CHAPTER EIGHT

Andrew opened his eyes and realized that the short nap that he had wanted had turned into a long night sleep. He quickly jumped up as he thought about Gloria who said she would be waiting for him in the diner across the street. He glanced over there and saw no one in the window. Oh no, he thought. Now where has she gone?

"Hey, you sleepy head," a voice behind him said.

"Gloria," the angel of death sighed. "I thought…well, I though…"

"I brought you some coffee," she said vastly. She handed him a large thermos.

"Thanks," Andrew said appreciatively. "I think I need this. I didn't have any yesterday."

"You sound like Mon…" Gloria stopped short. She looked down at the ground and listened to Andrew sigh. "You sounded like Monica," she continued after a moment.

"Don't worry, honey," Andrew told her, though his voice shook as he spoke.

"Andrew?" Gloria asked, changing the subject. "Do you want to get breakfast over in the diner?"

"Sure," he replied in a relieved voice. "I was afraid you had already eaten. I'm starved."

"Good 'cause I hear that they make chocolate chip pancakes. I have been meaning to try one, though I don't know how well chocolate and pancake batter mix. But if you look at chocolate as part of a breakfast item, for it is a dairy product, I guess they wouldn't be so terrible after all. But…chocolate is almost sixty percent sugar and that isn't a healthy daily balance," Gloria spoke in a fast tone.

"Okay," Andrew said. He had not one clue to what she had just said.

"Okay, what?" her cheery voice asked.

"Gloria," Andrew started. He put his arm around her shoulder as they walked towards the diner. "Maybe you should try talking slower," he suggested.

She stared at him with a puzzled expression.

"Well, considering I am equipped with the mind of a computer that can assimilate a abnormal amount of information, my brain just transmits messages at an expeditious speed, therefor I speak as briskly as I…" she stopped for a minute. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Gloria, honey, what if you determine every word you say mentally so that you say 'supplied' instead of 'equipped' or etc. Do you understand what I mean?" Andrew asked.

"Oh, yes," she stumbled. "But this is how I talk. This is how God created me to…"

"Good point, but what if you just changed your words just a little bit? Try it out and see how it works. Because your brain works so fast, you should be able to define each word in your head without hesitation."

"Okay," Gloria said in a worried tone. "Since my mind is supplied with that of a computer I can…my brain can absorb an unusual…a…an unusual amount of information in seconds?" she asked him.

"Pretty good," Andrew replied with a laugh. "I think you'll get it. Now let's think about our stomachs."

"Excuse me?" Gloria asked him. "What do you mean?"

"You know," he started. He looked her in the eye and realized that she thought about stomachs as a scientific word. "Let's think about our…how hungry we are? You know, let's think about our stomachs?"

"Oh! I get it. I guess I should try to start thinking of definitions too," the smart angel laughed.

"Gloria, I don't want you to change the way you do things. I just want you to talk so some one can actually understand you," Andrew told her as they sat down at a small booth.

"All right."

"What can I get you?" a waitress asked them.

"Two servings of chocolate chip pancakes," Andrew answered. He grinned at Gloria. "Believe me, they're good," he said after the waitress had left.