CHAPTERS 21 & 22

Chapter 21

            Andrew gripped her hand tightly in his, hardly believing what she had just said,

            “Honey, that isn’t necessary,” He let go of her hand long enough to wipe at his eyes, before lacing his fingers through hers once more,

            “You don’t have to do this…”

            “Andrew, I want to do this.  I want to tell you and even more importantly, I need to tell you.  I probably should have told you a long time ago, so maybe you would understand more then you do,” Monica drew in a tired breath, so wanting this whole battle to be over,

            “You know that Kathleen and I worked in Search and Rescue together.  We were best friends, Andrew.  We worked together so well, that our assignments were often for groups of people who needed help-like the rafting accident we worked once.  We knew each other so well, that we knew exactly what the other would do, so our rescues went like clockwork,” Despite everything, Monica had to smile at the memories of much happier times with Kathleen,

            “We used to spend our days off together, just walking or talking.  There was nothing that I couldn’t tell Kathleen back then.  What I didn’t know is that after a few years, she was being petitioned by one of Satan’s demons.  I mean, that I knew we all were from time to time, but never in a million years, Andrew, would I have thought that Kathleen would really consider turning from God,” She closed her eyes against the tears as she continued…

            “Monica, I have to talk to you.  It’s important.”

            The auburn-haired angel stopped what she was doing, hearing the seriousness in Kathleen’s voice.  Turning to face her, the young, Irish-tongued angel frowned slightly,

            “What’s the matter, Kathleen?”

            Kathleen looked strangely uncomfortable as she avoided her best friend’s knowing gaze,

            “I just want you to hear me out, okay?  Don’t go off the deep end at me or anything, but I know you aren’t going to like this.”

            Monica was now really starting to worry.  Kathleen was generally not this serious and she could tell by her friend’s tone that this was not something she was going to want to hear,

            “Kathleen, what is it?”

            “I’m leaving.” She stated, not knowing of any way to break it to Monica gently,

            “I’ve been spending some time with Killian and he said-.”

            “Killian??” Monica’s eyes grew wide as she heard that name escape Kathleen’s lips,

            “The demon, Killian?  Kathleen, what are you doing?”

            “Just hear me out, okay?  This isn’t for me, Monica.  I’ve tried for years now and other than working with you, there just isn’t enough in it for me.  I want to be a leader instead of the follower for a change, and on the other side, I can be that!” Kathleen’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, her excitement obvious.

            “Would you listen to yourself?” Monica cried out, unable to even fathom what it was she was hearing,

            “Kathleen, you are one of God’s angels and my best friend and you cannot just decide to do this!”

            Kathleen was quiet for several moments, before she finally spoke,

            “I’ve already decided.  I’m going with Killian tonight.”

            Monica starred at her friend, as tears filled her dark, brown eyes,

            I..I don’t understand.  You made this decision without even talking to me about it first?  Kathleen, this is wrong and I can give you a hundred reasons why it is wrong!”

            Kathleen felt tears threatening her own eyes at the sight of the ones now sliding down Monica’s cheeks,

            “Oh Monica, please don’t do this.  Please don’t cry-you know I hate to see you cry,” Partly to comfort her friend, but mostly to fill a need within herself, the angel pulled Monica to her and hugged her tightly,

            “I’m sorry, but this just isn’t for me,” She pulled away for a moment, looking at Monica hopefully,

            “Come with me!  We could still be together and we make such a great team!  Think of all the fun we could have, Monica-.”

            “No!” Monica cried out, pulling away from Kathleen as sobs began to tear through her,

            “How can you even ask that of me, Kathleen?  I do the Father’s work and I love it and I thought you did too.”

            Kathleen looked at her friend through eyes filled with sorrow,

            “I’m sorry, Mon’, but I don’t.  Maybe I’m selfish, I don’t know, but it just isn’t for me.  I wish it were.  Please, at least think about it.  I don’t want to lose the best friend I’ve ever had.”

            Monica, who had covered her face with her hands while Kathleen spoke, now looked up at her with eyes full of pain and tears,

            “Kath, don’t take this the wrong way, because I do love you, but you just did.  I can’t be friends with a demon and serve God too, and I chose God.  Have you even thought about this?  Do you really want to hurt people instead of helping them?  All the good you and I have done for the Father-you just want to undo it all?”

            “I want to be able to call my own shots, Monica; to do things of my own free will and not have to answer for it.  Yes, I’ve thought about it-it’s all I’ve thought about since Killian first came to me,” Kathleen’s dark eyes turned desperate as she clutched Monica’s arm,

            “Oh please, please come with me?  This is the only part of leaving that I’m not sure if I can bear.”

            “Then don’t go.  If I mean so much to you, then you’ll stay and try to work this out with God!” Monica’s tears flowed freely as she pleaded with her best friend.

            “I can’t, Monica.  Please understand and please don’t hate me for this-.”

            “I could never hate you.  You know that, but I won’t come with you.  This is where I belong and so do you!  I’ll help you, Kath, I’ll help you to want to stay!”

            “I’m sorry, Monica, but my decision has already been made,” Kathleen wiped tears from her eyes as she prepared to go,

            “I’ll never give up on working with you again.  I’ll keep hoping that one day, I can make you change your mind.”

            But Monica shook her head sadly,

            “That will never happen, Kathleen.  My place is with the Father.  He loves me and He loves you too and I wish that were enough for you.”

            “Me too.” Kathleen whispered, before hugging Monica tightly once more,

            “I’ll never give up on you.  You can’t blame a girl for trying, you know.”

            “You’ll be wasting your time,” The angel replied softly, as she watched her beloved friend turn and walk away from her.  Her tears falling like raindrops, Monica turned away and began walking, her heart heavier than she could ever remember it.  Her head jerked up as she heard Kathleen shout from the distance,

            “I’ll never give up, Monica!  Not ever!”

Chapter 22

            Andrew held his friend tightly as she wept softly in his arms once the tale had been told.  As she had been talking, he could clearly feel the raw pain that was still in her heart over what had transpired with Kathleen so long ago, and he knew now that it was a wound that had never truly healed.  Maybe all of Kathleen’s attempts to pull Monica over to the side of darkness is what had caused her heart to not mend. 

            His thoughts were interrupted as he heard her softly begin to speak once more.

            “So, you see, Andrew, it started out in love.  Kathleen didn’t want to lose my friendship, so she kept trying to find ways to get me to abandon God.  But as time went by, her plans became more and more severe,” Monica sighed as she rested her head wearily on his shoulder.

            “So, what happened once she left?” He coaxed gently, his fingers running soothingly through her hair.

            “I spent the next few days walking alone.  Well, never really alone, but that was how I felt.  It was Tess who finally found me, to tell me that I had been promoted to Caseworker.”…

            “C’mon, baby, it’s time to go,” The older, dark-skinned angel looked at the young, auburn-haired angel who sat on the log, looking more than a little forlorn.

            Monica looked away, her heart still grieving for the loss of her friend.  It had only been three days since Kathleen had gone away with Killian, and Monica felt more alone than she had ever felt in her existence,

            “Why would the Father promote me now?” She asked the angel, who was a stranger to her.  Tess’ eyes were kind and Monica could see understanding in them, which made it difficult for her to look into them for very long.

            “The Father always knows what we need, baby, and right now, you need a bit of change,” Tess sat down on the log beside of her new charge and lovingly put her arm around Monica’s frail shoulders,

            “I know what happened with your friend, Kathleen and I know you are hurting right now and God knows it too.  But baby, you tried to get her to change her mind.  Unfortunately, angels have free will, just like humans do, and Kathleen used that will to go with that demon.”  Tess watched painfully as Monica’s eyes welled up with tears.

            “But she was my friend,” The Irish brogue was scarcely a whisper,

            “How could she do that to me?”  She said, her brown eyes imploring her new supervisor,

            “Friends aren’t supposed to do that, are they Tess?  I don’t understand…I don’t understand…”

            Tess pulled the now sobbing angel into her arms and rocked her gently, shaking her head in wonder at the way this little Irish-tongued angel had worked her way into her heart so quickly,

            “That’s it, baby,” She crooned soothingly,

            “Cry out all that grief that is in your heart, and let the Father heal it for you.  No, friends shouldn’t hurt each other, but sometimes it happens, even to the best of friends.  What you don’t want to do though, is to harden your heart to the point that you can’t let anyone else in.  God gave you that heart of yours to love with, baby, and you have.  But sometimes in love, we lose, and it does hurt, Monica.  So, we cry a little and then we pick up the pieces of our hearts and we move on, maybe a little bit wiser for the next time,” Tess smiled, hearing Monica’s sobs beginning to diminish,

            “Just think, baby, humans get their hearts broken everyday, but it helps them to become stronger and it often brings them closer to God.” She pulled away to look into the angel’s glassy, brown eyes,

            “Better, Angel Girl?”

            Monica smiled at the name ‘Angel Girl’ and she had a feeling that she was going to like working with Tess,

            “Yes, thank you, Tess.  I’m sorry-you must think I’m a real mess-.”

            “Nonsense, baby.  That gentle heart of yours is what is going to make you a wonderful Caseworker and the Father knows that.”….

            Andrew smiled at the rest of the story, despite the situation that they were in,

            “So God sent you Tess.” He remarked softly.

            “Yes, and later, you and both of you are such precious gifts to me, Andrew.  I don’t think my heart mended until both of you were in my life.” Monica felt him kiss the top of her head and she sighed softly, feeling surprisingly content and at peace.

            “Thank you, for telling me,” He said softly,

            “I do understand more now, about Kathleen and about you.”

            Unbeknownst to the two angels, Kathleen stood near them, having listened as Monica had told the tale of what had transpired between the two of them and had they been able to see the look on the dark angel’s face, they would have found it unreadable.