PART 2

It was a sunny afternoon as the beautiful lady drove a red Cadillac along the coast. The gentle breeze that was blowing from the sea caressed her pretty face, disarraying some strands of her now longer auburn hair. But despite the fact that there was a slight smile in the corner of her lips, it was possible to see a hint of sadness deep inside her doe-like eyes. They watched as the blue of a vast ocean met the equally blue sky, where the gentle sun emitted its rays upon the earth, warming the hearts of even the loneliest of the human beings.

Six months after she had gotten her promotion, and despite all the people she had managed to help during this time, Monica couldn't help feeling a bit like one of these lonely humans. The Irish angel knew she had a loving Father who would always be watching over her, and that eventually she would be granted with the joy of seeing old friends. But the meantime was hard to bear. Since she had seen two special angels walk away from her in the desert, it seemed that her soul wasn't complete any longer. The oldest angel, whom she loved like a mother, had taken a position in Heaven to sing for God, so it was easier to find her and go there once in a while to give her a hug. It wasn't the same thing as having Tess by her side all the time, always ready to tell her wise words at the right moment, but meeting her old supervisor even if it was once in a while somehow managed to soothe her heart and send part of her sadness away.

With Andrew, however, things were much different. As and angel of death, he was constantly going from one place to another all over the world, and since the day she was promoted, she hadn't seen him. And the Irish angel had to admit to herself the truth that she was used to taking to so many: Andrew's absence had become nearly unbearable to her, and caused her heart to ache with sorrow. She missed him terribly, much more than she herself knew. Holding on to the promise of a new meeting was all that was left to her now, but the long wait for this moment was more and more difficult each and every day.

Monica slowed down and finally stopped her red Cadillac in front of a beach house. But those very beach and house weren't common or unknown to her. She had been there once, together with Andrew, Tess and Rafael, when she was still an young caseworker trying to adjust to her new position. She had no idea how much she would miss this time.

But Monica preferred not to enter. There wasn't anybody inside for her to meet, and the emptiness inside her heart was already enough for her to carry. Still with a slight smile on her meek face, she took off her sandals and left the car to take a walk on the deserted beach. Standing there, barefoot and feeling the white soft sand against her feet somehow reminded her of the good old days and, most importantly, of her dearest friends. Not that she didn't like to be a supervisor, much on the contrary, she was said to be doing a very good job. But it hurt to spend so much time without seeing Tess and Andrew, without having the two angels by her side so that she could voice her thoughts and questionings.

She walked for long minutes, sad eyes turning from the ocean to the sandy ground. That part of the beach was far from where visitors used to settle, and at that very moment she was the only living creature there. Sighing deeply, Monica finally stopped walking and reached inside the pocket of her skirt, finding a small roundish golden watch. Before she opened the lid, the Irish angel stared at the object for some moments, and felt some tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She ran her fingertips over its gold lid and then finally opened it: 5 PM.

"It's been a long time I wanted to check on my pocket watch!" somebody suddenly said. Monica's human form trembled entirely and she felt her heart pounding loudly in her chest with the sound of that familiar male voice that had come from behind her.

She quickly turned around and covered her mouth with her hand; tears immediately falling from her eyes, "Andrew..." she thought, as words seemed to fail at that very moment.

Yes. Her dear, beloved friend was standing right before her eyes, with a handsome smile and his arms wide open for her. Her shock was such that it took her some seconds to give the first step towards him. And when she finally walked up to him, it was slowly, due to the trembling of her legs. But finally, after what it seemed an eternity to Andrew, she wrapped her arms around the blond angel's neck, in a tight, almost desperate embrace.

And the angel of death returned that embrace fiercely, as if he would never ever let her go again.

"I... I missed you so much..." the Irish angel managed to whisper, sobbing, hardly controlling her tears now. She felt Andrew's hand softly stroking her hair and closed her eyes, treasuring his touch and treasuring every second of her existence as if it was the last.

And so did Andrew. Having his beloved Monica back in his arms was like a wonderful dream, the most blessed gift he had ever received in his whole existence other than meeting the little Irish angel. The pretty young angel who had touched his heart in a way that no other living creature would ever be able to.

"You have no idea of how much I waited for this day, Monica..." he finally spoke, never releasing the hold on her. Despite his now serious face, tears of joy could be seen in the corner of his eyes. He would be eternally grateful for that moment.

Andrew let her cry for some minutes more and only when her sobbing started to subside did he pull away - just enough to look at her face. "Please, stop crying, baby..." he said, gently wiping the tears from her face with gentle fingers, and then tenderly caressing her red cheeks with the back of his hands.

"How did you know..." Monica finally managed to speak, "... how did you know I was here?"

"I didn't... I've been given the rest of the day off and I remembered how beautiful the sunset was on this beach." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "And you?"

Monica's eyes shone, she was aware that their meeting could never be a coincidence. They felt the same thing, two hearts connected with each other no matter the distance or time. "I was given the day off too and so was my charge."

Andrew finally smiled again, "You have a charge!" he said, gently tracing an invisible line along her delicate jaw. "My dear Monica, we have so much to talk!" his cheerful tone of voice finally caused a tiny smile to appear on her face.

"Yes, she's such a cheerful young angel, always eager to learn things! And she has a kind and compassionate heart!"

Dazzled and with his eyes full of love, Andrew contemplated her face as she spoke, committing to memory every her meek features. "Hum... sounds like someone I know..."

His affectionate look, together with that remark, caused her to smile even more, slightly blushed. "What about you? What have you been doing?" she wanted to know, and like him, she too was couldn't get enough of his face, of his warm green pools always gazing at her with much love.

"Well, there have been lots of assignments, some were good, other sad... I have so much to tell you..." he said, and for a moment their eyes were locked up with each other, unconsciously, as if secret words were already being spoken through the voice of silence. Feeling a lump forming in her throat, Monica took a deep breath, still nervous about that reunion and what she was feeling inside. Andrew finally broke their gaze and looked at her feet, chuckling with some amusement. "But I can see you that you still keep some old habits!"

Twice blushed, Monica lowered her eyes for a second, "Well..."

The blond angel took her hand in both of his and kissed its back, "And talking about old habits... would you like a cup of coffee?"

The Irish angel's eyes lit up with that invitation, in that childish manner that he had always found particularly adorable. She let out a joyful giggle that sounded like music to his ears. "Always!"

With a broad smile upon his face, Andrew let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her small shoulders. He lay a tender kiss on her temple and both left the beach towards the red Cadillac, so that Monica could recover her sandals. Like the old friends that they indeed were, the couple of angels turned into human form couldn't hide all the happiness and excitement that that unexpected reunion brought them. Chatting happily, as if all the time of the universe wasn't enough for them to catch up, they headed to the nearby café.