Hello Everybody,
I got one of my stories back from my Beta Reader :-))) A VERY BIG THANK
YOU TO YOU LEIGH!!!! I know we gave you a lot of work :-)))))
That following story contains a lot about my own schooltime, but there are
also a lot of things that are just my fantasy ;-) The sports day and the
teacher are part of the true part of that story and also that there were a substitute
teacher who tried to help me. She stayed for almost a half year, then and
helped me a lot :-))
I hope you like my story and gives me some feedback ;-))
Disclaimer: Like it always is: I don't own these three angels. They belong
to CBS.
Hugs,
Grit
"Life Lessons"
Tiffany was a fifteen year old girl with long dark hair. She was one of the outsiders of her class. She didn't have many friends. In fact, her only friend was Betina, who was an outsider, too. Most of her classmates made bad jokes about her or laughed at the things she wore, she said or she did. Or they beat her up whenever they met her.
Tiffany was nevertheless a good student and she had a lot of hobbies. Some of them were unusual for a child of her age. She was interested in astronomy and the theories of Albert Einstein. She didn't say that she understood everything in these theories, but there were some really interesting mind experiments in them. These were certainly some of the reasons why her classmates didn't like her. They felt uncomfortable in her presence. She wasn't interested in make-up or the newest music groups or the concerns of most other kids her age.
It was one thing not to have a lot of friends. But to be always the one who gets teased was so much more difficult. There were a lot of nights when Tiffany lay in her bed and cried because she was sad and afraid of the next day in school. Her teacher was an old lady who didn't like illegitimate children and so she didn't help Tiffany. She actually made comments about Tiffany, too, so that her classmates had something new to laugh about.
Tiffany's mom did everything she could to help her daughter, but her problems grew with every new day. Two weeks ago, the school had had a sports day and, even though they had a lot of teachers along to take care of the kids, Tiffany became a victim of her classmates again. There were about 10 classmates who caught her during this day and beat her up. She got a lot of bruises and you could still see the footprints on her legs and arms for almost a week.
The kids who did this to her got an admonition, but it didn't take long until everything went back to normal.
A week ago, three new teachers had arrived in the school. One was an old lady with dark hair, who was Tiffany's new music teacher. The other was a young lady with long dark hair and a sweet Irish accent. Her name was Monica and she was Tiffany's English teacher. They were both really nice and Tiffany liked them, but the subjects they taught weren't her favorites. But there was also this new blond guy. His name was Andrew. He was Tiffany's new physics teacher. Tiffany liked all three of them because they were the first persons, except Tiffany's mom, who really seemed to try to help her and who listened to her. But, she liked Andrew most of all. He taught one of her favorite subjects and he was the first one who didn't only smile as she asked him about Albert Einstein's theories. Her old teacher only smiled at her when she tried to talk to him, but Andrew was different. He offered to met her after school so that he could try to answer her questions and to explain her all that she wanted to know. Tiffany knew that there was something special about these teachers. She had the feeling that she could talk to them about everything.
It was almost 2 p.m. when the school was finished and everybody went home, everybody except Tiffany. With anticipation, she headed to Andrew's office.
"Come in!" called a voice from inside as Tiffany knocked at the door. She opened the door carefully and looked inside. Andrew was a really nice guy, but somehow Tiffany got nervous, because this was the first time she would talk with someone about one of her favorite hobbies and she wasn't sure anymore if this was a good idea. What if she was totally wrong and didn't understand these theories? What if Andrew laughed at her? What if he recognized her mistakes? He would be one more person who mocked her.
"Come in," Andrew said with a cheerful smile as he saw that Tiffany hesitated to walk inside. "I won't bite you," Andrew joked.
Tiffany gave him a shy smile and walked over to Andrew.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked with concern as he saw her uncertainty.
"I'm sorry, it's ... it's only that it's the first time that someone didn't laugh about my interest in such things. Most people think that I'm too young to understand it and they laugh at me. Everything I know until now ... I know from books. What if I'm completely wrong? What if ..."
"Okay, stop this!" Andrew said as he stood up and walked around his desk in front of Tiffany. "Did you forget why you are here?" he asked with a smile. "Your are here because of this. You are here to ask me what you still don't understand. Don't worry if you did get something wrong. If it's so, then I will help you to understand it. Okay?"
The next hour flew fast. Andrew could answer some of Tiffany's questions. He was surprised about how well she had understood the whole concept. What she knew before she came into his office was correct. Sure, she didn't understand all of the formulas but she didn't seem to have any problems except with some of the "mind experiments". The concept of time shifts in the neighborhood of a strong source of gravity or during travel at, or beyond, the speed of light would confuse most humans.
When Tiffany looked at her watch she exclaimed, "Oh no! It's almost 3 p.m.! Mom is going to kill me. I will never get home before she comes! I ... I'm sorry Andrew!" she said in a rush, "I have to go! I forgot to tell my mom that I would get home later and if I'm not home when she comes home ... "
Andrew understood what Tiffany tried to tell him. Tiffany's mom got anxious if she didn't know where her daughter was, especially after her last experience at the sports day.
"If you like, we can give you a ride," Andrew offered. "Our apartment isn't far from your home ... so it isn't a detour for us."
A half-hour later, Tess parked in front of Tiffany's home.
"Thank you for the ride, my mom is surely waiting for me," Tiffany told the three angels as she got out of the car.
"You are welcome, baby. If there is anything we can do for you, no matter what ... our apartment is only 1 block away," Tess told her "You can come anytime you like. Even if it's during the night, okay!"
Tiffany smiled, "Thank you."
Tiffany's mom stood at the window and watched the whole scene. Who were the three people? Especially the blond guy. He seemed somehow familiar to her.
"Hi, Mom!" Tiffany called as she opened the front door and walked inside.
"Where have you been?" Kate, Tiffany's mom, asked her with worry.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that I had a meeting with my new physics teacher. He offered to explain some things to me."
"Is he the blond guy in the car?"
"Yes, his name is Andrew. He and his two friends, also some new teachers, offered me a ride."
Kate didn't hear the rest of the sentence after she heard the name 'Andrew'. Her mind raced. Andrew ... she knew that name, but she couldn't remember from where.
Suddenly, all her memories came back! Andrew! He was the one who was with her when she had that really bad accident three years ago. Nobody expected her to survive. Andrew appeared at her side and he stayed there the whole time until they were sure that she would make it. She remembered now WHO Andrew was!
As Tiffany saw how pale her mom had gotten, she became concerned "Mom? Is everything okay? You don't look so good."
"I .. I ... I'm fine, but I need to talk to your teacher!"
"Why? Everything is okay!"
"I NEED to talk to him and until then ... I want you to stay away from him!" Kate commanded her daughter. She was sure that it wasn't pure chance that Andrew was in the vicinity of her daughter. The thought that the Angel of Death was one of her daughter's new friends didn't calm her down. She needed to talk to him!
"But, mom! He's a nice guy and he and his two friends are the first teachers who listen to me! You can't expect me to keep away from them," Tiffany yelled at her mom. How could she want this from her? These three people were the first friends that she had in a long time.
"Tiffany, please trust me! Andrew isn't who he claims to be. I ... I have met him before and I don't want him near you!" Kate pleaded. How could she explain her daughter why she reacted like this?
Tiffany shook her head, "No, I won't and you CAN'T expect me to do this!" With this, she walked out of the house. She was too angry with her mom than to stay at home right now. Tiffany couldn't understand why her mom reacted so angrily about Andrew. Why did she say that Andrew wasn't who he said he was? She didn't even know him!
Tiffany didn't pay attention to where she was going and when she looked up, she stood in front of Tess' red car. Tears streamed down her face. Tiffany wasn't sure if she should try to go to her three friends or not. The door opened before she could make a decision and Monica stood in front of her with surprised look.
"Tiffany?! What are you doing here?" And as she saw the tears in the young girl's face, she asked in a worried tone, "What happened? What's wrong?"
"I ... I had a fight with my mom," Tiffany sobbed. "Isn't it enough when I have problems with my classmates?"
Monica wrapped her arm around the girl. "Come inside, honey!"
***
"Tess! Andrew! We have a visitor," Monica called as she opened the door of their apartment.
When Tess and Andrew came to see who it was and saw Tiffany's face they hurried over to her.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Tess asked with concern and led her into the living room. Andrew and Monica both followed .
Tiffany sat down on the couch with Monica and Tess at her sides. "I ... I had a fight with my mom."
"Because you were too late?" Andrew suggested
The girl shook her head. "No. Because ... because ... ."
"It's okay, you can tell us." Tess rubbed her back.
With a sad look at Andrew, "Because of you," she said with a low voice.
"Because of me?" Andrew asked, surprised. "Why?"
"I ... I don't know. She ... she wants me to stay away from you."
"Did she tell you why?" Monica wanted to know.
"No, not really. All she told me was that she wants to talk to you and that she knew you and that you aren't the person that you say you are."
Andrew, Tess and Monica exchanged meaningful and questioning looks.
"Did she tell you, *who* she thinks I am?" Andrew asked, now obviously worried.
Tiffany shook her head. "No. How can she say this? You are the first persons at school who really seems to care about me! You are my first friends in a long time. She knows about my problems at school, so how can she expect me to stay away from you?" she sobbed. Tiffany couldn't believe that these people would hurt her. She felt so safe in their presence. She couldn't explain it, but she knew that they were something special.
"Oh, come here baby," Tess said and took the girl in a tight hug and rocked her to calm her down.
"Please, tell me that my mom is wrong," Tiffany pleaded with a hurt look at Andrew.
Andrew walked close to the girl and went down on his knees, so that his eyes were level with her eyes. "Tiffany, I don't know *who* your mom thinks that I am, but I promise you that I'm your friend and ... for the time being ... I'm also your teacher." Andrew wished he could tell her the whole truth, but the Father told him that she wasn't ready yet. There was still a lot of work for the angels to do in order to help this girl. "I will talk to your mom. Okay? I'm sure it's only a misunderstanding," Andrew offered with a smile.
***
Monica and Tess stayed with Tiffany as Andrew left. Tess made hot chocolate for them and they talked the whole time.
Andrew stood in front of Tiffany's home. He remembered Tiffany's mom now. He had been assigned to her three years ago. After he knocked at the door, Kate opened it and turned white as a sheet as she saw who stood in front of her.
"Oh my God!" Kate said.
Andrew smiled, "Yes, He is the one who sent me."
"You ... you are ... you are it," Kate wasn't sure what she should do. Since her daughter left, she was thinking what she would say if she would meet this man and now ... everything was completely different.
"Kate," Andrew started gently, "I know you remember me. We met each other three years ago."
"You ... you are the Angel of Death!"
"Yes, I am. And I'm here because we need to talk." And with a look around, he added, "But we should do this in a little bit more private location."
Kate understood what Andrew meant and pointed for him to come in. She was still little bit pale.
"I want you to stay away from my daughter!" Kate yelled angrily at Andrew after she closed the door.
Andrew knew that she wasn't really angry at him, but she was too afraid of losing her daughter. "Kate, I'm here to help Tiffany and so are Tess and Monica. God has sent her three angels to help her. He knows that you did your best, but she is still the one who gets beaten up from her classmates and who is the outsider. She needs some friends at school, who listen to her, who give her hope and who can help her there when you aren't around."
Kate got tears in her eyes. It hurt her so much to see her daughter every day coming home and telling her what happened again. "But ... but why are YOU here? The Angel of Death!"
Andrew embraced Kate and rubbed her back gently. "I don't know WHY God has sent me, at least not yet. But I promise you that I will do my best to help Tiffany. You see, that I'm assigned to someone doesn't mean that he or she is going to die. You remember? I was assigned to you three years ago ... and you are still here on this earth," Andrew told her with a gentle smile.
Kate nodded slowly, "I remember the time. I always wasn't sure if it was real ), at least until now."
"Does Tiffany know about you?" Kate asked after Andrew let her go.
The angel shook his head, "No, she doesn't know it. She isn't ready to know it, not yet."
***
After Andrew left and went back to Tess, Monica and Tiffany, he told Tiffany that he talked with her mom and that it was okay with her if Tiffany wanted to *hang out* with them. Tiffany stayed with the angels about one hour longer before she left and went home.
"And? Did Tiffany's mom know who you are?" Monica asked after the girl left.
Andrew nodded, "Yes, she knows me. Kate had a really bad car accident, three years ago. I was assigned to her, but she was a fighter. She survived." Andrew sighed, "I told her that we are here to help her daughter, but once she saw me, she was afraid to lose her daughter. And I couldn't tell her that I'm not here because of this. The Father didn't tell me if or not I'm here to bring Tiffany Home. I mean, I see how much she gets hurt every day, physical and verbal. I can see how her hope fades away with every single day and I don't know how long she will hold on or when the physical abuse gets too much for her. I have seen other teens in similar positions. Some of them died because of the attacks of their classmates and some ... some killed themselves because they couldn't face this situation anymore. I don't want to see this happens to Tiffany."
"Don't worry, Angel Boy. We will do our best to make sure that you aren't here to take her home and the rest ... we have to put in His hands and trust Him."
Monica walked to her friend and hugged him tightly. She knew how hard it was for Andrew. He saw so many sad things in his job as Angel of Death. She knew that he hated it to take children and teens home.
***
The next 3 weeks passed without any events, except the daily mobbing. The three angels tried their best to give the girl some hope. They tried to talk to her classmates, to make them realize what they did. They tried to talk to the parents of these children, but without any success. It got only worse for Tiffany.
One afternoon, Tiffany sat crying in the corner of her classroom as Tess walked in. She knew already what happened. Some of her classmates made fun of Tiffany's parents. Someone said that her dad killed himself because he couldn't live with a child like her. Tiffany's dad died in the car accident, three years ago. The same accident when Kate met Andrew.
"Baby?" Tess said softly as she walked to the girl. "It's okay, baby. I know what happened. Don't listen to them."
"No! Nothing is okay! What's wrong with me that everybody hates me?!" Tiffany yelled at Tess.
"Nothing is wrong with you and not everybody hates you!"
"Yeah, WHO doesn't?" the girl sobbed.
"I love you, your mom loves you, Monica and Andrew love you. And most important of all ... God LOVES you. You are His child."
"Don't talk about God! If He loved me, then He would help me." Tiffany stood up and ran out of the room, before Tess could say anything else.
As Tiffany ran out of the building, she could see that there were 5 of her classmates waiting for her. She heard how one of them called, "Look! There she is! Let's catch her!"
Tiffany got scared. She knew what would follow if they should catch her. She started to run toward the wood that wasn't far away from the school. She hoped that she could hide herself somewhere there. Tiffany didn't pay any attention where she was running or that the other kids stopped following her. It had rained the whole morning and the ground was smooth. Before she recognized what happened, she slipped and fell down a precipice. Tiffany was unconscious as Andrew appeared . He walked to her side and knelt down.
Tiffany groaned when she came round. She opened her eyes slowly as she felt that someone was stroking her cheek. Her whole body hurt, but she forgot her pain when she saw who was next to her. "Andrew? What happened?"
"Shhh ... Yes, it's me. You had an accident. Do you remember? You slipped and fell down."
Tiffany nodded slowly, "Yes, I ... I remember." Tiffany tried to sit up, but the pain was too great. "What? ... Where is the light from?" Tiffany wondered. Andrew looked so different, so beautiful and somehow peaceful.
The angel smiled, "It's from God. Tiffany, I'm an angel sent by God to help you."
"An angel? You mean one with wings and halo?"
Andrew laughed, "No, not with wings. Angels don't have wings. But a lot of love and light!"
"So you are my Guardian angel?! Will you help me out of here?"
Andrew's face got sad; he hated this part of his job. "No, I'm not your Guardian angel and I can't help you out of here, at least not in the way you expect it." He sighed, "Tiffany, I don't want to scare you, but ... I'm your Angel of Death."
Tiffany's eyes widened at first in shock, but after a moment she calmed down. "I'm not afraid. Anything is better than my life at the moment. Death can't be crueler than every new day already is."
Andrew shook his head, "No! Please, don't give up! I know that your life has been hard for you for a long time. But God wants to help you because He loves you. This is the reason why He sent you three angels. But, He can only help you if you live. Give Him a chance. Will you do this?"
Tiffany nodded slowly, "So, I will survive?!"
"I don't know. It depends on you, how much you will fight for your life and it depends on when you will be found."
"My mom was right about you. You really aren't the one you pretended to be."
"No, she wasn't right. I said that I would be your friend and your teacher. And I AM still that."
"Yeah, but your are also my Angel of Death," Tiffany said sadly.
"Yes, I am."
"My mom knew you. Why?"
"I was with her and your dad in the accident, three years ago. I brought your daddy Home and I stayed with your mom, just as I stay with you right now," Andrew explained gently.
Tiffany got tears in her eyes, "Andrew, I ... I don't REALLY want to die."
Andrew held her head in his arm and softly stroked her hair. "I know, sweetheart. I don't want this either. But I promise you that I will stay with you, no matter how this will end for you," Andrew promised her. "Are you afraid?" he asked softly.
"Y ... yes," was the low reply.
"I swear to you, there isn't ANYthing to be afraid of. Death isn't like everybody thinks. Trust me, I see it everyday. If ... and I say only IF ... you have to go today, you will go to the most beautiful place you can imagine and I will go with you there."
Tiffany got sleepy from the soothing sound of Andrew's voice. Andrew knew that the time was growing short for her and all he could do right now was to keep praying.
***
In the meantime in the school:
Tess and Monica got the word from the Father about what happened, but He didn't tell them where Tiffany was. They tried to find the kids who had been waiting for Tiffany after school.
They found them not far from the school building. "Has one of you seen Tiffany?" Monica asked them.
Everybody gave their most innocent expression and shook their heads "No. We didn't see her."
"Alright! We don't have the time to discuss this!" Tess took a step toward the teens. "*I* know that you have seen her; Monica knows it; YOU know it and God knows it too!!! This girl is in danger right now and you know where we can find her. So! You have the choice between helping us to find her or to deal with God himself! He loves every one of you, but He is sad about the way you treat one of His children! He doesn't like what you do!"
"How could you possibly know that? ?" asked a girl, sarcastically.
"Because I'm an angel! I'm a very angry angel right now and if you don't tell me where we can find her, then you will have to deal with ME before you have deal with HIM!!!! Don't you understand what you're doing? You're destroying someone's life! This girl is a human being with feelings. She almost lost her will to live because of you! And maybe she will lose her LIFE, because of YOU!!!! It's one thing not to like someone. It's okay, but it's NOT okay to destroy this one!!!"
Monica knew Tess' mood right now and she knew that it was better not to step between her and the kids. But, she also saw that Tess' words got them to think about their behavior.
"If you would take the time the get her to know, you would see what kind of person Tiffany is. She is funny, sweet, loyal to her friends and intelligent. You could learn a lot from her!"
***
"Tiffany?! Wake up, sweetheart," Andrew tried to wake her up.
"W .. what?" Tiffany asked sleepily. "Have they found me?"
"No, I'm sorry, but it's getting close to the time for you to go," Andrew told her gently.
"You mean ..." panic grew inside of her.
The angel nodded, "Yes, it gets time to go."
"No! Please Andrew," Tiffany pleaded. "You said you would be my friend ... Can't you give me some more time?"
"You know that I can't do that."
Tiffany started to cry, she wanted to run away, but her injures were too painful. "How ... how much time do I have left?"
Andrew sighed, "Only some minutes." He hugged her tightly as she cried harder.
Ten minutes later:
Andrew kissed Tiffany's head. "It's time to go now. Are you ready?"
"No! I won't go with you!"
"Tiffany, ..." Andrew started, but he stopped as he listened to the voice of his Father who told him to wait.
"Andrew?" Tiffany wanted to ask, but she stopped, too, as she heard some voices calling her name. She managed to call back, but she fell unconscious as the people arrived
***
As Tiffany woke up, she found herself laying in a hospital bed. Andrew, Tess and Monica stood at her side. They all smiled at her.
"Am I dead?" she asked, unsure of just what had happened..
Andrew laughed, "No, you are very much alive! You had surgery, but you will recover!"
Tiffany smiled. She was so happy. "I'm sorry, Andrew, that I gave you a hard time!"
"It's okay, sweetheart. It saved your life and I'm more than happy about that!!"
"Where is my mom?"
Tess took Tiffany's hand. "She is on the way. Don't worry."
***
It took Tiffany two weeks to recover and after a month, she went back to school. Tess, Monica and Andrew were with her the whole time . They stayed with her in the hospital and later at home. But, they also went to the school and spoke with Tiffany's classmates. When the other teens realized what they did, they asked the angels and God for forgiveness. But Tess told them that they need also to ask this of Tiffany.
Tiffany faced this, after she got "some help" from Tess, who told her that she needed to do this, even though it was the hardest thing in the world.
Three weeks later:
Tess and Monica did already say 'Good-Bye' to Tiffany as Andrew walked into the classroom after the last lesson. He knew the girl was inside, but he expected her to be alone. As he walked inside he saw Tiffany surrounded by five other kids. It was the same kids that had threatened her in the past. But, this time, they surrounded her and laughed about something ... not about Tiffany, but something that seemed to be written on a paper.
"Hi," was Andrew's friendly greeting when they saw him.
One of the girls walked over to him and asked, "Are you REALLY the Angel of Death?"
"Yes, I am."
The girl started laughing again and left the room. Andrew wasn't so sure what he should think of this. He had seen MANY reactions from people when he told them who he was, but he NEVER saw this! Also, the other kids started to giggle as they saw him.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked, feeling rather astonished.
"Nothing!" the kids said and tried to get out of the room as soon as possible . Only Tiffany stayed.
"Alright! I don't know what you told them, but I want to know it!" Andrew pretended to be angry, but Tiffany could see that he didn't mean it in earnest.
"I ... Well, I started to write some *fiction* and ..." Tiffany stopped. She wasn't sure how he would react if he knew what she did. But, at least, it was Tess' and Monica's idea ... .
"And what?" Andrew got impatient . Something told him that this wasn't something .he was going to like!
"Well, since you helped me so much and were such a good friend when I needed one most ... I thought the first story should be about you." So it was out now! Tiffany waited for Andrew's reaction.
"Me?" Andrew asked with surprise and blushed a little bit. "Can I read it?"
"Sure!" Tiffany replied and gave him the paper. As she looked to the door, she saw that Tess and Monica stood there and had a hard time to keep themselves from laughing too loud.
Andrew's face shifted from red to pale as he went through the text.
"HOW do you know about this??!!" he asked, rather embarrassed. He had only told Monica about the strange assignment, when he walked along a street and tried to warn an old lady about a lorry that almost hit her. She died of a heart attack in the moment he called her name and she got more than angry at him after she found out that he had *killed* her accidentally. This was his most terrible moment. He still felt guilty for this. Maybe she would still be alive if he hadn't called out to her.
"Ahh ... you remember when I laid in the hospital and Tess and Monica stayed during the night with me? Well, I asked them to tell me something funny so that I could sleep well" Tiffany explained carefully.
"So, you think this was funny?! I didn't find it funny! She yelled at me the whole way to Heaven! It was terrible!"
"No, Angel Boy! It WAS funny," called Tess' voice from the door. "You should have seen your face when you told Monica the first time!" Both, Tess and Monica, couldn't control their laughter anymore and neither could Tiffany. Andrew looked to cute ... he looked so crestfallen, like a lost puppy.
His angel friends walked to him and hugged him tightly. "Don't worry, Angel Boy. Maybe we will stop teasing you with this ... someday."
"Maybe? ... Someday? Come on, Tess! It's not fair."
"No, but funny," Monica replied.
"Alright, Come on, Angel Girl, we'll give them both some time alone. We will wait for you outside."
After the two angels left the room, Andrew turned around to face his friend.
"Time to say 'Good-Bye'?" Tiffany asked sadly.
Andrew nodded and answered softly, "Yes."
"I wish you three could stay. I thank you for what you did. And I'm thanking God for sending you."
Andrew smiled at her. "I'm proud of you! I know that you will make your way. And never forget that God loves you and the He will be there for you when you need him. Okay?"
Tiffany nodded with tears in her eyes, "Will I see you again?"
Andrew nodded, "Sure! At first ... I have to come back to make sure that Tess and Monica didn't tell you more stories about me like that one," he joked with a wink at the paper but, then he got serious "and secondly, ... one day I will come back to show you the land I told you about in the wood. But until that day ... there will be MANY years of a joyful life for you."
Tiffany went toward the angel and hugged him. "Don't take it personally, but I hope that there WILL BE many years until that day comes. But, I promise you that I won't be such a stubborn assignment for you again when you come for me," Tiffany said laughing.
Andrew laughed, too. "I hope so!"
The End
I got one of my stories back from my Beta Reader :-))) A VERY BIG THANK
YOU TO YOU LEIGH!!!! I know we gave you a lot of work :-)))))
That following story contains a lot about my own schooltime, but there are
also a lot of things that are just my fantasy ;-) The sports day and the
teacher are part of the true part of that story and also that there were a substitute
teacher who tried to help me. She stayed for almost a half year, then and
helped me a lot :-))
I hope you like my story and gives me some feedback ;-))
Disclaimer: Like it always is: I don't own these three angels. They belong
to CBS.
Hugs,
Grit
"Life Lessons"
Tiffany was a fifteen year old girl with long dark hair. She was one of the outsiders of her class. She didn't have many friends. In fact, her only friend was Betina, who was an outsider, too. Most of her classmates made bad jokes about her or laughed at the things she wore, she said or she did. Or they beat her up whenever they met her.
Tiffany was nevertheless a good student and she had a lot of hobbies. Some of them were unusual for a child of her age. She was interested in astronomy and the theories of Albert Einstein. She didn't say that she understood everything in these theories, but there were some really interesting mind experiments in them. These were certainly some of the reasons why her classmates didn't like her. They felt uncomfortable in her presence. She wasn't interested in make-up or the newest music groups or the concerns of most other kids her age.
It was one thing not to have a lot of friends. But to be always the one who gets teased was so much more difficult. There were a lot of nights when Tiffany lay in her bed and cried because she was sad and afraid of the next day in school. Her teacher was an old lady who didn't like illegitimate children and so she didn't help Tiffany. She actually made comments about Tiffany, too, so that her classmates had something new to laugh about.
Tiffany's mom did everything she could to help her daughter, but her problems grew with every new day. Two weeks ago, the school had had a sports day and, even though they had a lot of teachers along to take care of the kids, Tiffany became a victim of her classmates again. There were about 10 classmates who caught her during this day and beat her up. She got a lot of bruises and you could still see the footprints on her legs and arms for almost a week.
The kids who did this to her got an admonition, but it didn't take long until everything went back to normal.
A week ago, three new teachers had arrived in the school. One was an old lady with dark hair, who was Tiffany's new music teacher. The other was a young lady with long dark hair and a sweet Irish accent. Her name was Monica and she was Tiffany's English teacher. They were both really nice and Tiffany liked them, but the subjects they taught weren't her favorites. But there was also this new blond guy. His name was Andrew. He was Tiffany's new physics teacher. Tiffany liked all three of them because they were the first persons, except Tiffany's mom, who really seemed to try to help her and who listened to her. But, she liked Andrew most of all. He taught one of her favorite subjects and he was the first one who didn't only smile as she asked him about Albert Einstein's theories. Her old teacher only smiled at her when she tried to talk to him, but Andrew was different. He offered to met her after school so that he could try to answer her questions and to explain her all that she wanted to know. Tiffany knew that there was something special about these teachers. She had the feeling that she could talk to them about everything.
It was almost 2 p.m. when the school was finished and everybody went home, everybody except Tiffany. With anticipation, she headed to Andrew's office.
"Come in!" called a voice from inside as Tiffany knocked at the door. She opened the door carefully and looked inside. Andrew was a really nice guy, but somehow Tiffany got nervous, because this was the first time she would talk with someone about one of her favorite hobbies and she wasn't sure anymore if this was a good idea. What if she was totally wrong and didn't understand these theories? What if Andrew laughed at her? What if he recognized her mistakes? He would be one more person who mocked her.
"Come in," Andrew said with a cheerful smile as he saw that Tiffany hesitated to walk inside. "I won't bite you," Andrew joked.
Tiffany gave him a shy smile and walked over to Andrew.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked with concern as he saw her uncertainty.
"I'm sorry, it's ... it's only that it's the first time that someone didn't laugh about my interest in such things. Most people think that I'm too young to understand it and they laugh at me. Everything I know until now ... I know from books. What if I'm completely wrong? What if ..."
"Okay, stop this!" Andrew said as he stood up and walked around his desk in front of Tiffany. "Did you forget why you are here?" he asked with a smile. "Your are here because of this. You are here to ask me what you still don't understand. Don't worry if you did get something wrong. If it's so, then I will help you to understand it. Okay?"
The next hour flew fast. Andrew could answer some of Tiffany's questions. He was surprised about how well she had understood the whole concept. What she knew before she came into his office was correct. Sure, she didn't understand all of the formulas but she didn't seem to have any problems except with some of the "mind experiments". The concept of time shifts in the neighborhood of a strong source of gravity or during travel at, or beyond, the speed of light would confuse most humans.
When Tiffany looked at her watch she exclaimed, "Oh no! It's almost 3 p.m.! Mom is going to kill me. I will never get home before she comes! I ... I'm sorry Andrew!" she said in a rush, "I have to go! I forgot to tell my mom that I would get home later and if I'm not home when she comes home ... "
Andrew understood what Tiffany tried to tell him. Tiffany's mom got anxious if she didn't know where her daughter was, especially after her last experience at the sports day.
"If you like, we can give you a ride," Andrew offered. "Our apartment isn't far from your home ... so it isn't a detour for us."
A half-hour later, Tess parked in front of Tiffany's home.
"Thank you for the ride, my mom is surely waiting for me," Tiffany told the three angels as she got out of the car.
"You are welcome, baby. If there is anything we can do for you, no matter what ... our apartment is only 1 block away," Tess told her "You can come anytime you like. Even if it's during the night, okay!"
Tiffany smiled, "Thank you."
Tiffany's mom stood at the window and watched the whole scene. Who were the three people? Especially the blond guy. He seemed somehow familiar to her.
"Hi, Mom!" Tiffany called as she opened the front door and walked inside.
"Where have you been?" Kate, Tiffany's mom, asked her with worry.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that I had a meeting with my new physics teacher. He offered to explain some things to me."
"Is he the blond guy in the car?"
"Yes, his name is Andrew. He and his two friends, also some new teachers, offered me a ride."
Kate didn't hear the rest of the sentence after she heard the name 'Andrew'. Her mind raced. Andrew ... she knew that name, but she couldn't remember from where.
Suddenly, all her memories came back! Andrew! He was the one who was with her when she had that really bad accident three years ago. Nobody expected her to survive. Andrew appeared at her side and he stayed there the whole time until they were sure that she would make it. She remembered now WHO Andrew was!
As Tiffany saw how pale her mom had gotten, she became concerned "Mom? Is everything okay? You don't look so good."
"I .. I ... I'm fine, but I need to talk to your teacher!"
"Why? Everything is okay!"
"I NEED to talk to him and until then ... I want you to stay away from him!" Kate commanded her daughter. She was sure that it wasn't pure chance that Andrew was in the vicinity of her daughter. The thought that the Angel of Death was one of her daughter's new friends didn't calm her down. She needed to talk to him!
"But, mom! He's a nice guy and he and his two friends are the first teachers who listen to me! You can't expect me to keep away from them," Tiffany yelled at her mom. How could she want this from her? These three people were the first friends that she had in a long time.
"Tiffany, please trust me! Andrew isn't who he claims to be. I ... I have met him before and I don't want him near you!" Kate pleaded. How could she explain her daughter why she reacted like this?
Tiffany shook her head, "No, I won't and you CAN'T expect me to do this!" With this, she walked out of the house. She was too angry with her mom than to stay at home right now. Tiffany couldn't understand why her mom reacted so angrily about Andrew. Why did she say that Andrew wasn't who he said he was? She didn't even know him!
Tiffany didn't pay attention to where she was going and when she looked up, she stood in front of Tess' red car. Tears streamed down her face. Tiffany wasn't sure if she should try to go to her three friends or not. The door opened before she could make a decision and Monica stood in front of her with surprised look.
"Tiffany?! What are you doing here?" And as she saw the tears in the young girl's face, she asked in a worried tone, "What happened? What's wrong?"
"I ... I had a fight with my mom," Tiffany sobbed. "Isn't it enough when I have problems with my classmates?"
Monica wrapped her arm around the girl. "Come inside, honey!"
***
"Tess! Andrew! We have a visitor," Monica called as she opened the door of their apartment.
When Tess and Andrew came to see who it was and saw Tiffany's face they hurried over to her.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Tess asked with concern and led her into the living room. Andrew and Monica both followed .
Tiffany sat down on the couch with Monica and Tess at her sides. "I ... I had a fight with my mom."
"Because you were too late?" Andrew suggested
The girl shook her head. "No. Because ... because ... ."
"It's okay, you can tell us." Tess rubbed her back.
With a sad look at Andrew, "Because of you," she said with a low voice.
"Because of me?" Andrew asked, surprised. "Why?"
"I ... I don't know. She ... she wants me to stay away from you."
"Did she tell you why?" Monica wanted to know.
"No, not really. All she told me was that she wants to talk to you and that she knew you and that you aren't the person that you say you are."
Andrew, Tess and Monica exchanged meaningful and questioning looks.
"Did she tell you, *who* she thinks I am?" Andrew asked, now obviously worried.
Tiffany shook her head. "No. How can she say this? You are the first persons at school who really seems to care about me! You are my first friends in a long time. She knows about my problems at school, so how can she expect me to stay away from you?" she sobbed. Tiffany couldn't believe that these people would hurt her. She felt so safe in their presence. She couldn't explain it, but she knew that they were something special.
"Oh, come here baby," Tess said and took the girl in a tight hug and rocked her to calm her down.
"Please, tell me that my mom is wrong," Tiffany pleaded with a hurt look at Andrew.
Andrew walked close to the girl and went down on his knees, so that his eyes were level with her eyes. "Tiffany, I don't know *who* your mom thinks that I am, but I promise you that I'm your friend and ... for the time being ... I'm also your teacher." Andrew wished he could tell her the whole truth, but the Father told him that she wasn't ready yet. There was still a lot of work for the angels to do in order to help this girl. "I will talk to your mom. Okay? I'm sure it's only a misunderstanding," Andrew offered with a smile.
***
Monica and Tess stayed with Tiffany as Andrew left. Tess made hot chocolate for them and they talked the whole time.
Andrew stood in front of Tiffany's home. He remembered Tiffany's mom now. He had been assigned to her three years ago. After he knocked at the door, Kate opened it and turned white as a sheet as she saw who stood in front of her.
"Oh my God!" Kate said.
Andrew smiled, "Yes, He is the one who sent me."
"You ... you are ... you are it," Kate wasn't sure what she should do. Since her daughter left, she was thinking what she would say if she would meet this man and now ... everything was completely different.
"Kate," Andrew started gently, "I know you remember me. We met each other three years ago."
"You ... you are the Angel of Death!"
"Yes, I am. And I'm here because we need to talk." And with a look around, he added, "But we should do this in a little bit more private location."
Kate understood what Andrew meant and pointed for him to come in. She was still little bit pale.
"I want you to stay away from my daughter!" Kate yelled angrily at Andrew after she closed the door.
Andrew knew that she wasn't really angry at him, but she was too afraid of losing her daughter. "Kate, I'm here to help Tiffany and so are Tess and Monica. God has sent her three angels to help her. He knows that you did your best, but she is still the one who gets beaten up from her classmates and who is the outsider. She needs some friends at school, who listen to her, who give her hope and who can help her there when you aren't around."
Kate got tears in her eyes. It hurt her so much to see her daughter every day coming home and telling her what happened again. "But ... but why are YOU here? The Angel of Death!"
Andrew embraced Kate and rubbed her back gently. "I don't know WHY God has sent me, at least not yet. But I promise you that I will do my best to help Tiffany. You see, that I'm assigned to someone doesn't mean that he or she is going to die. You remember? I was assigned to you three years ago ... and you are still here on this earth," Andrew told her with a gentle smile.
Kate nodded slowly, "I remember the time. I always wasn't sure if it was real ), at least until now."
"Does Tiffany know about you?" Kate asked after Andrew let her go.
The angel shook his head, "No, she doesn't know it. She isn't ready to know it, not yet."
***
After Andrew left and went back to Tess, Monica and Tiffany, he told Tiffany that he talked with her mom and that it was okay with her if Tiffany wanted to *hang out* with them. Tiffany stayed with the angels about one hour longer before she left and went home.
"And? Did Tiffany's mom know who you are?" Monica asked after the girl left.
Andrew nodded, "Yes, she knows me. Kate had a really bad car accident, three years ago. I was assigned to her, but she was a fighter. She survived." Andrew sighed, "I told her that we are here to help her daughter, but once she saw me, she was afraid to lose her daughter. And I couldn't tell her that I'm not here because of this. The Father didn't tell me if or not I'm here to bring Tiffany Home. I mean, I see how much she gets hurt every day, physical and verbal. I can see how her hope fades away with every single day and I don't know how long she will hold on or when the physical abuse gets too much for her. I have seen other teens in similar positions. Some of them died because of the attacks of their classmates and some ... some killed themselves because they couldn't face this situation anymore. I don't want to see this happens to Tiffany."
"Don't worry, Angel Boy. We will do our best to make sure that you aren't here to take her home and the rest ... we have to put in His hands and trust Him."
Monica walked to her friend and hugged him tightly. She knew how hard it was for Andrew. He saw so many sad things in his job as Angel of Death. She knew that he hated it to take children and teens home.
***
The next 3 weeks passed without any events, except the daily mobbing. The three angels tried their best to give the girl some hope. They tried to talk to her classmates, to make them realize what they did. They tried to talk to the parents of these children, but without any success. It got only worse for Tiffany.
One afternoon, Tiffany sat crying in the corner of her classroom as Tess walked in. She knew already what happened. Some of her classmates made fun of Tiffany's parents. Someone said that her dad killed himself because he couldn't live with a child like her. Tiffany's dad died in the car accident, three years ago. The same accident when Kate met Andrew.
"Baby?" Tess said softly as she walked to the girl. "It's okay, baby. I know what happened. Don't listen to them."
"No! Nothing is okay! What's wrong with me that everybody hates me?!" Tiffany yelled at Tess.
"Nothing is wrong with you and not everybody hates you!"
"Yeah, WHO doesn't?" the girl sobbed.
"I love you, your mom loves you, Monica and Andrew love you. And most important of all ... God LOVES you. You are His child."
"Don't talk about God! If He loved me, then He would help me." Tiffany stood up and ran out of the room, before Tess could say anything else.
As Tiffany ran out of the building, she could see that there were 5 of her classmates waiting for her. She heard how one of them called, "Look! There she is! Let's catch her!"
Tiffany got scared. She knew what would follow if they should catch her. She started to run toward the wood that wasn't far away from the school. She hoped that she could hide herself somewhere there. Tiffany didn't pay any attention where she was running or that the other kids stopped following her. It had rained the whole morning and the ground was smooth. Before she recognized what happened, she slipped and fell down a precipice. Tiffany was unconscious as Andrew appeared . He walked to her side and knelt down.
Tiffany groaned when she came round. She opened her eyes slowly as she felt that someone was stroking her cheek. Her whole body hurt, but she forgot her pain when she saw who was next to her. "Andrew? What happened?"
"Shhh ... Yes, it's me. You had an accident. Do you remember? You slipped and fell down."
Tiffany nodded slowly, "Yes, I ... I remember." Tiffany tried to sit up, but the pain was too great. "What? ... Where is the light from?" Tiffany wondered. Andrew looked so different, so beautiful and somehow peaceful.
The angel smiled, "It's from God. Tiffany, I'm an angel sent by God to help you."
"An angel? You mean one with wings and halo?"
Andrew laughed, "No, not with wings. Angels don't have wings. But a lot of love and light!"
"So you are my Guardian angel?! Will you help me out of here?"
Andrew's face got sad; he hated this part of his job. "No, I'm not your Guardian angel and I can't help you out of here, at least not in the way you expect it." He sighed, "Tiffany, I don't want to scare you, but ... I'm your Angel of Death."
Tiffany's eyes widened at first in shock, but after a moment she calmed down. "I'm not afraid. Anything is better than my life at the moment. Death can't be crueler than every new day already is."
Andrew shook his head, "No! Please, don't give up! I know that your life has been hard for you for a long time. But God wants to help you because He loves you. This is the reason why He sent you three angels. But, He can only help you if you live. Give Him a chance. Will you do this?"
Tiffany nodded slowly, "So, I will survive?!"
"I don't know. It depends on you, how much you will fight for your life and it depends on when you will be found."
"My mom was right about you. You really aren't the one you pretended to be."
"No, she wasn't right. I said that I would be your friend and your teacher. And I AM still that."
"Yeah, but your are also my Angel of Death," Tiffany said sadly.
"Yes, I am."
"My mom knew you. Why?"
"I was with her and your dad in the accident, three years ago. I brought your daddy Home and I stayed with your mom, just as I stay with you right now," Andrew explained gently.
Tiffany got tears in her eyes, "Andrew, I ... I don't REALLY want to die."
Andrew held her head in his arm and softly stroked her hair. "I know, sweetheart. I don't want this either. But I promise you that I will stay with you, no matter how this will end for you," Andrew promised her. "Are you afraid?" he asked softly.
"Y ... yes," was the low reply.
"I swear to you, there isn't ANYthing to be afraid of. Death isn't like everybody thinks. Trust me, I see it everyday. If ... and I say only IF ... you have to go today, you will go to the most beautiful place you can imagine and I will go with you there."
Tiffany got sleepy from the soothing sound of Andrew's voice. Andrew knew that the time was growing short for her and all he could do right now was to keep praying.
***
In the meantime in the school:
Tess and Monica got the word from the Father about what happened, but He didn't tell them where Tiffany was. They tried to find the kids who had been waiting for Tiffany after school.
They found them not far from the school building. "Has one of you seen Tiffany?" Monica asked them.
Everybody gave their most innocent expression and shook their heads "No. We didn't see her."
"Alright! We don't have the time to discuss this!" Tess took a step toward the teens. "*I* know that you have seen her; Monica knows it; YOU know it and God knows it too!!! This girl is in danger right now and you know where we can find her. So! You have the choice between helping us to find her or to deal with God himself! He loves every one of you, but He is sad about the way you treat one of His children! He doesn't like what you do!"
"How could you possibly know that? ?" asked a girl, sarcastically.
"Because I'm an angel! I'm a very angry angel right now and if you don't tell me where we can find her, then you will have to deal with ME before you have deal with HIM!!!! Don't you understand what you're doing? You're destroying someone's life! This girl is a human being with feelings. She almost lost her will to live because of you! And maybe she will lose her LIFE, because of YOU!!!! It's one thing not to like someone. It's okay, but it's NOT okay to destroy this one!!!"
Monica knew Tess' mood right now and she knew that it was better not to step between her and the kids. But, she also saw that Tess' words got them to think about their behavior.
"If you would take the time the get her to know, you would see what kind of person Tiffany is. She is funny, sweet, loyal to her friends and intelligent. You could learn a lot from her!"
***
"Tiffany?! Wake up, sweetheart," Andrew tried to wake her up.
"W .. what?" Tiffany asked sleepily. "Have they found me?"
"No, I'm sorry, but it's getting close to the time for you to go," Andrew told her gently.
"You mean ..." panic grew inside of her.
The angel nodded, "Yes, it gets time to go."
"No! Please Andrew," Tiffany pleaded. "You said you would be my friend ... Can't you give me some more time?"
"You know that I can't do that."
Tiffany started to cry, she wanted to run away, but her injures were too painful. "How ... how much time do I have left?"
Andrew sighed, "Only some minutes." He hugged her tightly as she cried harder.
Ten minutes later:
Andrew kissed Tiffany's head. "It's time to go now. Are you ready?"
"No! I won't go with you!"
"Tiffany, ..." Andrew started, but he stopped as he listened to the voice of his Father who told him to wait.
"Andrew?" Tiffany wanted to ask, but she stopped, too, as she heard some voices calling her name. She managed to call back, but she fell unconscious as the people arrived
***
As Tiffany woke up, she found herself laying in a hospital bed. Andrew, Tess and Monica stood at her side. They all smiled at her.
"Am I dead?" she asked, unsure of just what had happened..
Andrew laughed, "No, you are very much alive! You had surgery, but you will recover!"
Tiffany smiled. She was so happy. "I'm sorry, Andrew, that I gave you a hard time!"
"It's okay, sweetheart. It saved your life and I'm more than happy about that!!"
"Where is my mom?"
Tess took Tiffany's hand. "She is on the way. Don't worry."
***
It took Tiffany two weeks to recover and after a month, she went back to school. Tess, Monica and Andrew were with her the whole time . They stayed with her in the hospital and later at home. But, they also went to the school and spoke with Tiffany's classmates. When the other teens realized what they did, they asked the angels and God for forgiveness. But Tess told them that they need also to ask this of Tiffany.
Tiffany faced this, after she got "some help" from Tess, who told her that she needed to do this, even though it was the hardest thing in the world.
Three weeks later:
Tess and Monica did already say 'Good-Bye' to Tiffany as Andrew walked into the classroom after the last lesson. He knew the girl was inside, but he expected her to be alone. As he walked inside he saw Tiffany surrounded by five other kids. It was the same kids that had threatened her in the past. But, this time, they surrounded her and laughed about something ... not about Tiffany, but something that seemed to be written on a paper.
"Hi," was Andrew's friendly greeting when they saw him.
One of the girls walked over to him and asked, "Are you REALLY the Angel of Death?"
"Yes, I am."
The girl started laughing again and left the room. Andrew wasn't so sure what he should think of this. He had seen MANY reactions from people when he told them who he was, but he NEVER saw this! Also, the other kids started to giggle as they saw him.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked, feeling rather astonished.
"Nothing!" the kids said and tried to get out of the room as soon as possible . Only Tiffany stayed.
"Alright! I don't know what you told them, but I want to know it!" Andrew pretended to be angry, but Tiffany could see that he didn't mean it in earnest.
"I ... Well, I started to write some *fiction* and ..." Tiffany stopped. She wasn't sure how he would react if he knew what she did. But, at least, it was Tess' and Monica's idea ... .
"And what?" Andrew got impatient . Something told him that this wasn't something .he was going to like!
"Well, since you helped me so much and were such a good friend when I needed one most ... I thought the first story should be about you." So it was out now! Tiffany waited for Andrew's reaction.
"Me?" Andrew asked with surprise and blushed a little bit. "Can I read it?"
"Sure!" Tiffany replied and gave him the paper. As she looked to the door, she saw that Tess and Monica stood there and had a hard time to keep themselves from laughing too loud.
Andrew's face shifted from red to pale as he went through the text.
"HOW do you know about this??!!" he asked, rather embarrassed. He had only told Monica about the strange assignment, when he walked along a street and tried to warn an old lady about a lorry that almost hit her. She died of a heart attack in the moment he called her name and she got more than angry at him after she found out that he had *killed* her accidentally. This was his most terrible moment. He still felt guilty for this. Maybe she would still be alive if he hadn't called out to her.
"Ahh ... you remember when I laid in the hospital and Tess and Monica stayed during the night with me? Well, I asked them to tell me something funny so that I could sleep well" Tiffany explained carefully.
"So, you think this was funny?! I didn't find it funny! She yelled at me the whole way to Heaven! It was terrible!"
"No, Angel Boy! It WAS funny," called Tess' voice from the door. "You should have seen your face when you told Monica the first time!" Both, Tess and Monica, couldn't control their laughter anymore and neither could Tiffany. Andrew looked to cute ... he looked so crestfallen, like a lost puppy.
His angel friends walked to him and hugged him tightly. "Don't worry, Angel Boy. Maybe we will stop teasing you with this ... someday."
"Maybe? ... Someday? Come on, Tess! It's not fair."
"No, but funny," Monica replied.
"Alright, Come on, Angel Girl, we'll give them both some time alone. We will wait for you outside."
After the two angels left the room, Andrew turned around to face his friend.
"Time to say 'Good-Bye'?" Tiffany asked sadly.
Andrew nodded and answered softly, "Yes."
"I wish you three could stay. I thank you for what you did. And I'm thanking God for sending you."
Andrew smiled at her. "I'm proud of you! I know that you will make your way. And never forget that God loves you and the He will be there for you when you need him. Okay?"
Tiffany nodded with tears in her eyes, "Will I see you again?"
Andrew nodded, "Sure! At first ... I have to come back to make sure that Tess and Monica didn't tell you more stories about me like that one," he joked with a wink at the paper but, then he got serious "and secondly, ... one day I will come back to show you the land I told you about in the wood. But until that day ... there will be MANY years of a joyful life for you."
Tiffany went toward the angel and hugged him. "Don't take it personally, but I hope that there WILL BE many years until that day comes. But, I promise you that I won't be such a stubborn assignment for you again when you come for me," Tiffany said laughing.
Andrew laughed, too. "I hope so!"
The End