DISCLAIMER:
We DO NOT own any of the characters you recognize. They belong to
Martha Williamson. I do however own Min and her family, as well as
Miss Melody and the various students in her class. My friend, Megan
owns Grace and her family. If anyone would like to use any of these
OC's, please ask our permission first.
Thanks!
God loves
you
Enjoy!
"The Faith of a Child"
Chapter 7
The following morning Gloria woke up and sat up in her bed. She remembered it was Saturday which was why no one had come to wake her up.
Gloria was debating on whether or not to read when her stomach started growling. She was hungry. Gloria sighed as she scooched her little self off her bed and opened her bedroom
door. She didn't see anyone in the hallway so she headed down the stairs to see if anyone was down there. She didn't see any other angel so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She knew for cereal that she needed milk, the cereal, a bowl, and a spoon.
The little girl walked into the kitchen and tried to remember which cabinet contained the bowls. She decided to try the ones directly in front of her. She approached the counter and tried to think of a way to get up there to reach a bowl.
She then noticed some drawers directly in front of her and decided to use those as stepping stools to help her climb up. She carefully pulled out one drawer at a time and cautiously climbed up onto the counter. After a few moments she had successfully climbed up onto the counter. She carefully stood up and had just opened the cabinet when Andrew walked into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.
He spotted Gloria and was careful not to scare her when he spoke.
"Gloria." He gently called to her.
Gloria froze on the counter with her hand in the cabinet. She turned her head and saw Andrew.
"Hi Andrew." Gloria greeted him as she thought of what to do next.
"I don't think you should be climbing up on the counter. It doesn't seem like the safest thing." Andrew remarked as he walked over to her. He gently placed his hands underneath her armpits and gently lifted her off the counter and set her down on the floor.
"I just wanted to get a bowl so I could have cereal. I'm hungry Andrew." She explained to him frowning.
"I think we can fix that. But next time maybe you should come find one of us, I don't want you getting hurt." Andrew explained to her as he ruffled her hair. "And I don't think you want Tess seeing you walking around on her counter with your bare feet." Andrew winked at her which caused Gloria to giggle.
Andrew reached into the cupboard and grabbed a bowl and proceeded to get Gloria a bowl of cereal.
"Why don't you go ahead and sit down at the
table and I'll bring this to you?" Andrew suggested to his young friend.
Gloria nodded her head and skipped into the dining room and waited as patiently as she could for Andrew to walk in with her cereal. He did come in a few moments later. After Gloria had thanked God for the food, she started to eat.
Andrew decided to join her and began reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee.
About ten minutes later, Monica came down the stairs however, she was on her cell phone with her assignment at the moment.
Gloria immediately heard her supervisor's voice and got up from the table without asking. This was a big no-no in the angel's house.
It was more of a no-no of Tess's, but Andrew and Monica tried to stick to it as well. This way Gloria wouldn't become confused and mixed up as to whose rules were whose.
Gloria was quite disappointed to see Monica pouring herself a cup of coffee with one hand and the other hand holding her phone to her ear. She hadn't even said good morning to her, which was very unusual.
Gloria decided to still go up to Monica and try and get her attention.
She gently tugged on Monica's skirt band to get her attention.
Monica looked down. When she saw who it was, she gave her a loving smile. She put a finger to her lips, indicating she would be done soon. She then ruffled Gloria's hair in an effort to silently let her know she loved her.
This was not what Gloria was expecting. She wanted a cuddle. She hadn't seen Monica all morning and she just wanted to have her supervisor hold her.
Monica however, was having an important conversation with Catherine which couldn't wait. She picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip as she listened to the other line.
Gloria decided she was going to sit at Monica's feet and wait for her to get off the phone.
Tess came into the kitchen a few moments later and noticed this.
"Little angel, what are you doing?" She asked.
"I want to spend time with Monica, but she's on the phone so I'm waiting." She explained never taking her eyes off Monica.
"Mmm, I see, well why don't you and I go cuddle in the living room and I'll sing to you." Tess suggested as she reached out a hand to the child.
Gloria ignored the hand and shook her head.
"I don't want you. I want Monica." She said a bit firmly.
Tess raised an eyebrow and looked down at her little angel.
"Gloria, Monica is having an important phone call right now. Why don't you finish your breakfast since I can see your bowl on the table. I'm sure when you're finished she'll be off the phone." Tess encouraged.
Gloria shook her head.
"I want Monica." Gloria repeated, not sure if Tess had heard her the last time. She glared at her superior as she added, "I'm not moving until she's off the phone." She said firmly to the elder angel. "Stop tellin' me to move."
Unbeknownst to the youngest angel, she was pushing some major buttons with Tess at the moment.
Gloria stood up and once again tugged on Monica's arm to get her attention. She made whimpering noise that indicated she was probably going to start whining which was something no angel in that house tolerated.
Tess looked over at her and gave her a stern look.
"Gloria…" She started warningly. "Leave Monica be and let her finish her conversation. Why don't you go play with one of your toys?" She suggested.
"No! I want to see Monica!" She exclaimed.
"Gloria, indoor voice." Tess reminded her. She was losing her patience rather quickly.
"I don't care!" Gloria exclaimed. With that, she glared at Tess.
That was the last straw for the superior angel.
Tess looked down at Gloria firmly.
"Little angel, that is enough of your whining and defiance. You know you need to respect your elders. But it seems you need a little time to remember the rules of this house." With that, Tess reached out and picked Gloria up with ease.
The little girl gulped. She knew she had gone too far and to make matters worse, she had picked the wrong angel to test.
She reluctantly allowed Tess to carry her out of the room and into the living room for a quiet five minutes.
As they passed through the dining room, Gloria noticed Andrew.
"Andrew! I don't want time out! Tell her
to stop!" She begged to Andrew for help.
Andrew held up his hands and tried to explain it to Gloria in a way she would understand it. He made sure to use a gentle tone with her so she didn't think she was in trouble with him as well.
"I'm sorry Gloria, you know the rules and when you break rules there are consequences."
Gloria whimpered as she began to cry.
Tess gently, but firmly led her over to the couch and guided her to sit down.
"I want you to sit here for five minutes and think about why I had to put you in time out." Tess explained.
Gloria nodded her head as she sniffled and wiped at her eyes with her hands.
"I just wanted to see Monica." She whispered.
"And I know that. There's nothing wrong with that. That isn't why I put you here. Talking back in defiance, glaring at an elder angel, and whining are not acceptable in this family and you know that." Tess replied as she looked down at the young angel. "So think about all of that and when Monica is off the phone I'll send her in to talk with you." With that Tess left the young angel alone with her thoughts.
When Tess entered the kitchen, she found Monica had gotten off the phone.
The Irish angel turned around and noticed Gloria wasn't there anymore.
"Where's Gloria?" She asked. She then caught the expression on Tess's face and gave her a worried look. "Uh-oh. What happened?"
Tess sighed.
"Our little Gloria wanted to spend time with you, but she didn't want to wait. She then decided to push my buttons, so I had to put her on time out."
"Why?"
"She started whining and being defiant. She then decided to mouth off and glare at me."
Monica sighed.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" The Irish angel offered.
Tess nodded.
"If you don't mind. Because if I go in there, I'm gonna lose it."
"It's that bad, huh?" Monica guessed.
Tess nodded.
"I'm afraid so, angel girl."
Monica took a few deep breaths and began to pray. She hadn't expected the morning to go this badly.
''Father, please, help me get through to Gloria. You know how afraid she is and I know you'll help us in your time. Amen." With that, Monica went to talk to her 'little one.
Walking into the living room, the sight of Gloria crying on the couch made Monica's heart almost break right there. She felt partially responsible for the morning's events. If only she had given Gloria a little attention, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Despite the guilt that rose in Monica's heart, she knew she had to set things right with the little girl.
The Irish angel approached her daughter carefully. She didn't want to scare her. After all, Gloria wasn't looking up and hadn't noticed her supervisor enter the room.
"Gloria?" Monica said softly. "We need to talk, sweetheart." With that, she sat next to her and patted her lap. "Come and sit with me."
It was like Monica had said Christmas had come early. The child dove for the safety of her lap. She clung on once the Irish angel wrapped her arms around her.
A comfortable silence fell as supervisor and charge embraced, each comforted by the other's presence.
It wasn't long before Gloria broke the silence with a whimper, followed by an explanation.
"I'm sorry I was bad! I just wanted to cuddle with you!" She explained tearfully.
"I know, little one. I know. And I'm sorry too." Monica apologized.
"Why?" Gloria asked in surprise. She wasn't expecting this at all.
Monica sighed as she hugged her "daughter" close. Lord knew how much she loved this little girl she was now holding.
"I'm sorry because it's partially my fault you got in trouble. Now, you shouldn't have talked back to Tess, but maybe if I would have explained things to you a little better, this wouldn't have happened."
Gloria nodded. She understood a little better now. She cuddled into Monica as she felt her mother land a kiss to her left cheek.
"Can I go say I'm sorry to Tess?" She asked after a few minutes had passed.
Monica smiled. Her 'little one was truly a sweetheart.
"I think she'd like that very much." She confirmed. She leaned over and whispered in Gloria's ear and the little girl nodded, grinning. She jumped off Monica's lap and ran to find Tess. She just prayed Tess would accept her apology.
The little angel found her superior sitting in the music room. She was looking through a music book.
Cautiously, Gloria moved into the room. She didn't want to get another telling off from Tess.
Sensing someone in the doorway, Tess glanced up. When she saw the little girl standing there, she gave her a small smile before raising her eyebrows.
"Monica told me I could get up." Gloria started. She paused for a minute, not knowing what else to say.
After a few minutes of silence, the little angel continued.
"I-I'm sorry I was bad." She said softly. "I didn't mean to make you mad."
Tess sighed. She could tell her 'little angel was truly sorry for what she had done.
"Come here, little angel." She said.
"Really?" Gloria asked. Her tone was one of disbelief.
"Yes." The elder angel replied.
Gloria obeyed reluctantly. She was still a little unsure. All of her uncertainty went out the window the second Tess wrapped her in a hug.
"I love you, little angel." Tess told her sincerely. "I know you didn't misbehave on purpose. But you still need to obey the rules Monica, Andrew and I set for you. We make them because we love you and want you to stay safe. We also want you to learn right from wrong."
Gloria nodded.
"Okay. I love you too." She replied, snuggling into her superior's loving hold.
Eldest and youngest angel stayed that way for a long time. In fact, that's how Monica found them a half an hour later.
She smiled at the sight.
"I'm guessin' the apology went well. " The Irish angel assumed. She was whispering so she wouldn't wake the sleeping angel in Tess's arms.
Tess grinned at her 'angel girl.
"I think it's safe to say it did." She confirmed. She smiled down at Gloria who was fast asleep. "I think our little angel needs her rest."
"Want me to tuck her in?" The younger angel offered.
Tess shook her head.
"No. I'll do it. Besides, I wanna hold her for a little bit longer."
Smiling to herself, Monica left the room to finish reading the book she had started the night before.
Dinner that night went rather smoothly. Gloria ate everything on her plate-even the little carrot casserole Tess had prepared. She especially liked Monica's scalloped potatoes best of all, but she made sure to try to eat everything that was placed in front of her.
The three older angels were proud of Gloria for the effort she was making.
Before Gloria knew it, Monica had given her a bath and she was in Tess's lap in her pj's, listening to her superior tell her a story.
The rest of the day had gone well despite what had happened earlier that morning.
After Tess was done telling Gloria the story of Noah and his arc, she sung her a few songs to help her drift off.
"It works every time." Monica commented with a knowing grin.
Gloria was fast asleep in Tess's lap, content as ever.
"I almost hate to break up the cute picture." The Irish angel continued.
Tess chuckled softly.
"It's okay, angel girl. I need to get something done for my part of the assignment anyway. I'm going to make a surprise visit to Grace's father's job."
Monica raised her eyebrows in surprise as she lifted Gloria from Tess's embrace.
"You are?" She asked as she held Gloria close.
"Yup."
"So I'm guessin' that means Richard doesn't know you're coming."
Tess shook her head.
"Oh he knows I'm coming. HE just doesn't know when." With that, she winked in her angel babies direction before kissing Gloria's cheek and heading for the dining room.
Shaking her head, Monica carried her daughter upstairs. She loved her so much and she was very proud of her for the progress she had made on the assignment.
"I love you, little one." Monica whispered as she tucked the covers around the sleeping child. Sweet dreams. I'll see you in the morning." With that, the Irish angel sat there and watched the little girl-her little girl-sleep for a while. She loved Gloria with all her heart and she would do anything for her.
She knew Gloria had experienced a rough start to this assignment, but she was proud of how far she had come.
After the Irish angel had made sure Gloria was going to be okay, she left the room. Little did she know she would be seeing Gloria before the morning dawned…
A sudden crashing sound made the six-year-old jerk awake. As she sat up, another crash accompanied the first one. This one was louder than the last.
Gloria's brown eyes flickered to the window. She could hear rain splattering against the window. But she knew rain couldn't make that awful crashing and rumbling noise that had awoken her. But if it wasn't rain, that meant it was…
The third and fourth crash was all the little girl needed to confirm her thoughts.
Not bothering to shut the door, Gloria ran for the safest place she knew-her supervisor's arms.
She didn't even bother to be cautious about sneaking into the hallway. She just ran down it until she found the room she was looking for.
Once there, the little girl opened the door and peered around the frame.
When she saw the angel she wanted was awake, she wasted no more time.
Monica felt her presence before she glanced up and actually saw her.
The Irish angel's heart broke at the sight of her 'little one shaking with tears streaming down her face.
Without a word, Monica motioned for her daughter to join her.
The little girl didn't need anymore coaxing. She practically flew across the room into Monica's arms.
"Shh, it's okay, Gloria. It's okay. Monica has you now. Did the thunder scare you, my love?"
Gloria nodded as a sob escaped her lips.
"I don't wanna be alone, Monica!" Gloria whimpered. "Can I stay with you, please!"
Monica didn't even hesitate. She pulled Gloria close and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Always, Gloria. Always. You don't even have to ask." SHE told her softly. "Come on, let's get you tucked in."
But as the Irish angel went to do so, Gloria shook her head and clung on tighter. She was comfortable and she was going to get her point across to her mother, no matter how long it took.
Smiling to herself, Monica started making calming circles on her 'little one's back, hoping it would calm her down.
It worked until an especially loud clap of thunder made Gloria cry out in fear.
"Shh, it's okay, Gloria. It's all right. The thunder can't hurt you, darlin'. It's just noise."
"But it's so loud and scary!" The six-year-old cried.
"I know it sounds that way." Monica soothed. "Why don't we pray and ask God to help you not be so afraid anymore."
"Do you think He will?" The little girl asked.
Monica smiled knowingly.
"I know He will." With that, the Irish angel took her charge's hands in hers and began to pray.
After the prayer, she sat there comforting Gloria through touch and talking to her softly.
In a matter of ten minutes, Gloria was almost asleep.
Tess poked her head in the room a few minutes later. She figured the storm had woken her 'little angel up. SHE also had a pretty good idea where Gloria was.
Pushing open the door, she smiled at the sight.
"I wish I had my camera." She commented, referring to how content Gloria looked in the Irish angel's embrace.
Monica shot her former supervisor a look. She knew the elder angel was only joking though.
"I had a feeling our little Gloria would be here." Tess said as she sat in a chair next to Monica's bed. "She always did feel safest with you, angel girl."
Monica nodded in agreement.
As she held Gloria close, she sent a silent prayer of thanks up to the Father. She loved her 'little one so much. The Irish angel didn't know what she would do without Gloria in her life.
The next morning, Tess stood at the door of Richard Smith's office. She was carrying a folder and a briefcase was in her left hand.
Richard opened the door a few minutes later. He gave Tess an expectant look.
"Who are you?" He demanded. He didn't even say hi.
Tess ignored this as she gave him a friendly smile.
"Hello there, baby. My name is Tess. I'm from social services. May I come in for a minute?"
Richard hesitated. He glared at Tess before his gaze traveled to the window.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded yet again. He hadn't stepped back to let her in. In fact, he was blocking the door.
Tess sighed. She prayed silently for patience as she tried to think of the best course of action that wouldn't result in her having grey hair by the time the meeting was over.
"Well we received a call earlier this afternoon from a neighbor. She stated there was a disturbance late at night and she was concerned for your daughter."
"The way I handle my family is my own business. Nobody else's."
"That's where you're wrong." Tess stated wisely. "I'd advise you listen before you land yourself in more trouble than you know how to get out of." With that, she continued to speak. She didn't even give Richard the chance to interrupt her.
By the time the meeting was over, Tess was confident that things would go according to the Father's plan.
If Richard Smith knew what was good for him, he would take her advice and seek help before it was too late.
As Tess drove back home, she smiled slightly. She couldn't wait to get back and spend time with Gloria.
Even though her 'little angel drove her up the wall sometimes, she enjoyed having Gloria in this new Human form. It took some getting used to, but it was a nice change.
Meanwhile, Monica was sitting at her usual coffee shop, waiting for Catherine to arrive. She prayed and hoped her friend didn't back out. She really wanted to help her. But she couldn't' do anything if Catherine wasn't truthful with her and with herself.
Spotting her friend standing near the counter, Monica waved her over. She gave her a friendly smile as she did so.
"Catherine, over here!"
Catherine gazed to where the voice was coming from. She managed a small smile for the Irish angel as she collected her drink and joined her.
"Hi." She greeted. "Sorry I'm late."
Monica shook her head dismissively.
"It's okay." She assured her. "I like people watching anyway."
Catherine nodded. She sighed before continuing to speak.
"I don't know if I should have called you last night." She began. "I just panicked when Richard started yelling. I Thought he was going to hit Grace. I couldn't let him do that. But I think a neighbor called the police or something." She looked scared as she relayed this info to her new friend.
"What makes you think that?" Monica asked.
"Because Richard called me right before I met you. He was mad. He said someone from social services came to talk to him."
Monica nodded. She had a feeling Tess had made her surprise visit.
"Did he say anything else?" She asked.
"He said we were going to "talk" when I got home." She shivered as the words left her mouth. She knew what "talk" meant in Richard's book.
A few minutes of silence fell over the two friends.
Just as Catherine was about to say something else, she caught sight of a familiar person gazing at a magazine.
"Oh God!" She whispered, starting to panic.
"What is it?" The Irish angel asked. She was gazing at Catherine with something of concern on her pretty Irish features.
"I think he followed me here." She explained softly.
"Richard?" Monica guessed. "But he couldn't have. He's at work, right?"
Catherine nodded as her frown deepened.
"Yes, but he has a break right now." And before Monica could stop her, she gathered up her things and stood to leave. "I'm sorry, Monica. I have to go." With that, she was gone.
"Catherine, wait!" She called, hoping to stall for time. But it was no use. She was already gone.
Monica sighed as she watched her friend leave the store. If the events that had just taken place were any indication of how hard this assignment was going to be, Monica had a feeling they were in for a long road. Little did the Irish angel know how right she was…
