CHAPTER 32

All I ever wanted

The weekend passed by very fast, and the angels in human form restarted their daily routine. Truth to be told, Monica missed her little students and her work as their teacher, something that she was considering to be her assignment while she and Andrew were there on Earth. The meeting with Ella had been a cheerful one on the previous day: that dear friend reminded her of someone she had been longing to meet and every time she thought about Tess, her eyes were filled with tears. Ella herself had realised it already, and wondered what lied behind Monica and Andrew's past that could cause them so much sadness. She hoped to find that out one day.

"Isn't it wonderful that Ella's son is a veterinarian and that now we know that wee Bear is in very good hands?" Monica spoke, as she and Andrew got ready to leave for work on that bright Monday morning. He had changed his schedule for that week and was glad to be working at the same time as Monica. This way, the two would be home together and enjoy each other's company.

"Yes, and I'm sure our little one here will get better soon." The blond angel picked her books from the table while his dear valentine scooped the little puppy in her arms. Bear was very little and judging by his appearance he could be at most a month old. And despite the fact that he had found a new home and loving "parents," the animal was still weak and deserved special care. It amused Andrew the way Monica held him close to her chest so carefully. The way she always grew attached to God's little creatures and somewhat felt responsible for them was particularly endearing. As she opened the apartment door, he added. "And he and I will escort our girl to work today!"

Giggling, she turned an affectionate gaze at him. "Well, then I have to confess I'm happy I have two charming protectors by my side!"

Andrew bent down and pecked her lips lovingly, and once she was closing the door, another door was opened: the one of the apartment that was in front of theirs. Their neighbour from across the hall was someone they wouldn't see with much frequency. She was in her mid forties and had one son, who was together with her at that moment.

"Good morning, Carolyn." Monica greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning, Monica, Andrew..." she replied, also smiling, as on the few times she had met the couple, she felt there was something special about them, something good.

"Hey, good morning to you too, Peter! You look very bright-eyed this morning!" the Irish angel came closer to the boy, who kept still as if staring at an invisible point ahead of him.

Andrew also came closer and smiled at the eight-year-old. "Yes, Monica is right! Guess I'll borrow this cap someday!"

And despite the fact that Peter had been diagnosed with autism when he was only three, the boy turned to the two angels in human form and nodded his head. That reaction put some tears of emotion in his mother's eyes, but it hadn't been the first time he behaved like that with Monica and Andrew. What he did next, however, surprised them all: slowly, Peter moved his eyes from the couple and looked at the small dog in Monica's arms. He then reached out and touched the animal's soft fur, being acknowledged by an excited little puppy licking his wrist and making him smile.

"Oh, dear God..." Monica and Andrew exchanged a surprised look and didn't miss his mother's whispered words.

"Looks like this is the beginning of a great friendship!" the Irish angel spoke, smiling with emotion at the realisation that even that tiny little animal would somewhat fill the Father's plan to make that lonely boy's life a happier one.

X

Meeting her little students brought Monica so much joy that she made a mental note to tell Andrew each and every detail about it, from how they prepared a banner and lots of drawings where one could read "welcome back, miss Monica," to the warm little hugs she received from each one of them. It brought her to tears – happy tears, as she told her husband later that day.

Andrew, for himself, was also glad to meet his colleagues and restart his job as a firefighter. If during the centuries as an angel of death he could only act after a child of God's had gone, now he was experiencing the opposite; taking care of the Father's child before, to prevent them from leaving their family and friends before their time on Earth was through.

And their first week as a married human couple soon became a month. Ella's son proved to be an excellent veterinarian and treated their little dog with so much care and competence that little Bear was soon healed, bringing more joy to the newly-weds and to a very special little boy who lived across from them. Dealing with the small puppy did so much good for Peter that his mother asked for Monica and Andrew's permission to take care of him during the day when they were not at home so her son would spend more time with the animal.

The following summer brought the couple bright beautiful days with occasional outings at the park or romantic candle light dinner at some cosy little restaurant or even held at home – Monica's favourite ones, as she had always been a fan of Andrew's culinary abilities. The nights they would hold each other and talk about their plans for the following week, his way of caressing her long auburn tresses and listening intently to her eternal chattering, the feeling of lying in his arms... those were memories that would remain in their hearts forever and they even wondered how some human beings could be so bitter if they could also have what they had.

"I wish people could feel it too, Andrew... everyone..." she said, listening to his steady heartbeats as they were lying in the sofa, the movie they had been watching had just finished and Andrew had turned the TV off so that only a side lamp broke the darkness in the living room.

"I do too, angel, but perhaps they're not ready yet... Perhaps many people still have a long path to walk before reaching what we have now..." he kissed the top of her head and looked down, waiting for her answer.

But what she said surprised him. "Sometimes I'm afraid, you know..."

Andrew stirred on the sofa searching for her face. "Angel... You and I are and will always be angels, and apart from loving you, I know for sure that I was created for doing God's work, and this is what I'm doing here, this is what I will keep on doing no matter where I'm settled in the future." He stroked her beautiful angelic face, "And so will you, Monica. And if and when Tess or the others search for us, if and when we are called back to where we came from, then I can assure you that it won't keep us apart."

She let out a sigh and bit her lower lip in order to arrange her thoughts. Andrew already knew that ritual and as always, he waited patiently until she spoke again.

"I wasn't exactly talking about this possibility, you see... Even though it also scares me, I know that we would be together somehow as I've come to the conclusion that you and I are a whole... and could never be apart..."

Moved at those words, Andrew searched for her lips and kissed them tenderly as his fingers entangled her auburn strands. Monica rested her head underneath his chin but her face remained serious as she kept on talking. "In this human form we are so exposed... Exposed to hunger and cold... to heat and snow... Sometimes, Andrew, I confess that I still am not fully accustomed to those sensations... Sometimes, I am afraid for us, for you..."

"Shh... angel, no... please take away this fear from your heart. I told you that we have a loving Father who is watching over us both while we're here, performing his work, baby!"

He felt her tightening the hold around his torso, and it broke his heart to know that those fears had been haunting her again. "I love you so much..." he heard her whispering, and with his beloved angel carefully wrapped in his strong arms, Andrew lifted a silent prayer, asking for protection and for the opportunity to be her eternal guardian, watching over her for the centuries to come.

Long moments later, he realised that Monica had lost the battle against sleep, something that would always fill his heart with tenderness and with fierce protection, as her falling asleep in his arms was another evidence of how much she trusted him. And long ago, he had promised to never disappoint her. Slowly, so as not to wake her up, Andrew lifted her and carried the sleeping angel to their room, where he carefully deposited a cute looking Monica in their bed, being specially careful to settle the pillow underneath her head. Then, he looked for a light blanket and covered her sleeping form before climbing in bed next to her. The former angel of death kissed her temple lovingly and a few seconds later, he chuckled as she abandoned her pillow and inched closer to him, searching for his chest and for his warm embrace.

Life couldn't be happier.