chapter 11 and epilogue

CHAPTER 11

 “...Are you sure you don’t want me to help you, Tess? You know I’ve improved my culinary abilities a lot in the last few months; you and Andrew even had the chance to taste it when we were on vacation together!”, Monica insisted, with a pleading tone in her voice.

 She and Tess were in the kitchen of a small but cosy house, located in the mountains and surrounded by hundreds of trees. Adam was sitting at the table, drinking some orange juice, and so far, had limited himself to listen to the conversation, making an extra effort not to laugh at the expression on Tess’ face, which was a nearly desperate one. Without knowing what to do or what to say, she looked around, as if trying to find out the best words to explain why Monica’s help wasn’t necessary:

 “I know that, baby. And, yes, I remember the great job you did with that special lunch when we were on vacation, but... Well... I guess it’s a different situation now, I... I...”

 The supervisor stopped to speak to think about what she would say when Sam opened the kitchen door at that exact moment, carrying little Joy in his arms:

 “Anybody home?”, he asked, interrupting the conversation and causing Tess to heave a sigh of relief:

“Oh, thank you, Father!”, the supervisor whispered, while Monica smiled broadly at her ‘precious baby’:

 “Oh, my goodness!”

 And, when she saw her ‘mommy’, the little puppy dog started to bark and to wag her tiny tail excitedly, practically trying to jump into the Irish angel’s arms:

 “Oh, my precious wee one! Come here with your mommy!”, she exclaimed, taking Joy from Sam’s arms and holding her close, immediately receiving lots and lots of ‘kisses’ from the small dog:

 “Oh, I missed you too, sweetheart! You have no idea how much!”, Monica also kissed the puppy’s little head, trying to hold back the remaining tears that still insisted on appearing in the corner of her eyes once in a while. And after warmly greeting her mommy, Joy looked at Tess and let out another  small bark:

 “Of course I missed you too, baby! Come here with your grandma!”

 Again, the small animal practically flew from Monica’s arms to Tess’, and covered the older angel’s face with lots of kisses. The Irish angel turned to Adam:

 “Adam, this is our wee Joy. Isn’t she the cutest puppy you’ve ever seen?”, she asked, with enthusiasm and proudly looking at the little dog. The angel of death stood up and came closer to the small animal. He stroked her soft black fur and smiled when she happily licked his hand and wagged her tail back and forth:

 “Hey, Joy! Monica is right, you’re a rather beautiful young lady!”, receiving a puppy’s bark as ‘thanks’:

 “She’s adorable, Monica; really adorable!”

 While the angels were receiving such affectionate greeting, Sam looked for a chair and sat down with a tired expression on his face:

 “Are you alright, Sam?”, Monica asked, noticing a few traces of exhaustion in his eyes, “I think you look a wee bit tired...”

 Tess agreed:

 “Yes, Angel Girl is right, Sam. Is it my impression or you’ve lost some weight since the last time we’ve met?”

 “Well, yes... In fact, I’ve been doing a lot of physical exercise these days...”, he answered, a fatigued tone in his voice.

 “Well... Physical exercise is good when we are in human form, even for angels, you know. It keeps us with a lot of disposition...”, the Irish angel spoke, already with some embarrassment.

 “I’ll try to remember that, Monica.”, he replied, filling a glass with water. It was then that Tess noticed something else:

 “What happened to your shoes?”

 His shoelaces had disappeared and his shoes had many teeth shaped marks, as if it had been chewed. Before he could reply, Monica took Joy back in her arms:

 “Well, I guess I’d better take our wee Joy to see Andrew, I bet she’s missing him badly... Excuse me...”

 And the Irish angel quickly disappeared through the kitchen door, carrying the chubby fur ball with her. Sam stared at Tess with a worried face:

 “That little dog definitely doesn’t like shoes! And she has the hugest appetite I’ve ever seen in my whole existence!”

 “Really?...”, Tess asked, quickly returning to her previous task, “I can’t imagine who she got that from!...”

 “Well, somebody should check that out. She is charming, I might say, but she’s also prone to trouble!”, he added, with some tiredness. Adam couldn’t believe in what he was saying:

 “That little creature? C’mon, Sam, aren’t you exaggerating?”

 “You’re saying this because you didn’t have to spend the last 2 weeks with her!”, the angel replied, slightly indignant.

*

One week after that terrible night in the dark country house, Andrew’s recovery was considered amazing by the doctor who took care of him. His left arm and foot were still immobilised, it was true, but the bad cuts on his forehead and face were disappearing faster than the usual, and the pain over his human body was almost ceasing.

 The blond angel was peacefully asleep, curled up on his right side, when, suddenly, a puppy bark echoed inside his bedroom and he was woken up by an unexpected attack of wet kisses all over his handsome face:

 “Hey, little one!...”, he exclaimed, really happy to see the little chubby dog again and receiving another bark as a reply.

 “I’m happy to see you too!”, the way the small animal wagged her tail and the evident excitement in her tiny black eyes were really funny, and made him laugh even more. As Joy continued to lick his cheeks, a soft voice whispered in his ear:

 “She was missing her daddy very much, you know...”

 Smiling broadly, he turned his head and looked at his dearest friend; some strands of her hair were gently tickling his face and neck.  He stroked her cheek softly and, holding Joy in his good arm, the blond angel sat down on his bed:

 “Well, I missed her a lot too. And I have to confess that I’m really enjoying this new way some people have been greeting me when I wake up!”, he joked, immediately receiving a warm embrace from his dearest friend:

 “You see? That’s what I’m talking about! It’s really efficient!”

 Giggling, Monica placed a tiny kiss on his cheek and pulled away:

 “Tess and I are doing our best, you’re our assignment and... well, to tell you the truth, you are the best assignment we could have ever received!”

 He placed Joy on the bed and took her hand:

 “I could have never asked for better angels!”, he stated, his eyes filled with love. With a warm smile on her beautiful face, she took his hand in both of hers:

 “How are you feeling?”

 “Better every second. ‘Healing is faster when we are surrounded by love’ – a dear friend, a pretty little angel who I happen to love very much, told me that some days ago, and it’s totally true!”

 Slightly blushed, she nodded her head:

 “You can be sure there’s much love surrounding you!”

 “I have no doubt about that... But I have to confess something else...”

 “What is it?”

 “I’m hungry... To be honest, I’m starving!”

 “Well, I knew you’d be hungry and I had the idea to prepare you some special meals today...”

 Hearing that, his mouth dropped open and it took him a lot of effort not to show the sudden sensation of panic that crept on him:

 “... Really?... And... er... you... you prepared them?...”

 “That’s the problem. I really wanted to do it and to help Tess in the kitchen with some other things, but she told me that I should stay here with you, even when you’re sleeping, so that we could share our assignment in a better way, covering more ground.”

 Relief immediately filled his heart and he sighed a lot calmer:

 “Well, honey... Tess is... She is very wise, you know...”, he cleared his throat, allowing himself some seconds to think about what he was going to say, and then, the blond angel continued to talk, “Did you know that domestic assignments can be even 100% more successful if the angels in charge share them, in order to cover more ground?”, he said, a serious expression his voice.

 “Really?”

 “Yes! And it’s not me who is telling this, it’s statistics! Everything based on this new research on ‘Domestic Assignment Effectiveness’! Ask Ronald, from Records and Permanent Files, he can confirm what I’m saying!”

 “I didn’t know there was a research about domestic assignments...”, Monica said, a little confused and slightly worried about ignoring that fact.

 “Oh, you shouldn’t worry, ‘cause it is a very recent research; really new. The results are still being analysed. But, if you ask me, I totally agree with them. Why do you think Tess, you and I work together all the time?”

 “That’s true...”, there was a thoughtful and surprised expression on  her face.

 “That’s why I think Tess is right: if you have the same domestic assignment, it’ll be much more effective if you split it up and take different positions to fulfil it.”

 “Well, I guess you’re right, then. And I don’t want to go against such an important research work!”

 Pleased to have convinced her, he kissed her hand and gently pulled her to sit beside him:

 “Besides, even if there weren’t any research at all, I’d still love if you could stay right here to make me some company!...”, he looked down at the chubby puppy who was playing among the blankets and pillows and who was about to protest, “... together with our little one, of course!”, he completed, receiving a bark as a reply.

 Smiling broadly, Monica wrapped her arms around his waist:

 “Nothing could make me happier either!”, she said, comfortably resting her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head repeatedly:

 “But you know what? I’d still like some breakfast!”

 “Well, I’d love to go to the kitchen and take it for you, Andrew, but I guess we’d better wait for Tess to do it instead...”

 “Why?”

 “Well, Sam is here; he came to bring Joy back and... Well... I guess he has found out how playful our wee one can be... If you know what I mean...”

 “Oh... I see...”, the blond angel nodded his head understandingly.

 “And since we were the ones who convinced him to take care of her for these days, I think it’s a good idea if we three stayed inside this bedroom for a little while...”, she concluded. Andrew looked at the little dog, who was now leaving the marks of her tiny teeth in Monica’s pink socks, and chuckled:

 “I couldn’t agree more!”

EPILOGUE

 The following days at the cabin were peaceful and happy, despite the slight chilly weather of the mountains. Andrew’s recovery turned out fine; his wounds and injuries disappeared, he got rid of the plaster in his arm and in his foot, and, in 3 weeks, the blond angel was considered, by the doctor who assisted him, completely healed. To celebrate the occasion, Tess had the idea to prepare a special dinner and invited Sam and Adam, as the two angels had been there most of the time:

 “... But I don’t really think I’ll need help here, Angel Girl, you see... We are only 5 angels and I thought about doing something tasty but simple, I’ve even started to prepare it...”, Tess said, with a worried (and rather fearful) expression on her face when Monica and Andrew entered the kitchen and found out about the dinner. But the two exchanged a quick look and the Irish angel took the supervisor’s hand:

 “That’s ok, Tess. I won’t stay in the kitchen while you prepare dinner.”

 “You... You won’t?...”, she replied, now with surprise.

 “No. I’ll do some other things, instead, such as setting the table or tidying up the house.”

 “Really?!....”

 “Yes!”, she responded, enthusiastically, “Andrew told me about the research on Domestic Assignment Effectiveness!”

 “Research on ‘Domestic Assignment Effectiveness’?...”, the supervisor repeated, without exactly knowing what her charge was talking about.

 “Yes, I didn’t know the results were so impressive! They show that angels who work on the same domestic assignment could be even 100% more successful if they split up in order to cover more ground! I agree that working together is more exciting and it really makes things easier, but I didn’t know that statistics could be so high!”

 “Really, baby?...”

 “I’ll go and set the table and arrange the dining room while you cook!”

 “Well, in that case, I’m relieved... I mean, I’m relieved because I was exactly wondering if you could set the table and get the things ready in the house, it’s quite messy, you know...”

 Surprised, Monica looked at Andrew, who, so far, had been in absolute silence:

 “You see? This research is really amazing!”, and, totally pleased, she left the kitchen.

 Tess started at the blond angel with an inquisitive look:

 “ ‘Research on Domestic Assignment Effectiveness’?!”

 A little embarrassed, he ran his fingers through his hair:

 “Well... yes...”

 “And does this research also show that to make up stories to other angels, specially the extremely naive ones, is a bad point to the ‘assignment effectiveness’?!”

 “I didn’t make anything up, Tess! I’m an angel; I don’t lie! This research really exists!”

 “So how come I’ve never heard of it?!”

 “Well, because it’s new!”

 “And who was the angel in charge of it? Who did this research?”

 “I did! I carried it out while I was in bed, and you and Monica were the first ones to know about the results!”

 Now the supervisor stared at him sternly:

 “She was threatening to cook again and I had my arm in plaster and a swollen foot, how could I possibly help?!”

 Tess considered those arguments for a few seconds, and, then, nodded her head:

 “Yes... On second thoughts, I guess I like this research work... And I have to agree: it is really effective!”

*

The dinner went out fine and, on the following day, Adam and Sam had to say goodbye and return to work:

 “We don’t know how to thank you enough!”, Monica had a look of gratitude in her eyes, as well as Tess and Andrew. Sam smiled at them:

 “There’s nothing to thank, Monica. I’m glad everything is over now and that you’re fully recovered, Andrew. I’m happy for you three!”

 “I hope we can all meet again, but, this time, in a sunny day, with no clouds in the sky!”, Adam joked. He had left his coat and his tie above the armchair, but, when he looked for them, the angel couldn’t find his tie:

 “Are you sure you left it here?”, Andrew asked, he and Monica helping him to find it.

 “Yes, yesterday I left the coat and the tie together right here, after the dinner!”

 “How come it disappeared?”, Tess wondered. But that mystery didn’t last for long, as, suddenly, Joy came through the living room door and, at that moment, they found out what had happened to Adam’s tie: the little puppy had been playing with it outside, her teeth marks were all over it and the tie was covered with grass and mud. The 5 angels watched somewhat perplexed as she walked over to the centre of the living room, holding the tie in her mouth:

 “... I guess we don’t have to look for it anymore...”, Tess murmured, she, Andrew and Monica rather embarrassed.

 “I guess you’re right...”, Adam replied, rather disappointed. And, watching that scene, Sam looked at the angel of death’s face and let out a loud laugher:

 “You know... I never thought how funny it can be when you’re not the victim!”, he exclaimed, “Well, I have to go now! Goodbye Joy!”, without letting go of the piece of cloth she had in her mouth, the little puppy gave a tiny bark in reply. Sam turned to the other angels: “Tess, Monica, Andrew, see you!”

 And still laughing, the angel placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder, “Goodbye, Adam!”, and disappeared afterwards.

 Then, Andrew cleared his throat:

 “I... I think I left the kitchen door open... I’d better go and close it...”, and the blond angel also vanished from the living room.

 Without knowing what to do, Monica walked over to Joy and took the tie (or what had been left of it) from her mouth:

 “Our wee Joy is... rather playful, you know...”, she stated, visibly ashamed, and Joy barked, agreeing with her.

 “Yes... I can see that...”, the angel of death replied.

 Blushing deeply, Monica turned to the little animal:

 “Why don’t you go find out what your daddy is doing and help him, sweetheart?”, she said, and Joy immediately ran through the door. The Irish angel looked at Adam again:

 “…I’ll wash it and I’m sure it’ll look like a new tie!”

 With that, she quickly disappeared from the room, leaving Adam and Tess there:

 “’Daddy’?!”, he said, with a puzzled tone of voice, “Have I missed something?!”

 “Well, don’t ask me, I’m only the grandmother!”, the supervisor replied, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

*

Tess, Monica and Andrew still had a few days left before going back to their work and, that afternoon, the blond angel decided to take a walk in the forest that surrounded the house, inviting Monica to go with him:

 “Where’s Andrew, Tess?”, she asked, not finding him in the living room.

 “He’s outside, baby, waiting for you.”

 “He forgot his hat! It’s rather cold outside!”

 Laughing, Tess watched as The Irish angel quickly took Andrew’s woollen hat and left the house slightly worried. But she was relieved to see that the blond angel was standing in front of the house, admiring his surroundings:

 “Andrew! You forgot this!”, she called, going down the steps of the porch, except for the last one, so that she could stay at the same level as his:

 “It’s very cold in here, you can catch a flu!”

 Monica carefully placed the warm knitted woollen hat on his head and, after straightening it properly, she kissed the tip of his nose.

 “Now you’re ready to go outside!”, she stated, pleased to have done it. Andrew chuckled at all that extra care:

 “You know, Monica, suddenly I fell like Little Red Riding Hood! The only thing missing is the basket of food!’, he said, with irony and a certain mockery. Slightly annoyed, she stopped smiling and pulled his hat down up to his chin, causing him to laugh even more:

 “That’s not funny! You still are under observation and have to be careful with your health!”, the Irish angel scolded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

 Andrew raised his hat and wrapped his arms around her waist:

 “I’m fine, Angel Girl! I can assure you, I’m already recovered and I don’t feel anything at all! And I’ll prove it to you...”

 Saying that, he lifted her off the floor and started to walk, carrying her along with him. With that, she let go of her previous annoyance and wrapped her arms around his neck:

 “I believe you, but you’ve been ill very recently and an extra care is still advisable! Besides, as long as we stay here, you are Tess’ and my assignment, and we’ll keep an eye on you, Mr!”

 Laughing at the seriousness with which she spoke, the blond angel carried her along for some more steps and finally placed her on the ground:

 “Alright, Miss Wings! I’ll be a good angel let you and Tess take care of me a bit more, ok?”

 “That’s a very wise decision!”

 He passed his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him, and kissed her temple; and the two started a pleasant walk along the forest.

 Even in the fall, Monica was enchanted with the view of the now orange trees and the ever humming of the birds. Despite the chilly breeze that gently blew upon their faces, the sun was bright and warm, and the sky was the bluest of the ones – there were no clouds in it; nothing that could remind them o the terrible nightmare they had faced about a month ago.

 That atmosphere of joy and pleasure caused the Irish angel to go back to her usual chatty mood, as she made a comment on every single bird, flower, leaf, or whatever she saw on their way.

 “Have you noticed how beautiful the jasmine are, Andrew? You know that this flower blossoms in the fall?”, she said, her eyes focused on the white and beautiful flowers that surrounded them. Smiling and finding her enchantment lovely, Andrew took one of the jasmine and handed it to her:

 “Yes, it’s amazing how they overcome the lack of light and grow as beautiful as they can...”, he said, looking straight into her brown eyes. Monica smiled warmly and took the flower in her hands:

 “I guess that’s because Mother Nature is taking a good care of them!”, she replied, “Existence is always easier when there’s someone taking care of us...”

 Hand in hand, the angels continued that pleasant walk and didn’t even realise how far they had gone until they came closer to a small clearing. There was an old tree trunk fallen on the ground and, exactly above it, lay a small present box:

 “Andrew! Look!”, Monica exclaimed, as soon as she saw the package. A mischievous smile appeared on his handsome face:

 “You never know what sort of things can grow up on trees these days!”

 Monica looked at him and only then she realised that he was teasing her:

 “Andrew!”, her Irish lilt sounded through the trees.

 “Won’t you check that out closer?”

 She smiled at him and walked over to the trunk, taking the box in her hands. It was roundish, white and with a pink ribbon around it. And, attached to it, there was a very small card where it was written ‘To my Angel Girl’. Playfully, Andrew came closer and bent his head in order to read it:

 “Well, it surely isn’t for me!”

The Irish angel giggled and, deeply touched, looked at her dearest friend:

 “You didn’t have to...”

 “Aren’t you curious to find out what it is?”, smile never abandoned his face.

Monica looked at the small box for some instants, knowing what that simple gift represented, and took his hand, both kneeling on the ground covered with yellow leaves. Carefully, she took off the pink ribbon and opened the package. And, when the Irish angel looked inside, a mix of surprise and joy appeared on her meek face:

“Oh my goodness! Andrew!”, she exclaimed, taking a small and delicate musical box from inside the package. It was heart shaped and, inside of it, there was a little ballerina, “It’s beautiful!”

“Let me help you...”

Pleased to see that reaction, though he more or less expected it, Andrew took the small ballerina and placed it in the centre of the musical box. Then, he showed her the key, on the bottom of the box:

“Now you have to wind it.”

She followed his instructions and, as the lovely tune started to play, the little doll began to dance. The blond angel watched with delight as she smiled broadly and with contentment:

“It’s beautiful, Andrew! I... I love it!”

Saying that, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly:

“Thank you! Thank you so much, my friend!”

He held her warmly and ran his fingers through her hair:

“I’m glad you liked it, ‘cause it’s just the smallest way I found to say how much I love you, Angel Girl!”, he said, burying his face on her shoulder, and joked, “It’s like a portable ‘I love you’, so that you can carry it with you anywhere you go!”

Hearing her giggle, he pulled away and grabbed her face with both hands, placing a tender kiss on her forehead:

“Do you know the name of this song?”

 With some tears in her eye, she nodded:

“ ’You light up my life’.”

Andrew put some strands of her hair behind her ears:

“Yes. That’s you, Monica. An angel of God who will always bring hope and faith to the souls who have the privilege to meet you, angels included. And, though you may not be aware of the great strength you have inside this heart of yours, be sure that all this love and compassion the Father has given you will always have the power to shine, even in the darkest places, at the darkest hours.”

He tenderly stroked her cheek:

“And I know that better than anyone else, because, when darkness fell, God sent you to be my guiding light.”

Shedding some tears, she took his hand:

“When darkness fell, all I had in mind were the people I love; and all I could ask for was that God could take care of them and keep them safe. It was for them that I faced the shadows and the fear… Everything you said might be true, Andrew. But I want you to know and to remember – I even wish that I could write it down somewhere...”, she laced her fingers through his, “... you are still part of what makes me strong and, to be honest, enormously happier.”

And, with happiness and a beautiful smile upon their faces, the two angels watched as a white dove cooed and perched on the tree trunk, fallen on the ground, next to them.

THE END