Thanks for the kind words and feedback. I am, as always, honored to share my fiction with you. And i am getting better about timely updates. lol! ;-) Hopefully, this chapter appeases. It was kinda fun to write. Please enjoy.
Time in the life of an angel passed very quickly as compared to time for a human. Maybe because there was so much more of it, it lost relativity. Became less precious. The span of five years was the blink of an eye, and Andrew felt it had only been yesterday when his son was born.
He stood outside the school building, waiting for Christian. In another instant, the bell rang, and the place swelled and overflowed with children, overwhelming Andrew and the other parents. Miraculously, the boy found his father in the crowd.
"Daddy!" he squealed, leaping into Andrew's arms.
Andrew caught and held him, loving the feel of the small arms around his neck. The boy, whose unruly blond curls were like wildfire about his head, blinked his deep brown eyes and smiled, a deep dimple creasing his face.
"How was school, love?"
"Great! I did a good job. I learned to write so many numbers and I wrote them on the board and everything!"
Andrew beamed. "Mommy's gonna be so proud – and so am I."
He let the boy down and held his hand as they walked down a sunny sidewalk in a quaint and quiet neighborhood. Christian talked endlessly as they headed home, and Andrew found he loved that sound almost more than anything, the little voice, inquisitive and precocious. He asked questions and told jokes, and Andrew laughed and occasionally glanced down at the wondrous little creature that was equal parts of him and the great love of his life.
Monica waited at the end of the driveway, waving as her two favorite men came into sight. From this distance, Christian looked precisely like Andrew - in miniature! The blond head, flowing against the light breeze of the day, the general shape of them, even the walk.
When he caught sight of his mother, Christian broke away from Andrew and sprinted towards his mother, his tiny legs pounding the pavement until he reached her and leapt up into her outstretched arms.
"I love you, mommy! I missed you!"
'And I missed you, my precious angel!" Monica held tight to him, keeping her emotions at bay. Being away from him was so difficult at times, and it didn't help that she was always kind of expecting him to never return. It was her darkest fantasy, that he would be whisked away from her in the night or as he played on the playground at school – or even out in the yard. Andrew admonished her for it, but she couldn't help herself. Mothers always thought the worst.
Later, they sat down to dinner. Christian happily swung his legs under the table, waiting as Andrew studied the daily newspaper. Monica served warm bowls of stew for her men as she gently pulled the paper from Andrew and grinned down at him. He smiled back at her, as she served herself and sat at the table to dine with them.
Christian folded his hands. "Now grace, right mommy?"
Monica and Andrew both nodded as he led the blessing. He was extremely proficient at it and seemed to really enjoy doing it. It was the same with prayers. He was quite close with God, and this fact only served to make him that much more mysterious.
When he finished, he dug into his meal. Monica watched him, drinking in the sight of him. He was perfection personified, and she found she couldn't help getting overwhelmed.
"Excuse me…" she got up from the table and went into the bathroom where she could be alone. She shut the door and let her tears flow down her cheeks. It was too perfect, too amazing. But she knew it wouldn't last; she knew it couldn't.
The knock came to the door, and she knew it was him. "Monica…"
"I'm fine, Andrew." she tried to make her voice sound level, but it wavered. He was too intuitive not to catch it.
He turned the knob and came in. "I know you, and I know when you're lying."
"I don't lie." she dabbed at her eyes. "Please, just give me a moment."
"Please talk to me. I know something's bothering you."
Her brown eyes met his hazel ones. She couldn't lie. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You never keep things from me." He whispered. "I know it's about… about Christian."
"Don't, Andrew." she lowered her voice to match the softness of his. "Please."
Andrew touched her face, made her hold his gaze. "Okay. But later, we have to address this. For now, dinner is getting cold."
She hesitated, but finally consented.
Later, Andrew and Christian laughed and joked together as they played a game. Monica cleared the dishes and straightened up. When it was almost time for bed, both Monica and Andrew escorted him to bed. He snuggled beneath the blankets and gazed up at his parents.
"I'm so sleepy, mommy." he yawned, his little hands sliding through the long red silk of her hair.
"You had a long day, my dear baby boy." she said, bending down to kiss his round little face. Andrew followed suit.
"Tonight, I'm going to dream about angels." he said, eyes already slipping shut.
Monica and Andrew exchanged glances. "Those are the best dreams." Andrew caressed his soft curls. "Goodnight, Christian."
The boy was already sleeping when they turned off the light and went into the other room.
"How long has it been, Andrew?"
He paused, running a hand through his hair. "1,841 days."
She nodded, went to sit on the couch, facing the fireplace. Andrew came and sat next to her. He took her hand in his, caressed it with his thumb, then brought it to his face, kissing the delicate knuckles.
"Andrew, what do you call this?"
He wasn't sure what she meant. "I don't know…"
"I don't know if I'm still an angel.- and if I am, does God still want me?"
"Yes." Andrew answered without hesitation. "Of course He wants you."
She waited, then looked at him. "Christian, our son… I adore him."
He nodded. "He's a miracle."
"I adore you too." she leaned over and gently kissed his mouth, making him smile. "But… sometimes, I think about… Tess and Gloria and Sam. Sometimes, I wonder what will become of us."
He didn't readily answer. Instead he sat closer, captured a handful of her hair in his hand, let his fingers slide gently through the soft tresses. "I guess I'm just so happy to be with you and Christian, I don't have time to think about the rest of it."
"I wish I could be more like you, Andrew. I wish I could relax."
Now he stood and reached for her hand. When she gave it, he pulled her up into an embrace. His mouth nuzzled her neck, inhaling her sweetness. She let her hands rest on his shoulders and her eyes slip shut as he kissed her throat, chin, and lips.
Her face flushed as they stumbled to the bedroom, and he lay her down and paid homage to her human form, slender, pale as pearl, warm as life.
"What are you doing?" she asked, playfully as he pulled off her socks.
"Helping you to relax." he murmured against the flat expanse of her belly. "Is it working?"
She giggled and brought a hand down to get lost in his flaxen locks. "I think so."
"Good. Then I haven't lost my touch."
And the two of them laughed and 'relaxed' together on the soft down comforter of their bed.
. . . . .
Down the hall, in another bedroom, an angel spoke to Christian. He sat up against his pillows, his deep brown eyes focused on the Hispanic angel seated at the foot of his bed.
"Is heaven very nice?"
Raphael nodded, his handsome beige face open and honest. "It's the nicest place in existence. Mostly because God lives there."
"I want to go there. I want to see God."
"You will." Raphael said. "Very soon, and it'll be the best. I promise. But you know that God is in everything. He's the sun shining in the sky and the air we breathe. He's the blue jay that lives in your backyard."
"When I go to heaven, will mommy and daddy be there too?"
Raphael hesitated. "Sometimes. But your job will be different than theirs. You get to go live in heaven for always, and be God's best angel."
Christian looked down. The thought of being away from his parents made him sad. But being with God seemed like the greatest adventure, almost like a dream come true.
"Will I get to say goodbye?"
Raphael squeezed his little hand. "Of course, little one. But I don't want you to worry – and I don't want you to be sad. It's the greatest honor, to be an angel of the highest heaven. You were chosen before we even knew you."
Christian nodded as Raphael tucked him back into his bed. "Goodnight, Raphael."
Raphael kissed him on his forehead. "Sweet dreams, little one."
And as the boy drifted effortlessly into slumber, Raphael vanished from sight. When he reappeared, he was standing outside the little house next to Tess and Adam.
"How did he look?" Tess inquired impatiently. "How are they?"
"They're fine. The boy, Christian, looks just like Andrew… well… and Monica. He has her eyes, so it's hard to really look at him without seeing Monica. But at first glance, he reminds me of Andrew. He has his hair and his mannerisms and all that…"
Tess seemed to melt at the description as Adam considered the perfect house, the manicured lawn. "Mortality agrees with them, I'd say. It's a shame what has to happen."
"Oh, you have a problem with God's orders now, angel boy?" Tess had put on her mad face. "Maybe you have some suggestions you'd like to put in the suggestion box?"
"I didn't mean it like that, Tess. I only meant, it'll break their hearts when I swoop in and… take Christian."
"They knew what they were in for." Raphael reasoned. "Running away only prolonged the inevitable – and anyway, they'll be able to see him whenever they want."
Tess nodded. "Yes, but knowing Monica, it won't be as simple as that. She won't do well with it at all. I don't want to speak for Andrew because his reaction will be harder to gauge… but Monica is very emotional and she will feel betrayed and she will need a lot of comforting."
"I guess she's lucky to have so many friends who care about her."
Adam made a pained face. "I just hope she doesn't hate me after this. We've always been on pretty good terms, but after this… well. Lets just say the thought of her hating me is… unbearable."
Tess glared at him. "You know that little angel is incapable of hate, no matter how hurt she gets. She can bounce back from anything – and has! We need to have confidence in her, and faith in our Father right now. Is that understood, angel boys?"
Both angels nodded. "Yeah, okay," Adam cleared his throat. "But when is all this going down? So I'm prepared…"
Tess paused considering, and they all looked to the left. Sam was standing nearby, wearing a very formal suit that let them all know he had just come from a very important assignment.
"Thursday next."
They all exchanged glances before fixing their gazes back on the sweet little home. None of them knew how it would all unfold, but they could only hope for the best. The stakes were higher because it wasn't just the hearts of random angels, but the hearts of their best friends. The slightest misstep could send it all crashing to the ground. ..