"Happy birthday, Trina!" Andrew heard the noise from the hallway as he walked into the field house the next day. Amy had been going to whatever practices she could, but today there had been an extra practice because of the rapidly approaching opening night. When he entered the gym, he saw the whole team surrounding Trina, talking and laughing. Struck by a sudden inspiration, he pulled one of the girls aside.
"Tracy, when's Amy's birthday?"
She frowned. "I, uh… actually, I don't know. Maybe Sara knows… Sara!" She called her over. "When's Amy's birthday."
"Uh—oh, geez. I completely forgot." She smacked her forehead. "She's my best friend, and I forgot. You know the game where she hurt herself? That was her birthday."
The next day, as Amy was leaving the Theater, the director caught up with her and gave her a note. "Tall guy, blond, dropped this off for you. He said to go straight there after rehearsal and to take the car, not walk."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. Thanks." She unfolded the paper and saw the words "Sunset Park".
When she got there, she was startled to see Tess, Monica, and Andrew sitting around a picnic table. Christopher was lying in a baby seat on the bench.
"What is this?" Amy asked, putting her bag down.
"This is a belated birthday party." Tess said. "As well as a good luck party for the opening tomorrow night."
"Why didn't you tell us when it was your birthday?" Andrew asked, making room for her to sit.
"Uh… I didn't think it mattered." She said. "My parents are the only ones who've ever remembered."
"Well, now it'll be your parents and us." Monica said, smiling at her. "Happy birthday, Amy."
"Thanks." She smiled back, relaxing. Why couldn't all her friends be like this?
After they ate the cake, Tess took Christopher back to take a nap. After waving them off, Amy walked slowly over to the swings in the playground nearby. Andrew looked up from where he and Monica were cleaning up.
"Uh, Monica, I'll be right back, ok?" She nodded, and he started over to the park, coming up behind Amy. "Mind if I sit down?"
"Huh? No, go ahead." She pushed off the ground, setting the swing in a gentle motion.
"Are you ok?"
"You ask me that a lot." She said, not looking at him. "I'm fine."
"I ask you that a lot because I care. And I don't think you are fine."
"I'm a little nervous about opening tomorrow." She admitted, startled at herself for telling him, but going on. "I know it'll go fine; we've been working on it so hard, and nothing's gone wrong yet, but I don't know…"
"Well, that's normal."
"I suppose." She kicked a few times, soaring above Andrew's head, then slowly rocked back to earth. "Swinging is highly underrated. I wonder what it feels like to fly."
"I don't know." Andrew answered slowly, unsure of what to say. "But—"
"Do you believe in angels?" She asked suddenly, stopping short and staring at him. Please say yes, Andrew, please…
"Yes, I do." He said, smiling at her. "Without a doubt."
"Huh." She looked off into the distance. "You know, I didn't go to church this weekend. Actually, I haven't gone since my parents left. I figured I could talk to God just as well on my own, right? But I'm starting to miss it."
"Well, you don't need church to worship God. I mean, it's wonderful that you go, but in between, you can talk to Him anytime. You know that, right?"
"I guess. I guess—I talk to Him more than I thought. Just little things in the middle of the day, out of nowhere, I'll tell Him something or ask Him something or pray for something…"
"And that's all it takes. Whenever you need help. There's no reason you can't go to someone you trust, but if you don't think you want to yet, He's open 24 hours a day. Ok?" He put a hand on her shoulder, smiling gently at her. "I'm proud of you Amy. I don't think I've said that yet. But I am. And God is too."
"You think so?" She couldn't meet his gaze. Andrew took that as his cue to go.
"I know so. I'm gonna go help Monica clean up." He got up.
"You need some help?"
"No. Stay there. Talk." He raised one eyebrow to the sky, grinning at her. She managed a weak smile in return, and then her eyes became glazed over, unfocused, as if she were deep in thought.
"Andrew?" Monica approached him as he returned. "Are you all right?"
He looked up. "Yeah. Why?"
She looked over at the girl on the swings, looked back at her friend, and smiled gently. "I'm worried about you. I think you're getting too attached to Amy. You're slipping up; you forgot to tell us about Amy's closeness to her grandfather, something rather important to what we're doing here. You know we're only going to be here for a while, and then you're going to have to say goodbye. Will you be able to do that?"
"I'll be careful." He promised, seeing the care in her eyes.
"Ok." She squeezed his hand. "I don't want you to get hurt."
Andrew raised an eyebrow at her serious tone, and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair. "Don't worry about me, Monica. I'll be fine."
"Good." She eased out of his embrace and started toward the car. Andrew stared after her for a moment, a funny feeling overwhelming him. What was this?
"Tracy, when's Amy's birthday?"
She frowned. "I, uh… actually, I don't know. Maybe Sara knows… Sara!" She called her over. "When's Amy's birthday."
"Uh—oh, geez. I completely forgot." She smacked her forehead. "She's my best friend, and I forgot. You know the game where she hurt herself? That was her birthday."
The next day, as Amy was leaving the Theater, the director caught up with her and gave her a note. "Tall guy, blond, dropped this off for you. He said to go straight there after rehearsal and to take the car, not walk."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. Thanks." She unfolded the paper and saw the words "Sunset Park".
When she got there, she was startled to see Tess, Monica, and Andrew sitting around a picnic table. Christopher was lying in a baby seat on the bench.
"What is this?" Amy asked, putting her bag down.
"This is a belated birthday party." Tess said. "As well as a good luck party for the opening tomorrow night."
"Why didn't you tell us when it was your birthday?" Andrew asked, making room for her to sit.
"Uh… I didn't think it mattered." She said. "My parents are the only ones who've ever remembered."
"Well, now it'll be your parents and us." Monica said, smiling at her. "Happy birthday, Amy."
"Thanks." She smiled back, relaxing. Why couldn't all her friends be like this?
After they ate the cake, Tess took Christopher back to take a nap. After waving them off, Amy walked slowly over to the swings in the playground nearby. Andrew looked up from where he and Monica were cleaning up.
"Uh, Monica, I'll be right back, ok?" She nodded, and he started over to the park, coming up behind Amy. "Mind if I sit down?"
"Huh? No, go ahead." She pushed off the ground, setting the swing in a gentle motion.
"Are you ok?"
"You ask me that a lot." She said, not looking at him. "I'm fine."
"I ask you that a lot because I care. And I don't think you are fine."
"I'm a little nervous about opening tomorrow." She admitted, startled at herself for telling him, but going on. "I know it'll go fine; we've been working on it so hard, and nothing's gone wrong yet, but I don't know…"
"Well, that's normal."
"I suppose." She kicked a few times, soaring above Andrew's head, then slowly rocked back to earth. "Swinging is highly underrated. I wonder what it feels like to fly."
"I don't know." Andrew answered slowly, unsure of what to say. "But—"
"Do you believe in angels?" She asked suddenly, stopping short and staring at him. Please say yes, Andrew, please…
"Yes, I do." He said, smiling at her. "Without a doubt."
"Huh." She looked off into the distance. "You know, I didn't go to church this weekend. Actually, I haven't gone since my parents left. I figured I could talk to God just as well on my own, right? But I'm starting to miss it."
"Well, you don't need church to worship God. I mean, it's wonderful that you go, but in between, you can talk to Him anytime. You know that, right?"
"I guess. I guess—I talk to Him more than I thought. Just little things in the middle of the day, out of nowhere, I'll tell Him something or ask Him something or pray for something…"
"And that's all it takes. Whenever you need help. There's no reason you can't go to someone you trust, but if you don't think you want to yet, He's open 24 hours a day. Ok?" He put a hand on her shoulder, smiling gently at her. "I'm proud of you Amy. I don't think I've said that yet. But I am. And God is too."
"You think so?" She couldn't meet his gaze. Andrew took that as his cue to go.
"I know so. I'm gonna go help Monica clean up." He got up.
"You need some help?"
"No. Stay there. Talk." He raised one eyebrow to the sky, grinning at her. She managed a weak smile in return, and then her eyes became glazed over, unfocused, as if she were deep in thought.
"Andrew?" Monica approached him as he returned. "Are you all right?"
He looked up. "Yeah. Why?"
She looked over at the girl on the swings, looked back at her friend, and smiled gently. "I'm worried about you. I think you're getting too attached to Amy. You're slipping up; you forgot to tell us about Amy's closeness to her grandfather, something rather important to what we're doing here. You know we're only going to be here for a while, and then you're going to have to say goodbye. Will you be able to do that?"
"I'll be careful." He promised, seeing the care in her eyes.
"Ok." She squeezed his hand. "I don't want you to get hurt."
Andrew raised an eyebrow at her serious tone, and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair. "Don't worry about me, Monica. I'll be fine."
"Good." She eased out of his embrace and started toward the car. Andrew stared after her for a moment, a funny feeling overwhelming him. What was this?