Cahethal and Sabathiel
The song, written in italics is: "Cowboys and Angels" by Dustin Lynch
There's a want and there's a need
There's a history between
Girls like her and guys like me
Cowboys and angels
I could never understand what the love of my life saw in me. We were so different, the son of the town drunk and the daughter of the town preacher. Cliché, I know, but something's just can't be helped. She crashed into my life one night and her mark on my heart has never gone away. I was working at one of the ranches, trying to earn some money for food. I came around the corner of the ranch house.
"Watch where you're going will you" I screamed, as I stood to brush myself off.
"I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were there."
I looked down to see the slender form of the preacher's daughter, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. Everyone in town loves her. It's not that I have anything against her, it's just, she is so good and everyone in town looks up to her. How can anyone look up to someone like me, with my family background? All I am saying is it's easy to love someone who has what appears to be the perfect life.
I've got boots and she's got wings
I'm hell on wheels and she's heavenly
I'd die for her and she lives for me
Cowboys and angels
"I am sorry," I replied as I helped her up, "It's just been a long day and I guess it's messed with my mood."
"You're a senior this year aren't you," she asked
"Yes," I said trepidly. "How did you know that?"
"Well, we've been in all the same classes since kindergarten, it's a little hard not to notice that, what with our class being so small already."
"True, but I didn't think that anyone knew me, at least outside of the town rumors."
"Ah, well, I don't listen to town rumors. I prefer to watch people and then form my own judgments."
"Ok, well then what have you noticed about me," although I sarcastically asked for her opinion, it somehow felt like my life depended upon her opinions about me.
"I think that you are a hard worker, trying to get out from underneath his father's bad reputation. I also think that you are sad and lonely. You don't let anyone in, preferring to be alone. Overall you appear to be a good man, with a hard past, who is just getting by, day by day."
She surprised me in her assessment of me. If I were being honest with myself I have been watching her since we were kids, I could just never get up the courage to do anything with my crush. I just kept thinking, 'why would she want a guy like me?' But, now seems to be my time.
We ride side by side
A cloud of dust, a ray of light
My touch is her temptation
Her kiss is my salvation
She's sweet, I'm wild, we're dangerous
Cowboys and angels
Looking at my feet while they shuffle in the dirt I mumble through my question, "Would you like to go on a ride with me?"
"I'm sorry," she says, with what sounds like a smile in her voice, "I didn't quite catch that, can you repeat the question?"
With a sigh, I look up and repeat my question, "I was wondering if you would like to go on a ride with me?"
She reaches for my hand, a move that surprises me. She gives my hand a squeeze and then gives me the answer that will forever change my life, "yes."
"Have you ever ridden a horse before?"
"This is a one horse town, what do you think?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
I took her around to the barn and led her over to the horses.
"This is Opal, Peridot, Emerald, Black Phantom Quartz, although we call him Phantom or Quartz for short and last but not least Aquamarine. They all have their strengths, and all are good for both new and old riders. So, which one do you want to ride?"
I'm not sure why her path crossed mine
Accident or grand design
Maybe God just kinda likes
Cowboys and angels
"You know the horses best, so I will defer to your pick."
"Ok, well, why don't you take emerald and I will take phantom?"
"Sounds like a plan to me."
We tacked up the horses and led them to the arena in order to mount them. Since emerald was tall, I helped her mount before jumping on phantom. I led the way out to the riding paths and started toward down the path that would lead to the beaches. We began a game of twenty questions and quickly learned more about each other. I was surprised to find that we had so much in common. We loved the same music, country and alternative rock; we enjoyed the same books, historical fiction and mystery.
Throughout the summer she would visit me on the ranch and we would take rides out to the beach together. We would get there, kick off our shoes, roll up our pants and let the waves of the lake lap at our feet. There were some days that I would take the fishing gear down ahead of her arrival and when we both got to the lake we would spend a couple of hours fishing. Anything we caught we would take back to the ranch and cook.
We ride side by side
A cloud of dust, a ray of light
My touch is her temptation
Her kiss is my salvation
She's sweet, I'm wild, we're dangerous
Cowboys and angels
The ranch where I worked had one owner and only two other ranch hands. The owner wasn't married, had no children. When I was ten, after one of my dad's drunken rages, I ran into the woods, ending up at the ranch. Sablo, the ranch owner, found me in his barn. Instead of kicking me out he fed me. In return, I offered to help him on the farm. Over the years I have adopted the ranch as my home, and it has adopted me. When I turned thirteen Sablo started paying me for the work I did. The pay was small at first, not even minimal wage, but as the years go by may play has slowly increased. Now I am up to over nine dollars an hour, much more than I could get anywhere else.
Sabathiel didn't know all of my history, especially my connection to the ranch so as the days and weeks flew by, that became another topic we shared. I also got to know more about her history and the connection she had with her dad. Since her mother passed away in childbirth her father tried to raise her as best he could. They would constantly have father/daughter time, even after she became a teenager and everyone thought it was weird. She went to church, and because she loved writing so much would constantly help her father with his sermons. We learned so much about each other that summer.
One day, Sabathiel came to the farm with a strange look on her face.
"What's going on in that beautiful brain of yours," I asked after I set down my shovel.
"Well I was thinking…"
"Well that can be a good thing or a bad thing, which is it this time?"
"Ha ha, I guess both. I was wondering if you wanted to join my father and I for Fourth of July?"
"Well, I would love to join you. You know that the more time I spend away from home the better. Heck, my father is in such a drunken stupor most of the time that he doesn't know what day it is."
She rubbed my arm with a sad smile on her face.
"I know," she replied, "that is why I asked for you to come with me to dinner. I know most of the time you eat here, but… I want you to meet my father and him you."
"I can't believe you want me to meet your dad."
"Well, why wouldn't I?"
"I'm me, the son of the town drunk, why would you want to bring me home to meet the folk?"
"We have got to work on your self-esteem, Cahethal. My father knows all about you from what I have told him. He knows you have been coming to church; he knows how hard you are working to better your life. He is going to love you just as much as I do."
A look of shock crossed her face as her hands flew to cover her mouth. I pulled her hands away and clasped them in mine.
"Did you really mean that? Do you really love me?"
"Of course I do!"
"Good," I smiled, "because I love you too."
When the Fourth of July rolled around, I nervously approached her house. After taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. Her father opened the door, and stared at me before Sabathiel joined him.
"Father, leave him be. Come in Cahethal. I just put dinner on the table."
As I stepped into the door I offered my hand to her father. "Good evening Mr. Rahmiel. Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner."
"Yes, well," he grumbled, "my daughter seems to like you and from what she has told me about you it seems the two of you have much in common. As long as you promise never to purposefully hurt my daughter in any way, you will always be welcome into my home."
There's a want and there's a need
There's a history between
Girls like you and guys like me
Cowboys and angels
Three years later we came back to that small town. After finishing college, me getting a degree in agriculture and she getting hers in journalism I proposed at our graduation ceremony. The month before graduation I called up her father to ask for permission to marry his daughter.
"Mr. Rahmiel? This is Cahethal."
"Cahethal, how many times have I asked you in the past three years, not to call me Mr.?"
"Sorry sir, force of habit."
"Anyway, what do you need son? IS my Sabathiel doing ok?"
"Yes sir, we are both doing fine. I actually called to ask you a question. I would much rather do this in person, however, since I won't see you until graduation I knew I needed to call."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry sir, yes what?"
"Yes, you can marry my daughter. I knew this day was coming. Do you have a ring?"
"Ah, yes sir, I do. We were shopping the other day and we stopped at the jewelry store to get my watch battery replaced. As we were waiting I watched as she looked at the different rings, and there was one she kept gravitating toward. I went back the other day and had the ring sized and got the insurance on it."
"Well, if she picked it out, I am sure it is beautiful. When where you planning on proposing?"
"At graduation. She deserves all the happiness in the world. Sablo called me the other day. He wants to retire and move to the beach so he offered me the farm. We talked it over and have decided to move back. We love the property, it is close to you and the city is close enough for her to write for a newspaper. In fact, The Morning Times offered her a position. Everything is just falling in to place and asking her to marry me is the next step."
"Well, I am proud of the two of you son and I can't wait to see the both of you graduate, and marry. I can't wait to walk my daughter down the aisle."
Meaning of the Names:
Sabathiel- angel of intelligence who communicates divine light
Cahethal- angel over agriculture
Rahmiel- angel of mercy and love
Sablo- angel of graciousness and protection