somebody to take care of her...”

“You’re doing a great job, Monica, believe me. And Tess won’t mind if you stay here a bit longer to watch over this puppy.”

She hugged him, grateful for his reassurance. He took her hand:

“Let’s leave her for a while, sweetie; she’ll be fine. What about us going out and breathe some fresh air. You know, when I was coming here I’ve heard that there’s a cafeteria in town that has a delicious mocha latte...”

At the mention of her favourite drink, Monica looked at him:

“Mocha latte? Really?”

“Yes... and I was thinking... The night is so beautiful and going for a walk isn’t a bad idea... I just need some company...”

She returned his smile, and came closer to the little dog:

“You rest for a while, wee one. Luka, your mom, is right here and I will be back soon, ok?”

Hand in hand, the two angels left the Schmidt’s ranch, where happiness and hope were now back again.

“I’m so glad you’ve found a donor for Mrs Schmidt, Andrew.”

He smiled and held her tight as they walked:

“You would be surprised to know what else I found in those tests, Angel Girl...”

CHAPTER 6

Monica and Andrew had been at the cafeteria for half an hour:

“I can’t understand why that waitress is looking at me with such a curious face, Andrew...”

He chuckled, knowing exactly the reason for that:

“Well, maybe it’s because you are the first one who comes in here and is able to drink four cups of double mocha latte in just 30 minutes!”

“Were they four? I... I didn’t notice...”, she replied, with an innocent look, “Besides, I was paying attention to what you were telling me... Andrew, it’s unbelievable!”

“Yes, the Father never ceases to amaze me by how wise he is!”

Monica smiled and looked at his bright green eyes:

“I’m really enjoying that we 3 are together in this assignment, you know.”

He took her hand in both of his and kissed it:

“I can say the same thing, Angel Girl. In fact, I can only think about one thing better than working on the same assignment than you and Tess: it’s to have a vacation with you two!”

She sighed, delighted with that suggestion:

“That would be lovely! Imagine how many cups of coffee I could have!”

He rolled his eyes, smiling at her uncontrollable addiction:

“Hey, don’t forget that Tess would be there too and she would never let you do such an extravaganza!”

A mischievous expression appeared on her face:

“Yes, but YOU would be there as well and I know how much you love seeing me happy!”

Slightly blushed, Andrew shook his head, with mock disapproval:

“You shouldn’t take advantage of the weakness of the others!”

She started giggling at his totally fake sternness and it was then that she saw anther familiar person inside the cafeteria:

“Andrew, look over there, it’s Mary! Hey Mary, wait!”

The woman was already leaving the place and turned her head and smiled when she saw the two angels:

“Hi Monica! Andrew! I stopped here for a cup of hot chocolate, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you!”

“Are you leaving? We can make you some company!”, the Irish angel offered.

“Oh, sure, that would be lovely!”

The 3 left the cafeteria and started walking in the street; it was a very beautiful and starry night.

“Mr Schmidt and Rose went to the hospital to see Mrs Schmidt and I decided to leave them for a while. I went to the church; suddenly I felt this deep need of praying. It was as if I... needed some time to talk to God, just He and me...Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Smiling, they looked at each other and, after, to her:

“Talking to God and allowing Him to enter in our hearts is the best way to find comfort and to look for answers to our questions.”, Andrew said, happy for the woman’s attitude. Mary nodded her head, a trace of sadness in her eyes:

“I hope I’ll find them. I hope He shows me any sign of who I am or where I came from. It’s not that I want to go away from here, on the contrary, I met so many good people, ready to help me... You two, Rose, Mr Schmidt...”

The two angels exchanged another look, not missing the slight blush that came upon her face. Mary kept on talking:

“But not knowing who I am is terrible. I keep trying to remember but the only thing that comes to my mind is that I needed to go somewhere and that I knew something important...”

“I’m sure that, in the right time, at the right moment, you’ll find out the truth.”, Monica stated.

They were heading towards the hospital, where Mary would meet Mr Schmidt and Rose, and they would go back to the ranch. But, when the three were about to cross the street, a car stopped in front of them and the driver, a tall, thin man, of about 40 years old, got out of the vehicle:

“Well, well, look who is here! I didn’t expect to see you again... alive, I mean, Melissa!”

They were startled not only by that abrupt approach but also by the ironic and sarcastic tone in the stranger’s voice:

“I’m sorry? I think you’re making a mistake, sir.”, Andrew objected. The man walked around the car and stepped closer to them:

“And it seems that you’ve even made new friends here! I’m sorry for them, ‘cause they will have to come along with us as well...”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know you...”, Mary replied, now really frightened.

“Oh no?! So I have here a little reminder!...”

By saying this, he pointed a gun at them: the colour drained from their faces as Monica and Mary backed up a step:

“You must be confusing her with another person!...”, Andrew tried to speak, placing himself in front of Mary and his best friend. The man laughed evilly:

“I would recognise Melissa anywhere! I was her husband’s friend and associate for years... Until he died in that tragic accident, 2 years ago... remember that, Mel?”

Mary was shocked, and didn’t even have the nerve to answer to the man’s words. But he continued to talk:

“And why did you have to go into his death’s matter, hum? You two had no kids, no other relatives, his inheritance went straight to your hands and then, maybe, we would have ended up becoming something more than just good friends...”

Andrew and Monica looked at each other, now fully understanding what was happening. Mary, on the other hand, had her eyes fixed on an invisible point, a turmoil of words and flashback images on her mind.

“... But no! You were damn stubborn and you would go on, messing up with things that you never should!”

Suddenly, she moved her eyes, getting out of the trance she was in, and stared at him:

“...Edgar... It was you!... You killed Michael! You pretended to be his best friend and associate for all this years and then you caused him to have that accident! That’s what I found out about you the day I ran away, the day I had to take my car and drive like crazy on the first road I found, with you right on my back, trying to kill me the same way you did with Michael!

“I knew you would never forget the good old days!...”, he said, with irony, and grabbed her arm, “Now, you’re coming with me, we’ll take a little walk...”

Andrew tried to protest:

“Hey, don’t touch her!”, but the man held Mary closer to himself:

“Take at ease, buddy!... You two are coming too, and you are going to drive!”, he stated, pointing a gun close to Mary’s stomach, “And don’t you dare doing anything stupid, right?!”

They got into the car and the blond angel started the engine:

“Where to?”, he asked, his eyes both on his friends and on the dark road ahead.

“Just go on, buddy! I’ll tell you when it’s time to stop!”, the man answered, holding Mary tightly and pointing a gun at her all the time.

“Let them go, Edgar. They don’t have anything to do with this...”

“No way, honey! I’m afraid they were in the wrong place, at the wrong time!”

*

After the Mass was over, Father Rosenberg went to the sacristy and kneeled in front of a wooden cross hanging on the wall. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he was trying to choose the right words, and it took him some minutes to start his prayer:

“Dear Father, please forgive me if, at any moment, I ever stopped to think about the past and about what happened to my family before helping that poor woman... Because there are no differences between us... Mrs Schmidt is as Your child as I am. Race was a concept created by men, to set a line, a border between people, a border to tear Your children apart. But that won’t happen here, right now.”

The religious man smiled with contentment, something that was completely unusual for him:

“The people in this town will witness a German and a Jewish descendent sharing the same blood! Thank you for giving me an opportunity to help her...”

Suddenly, Tom rushed into the small room and interrupted his prayer:

“Father Rosenberg we have to hurry!!!”, the boy said, breathing hard, as he had been running all the way to it. But when the religious man saw him, he frowned with concern:

“Tom, shouldn’t you be at the orphanage?! And what does all this hurry mean?!”

“Mary, Monica and Andrew!... I saw... The man... The stranger in the car...”

“Wait a minute! I can’t understand a word of what you’re saying! Sit here and explain yourself!”

“There’s no time! I was walking back home, I had gone to the hospital to visit Mrs Schmidt and then I saw Mary, Andrew and Monica walking in the street. I was going to say hi but a man that I had never seen before appeared in front of them and made them get into his car!”

A worried expression appeared on Father Rosenberg’s face:

“Wasn’t he a friend?”

“No! I guess I saw him pointing a gun at them!”

“Are you telling the truth Tom?”

“Yes, I swear! We gotta help them!”

The religious man stood up:

“Come with me!”

*

Andrew drove nearly half an hour, the tension inside the car raised at every minute:

“You know, Mel, when you smashed the car against that tree, on that desert road, I should’ve checked if you were really dead instead of just taking off the car license and the documents!”, the man said, still pointing his gun at Mary, “I tried again and again to offer you some comfort and support, I was the closest person you and Michael had in this world!”

“You are a coward! A rat! Michael and I should never have befriended you!”, she snapped back, in a mix of anger and sorrow.

“No, I wasn’t!”, he replied, also with an angry tone of voice, “I was a friend to whom you should’ve looked for in a difficult moment! But you didn’t accept my friendship! On the contrary, you started looking for answers, didn’t you? And then, what happened? I had to eliminate you too! Some days later, when somebody found your body inside your smashed car I would have already transferred a good part of your money, which belonged to Michael, to my business account, and, years later, to my personal account. Your death would’ve been the result of the extreme loneliness you felt after your dear husband’s death. You would’ve taken your own life, as you couldn’t bear living without him.”

“But your plan didn’t work thanks to some good people I was fortunate to meet in this meantime, and who I can say I owe my life to!”

“Well, technically, I’d say that they delayed my plans for a little while. But I’m not worried about this little drawback anymore, because I came back to finish what I intended to do on the day you ran away from me and ended up in this damn place!”

Saying this, he looked outside the window, and after to Andrew:

“Hey, buddy, you drive that car faster, you hear me? Or your two pretty friends will have to say goodbye to you sooner than what you expect!”

“I can’t drive faster than this, we left the asphalt road, if I go faster the car will skid, we can have an accident...”, Andrew replied, with his heart pounding loudly in his chest, fearing for his dearest friend, as well as for Mary/Melissa.

“Just do as I say!”, the man screamed, training the gun barrel on Mary’s head. But, at that moment, the noise of sirens was heard not far away from their car:

“What the hell is that?!”, Edgar stormed, looking through the back window pane. Two police cars were following them and it wouldn’t take too long before they could reach them:

“Go faster now!”, the man screamed, his eyes shining with anger. Andrew looked straight ahead, his green eyes fixed on an invisible point, while Monica bowed her head, also trying to concentrate herself. Seconds later, both angels exchanged a quick look, and the Irish angel slightly nodded, as if understanding the message she had just received from her best friend.

Suddenly, Andrew turned the steering wheel with an abrupt movement, and the car skidded round and round, causing Edgar to drop his gun down on the floor, as he and Mary were thrown from one side to another. Seconds later, when Mary realised what had happened, she reached down and tried to find the man’s gun. But he stopped her by grabbing her arm, a fight being held inside the vehicle, and which could end up tragically at any moment:

“I’ll kill you with my own hands if it’s necessary!”, he cried. Monica unfastened her seatbelt to try to help the other woman:

“No! Stop it! Leave her alone, for God’s sake!”, the Irish angel pleaded. But, before anybody could say anything else, their vehicle stopped skidding and was quickly surrounded by the police. The officers got out of their cars and pointed their guns into their direction:

“Get out of the vehicle, now!”, the sheriff ordered, looking through the open windows, “You hear me? I said get out of this car!”

Realising that there was no other option, Edgar let go off Mary’s arm and everybody could abandon the vehicle. The policemen handcuffed the stranger and put him inside one of the cars, while Monica, Andrew and Mary/Melissa got into another one, all of them being taken to the police station.