CHAPTER 26

A walk in the park

The sunrays invaded the cosy little cottage hidden amongst the vast Canadian forest, crossing the thin linen curtains and creating a shiny path over the wooden floor, both in the living room and in the bedroom. The only sound that echoed in that secluded part of the Earth was the singing of the birds that inhabited the woods and the cottage surroundings. "Heaven on Earth" some resort guests would say, and what for them was only a hypothesis, for a couple who had arrived only three days earlier, it was certainty.

Monica was the one to wake up first. With a permanent smile playing on her lips, she climbed off the bed slowly so as not to disturb her sweet husband. Then she showered and changed into a lovely flowered dress that went down to her knees. The sandals were left by the door as she wouldn't need them for a while.

When Monica returned to the bedroom, her sweet husband was still asleep in between white sheets and with a fluffy pillow tugged underneath his head. Lovely memories of the previous night were still vivid in her mind, as never in a thousand years would she forget about the dinner at the Skylon Tower, nor the lovely view of Niagara Falls lights and the fireworks that coloured the night sky. Added to this was the feeling of Andrew's arms around her as they shared that spectacle. Her honeymoon was turning out to be the best time of her existence.

Carefully, she climbed on the bed again and crawled up to him, always admiring his handsome masculine features; so strong and yet so tender as she immediately remembered his tender gaze and loving words. Lying face to face with him, the Irish angel reached up and stroked his short blond hair. "Oh, my sweet Andrew... I'm so blessed to have your love..." she whispered.

Seeing no response from him, she inched closer and kissed his lips softly at the same time her slender fingers touched his jaw; a touch as delicate as her own presence. Monica pulled away and continued to gaze at him for a few moments, and as he never woke up, she decided to place one more sweet kiss against his lips. This time, however, when she pulled away, the angel could see a hint of mischief on his face.

"I wonder how many of these I'll get if I keep on pretending to be asleep..." his voice and those words surprised her, and on the following second, his green eyes were staring back at her shocked brown ones.

"Andrew!"

Chuckling at her surprised expression and inebriated with her perfumed wet hair, he wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer to him, for a deeper, loving kiss. Andrew felt her small body falling limp in his arms and a contented sigh escaped her, and after that sweet caress was over, she snuggled against him, always enjoying the feeling of his strong embrace.

"I was planning to wake you up so that we could go for the outing up to the lake..." she said, tugging her head underneath his chin as he caressed her perfumed wet hair. "But I enjoyed your pretending to be asleep, you know."

"Well, I'll keep that in mind!" Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head. "Did you sleep well, angel?" He immediately felt her nodding her head.

"Oh, I did! Wonderfully well, if you ask me." She looked at him seconds later, "And you, Andrew?"

The blond angel gently stroked her cheek, tracking a line along her jaw and eying her with tenderness. "I slept well too, baby. But I confess that waking up and looking at this beautiful face of yours feels incredibly better."

The smile on her face grew wider and her dimples were now visible to him. "You're always telling me the sweetest things..." she spoke, and quickly added. "And for the record, the best parts of my days are the ones we're together!"

Also smiling, he inched closer and kissed her lips once again. "I guess I promised someone that today we would go for an outing along the Ontario lake..."

"Could we?" she wanted to know, her eyes shining with expectation proper of a six-year-old.

"We'll visit the lake and the wine region. There's also a Bernard Shaw festival going on in the city so you'll have plenty to see today!"

"Ah, that sounds lovely, Andrew!"

"I knew you'd like it!"

Happy to have their destination confirmed, she snuggled against his chest once again. "But not as lovely as being in your arms!"

X

"I'm always marvelled by the Father's work, you know, Andrew. Either the smallest things, such as the flight of a bird or those cute wee flowers that blossom in the spring, or His huge creations, like this place."

A very chatty Monica walked hand in hand with Andrew along the park where lake Ontario was located. It was not far from the cottage resort and when they got there, the couple was greeted with its grandiosity. And to the blond angel, listening to Monica's voice as well as her thoughts was not only a gift but it also amused him dearly.

"Yes. You see, it dates from 1894." He informed her, reading the flyer that they received at the entrance.

"Oh, 1894... These woods, they must lay for miles away and have you thought about every little animal that has settled on its trees and caves to raise a family all these years?" she continued, glad to see that he was paying close attention to her. "I keep imagining wee birds building up their nests or feeding their babies on the top of the trees, and the squirrels that find their food in those same trees or in the bushes spread around them."

Nodding his head, Andrew added. "And don't forget about the big animals, angel. These woods are a shelter for the brown bear."

Monica stopped walking and stared at him: the expression on her face had turned from a dreamy to a worried one in a matter of seconds. "The brown bear?"

"Yes. The species is typical of the north of the US and the south of Canada."

Her look was still a suspicious one, and Andrew wondered how long he would keep a serious face. "And... do you think Mr and Mrs Brown Bear would build their house somewhere near here?"

This time, the blond angel couldn't help chuckling. "Well, I don't think so, Monica... You see, the park has restricted areas, protected by a high fence, so that the bears and other animals don't come too close to the visitor's area."

"Ah... I see... A fence to protect humans from the animals, some would say. But in fact, it's a fence to protect animals from the humans."

This time Andrew didn't laugh, as he knew it was nothing but the truth. "You are perfectly right, angel. And I hope that someday human beings are aware of this fact."

"I hope so too..." She turned her eyes from his to look at their surroundings. "Such a precious gift should be valued and treated with the utmost respect..."

Monica looked at the tall green trees and the beautiful coloured flowers and at the people passing by, still a little thoughtful while her beloved Andrew couldn't take his eyes from her. It didn't take too long for her to turn to him again, though, and when she did, a lovely smile lit up her pretty face. "Like our love, for instance!"

His heart melted, and he let go of her hand to cup her cheek with tenderness, studying every little detail of her meek Gaelic features. "Yes, my precious angel. What we have is... forever."

When Andrew crossed the small distance between them, Monica closed her eyes with anticipation. When his lips touched hers, as softly and gently as a summer breeze, she let out a contented sigh. Andrew's kiss was sweet and peaceful like a promise of eternal love, and when it was over, he still kissed her forehead and playfully touched the tip of her nose with his finger, happy to see a smile reappearing.

"Let's see the lake?"

"I can hardly wait!"

X

"Oh, Andrew... It's so beautiful!"

Monica's surprised voice, as well as the marvelled expression on her face. The lake's crystalline waters reflected not only the blue sky above them but also the green of the trees at its surroundings. "It's immense..." she added, her eyes taking in the numerous details of that astonishing view.

"Yes. And it's not only in the spring and summer that families enjoy the lake. During the winter visitors come here to ice skate too."

Hearing that, Monica looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I wonder if we could come here then?"

Andrew lowered his head to meet her sparkling brown eyes and smiled. "Of course we can. I could negotiate a different schedule and we could spend a few days."

Happy to hear it, she turned her eyes to the lake once again. "Such a blessed place..."

Wrapping his arm around her small shoulders, the blond angel pointed ahead of them. There were people in small boats, enjoying the lake still waters and appreciating the view or fishing. "Would you like to go for a ride?"

The two angels could be in human form, but the bond between them remained intact. Andrew immediately felt how insecure she was at that suggestion. "Or we could always stay here and enjoy the view!"

Monica lowered her eyes for a moment; there was guilt in them as she looked at him again. "I'm sorry, Andrew... I-"

But he was quick to silence her. "Shh... None of that, angel." He said, pressing a gentle finger against her lips. "Besides... On second thought, if we did take a boat I'd have to row and wouldn't be able to hold you!" He winked at her, receiving a slight smile in return. "And I'd much rather having you here in my arms, baby!"

"Well, as much as I love the wee fishes and the beautiful lake... I'd rather be in your arms, Andrew!"

X

A few minutes later...

Sitting side by side on a small wooden dock, the couple of newly-weds took a break from the lovely scenario to exchange another sweet kiss and it caused Monica to let out another sigh of contentment for being in his arms. They were barefoot, much to her delight, and the tip of her toes were touching the crystalline waters. Despite loving, that sweet caress was soon over, but Andrew still kissed the tip of her nose and her cheek before pulling her even closer to him.

"Aren't you enjoying to be shoeless, Andrew?" She wanted to know, resting her head over his shoulder and playfully moving her feet to see the water oscillating.

"Well... we can say that it's refreshing on a warm sunny day." He replied, glad to see her joy as she moved her feet.

Monica and Andrew fell in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded them, as if God himself was greeting his two children through the gentle sunrays that caressed their faces. A small stolen kiss from Andrew once in a while made the Irish angel smile, and he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, marvelling at how well the their intertwined hands fit together.

Sometime later, they elected to leave the lake and search for a restaurant, as lunch time was close. The couple was walking towards the exit of the park when Andrew felt thirsty and saw, not far from them, a man selling water and soda.

"Are you thirsty, angel?" He wanted to know, not missing how the pretty daisies were getting her attention as they passed by a garden filled with the cute little flowers.

"Oh, actually I am, Andrew..." She replied, still not looking at him.

Chuckling, he kissed her cheek. "Then I'll buy us some water right over there, okay? I'll be right back."

Monica looked briefly at him and smiled. "Okay, Andrew."

The garden that enchanted her spread through the trees and hid behind some bushes not far from them. Hypnotised by the flower's beauty and delicacy, she gave some steps ahead, aware that her dear Andrew was not far from her. As a matter of fact, the little angel was impressed by so much splendour since from the moment she had arrived there. She and Andrew had been living in a big city for nearly a year now, and the contact with nature again renewed their soul, it reminded her of Home.

Andrew paid for the two small bottles of water and returned to where he had left her. A slight frown appeared on his face when he didn't see Monica and his natural instinct was to speed up his pace in order to find her.

But much to his relief, the blond angel spotted his dear Monica in between bushes and trees not far ahead. And what he saw not only surprised him, but also caused a lump to form in his throat. A baby deer was standing right in front of Monica and she was caressing the top of the animal's head. Usually, such a fast and wary animal would run away at the mere sign of a human being. Monica's presence, however, didn't scare the fawn. It seemed the little animal felt that she would never do him any harm; it seemed that such a docile animal could feel her heavenly nature.

And Andrew felt it too. Overwhelmed with emotion, he watched Monica surrounded by colourful flowers and so much beauty, in contact with such a pure little animal; the perfect image of an angel. For the second time, it seemed that Monica had recovered her angelic form and was glowing with the sunlight amongst the forest. It brought tears to his eyes, as he couldn't help feeling grateful and at the same time undeserving of her love, despite the fact that he too had the same essence.

Moments later, the little animal turned around and spotted his mother not far from them. Smiling, Monica nodded her head. "Looks like your mommy is calling for you, wee one!" she said, and watched as he calmly walked towards the bigger animal, and the two deer disappeared amongst the vegetation.

A gentle hand over her shoulder a second later didn't startle her, as she would always recognise Andrew's tender touch. "Such a lovely little creature, Andrew..." she said, still looking at the path that mother and baby had followed, and marvelled with that brief contact, her heart filled with compassion.

"Yes... no wonder it was so at ease at your presence, my angel..." he spoke, kissing her cheek. Monica turned to him and smiled before wrapping her arms around his waist for a loving embrace.

They felt so amazingly blessed.