It had been three years before the angel fell back from heaven and into my life once more. This time I was not prepared.
It was around noon when I walked into the flat. He was sprawled out on the couch but upon my arrival he sat up and stared at me. The blood went straight to my head, I barely heard the pickles smash as I rushed towards him.
"John." He whispered as I pulled my arm back and struck him in the jaw.
As he recovered I threw my arms around him. Tears forming in my eyes I pulled him close and laid my head on his chest.
"I'm so sorry." It was hushed as he comfortingly entombed me in his arms.
We stood like that for a long while, holding each other. He sat me down afterwards and talked me through the whole nasty business of his faked death, why they never reported the body missing, why he'd been gone for so long, things like that. My emotions were being yanked in every direction, I could barely pay attention.
My eyes welled up and teared out as I tried to wrap my mind around the idea. I wiped them clean and started smiling at him as he spoke, happy to finally have him back, my only friend.
After a long while of talking he looked to me sympathetically. "John, you really must stop crying. I'm back, we can go back to the way things were."
My eyes darted everywhere in the room but into his eyes. There couldn't have been a worse time for him to show up, I thought. Then Mrs. Hudson walked in the door with my son.