Late that night, Monica sat on the couch in the living room, her feet
curled beneath her slight frame, looking out the window as a light rain
fell outside. Dana had gone to bed hours ago, but Monica couldn't sleep
even though she was exhausted from the day's events. It wasn't for fear of
the movie they had seen, even though the angel secretly vowed she wouldn't
be doing that again for a while, but there was something else that was
keeping her awake. "How are things going, baby?" Tess asked, sitting down
next to Monica on the couch.
"I don't know," Monica sighed. "I can't shake this feeling that something is off. I'm a little worried, Tess. I don't know what's going to happen, or when."
Tess put her arm around the younger angel and hugged her gently. "I know you are, baby, but you have to trust in God. He knows what's going to happen, and when it does, you'll be there to help Dana."
Monica leaned into Tess's embrace and sighed again, "I know," she said.
The two angels sat in silence for a moment, and then Tess spoke, "How do you like the violin?"
Monica sat up next to her supervisor and smiled, her eyes sparkling, "I love it Tess. It's like I can feel the music inside me, and for once it sounds beautiful when it comes out," she said, giggling.
Tess chuckled at Monica's last remark. "Music makes a lot of people feel that way, even those who don't make it themselves. It speaks to the soul in a way words just can't. That's why some of the best known prayers are actually songs. in a lot of ways; music is God's greatest gift to people." Monica smiled again and stifled a yawn with her hand. Tess moved to get up from the couch. "Baby, it's late, you should get some rest," She suggested. Monica nodded and hugged her friend again before standing and retreating up the stairs for her bedroom. Tess smiled in her young charge's direction before vanishing from the room.
* * * * * *
The next morning, Monica came downstairs to find Dana dressed for a morning run. The young woman wore sweat pants and a zippered sweatshirt over a white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she had a water bottle clutched in her hand. "I always go running in the mornings," Dana said. "Do you want to come along?"
"Sure, just give me a minute to change," Monica replied. She returned to her room and came back downstairs in similar attire to Dana's own. The two women exited Dana's house and headed towards the center of town.
Monica was enjoying herself thoroughly. The running was helping to ease some of the inexplicable tension the young angel had been feeling lately, even though she had no idea why she had been so uptight. As she and Dana stopped briefly to take a breather, they heard a crude-sounding voice followed by a catcall coming from between two buildings, "Ohhh, lookin' good ladies, lookin' real good!"
Dana visibly bristled, and Monica spun around to see whom the voice belonged to. A man stood leaning against the brick wall of one of the buildings, one foot propped up on the wall. He had his hands inside the pockets of baggy jeans, and he wore a gray hooded sweatshirt that was also several sizes too big. He had a hat perched backwards on his shaved head, and an air of arrogance hung about him. "You two ladies come with me, and I'll make honest women of ya," he spoke again through thin lips. He brought a cigarette up between his lips and took a long, leisurely drag from it as he conspicuously looked Monica and Dana up and down. Monica suddenly regretted wearing form-fitting jogging pants and a T-shirt, because the way the man was looking at her was making her feel very uneasy.
"C'mon Dana, let's go," Monica whispered, as she took her friend's arm and started back in the direction of Dana's house.
"Fine, go now, but they always come back!" The man shouted after them as they jogged away.
Monica looked at Dana, who was fuming. "I don't know what it is about some guys," she said, "it's like something in their brains makes them think they have the right to say whatever they want to women, whenever they want."
"I know what you mean," Monica said. She had been the victim of comments and unwelcome advances in the past, and she knew how degrading it felt. Unconsciously, she turned her head back to see if the man was still there. She didn't see him, but she still felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
* * * * * *
The man still leaned up against the building finishing his cigarette and thinking about the two beautiful women he had just seen. He didn't see Kathleen, who was invisible to the human eye, standing beside him whispering into his ear. "That little blond wants you, Jason, even if she doesn't know it yet. You may have to help her see how bad she wants you, but after that it'll all be good." He smiled at that, and started walking leisurely in the direction the two women had gone.
***
That evening, as Monica and Dana got ready to go to orchestra rehearsal, the morning's incident was all but forgotten. Dana drove out of her small town and headed towards Springfield, fighting the rush hour traffic and finally arriving at the hall a half hour later. The sound of musicians warming up carried down the corridor that led to the house, bringing with it little snippets of the concert program the orchestra was preparing. Monica and Dana walked down the aisle to the stage and got their instruments out before climbing the stairs to the stage and taking their seats. Kevin smiled his greetings to the human and angel and stepped up onto his podium to start the rehearsal for the night. "Ok guys, since Don has the flu, we aren't going to be able to do the piano concerto as planned. So, as much as this will break your hearts, I'm going to let you out an hour early tonight."
"Oh Kevin, I can't tell you how broke up I am," one of the trumpet players called out, garnering laughs the rest of the orchestra.
"Cry me a river," Kevin said good-naturedly as he picked up his baton. "Lets at least act like professionals for a few hours, ok? We'll start with Rimsky."
* * * * * *
"I almost wish rehearsal wasn't short tonight," Monica remarked as they entered Dana's house. "I love playing so much."
Dana laughed. "When you've been in that orchestra as long as I have, you learn to take a break when you can get one. Kevin can be a slave driver when he wants to be. But, if you really want to play some more tonight, I have some old duets up in the studio that we could read," Dana said.
"That sounds like fun," Monica replied, following Dana upstairs, violin case in tow.
Dana set up two chairs and two music stands, and then dived into the bookshelf, coming back with a few books of music. "These are good ones, I think you'll like them," she said, handing one of the parts to Monica, who grinned upon reading the title. The Irish angel started to play, and Dana joined in, adding her melody to Monica's. The violins sang together in perfect harmony, the notes dancing around the room, filling it with the lilting sound of the Irish-sounding selection Dana had chosen. The two spent the rest of the night playing every duet Dana owned, some of them twice, but all of them with the same passion and energy.
"I don't know," Monica sighed. "I can't shake this feeling that something is off. I'm a little worried, Tess. I don't know what's going to happen, or when."
Tess put her arm around the younger angel and hugged her gently. "I know you are, baby, but you have to trust in God. He knows what's going to happen, and when it does, you'll be there to help Dana."
Monica leaned into Tess's embrace and sighed again, "I know," she said.
The two angels sat in silence for a moment, and then Tess spoke, "How do you like the violin?"
Monica sat up next to her supervisor and smiled, her eyes sparkling, "I love it Tess. It's like I can feel the music inside me, and for once it sounds beautiful when it comes out," she said, giggling.
Tess chuckled at Monica's last remark. "Music makes a lot of people feel that way, even those who don't make it themselves. It speaks to the soul in a way words just can't. That's why some of the best known prayers are actually songs. in a lot of ways; music is God's greatest gift to people." Monica smiled again and stifled a yawn with her hand. Tess moved to get up from the couch. "Baby, it's late, you should get some rest," She suggested. Monica nodded and hugged her friend again before standing and retreating up the stairs for her bedroom. Tess smiled in her young charge's direction before vanishing from the room.
* * * * * *
The next morning, Monica came downstairs to find Dana dressed for a morning run. The young woman wore sweat pants and a zippered sweatshirt over a white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she had a water bottle clutched in her hand. "I always go running in the mornings," Dana said. "Do you want to come along?"
"Sure, just give me a minute to change," Monica replied. She returned to her room and came back downstairs in similar attire to Dana's own. The two women exited Dana's house and headed towards the center of town.
Monica was enjoying herself thoroughly. The running was helping to ease some of the inexplicable tension the young angel had been feeling lately, even though she had no idea why she had been so uptight. As she and Dana stopped briefly to take a breather, they heard a crude-sounding voice followed by a catcall coming from between two buildings, "Ohhh, lookin' good ladies, lookin' real good!"
Dana visibly bristled, and Monica spun around to see whom the voice belonged to. A man stood leaning against the brick wall of one of the buildings, one foot propped up on the wall. He had his hands inside the pockets of baggy jeans, and he wore a gray hooded sweatshirt that was also several sizes too big. He had a hat perched backwards on his shaved head, and an air of arrogance hung about him. "You two ladies come with me, and I'll make honest women of ya," he spoke again through thin lips. He brought a cigarette up between his lips and took a long, leisurely drag from it as he conspicuously looked Monica and Dana up and down. Monica suddenly regretted wearing form-fitting jogging pants and a T-shirt, because the way the man was looking at her was making her feel very uneasy.
"C'mon Dana, let's go," Monica whispered, as she took her friend's arm and started back in the direction of Dana's house.
"Fine, go now, but they always come back!" The man shouted after them as they jogged away.
Monica looked at Dana, who was fuming. "I don't know what it is about some guys," she said, "it's like something in their brains makes them think they have the right to say whatever they want to women, whenever they want."
"I know what you mean," Monica said. She had been the victim of comments and unwelcome advances in the past, and she knew how degrading it felt. Unconsciously, she turned her head back to see if the man was still there. She didn't see him, but she still felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
* * * * * *
The man still leaned up against the building finishing his cigarette and thinking about the two beautiful women he had just seen. He didn't see Kathleen, who was invisible to the human eye, standing beside him whispering into his ear. "That little blond wants you, Jason, even if she doesn't know it yet. You may have to help her see how bad she wants you, but after that it'll all be good." He smiled at that, and started walking leisurely in the direction the two women had gone.
***
That evening, as Monica and Dana got ready to go to orchestra rehearsal, the morning's incident was all but forgotten. Dana drove out of her small town and headed towards Springfield, fighting the rush hour traffic and finally arriving at the hall a half hour later. The sound of musicians warming up carried down the corridor that led to the house, bringing with it little snippets of the concert program the orchestra was preparing. Monica and Dana walked down the aisle to the stage and got their instruments out before climbing the stairs to the stage and taking their seats. Kevin smiled his greetings to the human and angel and stepped up onto his podium to start the rehearsal for the night. "Ok guys, since Don has the flu, we aren't going to be able to do the piano concerto as planned. So, as much as this will break your hearts, I'm going to let you out an hour early tonight."
"Oh Kevin, I can't tell you how broke up I am," one of the trumpet players called out, garnering laughs the rest of the orchestra.
"Cry me a river," Kevin said good-naturedly as he picked up his baton. "Lets at least act like professionals for a few hours, ok? We'll start with Rimsky."
* * * * * *
"I almost wish rehearsal wasn't short tonight," Monica remarked as they entered Dana's house. "I love playing so much."
Dana laughed. "When you've been in that orchestra as long as I have, you learn to take a break when you can get one. Kevin can be a slave driver when he wants to be. But, if you really want to play some more tonight, I have some old duets up in the studio that we could read," Dana said.
"That sounds like fun," Monica replied, following Dana upstairs, violin case in tow.
Dana set up two chairs and two music stands, and then dived into the bookshelf, coming back with a few books of music. "These are good ones, I think you'll like them," she said, handing one of the parts to Monica, who grinned upon reading the title. The Irish angel started to play, and Dana joined in, adding her melody to Monica's. The violins sang together in perfect harmony, the notes dancing around the room, filling it with the lilting sound of the Irish-sounding selection Dana had chosen. The two spent the rest of the night playing every duet Dana owned, some of them twice, but all of them with the same passion and energy.