(By Deyse Magalhães)
Monica is assigned to work as Santa's helper and she finds out a special letter that touches her heart. With Andrew's help, she sets off to look for its author and take him a message of love and hope. But will they ever find him?
Part one
The huge shopping center was crowded with people walking along the corridors, searching for presents for their beloved ones on that busy week. Christmas shopping was more intense as the special day got closer and now, only two days before Christmas eve, it seemed that there wasn’t enough space for everybody inside the shops. Children were, of course, the most excited ones not only with the presents they would receive but also with the beautiful displays, so full of colour and light that made their little eyes spark with fascination.
What those people and children couldn’t see were the three angels standing in one of the biggest and coloured shop displays in that shopping center. While Tess, Monica and Andrew watched the passers-by, a closer look revealed that children were not the only ones enchanted with the Christmas decoration: the beautiful young angel, with auburn hair and a cheerful smile, also looked at her surroundings with the innocent excitement of the little ones. The miniature of a ski station, with cable cars going up and down the mountain all covered with snow and the many little houses on its base, with lots of small lights shining inside of them, had definitely conquered her heart and she imagined how it would look like inside the cabin where they used to spend their days off.
Monica loved that time of the year and couldn’t wait to spend that very special night with her beloved friends (and the cheerful puppy dog who had been left in the cabin for ‘security reasons’, as the Irish angel said).
“I’m always happy when I’m working but the years pass and I can’t remember a time when I’m happier other than Christmas time!” Monica exclaimed, with a pleased expression on her face and now looking at her two beloved friends. Also smiling, Andrew nodded his head as she kept on talking, “everything is so magic, so bright, so colourful, so... so...”
“Crowded!” the oldest angel interrupted, frowning again when a woman in a hurry to enter the next shop bumped into an old lady. It was then that Monica realised her dear supervisor wasn’t in her best mood. She and Andrew exchanged a quick glance and looked at Tess, who frowned every time someone in a hurry passed along the corridor running to the next shop, eager to buy more.
“Oh... well, yes, I believe that people are pretty busy trying to find a special gift for their loved ones...” the blond angel spoke, in an attempt to cheer Tess up.
“Well, can’t they walk slower? The shops aren’t going to run away and shut their doors in five minutes! Besides, most of them are buying useless things and have no idea why they’re doing it! I don’t know what happens to the human beings at this time of the year, it seems that they are moved by some unconscious desire to spend more and more money and totally forget what they’re celebrating!” Tess grumbled, looking at their surrounds with disapproval.
Monica pondered about her words and nodded her head a bit pensive, “Hum... well, I think you’re right, Tess. They do seem a wee bit overexcited with the presents issue and all but this is the time when miracles happen, you know, and... we wouldn’t have a job if all the human beings were perfect and didn’t need to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, don’t you think so?”
While Andrew chuckled, proud to hear his beloved friend’s words, Tess stared at her dear charge with her eyebrows raised and suddenly forgetting about the crowd around them, “When on Earth did you get so wise, Miss Wings?”
“Oh well, I have two wonderful friends, ya know, who I happen to love very much and they always teach me how to be a better angel!” she replied, happy to finally see something that resembled a smile on Tess’ face.
Highly amused, Andrew bent his head and whispered, “She won, Tess!”
The oldest angel stared at him and her feeble smile disappeared, “We’re not here for a competition, mister! And since Miss Wings here has mentioned ‘our job’, let’s focus on our jobs then!”
“Is our next assignment going to be here, Tess?” Monica wanted to know, still marvelled at the surroundings.
“Yes.”
“That’s a lovely place to work at!”
“Yes... I have to agree it’s beautiful...” the supervisor spoke, although less enthusiastically than her dear charge.
“One thing is for sure: kids must love coming in here! It’s the most famous toy shop in this region!” Andrew added, also finding the decoration very beautiful.
“They do. After all the decoration helps to attract more customers.” The supervisor pointed at a small and very beautiful house placed at the centre of the shop. Near the house, there was a mountain of letters. “Can you see that?
Monica’s smile grew wider when she saw the little cabin, “It’s Santa’s house!”
“And are those letters really true?” Andrew wanted to know.
“Yes, they were all written by lots and lots of children who live in this and in the other towns nearby. The owner of this toy shop allows “Santa” to ‘install’ his workshop here so that he can organise and read those letters. All of them get a souvenir from Santa and some of them will be chosen to receive a special present.”
“Oh but that’s a lovely idea! This man must be a wonderful person!” the Irish angel spoke, happy to hear that. But Tess’ face remained a not very enthusiastic one, “Well... we should not mix generosity with marketing strategy...”
Andrew frowned a little and looked at her with a questioning face, “Tess, is it my impression or you don’t sound very happy about this assignment?”
“I’m afraid Andrew is right, Tess. I can sense some sort of... crankiness...”
The oldest angel turned her eyes to her dearest friends again, “Well, if there wasn’t something wrong, then we wouldn’t be here, right?” she asked, matter-of-factly.
“Hum... yes, you’re right...” Monica agreed, not wanting to contradict her supervisor. “And I’m happy to know that our assignment will be here at this lovely shop.”
“Well... yes, your assignment will be here, Miss Wings.”
Somewhat worried, Monica turned her eyes from the shining ornaments to look at her dearest friends, “My assignment? You mean... You won’t be working with me here?”
“No...” she replied, somewhat reluctantly to leave her ‘angel girl’ there. “Santa will need someone to help him organise and read all those letters and that someone will be you.”
“But... what about you two?” the sad look in her soft brown eyes spoke millions of words and went immediately to the angels’ hearts.
“Well... I’m... I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until you finish your assignment, baby...” Tess spoke, revealing the reason for her cranky mood. Andrew frowned again, not pleased at all with the idea of staying away from the warm-hearted friend. He took Monica’s hand and squeezed it, “Are you sure that they don’t need me, Tess?”
“Do you think I’m getting old or something, mister?” she replied, now visibly upset with that question.
“It’s alright...” Monica spoke, resignedly, “Is Santa’s my assignment then?”
“Your assignment is to stay here doing your job as Santa’s helper, selecting the children’s letters, checking their addresses and their wishes.”
Monica and Andrew exchanged a sad glance, not happy at all to be apart from each other and from Tess. He gently caressed her hair and gave her a reassuring look, “You’ll do great, angel!”
PART 2
Monica spent the following days paying close attention to ‘Santa’ while she did her job as his assistant. He was a talkative old man, with a great sense of humour and really sweet and considerate to children. Initially, the Irish angel thought that she was there because of him, but the more she watched him interact with the kids, the more she wondered what could be wrong with that old gentleman.
“Oh boy! What a morning!” he exclaimed, as the little house was closed for lunch. Monica smiled and turned her eyes from the hundreds of letters to look at that chubby old man, with rosy cheeks and a broad smile. “Yes, the children always have a great time with Santa, don’t they?” she asked, studying every little reaction of him.
“Oh yes, they’re quite something, aren’t they?”
“But you do seem to have a way with them!”
“Yes, it’s true, I do! I got married to... erm... ‘Mrs Santa’ 40 years ago, you know, and we had four of them!” he explained, with evident contentment, “And these four have already given me a few grandchildren themselves! We’ll all be together on Christmas Eve!”
The little angel's smile grew wider as she heard that. “It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with all your family together!”
“It sure is, Monica. We always get together and always have a great time. Oh, of course, after I make all the deliveries!” he winked at her, causing the young angel to let out a small giggle, “And I treasure those moments, you know. There are people who are very lonely and don’t have anybody to spend the Christmas night with.” Monica realised that he was a bit it sad but it was only for a moment. “I’m sure you too will spend Christmas with your family, right?”
The Irish angel smiled remembering her two beloved friends, who were indeed her family, “Oh yes, I hope I can stay together with the ones who are like a family to me... I do have a wonderful Father, who gave me two wonderful friends. Andrew is always by my side, to reassure me and to give me confidence whenever I feel lost and lonely." The man noticed as she blushed a little and smiled, "He is like my second protector, you know. And, well, although I don’t have a mother, I have Tess in my life, and I love her as if she was a real mother. She means the world to me!”
“It’s good to hear it, young lady! And from the spark in your eyes, I can see these two, your dear Andrew and your dear Tess, they love you very much! Now, if you excuse me, I’ll change these clothes and put my ‘disguise’ to have lunch, I’m starving!”
He left Monica alone, still wondering what her assignment was. It was then that she heard a dear voice right next to her, “You mean the world to me too, baby!”
Tess was looking at her dear charge in a motherlish way, full of affection and Monica smiled broadly to see her dear supervisor, “Oh Tess, it’s so good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you too, angel girl. How are things going here?”
“Everything seems to be going very well... In fact, too well... Tess, I can’t see where I’m necessary here... Our ‘Santa’ seems to be a very happy and kind old man, I don’t see any problem with him...”
“And who told you there was a problem with him?” Tess raised her eyebrows and stared at Monica with a stern look.
“Oh, well, I thought...”
“Your assignment is to organise all the letters addressed to Santa Claus, Miss Wings!”
Monica was going to say something else but instead, she let out a resigned sight and, with a slight smile, nodded “Yes, ma’am!”
“Good! And... I also came here to tell you that there’s a great possibility that we can share Christmas together; you, Andrew and me!”
The younger angel’s face lit up when she heard that. “Oh, that’s wonderful news, Tess! Oh Father, thank You so much!” she exclaimed, first looking at the supervisor and then at the sky, through a nearby window.
“Yes, it sure is, baby. And of course, deep inside, I knew that He wouldn’t keep us apart on such a special day!”
“Yes. But... you said that there’s a great possibility...”
“Well... you have to finish your assignment first. Then you can go to the cabin with Andrew and me.”
“I’ll accomplish this assignment, you’ll see! Whatever it is that the Father wants me to see, I’ll see it!”
x
A few more days went by and, as much as Monica worked and tried to find out something – anything, about Santa and everybody else who worked with her, apparently there was nothing wrong with them.
Finally, it was Christmas Eve and by the end of the afternoon, the store closed the doors and everybody who worked there went to their homes, to celebrate the special night together with their families. The mall also started to close the doors when a man, with blond hair and green eyes, parked a red Cadillac outside. Andrew explained that he had come to pick up a friend who worked as Santa’s helper (and who started to become quite famous due to her cheerful and talkative manners), and managed to enter.
But when he arrived at the deserted store, he found Monica sitting on a chair, alone, with a paper in her hands and crying. And as soon as he saw his dearest friend so miserable, Andrew frowned and hurried towards her – his caring heart already filled with worry and anguish to imagine the reason for her tears.
“Monica? Angel, what happened? Why are you crying?” he asked, kneeling right in front of her and taking her hand, his green eyes desperately searching for hers.
“Oh, Andrew... something terrible happened...”
“What.. what happened, angel? What are you doing here all alone and crying?”
“I was closing Santa’s house and everybody else had left, including ‘Santa’ himself, when I found a letter forgotten under that mat.
Hearing that, Andrew heaved a sigh of relief – lots of things, much more terrible than what she had just said, came to his mind in just a few seconds. “Oh, Monica... I’m sure that when they reopen the shop, the child who wrote this letter will receive a gift too...”
“That may be too late...” she replied, tears still falling from her eyes. The blond angel sighed deeply, always with the extra amount of patience when dealing with his dearest friend. He pulled another chair and sat down right in front of her. Then he reached out and gently brushed away a few tears from her cheeks, “Please, don’t cry, baby. I can't see you crying. Tell me what happened exactly, maybe I can help...”
She took a deep breath and handed him the paper that was in her hands. It was one of the many letters written to Santa and Andrew soon recognised a child’s handwriting in it. “This is the letter that was forgotten. I was organising everything, so that the shop could send this child a wee present, as you said. But something in it called my attention...” then, Monica showed him the envelope where the letter was in: on it, there was a drawing, also made by a child, of a house with a candle lit up by the window, “This drawing, Andrew, represents a Christmas tradition in my beloved Ireland, you know...”
“That’s why you decided to open it?”
“Yes... I know I shouldn’t but... But I thought that maybe due to my love for Ireland, I could help the person who sent it...”
“May I read it?”
Shedding fresh tears, she nodded, “Yes...”
Before he started reading, the blond angel reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, and even after he started to read their hands remained conjoined.
The handwriting was irregular and the letter had been written in pencil, on a sheet of a school notebook.
Dear Santa,
My name is Matthew and I’m 8. I have a little sister too, her name is Mary and she’s 6. These days haven’t been easy for my family and me. We don’t have much money and our Christmas is not gonna be fancy either. But that’s ok. Mom says the most important is that we’re all together and she’s right.
I love my mom and dad and my little sister, I even take care of her cause mom is a bit busy at the moment. Something bad happened: my dad is ill and I heard mom saying that he needs a new kidney. She said his own kidneys don’t work anymore and that if he doesn’t get one soon he may get even worse than he is. He’s in hospital now and we don’t get to see him very often. Mom takes Mary and me there but the doctors don’t let us stay for a long time.
I guess a kidney must be expensive or maybe difficult to find cause she also said that they’re still looking for one. Well, as you’re Santa, I thought that maybe you could find one because you can travel all around the world in your sleigh. If you can find it, please leave it in our fireplace on Christmas night? That’s the present I’d like for Christmas.
Oh, and if you have some time, please, bring a doll to Mary? We don’t have much money to buy toys cuz mom has gotta buy a lot of medicines.
Well, that’s all. I hope you have a Marry Christmas.
Love,
Matthew.
After Andrew had finished to read, he too was deeply moved with the content of the letter. “Dear Father...”
“I cannot stop imagining how hard it’s been for this wee boy and his family, Andrew. It’s all so sad that...”
“...that you think we should do something about it.” He completed her sentence and she nodded her head, “Yes... I may not bring him a kidney but now that the store is closed and ‘Santa’ isn’t here anymore, maybe this family could be visited by an angel and hear some words of encouragement and know that God is with them at this difficult moment...”
He nodded his head emphatically, “I agree! We should and we’re going to do this!”
Monica started at him with a mix of gratitude and worry, “Andrew... I... I don’t want to put you in any trouble because of me, I guess I’ve found out what my assignment is and...”
“... and now that you’ve found it, I’m offering you a little help, angel. Besides, I’m in my free time and I came here to pick you up and take you to the cabin, but Tess wouldn’t mind if we got there a few minutes later. It’s for a good cause after all!”
Shedding some more tears, Monica wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly, “Thank you...”
“You’re more than welcome, angel...” he replied, with a slight smile on his face and also holding her tightly. In his arms, a sensitive and warm-hearted creature, so kind and generous, so delicate and full of emotions that sometimes he felt undeserving to have her love. But one thing was for sure: he loved her dearly, amazingly much, and so deep that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for that sweet little angel, who had left a permanent imprint in his heart. Anything.
Gently, he pulled away and lay a hand against her cheek, caressing her moistened pretty face. “But now I want you to stop crying and stay calm. And I also want to see a smile back on this pretty face of yours, are we understood?” he asked, frowning and with a mock stern tone in his voice, which was enough to make a shy smile appear on her face.
“Yes...”
“Good. The only tears I allow you to shed are happy tears..."
She eyed him with gratitude and much love. "You're always responsible for those ones..." Andrew leaned over and brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I made a promise on this." He said, and never letting go of her hand, he turned his eyes to the letter. "And now the first thing to do is find out where Matthew and Mary Smith live...” he looked at the coloured envelope, but besides the children’s names, there was only the name of a town not far from where they were – no street, no house.
“We need more specific details...” Monica spoke, a bit disappointed.
“Well, we sure have reduced the possibilities anyway. Now what we have to do is check out the telephone list and see how many Smiths live in this city...” the blond angel said.
“Which must be many...” she added, still a bit worriedly.
But before his dearest friend was sad again, he stood up and gently helped her up, “So, the sooner we get there, the sooner we’ll find them!”
Monica looked at their conjoined hands and threw him a grateful broad smile that went straight to his heart. And, before the two angels left the shop in search for the children, Andrew left a few dollars on the counter next to the cashier, and picked up two presents from a shelf. “I guess they’ll like them too!”
PART 3
“Do you think Tess will be upset because we took her car?” Monica asked, sitting on the passenger’s seat of Tess’ Cadillac.
Andrew was driving along an empty road and chuckled at that question, “Well, she lent me the car to pick you up at the store, didn’t she? I’m picking you up!”
“But we’re not going to the cabin...” she replied, smiling and amused with his playful tone of voice.
“We are, angel. But we’re using a longer way!” he turned his eyes from the road just for a few seconds and looked at her meek face, chuckling even more to see an inch of worry clearly mixed with some amusement.
“Hope I’m not making a mess around here... And... I hope I’m not making you make a mess around here...”
Laughing at that statement and at her choice of words, he took her hand and kissed its back, “You? My dear angel, making a mess? I don't think this is possible!”
Smiling, Monica looked around them and spotted the signal along the road, indicating that they were arriving at their destination city, “Here we are...”
“Yes. I just hope we can find our little friends soon... The weather forecast announced it will snow later at night!”
“We will! I know the Father is with us!” She turned her eyes to him again, “And I’m grateful you’re here with me too, Andrew. I guess I’d have to look for the right house all by myself if you hadn’t come with me!”
Hearing those words Andrew realised something: considering Monica’s poor sense of direction, the chances of her finding the right house located in a strange city and without a complete address were drastically reduced. His being there to pick her up at the same moment she had found that letter was much more than a mere coincidence. Yes, the Father was with them, guiding their steps on that assignment and the blond angel smiled, now fully aware of his own assignment.
“Andrew?” Monica's soothing voice took him out of his reverie and made him look at her again. She was eyeing him with an adorable expression of curiosity on her face. The angel of death took her hand once again and gave it a light squeeze. “There’s no other place I’d like to be, angel, other than by your side.” Watching as her smile grew wider, he added, “And something tells me that this is exactly where I was supposed to be. As always!”
As he returned his eyes to the road, the little angel inched closer and brushed a loving kiss on his cheek. "I love you... as always too."
x
Monica and Andrew arrived at their destination city some time later and started to look for the Smith’s house. The first place they went to was the post office, as there they would obtain a list with the people who lived in the town and their addresses. But as soon as he was given the paper containing the names, the blond angel frowned slightly worriedly.
“Andrew? What is it?”
“Well, angel, we got 23 addresses to check this afternoon!”
“23 people named ‘Smith’? Oh dear!” she exclaimed, browsing her attentive eyes on the paper he was holding, “Do you think there’ll be enough time?”
“Hum... let’s do the following: let’s split up and check the addresses that are close to this post office. Then, finding them or not, we’ll be back here in... one hour, is that ok?”
The Irish angel nodded enthusiastically, “Oh, that’s a great idea!”
“Okay...” suddenly, Andrew frowned again, concern back to his face, “But Monica... it’s really the addresses close to this post office, ok? Don’t... erm... don’t go too far...”
“Don’t worry, Andrew, I’ll be here in an hour, I promise,” she replied, not aware of his true concern.
“That’s ok, then. I’ll check out these ones and you these, ok?” he tore the paper in two and gave her one half, keeping the other one.
“Alright!” the confidence in her eyes was such that it was impossible not to believe that a miracle would happen at any moment.
Andrew bent his head and kissed her forehead, “See you in an hour, angel.”
“See you, Andrew.”
The two angels started a search for Matthew and Mary, going from door to door in the post office surroundings. Monica visited four families: in one of them there were two little children but they were still toddlers and had different names. Other two didn’t have any children, and the last Smith she spoke to was a very bad humoured old man, who was probably in his late 80’s.
With Andrew it wasn’t very different: the blond angel passed by six homes and even if in three of them there were children, none were called Matthew or Mary and all their parents were in very good health. When his search was over he returned to their car, where he would wait for Monica.
X
Ten minutes had passed since he had arrived there and the blond angel was already glancing at his pocket watch every 30 seconds, and regretting the idea of splitting up to look for the right address. His worry, however, was over before he set off to look for her: his dearest friend finally appeared on the corner of the same street. He heaved a sigh of relief as she ran to him with a quite worried expression on her face.
“I’m so sorry, Andrew! I didn’t mean to leave you waiting for me for such a long time but there was this old man... he was such an unhappy human being and... well... I thought that maybe I could say a few words to make him feel better and to let him know that he is not alone and...”
Chuckling, Andrew nodded and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, “Let me guess... You had a little ‘angel talk’ to him, right?”
Blushing a little, she too nodded her head, “Yes... and I ended up a wee bit late... please don’t be upset with me...”
Andrew felt an inch of sadness inside his heart: the last time she had disappeared from his view he argued with her and hurt her feelings. Although she had forgiven him, deep inside his heart, he hadn’t forgiven himself and he knew that the worry in her eyes was caused by that awful misunderstanding that had happened a few months before. The blond angel quickly placed his hand against her cheek and stroked her soft skin, “I’m not upset, angel. Much on the contrary! You were helping someone who certainly needed it. I just thought that maybe you could have found the kids...”
Monica sighed deeply, slightly disappointed, “No, I talked to all the families on this paper but none of them was the right one. What about you? Did you find anything?”
He shook his head, “Nothing. All the families were at home too but none of them was the right one...” Not wanting to see her sad, the blond angel took her hands and squeezed them, “That’s why we gotta keep on looking!”
Smiling, she nodded, “It sounds like a plan!”
With their hopes renewed, they got in the car and set off for a new search.
x
Tess’ car was very helpful as it accelerated the search for the two siblings but, as the number of houses visited increased, the chances of finding the children were reduced. By 3 PM they had been to 20 of the 23 houses.
“We have only three left, Andrew...” Monica spoke, looking at the paper with worried eyes. The blond angel had stopped the Cadillac near a café and turned his head to face her, “We only need one, Monica.”
“Yes...” she sighed, with a mix of worry and anxiety in her eyes. Once again not wanting to see her sad, Andrew looked through the windshield with an idea on his mind. “I’ll tell you what: we’ll have a break now. Let’s go inside that café and while I ask the attendant for some information about these addresses, maybe you can drink erm... let’s say... a cup of mocha... That is, if you want to, of course...”
He chucked at seeing how wide her eyes grew when he said that, like a child who had just earned a special treat. How amazingly adorable that sweet little angel could be!
“Isn’t it wonderful to have friends who know exactly what you like?”
Once the were seated at a table, the waitress brought them an extra large cup of mocha and a cup of hot chocolate, and Andrew took the opportunity to ask her about the three addresses on the list.
“Oh, they’re far from here,” the woman spoke, frowning a little.
“How far exactly?”
“Almost on the border with the next city, mister. In the countryside.”
“Really?” Monica was immediately worried, “And do you know if there’s a Smith family living there? We’ve been looking for them all day long...”
“Hum... yes, I believe so, there are a few of them, miss. It’s a very common name and there are many small farmers there. I guess there are two or three called Smith.”
“Do you think we could get there in maybe an hour?” Andrew wanted to know.
The woman’s face was one of worry. “Well, in normal weather conditions yes, but... is it urgent or something?”
“Kind of...”
“Then maybe if you leave now and hurry you can get there. I’ve been listening to the radio and just a few minutes ago they’ve announced that a snow storm will hit this entire region at night.”
Andrew and Monica looked at each other and the blond angel feared having to drive along those deserted roads with his dearest friend, especially in the middle of a snow storm. “Well, then we have to hurry, angel.” he paid for the drinks. “One hour drive is not that close, if we leave now we’ll get there before it starts snowing.”
Monica nodded her head and both thanked the waitress for the information and left the small café.
PART 4
The sky was starting to get darker when Andrew reached the countryside. Sitting next to him, Monica looked through the window with worry in her eyes: she didn’t want to tell him anything, but the simple thought of being stuck in a snowstorm was scaring her deeply and secretly she prayed to find the Smiths family as soon as possible, as at least they would have a safe place to stay.
But if there was an angel who knew exactly what was on her mind and especially in her heart, this angel was Andrew. The rare and strong connection the two heavenly beings had shared for years since they first met was deep and made them feel like only one being. He knew that she was afraid – and considering the selfless creature that she was, he also knew that she wasn’t only afraid for her, but for both of them.
Silently, he reached for her hand and squeezed it, causing her to turn her head and face him, “We’re almost there, angel.”
Monica nodded her head, “I know... I guess I should have told Tess that we’re here...”
“Somehow I’m under the impression that she knows that we’re together and that you’re doing everything you can to fulfil your assignment,” he replied, trying to calm her down, “Remember when we first visited the toy shop and that she was all grumpy?”
“Yes...”
“Well, she was upset because there was a possibility that she wouldn’t spend Christmas together with you, as you’d be exactly here, looking for the children...”
“So that’s true, right? We won’t see Tess on the Christmas night?”
“That’s the most amazing part in God’s plan, Monica. He knows how much Tess loves you and how much it means to her spending Christmas with you. If you were there at the toy store all alone, it would take you much longer to find the addresses and the houses. But... well, with me being there, the search is being quite fast as we have Tess’ car.”
She sighed deeply, “You’re right again...”
“Not to mention that I don’t like to imagine you here all alone looking for the Smiths family and I’m positively sure that neither does Tess!”
“You and Tess are the best Christmas presents I could ever get in my whole existence, Andrew...” there were some tears in her eyes when she said that, and he was immediately moved to see the affection she felt for him and for Tess reflected in her soft brown eyes.
“You can be sure that you are the best present I could ever receive, and I know the same goes for Tess. A present that is worth all the other ones!” the blond angel spoke, kissing the back of her hand and happy to see a tearful smile back on her face.
But the snow suddenly falling on the windshield drove their attention back to the road and, as much as they wanted to avoid it, they were already in the middle of a snow storm. Andrew reduced the velocity and his eyes became twice attentive to the road ahead, which was completely deserted at that time of the afternoon. Soon, the snow started to accumulate everywhere, leaving the path they had to follow slippery and very dangerous.
By 5 PM the sky was completely dark. The cold wind blowing against their car and the snowflakes that left the windshield totally dirty, along with the darkness of the region, were causing Monica’s heart to pound loudly in her chest. And, as much as he tried to keep calm, Andrew was also getting more and more worried about the weather conditions.
“Angel, I’m afraid I’ll have to stop at the first shelter we can find,” Andrew said, feeling the anguish that was coming from her heart. Monica nodded her head, “Yes, that would be the best thing to do... I never thought it could be that dangerous, you know...”
“No one could’ve ever guessed the snowstorm would arrive so soon. Even the weather forecast was wrong.” The blond angel frowned at the huge amount of snow thrown against the windshield – not even the windshield wiper could clean it. The road ahead of them was dark and, even with the fog lights on, they couldn’t see much.
“I just hope and pray for the ones who are on these roads like us...” she closed her eyes and bowed her head for an instant, “... please, keep them safe, Father...”
Andrew also lifted a silent prayer and, for a split second, a gust of wind blew a great quantity of snow against the windshield, blocking his view. And, when the wiper cleaned it, both angels felt a chill running down their spine: there was a huge tree fallen on the road.
“Andrew!” Monica shouted, and the blond angel had to make a quick movement to swerve to the right and break at the same time. Were they not wearing seatbelts, both angels in human form would have been thrown forward against the windshield. The Cadillac went out of the road and slipped, turning around a few times, and finally stopped.
“Monica? Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” the blond angel asked, immediately taking her hand and not missing how pale her face was.
Breathing hard and feeling her heart pounding erratically in her chest, Monica nodded, “I... I’m fine...”
“Are you sure?” he insisted, laying his hand on her face, searching for a bruise, not yet convinced and already feeling terribly guilty if she got hurt because of him.
“Yes, I am, Andrew, I promise... How... how about you?” she covered his hand with her much smaller one and looked at him equally worried, still trying to calm herself down.
“I’m fine, angel... We have to get out of here, I don’t like the way things are going...”
He turned the motor on and accelerated the car but, to their surprise, the Cadillac was stuck in the thick snow layer and didn’t move.
“Oh, no...” the blond angel murmured, twice scared, “Please, don’t...”
“We’re stuck, aren’t we?” his dearest friend spoke, watching as he tried everything he could to make the car move.
Andrew sighed deeply and looked at the Irish angel, dreading to think about what could happen to them – to her, if the fuel was over. “I have an idea: I’ll get out of the car and try to pull it while you stay here and accelerate.”
“Ok...” came her feeble reply, as she didn’t like the idea of seeing her friend outside, exposed to the snow and the low temperature. Andrew grabbed a flashlight and got out of the car, and Monica took his place in the driver’s seat. With the cold howling wind blowing against his face and the snow falling down on him, Andrew went to the back of the car and put all his efforts into pushing the Cadillac while Monica accelerated it. But, after spending almost ten minutes trying, the blond angel gave it up and entered the car again, “It’s useless, Monica, it won’t move,” he said, wiping the snow from his hair and shoulders.
“Well... maybe we should stay here and wait, Andrew. Somebody may pass by the road and see us...”
But the blond angel shook his head, “I’m sorry, angel, but the chances of someone passing by this same road are almost... zero...” then he looked at the fuel gauge, “Not to mention that we have enough oil for two hours only.”
Monica felt her heart clench with apprehension and fear, “Then, what are we going to do?”
The blond angel sighed deeply: he already had an idea but he was sure that she wouldn’t like it. Trying to find the best words to explain what he had in mind, Andrew reached for her hand and held it in both of his, “Monica, I need you to do something for me...”
“Of course, Andrew. What is it?” she replied, not fully aware of what he was about to purpose.
“Well.... according to the information we got at the café there are a few small farms not far from the road we came from. I need you to stay here in the car for a few minutes while I go and search for a shelter...”
Hearing that, her eyes grew wide with evident fear and Monica shook her head, “Oh no! No, Andrew! You can’t go outside, it’s too dangerous, you...”
“Monica, angel, please, listen to me-”
“No! Please, Andrew, don’t do it! We can stay here together and wait for help! We’re not alone, the Father is with us! He won’t let anything bad happen to us...”
He gently placed one of his hands on her cheek and looked deep inside her brown eyes, “Yes, the Father is with us. That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be afraid – He’s protecting you and me and I know He’ll guide my steps, I...”
Andrew stopped talking when he saw the tears in his friend’s eyes. Monica lowered her head and let out an anguished sob. “It’s all my fault... All my fault, Andrew! I should have seen the letter earlier, if I had found it earlier then I would’ve come to this city before the storm and found the children all by myself, I wouldn’t have dragged you with me...” she spoke, tears immediately falling from her eyes, “... I delayed us even more because I stopped to talk with that old man...”
Shaking his head, Andrew pulled her for a tight hug and, while she cried over his shoulder, he started to run his fingers through her hair and to speak soothing words to her. “Please, baby, don’t cry... You know that God has His own timing and that everything happens for a reason. We may not know yet why you only found that letter today after everybody had left, but it’ll be clear for us eventually. And yes, I too believe that help will arrive for us as well as for the children we’re looking for. But while it doesn’t, we cannot stay here knowing that soon the oil will be over and we’ll be freezing.”
He brushed an affectionate kiss on the side of her head and gently pulled away, “You know that the right thing to do now is to look for help, don’t you?”
“Then let me go with you...” she pleaded, dreading to see her dearest friend away from her.
“No, no angel. I’m taller and stronger than you, I can walk faster.”
“But...”
“You’ll stay here and wait for me, I won’t be long, I promise!” he wiped away the tears on her face and brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Please, be careful, Andrew...”
“I will be. And don’t be afraid. Remember the One who is with us.”
Monica nodded her head and watched as he grabbed a flashlight and left the car. She kept the other flashlight and from the moment that Andrew disappeared in the road, the Irish angel bowed her head and started to pray for his safety.
x
Andrew walked for about 30 minutes with intense darkness surrounding him. He checked his pocket watch: it was only 6 PM but it seemed an endless night for him. The blond angel had walked a few miles away from the Cadillac and his constant worry about his dearest friend was almost making him come back. Rather painful memories of a recent assignment had left a permanent imprint on his heart and, even if he had overcome them, once in a while Andrew felt panic and anguish filling his soul to think about the day he had left Monica alone at the cabin with her assignments and an evil man broke into the house determined to hurt them all.
Due to this, it was not rare that Andrew felt the need to check on Monica in between his assignments around the world and since that particular incident his care and concern for the little angel grew even more. The two heavenly beings shared a deep bond, which was uncommon even to angels, and feelings such as love, joy, peace as well as fear, anguish and pain were easily transmitted through their hearts. And right at that very moment, he could feel she was deeply scared.
“Monica... angel, hold on a bit longer, I’ll be there with you soon...” he whispered, trying to see something through the road ahead. “Father, please, help me. Guide my footsteps so that I can help those children and take Monica to a safe place...”
The blond angel was almost giving up the search and coming back to the car when he saw a light at about a mile from him. Trying to see through the darkness, he gave a few steps towards it and, a few seconds later, a smile spread across his handsome face when he spotted an old cottage not far from the road and the light he could see was coming from a candle placed at the window. “Thank You, Father!”
Andrew rushed back to the Cadillac, eager to take his dearest friend to the shelter he had just found. It took him less than 10 minutes to return to the spot where he had left Monica as he was practically running to meet her.
“Monica! Angel, I found a shelter! There’s a house not far from here!” he announced, as he was coming closer to the car.
But, as the blond angel came by the car window his heart nearly stopped and he felt a wave of panic washing his soul: the Cadillac was empty – Monica wasn’t there anymore.
PART 5
Andrew’s heart was pounding erratically in his chest and panic seemed to take control over his soul when he returned to the Cadillac and didn’t find Monica. He hadn’t seen any car passing by and nobody seemed to be around – the region seemed to be absolutely deserted. So how come the Irish angel had disappeared?
“Monica! Monica! Angel, where are you?” he shouted, as loud as he could and nearly franticly. A quick look inside the car showed him that she had taken the flashlight with her. “Monica? Monica, please, tell me where you are! Oh Father, please let her be alright...” he prayed, walking a few steps into the woods that surrounded the place, “Monica! angel, please, answer to me!”
At that very moment, a sound filled his soul with great relief, “Andrew, I’m here!”
“Monica!” he immediately rushed and followed the sound of her voice, which was coming from somewhere inside the woods, a bit behind from where they had passed, “I’m coming!”
“I’m here, Andrew!” she spoke again, to guide his steps. A few instants later, Andrew saw Monica holding the other flashlight and breathed another sigh of relief to see that she was alright.
“Monica, angel, what happened? Why did you leave the car?” he wanted to know, placing his hand over her shoulder. She could see the panic still present in his green eyes but there was a good reason for her leaving the Cadillac, “I’m sorry if I scared you, Andrew, please forgive me, but there was an accident! Look!” she pointed the flashlight to the woods and both angels could see a car crashed against a pine tree, at the bottom of a slope.
“Oh, no...”
“It was a few minutes ago, Andrew. I was sitting in our car praying and waiting for you when I heard the car getting out of the road and crashing into the tree. There must be someone hurt there, Andrew, I’m calling them out but nobody answers...”
“I’ll go down there!”
“I’ll go with you!”
Carefully, they climbed down the slope and finally got to the vehicle. “Hey! Anybody there?” Andrew called but as nobody replied, he wiped away the snow that had fallen on the windshield and he and Monica saw an old man, in his late sixties, sitting on the driver’s seat. There was a small cut on his forehead and he had fainted after the collision.
“Hold the flashlight for me, Monica. I’ll try to take him away from the car.”
The car doors had been damaged with the collision and Andrew could easily open one of them. Then, both angels got into the vehicle and Monica touched the man’s arm, “Sir?”
“His accident was a bit like to ours, except that his car was thrown against this tree...”
“There’s a first aid kit in Tess’ car, Andrew, I guess I’ll go there and take it...”
“Wait...” both angels watched as the man moved his head and slowly opened his eyes.
“Sir? Can you hear me?” Andrew asked, he and Monica were the first faces he saw, “What... what happened?” the stranger spoke, his voice was weak and low.
“You had an accident, sir. Your car got out of the road and crashed in that tree...” Monica explained, and something about her seemed to call his attention, as he looked at the Irish angel with curious eyes and seemed to regain full conscience.
“I... I was driving along the road but the snowstorm started and... I lost control of the wheel... suddenly the car skidded and got out of the road...”
“Yes, I heard it, and I also heard it when it crashed...” Monica spoke, and, once again, the old man looked at her with curiosity.
“Do you think you broke anything?” Andrew wanted t know, and the stranger moved in his seat. “No... I... I guess not...”
“But you have a nasty cut on your forehead,” Monica pointed out and he moved his hand to touch it, she stopped him, “Oh, no, please, don’t. Our car is just a few meters away we have first aid material there. Please, come with us.”
“Monica is right, we have to get out of here. Besides, I found a shelter not far from here.”
“Really Andrew?” her eyes sparkled with that piece of news.
“Yes. I guess it’s a small farm and for sure there are people at home.”
The man looked at both angels still not believing that two complete strangers were at that exact place at that exact time to help him. “It’s an amazing, astonishing coincidence! There’s one chance in a million that a person has an accident in the middle of a thunderstorm on a deserted road and gets immediate help...”
Monica and Andrew looked at each other and smiled, some silent words were spoken between them.
“Well, I believe that when something like this happens, there’s no doubt we should thank God in the first place!” Andrew said, helping the man out of the vehicle. Monica nodded her head, “Andrew is right, God is always watching over His children.”
“Well, I believe it’s more a matter of being at the right place at the right time, young lady,” and then he added, “And I’m thankful to you both, for what you’re doing for me at this very moment!”
The angels exchanged another glance and Monica spoke again, “Oh, there's no need to thank. Andrew and I are happy to help you, Mr...”
“Erm... Mr Richardson.” He said, and it was then that the Irish angel noticed something, “Mr Richardson... Wait, I know you! Aren’t you Mr Richardson, the owner of the RS Toys, the biggest toy shop in the region?”
A bit embarrassed, he nodded his head, “Well, yes... I am this Mr Richardson...”
x
They returned to the Cadillac and Monica cleaned the cut on the man’s forehead and put some antiseptic and bandage on it.
“I was going to a friend’s house – you must have seen him already, he’s erm... ‘Santa’.” He explained. Monica nodded her head emphatically, “Oh, yes, I know Santa!” the expression on her face and the joy with which she said that were so adorable, that Andrew couldn’t help chuckling.
“He lives near here and every year he gets his family together for Christmas and invites me. Well, I never go but... but this year I don’t know why, I felt like passing by his house and maybe say hi...” he explained, while she finished her task.
“And what about your family?”
He lowered his eyes and let out a sad sigh, “I... I don’t have it anymore... My wife is long gone, as well as my son, and nowadays, it’s only this cranky old man...”
“I’m terribly sorry...” the Irish angel spoke, feeling sad to hear something like that.
“Thank you, Monica. My late wife was Irish, you know? Your accent is so familiar to me...” he said, with a bittersweet smile.
“Your eyes lit up when you talk about her; she must have been a great woman...”
“Oh, yes, she was. Much better than what I deserved, in fact. She and my son deserved a better person to live with... It’s amazing how you can hurt the ones you love and not realise it in the first place... I hurt them so much for so many years that they went away from me... And when I saw what I had done it was too late...”
Monica and Andrew exchanged a sad look and the Irish angel placed her hand over his shoulder, “If you’re here, alive, it’s never too late, Mr Richardson.”
A bittersweet smile appeared on the man’s face, “Thank you, young lady. You seem the sort of person that everybody likes to have around. I just hope that Andrew here takes really good care of you!”
The two angels smiled and looked at each other one more time, “He does! Andrew is the best ‘carer’ I know!” she replied, causing the blond angel to chuckle, slightly blushed.
“Okay, shall we go now?” he asked, not wanting to be praised because his protectiveness towards Monica, as for him, being at her side was as natural as breathing.
They left the Cadillac and before they started walking, Andrew took a small blanket from inside the trunk of the car. “Here, angel, it’s too cold out here and it’s a 20 minute walk to the house.” He said, draping it around her shoulders.
The trio faced the cold snowstorm and the strong wind and headed towards the house Andrew had found. The blond angel kept his arm permanently wrapped around Monica’s shoulders as the wind was blowing so hard he feared for her physical integrity.
Silently, both angels prayed to find help.
PART 6
Twenty minutes later, Monica, Andrew and Mr Richardson finally saw the candle light shining through the darkness, in a small cottage not far from the road. Soon, they were standing on the porch, knocking on the door and praying that someone would let them in.
“Hello? Anybody home?” Andrew spoke, wondering who could live in that house, as lately his trusting in human beings had been severely reduced due to some painful assignments. But they had no other choice: that cottage was the only shelter available at the moment and, besides his dearest friend, Andrew was also worried about the old man they had rescued from the accident.
“Hello? Is anybody home? We need help, please, open the door...” he spoke again.
“I don’t understand it... there seems to be people at home...” Mr Richardson said, observing that there was light in the interior of the house.
“I do... it’s not that simple to open the door of your house to three complete strangers,” Monica straightened the blanket around her shoulders, trembling with cold like her dearest friend and the old man. With his heart filled with worry, Andrew gave a step towards her and wrapped his strong arms around her small form. He pulled her closer to him in a desperate attempt to protect her from the cold using the warmth coming from his own body.
From inside the house, a little girl looked through the window with curious eyes, “Come here, mommy, there are three people, not two!” she said, hidden in the old curtains.
A boy, a bit older than she was, joined the girl and, after surveying the people outside, nodded his head, “Yes, Mary is right, mom! There is a tall guy, and old man and a pretty lady outside.”
The house was poor and there weren't many Christmas ornaments in it. In the living room, there was a small Christmas tree near the fireplace but there were no presents around it. In the dining room, the table was set but the food was not much.
A woman was standing in the living room and her face was one of indecision. Those people at the door could really need help, but she was still unsure to let strangers enter her house and see her two children. Cautiously, she approached the window and looked outside. “See, mom? There are three people and I guess the old man is hurt, there’s bandage on his forehead.” The boy pointed. And when the woman finally saw the group standing on her porch, her eyes grew wide and her face went pale. “Oh my God! I can’t believe it!” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
“What is it, mommy?” the little girl wanted to know, looking at her with questioning eyes.
Outside, Mr Richardson shook his head with impatience, “I guess they don’t want to open the door!”
Andrew looked down at his dearest friend and noticed that her lower lip was trembling; she was trembling with cold and it only made him feel twice worried. The snowstorm was getting worse every minute and what were they going to do if they didn’t get a shelter? Sighing deeply, the blond angel tightened the hold around the Irish angel, in a last attempt to protect her from the cold.
“It’s ok, angel... I’m sure the Father is watching us...”
“I know He is... But I’m also glad that you’re here...” her voice was low and he could tell she too was afraid.
“Oh my God, it’s him...” the woman inside the house spoke, still not believing her eyes. Quickly, she rushed up to the door and unlocked it.
“Do you know who these people are, mom?” her son asked, a bit confused.
“I know one of them...” she replied. Monica, Andrew and Mr Richardson exchanged a surprised and very relieved look when they realised that someone was finally going to open the door. Andrew kept a permanent hold on his dearest friend, still doubting that they had found a good soul to help them.
The children’s mother opened up the door and looked at the three people who were asking for a shelter.
“Good night, madam. We’re sorry to bother you but-” Andrew started talking, but was interrupted by the woman. “You...” she was looking at Mr Richardson with perplexed eyes.
The old man also froze as he saw her. “I... I can’t believe it...”
“Mr Richardson... Oh, God, is it some kind of sign?”
“Sorry, do you know each other?” the blond angel wanted to know, he and Monica noticing their reaction as they looked at each other.
“Who is it, mommy?” the little girl wanted to know, poking her head through the door together with her brother.
“Mary, Matthew, get inside the house, it’s cold here!” their mother spoke, causing the two angels to exchange another surprised glance. At that moment they knew that the children they were looking for were probably right in front of them; their search had finally finished.
“How did you find us here?”
“I didn’t... I had an accident with my car not far from here... It’s all I coincidence... a great coincidence...” he explained, pointing to the bandage on his forehead.
Noticing how his dearest friend trembled, Andrew interrupted their conversation, “Please, can we come in for a while? She is not feeling well...”
“Oh, please, do come in!” she said, fully opening the door and allowing them to enter. “Come here by the fireplace, it’ll make you feel better!”
“Thank you...” Monica said, as Andrew remained with his arms protectively wrapped around her shoulders and gently guided up to the armchair close to the fireplace. The blond angel knelt right next to the small sofa and took her hand in both of his. “You’ll start to feel better soon, angel.”
“Yes, I guess I’m already feeling better, you know,” she smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Then, she looked at the family who had just given them a shelter, “Thank you so much.”
“We had an accident with our car and didn’t know where to go when we found your house,” he explained, “My name is Andrew, this is Monica and... I believe you already know Mr Richardson...”
“Nice to meet you two... My name is Clara and these are my children, Mary and Matthew,” the woman replied and looked at the old man, “And I still cannot believe we’re meeting each other again after so many years...”
“Yes...”
“You know this man, mommy?” Matthew wanted to know, standing between his mother and his sister, and eyeing the stranger from head to toe. And, seeing those two children right in front of him, the old man soon felt the presence of tears in the corner of his eyes and his heart filled with emotion.
“Are these... your children? Yours and Peter’s?” he asked, with a trembling and hoarse voice.
“Yes...” the woman replied, and she too was visibly moved to see that man.
“You know my dad?” the boy wanted to know, finding that situation rather strange.
Mr Richardson knelt on the floor and placed his hand on the top of the boy’s head. “Yes... I... I know your dad, young man... And I’m so happy to see the two beautiful children he has...”
“Are you his friend?” the girl spoke, feeling sorry to see such a grown up adult almost crying like that.
“Oh sweetie... I guess he wanted to be my friend but... but I was too fool at that time and... and I refused his friendship...”
The siblings looked at their mother not understanding what was happening there. Clara held their hands and finally started to explain the amazing “coincidence” exactly on the Christmas night.
“Mary, Matthew... Mr Richardson is... your grandfather...”
The impact of that piece of news was not only shocking to the children but to the two angels who were sitting near the fireplace.
“Our grandfather? Really?”
“Yes, Matthew. He and your daddy had an argument a long time ago, before you were born, and decided not to speak with each other anymore. After that, Peter and I moved to another city and got married and... we never spoke to Mr Richardson again... until this night...” Clara explained.
“Why did you two argue?” the boy insisted.
“Because I was a fool, Matthew... Your father fell in love with your mom and I said it was wrong because she was poor, so he decided to abandon everything he had to live with her. The RS Toys would belong to your father if he was at my side...”
“You mean the huge toy store downtown? The one where Santa stays?” the boy’s eyes grew wide, as well as Monica’s and Andrew’s. Little could she imagine that her assignment was the owner of that shop. “I sent him a letter last week!”
“Yes... I guess having Santa there to reply to the children’s letters and give them a small present was a way to... to compensate the mistakes I made with my son when he was a child... I was a very absent father and when Peter grew up I kept on being absent and selfish... I didn’t want my son marrying the girl who cleaned the toilets in a hotel we used to stay at when Peter was young and his mother was alive...” he looked at the little girl and a bittersweet smile appeared on his face, “It’s amazing how this little princess looks like my beloved Sarah, her grandmother. She was Irish, you know, and kept the old Irish habits such as placing candles on the window on the Christmas night...”
“Mary does it every Christmas... it was her father who taught her...” her mother said, nearly crying with emotion.
“I’m terribly sorry, Clara... I hope you can forgive this arrogant and selfish old fool... I’ve tried to find you and Peter before but I didn’t have much success, you know. My full name is Edmund Richardson Smith but your father only uses his last name, Smith. Finding the right Smith is not easy... I couldn’t imagine you were so close to me... This is such an amazing coincidence...”
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but there’s no such thing as a coincidence, Mr Richardson,” Monica spoke, she and Andrew finally realising how they had been part of the Father’s plan all that time.
“She’s right. There’s a reason for everything, even if we can’t see it at the moment...” the blond angel added.
Clara nodded her head, aware of the small miracle that had been granted to her and to her family on that magical night. “I’m afraid they’re right, Mr Richardson...”
“What do you mean, Clara? And... where is my son? Where is Peter?”
“He’s in hospital...”
“In hospital? Why? What happened to him?” he wanted to know, suddenly feeling his heart beat faster with fear.
“Peter needs a kidney transplant... And... we can’t find a compatible donor...”
“Matthew asked Santa to bring us a kidney, mom... it should get here this night...” the little girl innocently said.
“Oh, dear God!" the man exclaimed, with tears finally falling from his eyes. "I guess it’s... it’s here already, sweetheart...” Then, he turned to his daughter-in-law. “Please, Clara, tell me the hospital he is... I have to go there right now...”
Suddenly, they heard another knock on the door and a voice following it: “Anybody has a red Cadillac or a black Caravan?”
Monica and Andrew looked at each other and smiled: they knew that voice pretty well and the blond angel kissed his dearest friend’s hand. “I guess it’s the toll truck...” he said, and Clara quickly opened the door.
“Anybody here needs help to get somewhere?” Tess asked, exchanging a look of complicity with her two beloved friends.
PART 7
“... Peter’s room is at the end of the corridor...” Clara spoke. With her big and resistant toll truck, Tess had managed to bring the whole family, along with Monica and Andrew, to the city hospital in half an hour and now Mr Richardson was only a few steps away from his son.
“What... what if he doesn’t want to see me?”
“Are you willing to apologise and start all over again?” the woman asked, now feeling sorry for him, as she could see how much he regretted his past actions.
“Yes... I am... I want to have my son back to me more than everything!”
“Then you have to try... And... don’t be afraid. Pete is a wonderful man, that's why I fell in love with him and chose him to be my children's father.”
The old man walked along the corridor and knocked softly on the door. From inside, he heard a weak but very familiar voice, “Come in...”
As he opened the door, father and son looked at each other with surprise and amazement – they hadn’t seen each other for almost ten years and a reunion in a day like that and especially in an occasion like that was unexpected and full of emotion.
“Peter... son... I’ve finally found you...” the old man spoke, his voice hoarse with emotion.
“Father... God, is it some kind of miracle?” his son replied, sitting on his bed, also with tears of emotion ready to fall from his eyes.
“I believe it is, Peter... When I left home this night I never, in a thousand years, would’ve imagined that I’d end up here, in a hospital, with my son...” Mr Richardson gave trembling steps towards the bed, wanting so much to hold his son, but still afraid that he would reject him.
“Last night, I prayed to God to see you again... I asked Him to, someway, send you here so that I could look at your face and ask you if... if we could be a family... if you accepted to be part of the family I raised...”
Crying, the old man nodded, “That’s what I’ve been praying for for a long time, Peter!”
“Hold me, father...”
Clara was standing at the door and watched, with her eyes full of emotion, the reconciliation between father and son, certain that God, somehow, had performed a miracle on that night. She had left the children at the entrance hall, as only two people at a time were allowed to visit the patients, but after kissing her husband, she excused herself and returned to the hall. She wanted so much to thank Monica, Andrew and Tess, the toll truck woman, for the little help that night.
But what nobody could see was that, inside that same bedroom, standing next to the window, three angels watched how that sad story had a beautiful ending. And being such a sensitive creature, Monica stifled a small sob, trying to hold the tears that were ready to fall from her soft brown eyes at any moment. With a smile on the corner of his lips, Andrew wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. The Irish angel gladly returned his warm hold by wrapping her arms around his waist while Andrew kissed the top of her head repeatedly.
“You know in all those years the Father never ceases to amaze me at the wonders He performs on this miraculous night!” Tess exclaimed, with a pleased expression on her face.
“When Monica and I read that letter and decided to help the children we would never imagine that we would be part of something greater...”
“Well, isn’t it the way it’s supposed to be?” the supervisor replied.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Tess...” he agreed, tenderly wiping Monica’s tears with gentle fingers.
“I am always right, mister!”
“Andrew and I were feeling guilty for taking your car without your consent, you know...” the Irish angel finally spoke, “... Little did we know that it would lead us to bring a family together again!”
Tess raised her eyebrows and shot her an inquisitive look, “What do you mean you were feeling guilty? You should be feeling guilty cause I don’t remember allowing two angels to take my baby for a ride in a snow storm!”
Monica looked at Andrew without knowing what to do and very worriedly, but the blond angel winked at her. “But, as you said, the Father has always a greater plan in His mind and He sent an angel with a toll truck to help this family and you could pull your car out of the snow! It’s parked outside the hospital!”
“No, I said that it’s the night of miracles! And one of these miracles involves my baby safe and sound and waiting for me at the cabin! And that’s where we were supposed to be going right now too. Angel girl here could finish her assignment so we're off to spend the Christmas night together!”
“But I wouldn’t have done it without you both... You’re always there for me, helping me out when I most need it...” Monica replied, now shooting them a tearful and grateful smile, “You’re the best Christmas present an angel could ever get!”
While Andrew brushed a kiss on her temple, Tess took her hand and squeezed it – both of them deeply touched by their beloved friend’s loving words. “Oh, Father, look who’s talking! You are the best blessing an angel could ever get too, baby!” she said.
“The best and the most beautiful one!” the blond angel added.
Slowly, their glowing forms started to fade and they left the hospital bedroom a minute later.
x
Clara came back to the entrance hall searching for the three strangers who helped her to put her family together again and was surprised when she didn’t find anybody. “Excuse me,” she said, to the attendant at the counter, “I’m looking for three people – two women and a man, they arrived here together with my children and me a few minutes ago...”
The attendant looked at her and frowned a little, “I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s nobody here at the hall, just your children who are playing near the Christmas tree over there...” he pointed out at Matthew and Mary.
“But... these people, they were together with me and the oldest woman had a toll truck, it must be still parked outside...”
The man remained staring at her with a confused face, “I’m sorry, Mrs Smith, but the only people together with you were the old gentleman and the two children... And... there is no toll truck parked outside...”
“What?” now it was Clara’s face which was a confused one – she did get out of the truck together with Mr Richardson and the children, and she saw it when Andrew, Monica and Tess followed her inside the hall. Not believing in what the man was telling her, she gave a few steps up to the entrance door and looked through the glass: the parking lot was completely empty.
“Oh, my God... Oh, my God...” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand as tears fell from her eyes.
“Mommy?” a little girl’s voice draw her attention and she looked at her daughter, who was holding a pretty doll in her hands, “Look what I what I got!”
“Yeah, and I got this car too!” Matthew showed her, as happy as his little sister.
Wiping her tears away, the woman shook her head, “Oh children, I’m sorry but it must belong to another person, you...”
“No, Andrew and Monica put them here under the Christmas tree and the packages had our names.” The boy explained.
“Monica and Andrew?” his mother spoke, with her heart full of emotion. Mary’s innocent face was all lit up with a broad smile, “Yes! And they waved at us when we saw them! They were different, you know, wearing white clothes and with a glow around them!”
“But they went away before we could thank them... They were fast!” the boy concluded, “I guess they were Santa’s helpers! You see, everything I asked in my letter happened, Santa really came to help us!”
Clara knelt on the floor and held her two children tightly, “Thank you, Father... thank you so much...”
"Why are you crying, mommy?" the little girl caressed her face, feeling sorry for her mother.
"Oh, sweetie, these are happy tears, you know..."
Mathew tilted his head in a questioning way. "And you're happy because of Monica and Andrew?"
"Yes, honey. Monica and Andrew weren't sent by Santa, you see..." she explained, wiping away her tears.
"Oh, no?"
"No... They were sent by God... They are His angels and came to us to help us go through this difficult moment..."
"You mean like the angels in the Christmas tree?"
"Yes, Mary. But they were real angels... the living proof that God is always watching over us... over your daddy."
Mathew, being the older son, nodded his head in agreement. "So what we received tonight was a miracle, right mommy?"
"Oh, yes! A wonderful miracle!" Grinning, she held her two beautiful and smiling children with emotion evident in her eyes, the trio aware of the blessing they had been granted on that special night.
FINALE
The cosy and warm cabin up in the mountains was the three angels’ destination on that happy night. Soon, the clock hung on the living room wall would ring midnight and the snow falling outside announced that it would be a white Christmas. And when Tess, Monica and Andrew appeared in the room they were enthusiastically greeted by an excited puppy dog.
“Hey there, we missed you too, baby!” the supervisor spoke, taking the chubby black spaniel in her arms. Although Monica also wanted to greet her ‘baby’ properly, she couldn’t, as Andrew was standing right behind her and had his hands covering her eyes. The reason for that was a simple one: he and Tess had prepared a surprise for their beloved friend by decorating the cabin with the miniature village and some other objects she had seen at the RS Toys and which had obviously enchanted her.
“Can I see already?” she asked, burning with curiosity to see what the surprise was.
“Hum... I’m not sure... you don’t look very curious to find out what Tess and I prepared, angel!” Andrew teased her, exchanging an amused glance with the supervisor.
“You’ll only really see if I’m curious if you look at my eyes but for that you have to uncover them!” her Irish lilt filling their ears and her childlike excitement only caused them to laugh even more. “You know something, Monica? You’re definitely the most adorable little angel I’ve ever met!”
He kissed her cheek and finally allowed her to see the Christmas decoration. Monica’s eyes sparkled with enchantment and her mouth dropped open when she saw all those bright little lights that composed the miniature village and the Nativity Scene with a Christmas tree near the window.
“Oh, my goodness! You two... you’ve...”
“We found that this cabin needed a special decoration this year and, once you were busy with your assignment and didn’t have any free time to do it, Andrew and I decided to do it by ourselves!” Tess spoke, enjoying to see the excitement on the angel’s face.
“Yep! And we took in consideration your visible preference for the decoration at Mr Richardson’s shop. It wasn’t that difficult to pick!”
“It’s... so beautiful... So pretty and bright and... and magical...” Monica exclaimed, as excited as a child. Then, she turned her eyes to her friends with a moved expression and a tearful smile. “I love you so much, you know?”
“You know that the feeling is mutual!” Tess replied, “And while you two kidnapped my baby and were out there trying to fulfil an assignment, I prepared the Christmas dinner – And it’s getting cold!”
Hearing that, Andrew crossed his arms in front of his chest, “Erm... Tess, if I can remember it well, I kinda helped you prepare it!”
“You did the basics, mister! Besides, my idea for a desert was not a coffee cake!” he missed the stern look in Tess’ eyes when he heard Monica’s excited voice, “A coffee cake? We have coffee cake for desert?”
“Yes, angel, I prepared it especially for you!” Smiling to see her reaction, even though he was expecting for it, the angel of death kissed the top of her head.
“... among other things, as you didn’t think I’d spend Christmas eating coffee cakes!”
Making an extra effort not to laugh, Monica took the supervisor’s hand and squeezed it, “I’m sure everything else is delicious, Tess!”
x
Christmas dinner was a happy and blessed one. Tess offered a prayer of thanks for being together with the ones she loved and for the blessings God had given them during the year. The food prepared by both Tess and Andrew was indeed delicious and the angels chatted happily for hours. By midnight, they held each other with wishes of a merry Christmas. Biting her lower lip, the Irish angel looked at each of her beloved friends with a mysterious expression on her face. “When... When we spent Thanksgiving holiday here last month, I planned a surprise for you too...”
Amused and remembering the occasion pretty well, Andrew crossed his arms in front of his chest and narrowed his eyes. “Hum... You’re talking about the top secret assignment you had hidden in your notebook and which you wouldn’t let me see?”
“Yes.. I’m sorry, Andrew but it was a surprise and now I just hope you like it...”
She pointed to the bright Christmas tree by the fireplace and the two angels saw two colourful boxes resting under it. They were carefully wrapped in beautiful and colourful paper and there was no doubt Monica was responsible for that.
“Oh, baby! You didn’t have to!” Tess exclaimed, moved to see that even so busy with her latest assignment the little Irish angel found time to give them a little present.
“Of course I had to, you’re my friends, my family!” she replied.
“You’re our family too, angel girl. And the Father couldn’t have given us a better family!”
Andrew studied every little trait of Monica’s meek face – all her love and tenderness, as well as her excitement, were visible in the spark of her soft brown eyes. Chuckling at how eager she was to see them opening the presents, the blond angel bent his head and kissed her cheek, “Thank you, angel.”
Tess opened her box and found two smaller boxes inside of it. “Oh, so you want to make suspense, right?”
Watching as her dearest friend nodded emphatically, the supervisor opened the first one and her mouth dropped open to see what was inside, “Oh, baby! That’s beautiful!” in her hands, a gorgeous silver brooch, with two little doves flying together, forming a heart in the middle. And their eyes were made of two tiny sapphires. “It’s lovely! So gorgeous and elegant! Thank you, angel girl!”
“Now open the other one!” Monica’s voice was all excitement.
Tess happily obliged her and opened the second package: her smile grew wider for the second time in less than a minute: holding an angel keyring, she looked at her beloved charge with her eyes moved with emotion.
“The wee doves together represent friendship, you know. And the angel keyring is for you to hang your car keys. Both are also a way of telling you how much you mean to me, how much I love you, Tess.”
“I love you too, baby! You mean the world to me!” the old angel hugged her dear charge tightly, in a mother embrace and trying the best she could not to cry.
Then, when they pulled away, Monica took the other present box and gave it to Andrew. “Now it’s your turn, Andrew!”
“Okay!” Under Monica’s attentive eyes, and with a permanent smile on his face, he opened the box, and, like Tess, he found two other smaller boxes inside of it. The blond angel opened the bigger one first and there lay a beautiful woollen scarf and a warm pair of gloves – both of them dark green. “Oh, Monica... they’re very beautiful! Really! Both are really beautiful, I love them!” he exclaimed.
“I remembered the sweater I made for you some time ago and, as it’s been really cold lately, I thought that maybe you needed a pair of gloves and a scarf that would match it... But I have to confess that I bought these two at a store as my knitting abilities have not been entirely developed yet...”
With infinite tenderness, he stroked her cheek lovingly, “What really matters to me is that the present comes from you, baby.”
Smiling back at him, she pointed to the other box, a very small one, “There’s one more left.”
“Yes, let’s see what we got here...” he placed the gloves and the scarf on an armchair and opened the other box: it was a silver lapel pin with the Celtic Knot design.
“It’s the Celtic Knot. It symbolises all that is eternal, as in everlasting life or eternal friendship,” she explained, carefully analysing the expression on his face, wondering if he had liked it or not.
Smiling, he nodded his head and pulled her for a tight hug, “Then you chose the present that best symbolises what I feel here, inside my heart. It’s as big as the eternity we have ahead. I love you, angel.”
Happy to hear that, and now sure that her two dearest friends had enjoyed the presents, Monica kissed Andrew’s cheek and took Tess’ hand, “I love you both very much... forever.”
“We love you too, baby,” Tess replied, still fighting back her tears.
“We sure do, angel.” Aware that Tess was nearly crying, the blond angel kept on talking, “And just because we love you for the rest of the eternity, we have a surprise number two for you, right Tess?”
“Oh, yes!”
“A surprise number two? What is it?”
“Look again, angel girl!”
Monica looked at the Christmas tree and saw that there were two other present boxes under it. With bright surprised eyes, she turned to face them again, moved with emotion.
“You... you didn’t have to...”
“Oh look who’s talking!” the oldest angel exclaimed, amused to see Monica’s slight embarrassment. The Irish angel knelt in front of the Christmas tree and took the first package, on which there was a note: “From Tess to Monica.”
She gazed at the supervisor and smiled. Then, she shook the package and placed it next to her ear. Not hearing anything, the little angel started to unwrap the package very slowly, being extremely careful not to tear the beautiful paper. At that moment, Andrew had to cover his mouth not to laugh at the expression on Tess’ face: she was nearly insane with Monica’s “ritual” not to spoil the wrapping.
“Father, give me patience...” she murmured, rolling her eyes.
Two minutes later, Monica finally finished to unwrap the paper and her smile grew wider to see a beautiful lilac woollen poncho, carefully and beautifully knitted by Tess herself. The flowered details gave it a special charm and the little angel was all excitement once again. “Oh, Tess! Tess! It’s gorgeous!”
“Yes, it really is, isn’t it?” she replied, smiling and pleased with her own work.
“Thank you so much!” she kissed the oldest angel’s cheek.
“You’re more than welcome, baby!”
“And it’ll look even more beautiful on you, angel.” Andrew spoke, enjoying to see her blushing, “Now go on, I want to see if you like my present!”
“I’m sure I’ll like it, whatever it is!” she took the second package and – after repeating the same “unwrapping ritual,” she finally opened it. Inside the box, there were two other smaller packages.
“You see? You’re not the only angel who likes surprises!” he said, when she shot him a surprised look. Inside one package, there were a hard cover book and a silver bookmark, which had the shape of an angel. Already loving it, she read the title of the book: “The Most Beautiful Poems Ever Written.”
“Since you’ve always been a dreaming little angel, I thought you’d like it!”
“Like it? I love it, Andrew! Thank you! Thank you so much!” she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight.
Smiling and knowing exactly what her reaction would be, he returned the hug, tenderly combing her long auburn hair with his fingers. “But it’s not over yet, you have a second present to unwrap...”
“Yes...” she replied, with her eyes already filled with tears. The second present chosen by the blond angel was a cute angel bear, holding a small heart where she could read, “I’m your eternal guardian”.
“I thought that he could keep an eye on you while I’m away, you know.” Andrew spoke, as Monica let out a tiny sob and her tears started to fall. Somewhat expecting that reaction too, he gathered her in his arms one more time and kissed the top of her head repeatedly. They remained in that loving embrace for long minutes, until she finally calmed down.
“I always thank the Father for having you at my side... You’re so precious to me, baby!”
She received a kiss on the cheek from Andrew and from Tess and the two older angels exchanged a pleased look, happy to have the little Irish angel in their existence, as she was the best Christmas present they could ever get.
Soon, there were two other gifts under the Christmas tree – Tess and Andrew also exchanged presents. The supervisor gave Andrew a jacket and Tess got a beautiful and elegant combination of hat and gloves, and even little Joy got two warm dog sweaters and a dog blanket. It was a happy and blessed night, filled with God’s love.
x
It was early in the morning and Monica, along with little Joy, were the first ones to wake up. The Irish angel didn’t miss the opportunity to brew herself some coffee, as Tess was sound asleep in her room. Then, she sat on the loveseat by the window, carrying a mug full of mocha and her poem book, always followed by the cheerful puppy dog.
Monica spent happy minutes there, alternating between reading beautiful poems and watching, with childlike excitement, as the snow fell down outside. She was exactly observing as the soft white flakes landed on the window when she heard a familiar dear voice in the living room. “Angel?”
She turned her head to see Andrew entering the room and walking over up to her. “Merry Christmas, Andrew!” The angel greeted him, with a meek smile upon her face, which immediately filled his heart with tenderness.
“Merry Christmas, angel!” He bent his head and brushed a kiss on her forehead. Then, the blond angel sat down next to her, equally smiling. “I was going to ask you what you’re doing up so early, but I guess I’ve just found it out!” he pointed to the now empty mug in her hands.
“Oh, well... I... I wanted to see if we were having a white Christmas, you know...” she replied, with some embarrassment, and noticing as he raised his eyebrows, “You’re not going to tell Tess, are you?”
Her blushing face was so incredibly cute that he decided to tease her once again, “Hum... I don’t know...”
“Andrew!” her Irish lilt and the way she pronounced his name – differently from everyone else, had certainly left an imprint in his heart forever. With a mischievous expression on his face, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, “Well, I won’t tell but there’s something I want you to do...”
“Something? What is it?” she questioned, with a confused look.
“I want you to read me one of these poems, as I can see you really liked the book!”
Smiling again, she nodded her head. “Oh, but I certainly did! And right before you arrived, I was reading some of them and I found this tiny little one...”
“I’m listening...” he said, straightening his body. Monica had selected it with her angel bookmarker and started to recite it to him.
In the twinkle of stars and the rustle of leaves
in each crystal of snow floating down from above
in a candle warm glow, in each heart that believes,
He has written His unending story of love!
Merry Christmas!
Andrew reached for her hand and pulled her closer to him, in a warm embrace. “It’s beautiful, angel.”
“I feel so happy and blessed, Andrew.” She let out a sigh and rested her head on his shoulder. “I wish all the human beings could feel just the same...”
“It’s one more Christmas wish, and you know that the Father listens to all of them, don’t you?” he replied, running his fingers through her hair.
“I know...” Monica’s face became a pensive one for a few seconds and Andrew watched her in silence, knowing that she was trying to organise her thoughts before voicing them to him. Finally, she pulled a few inches away and turned her head to face him again. “A long time ago, when the only friend I had other than the Father, chose the darkness and evil, I cried very much, you know.”
He knew he was talking about Kathleen, the angel that had turned her back to God and left Heaven and all her friends behind. He knew the impact that fact had had on Monica and how long it took her to make friends again. The blond angel would be forever thankful and feel deeply honoured to have won the little angel's trust. But the mere thought of seeing that kind and warm hearted creature crying and deeply sad, feeling lonely out there, caused Andrew an intense pain. His feelings of deep protectiveness were even more evident, and although he knew it was impossible, deep inside his heart he wished to go back in time and be there for her at that difficult moment. “I can imagine how you felt, angel. I’m so sorry...”
“Of course I prayed for her to find peace and to see the light again, and that nothing bad would happen to her... But I also prayed for me, Andrew. I asked the Father to take away the sadness inside my heart and send me my friend back. But you know what? He did even better than what I had asked for: He gave me you and Tess and I never loved two living souls the way I love you...”
“Oh, Monica... angel...” he murmured, deeply moved to see the tears in the corner of her eyes.
“And with you it was even more special, you know, because I didn’t recognise that the Father was giving me a present when He sent you to meet me...” she held his hand in both of hers and squeezed it, “But I’m happy that I know that now!”
The blond angel placed a kiss on the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, as she kept on talking, “That’s why, since the day I found how precious you are to me, I’ve become more hopeful. I’m always praying that better days will come, and they will, as God holds all His children in the palm of His hands.”
Lots for words, and fighting back the tears himself, Andrew tightened his hold on her and nodded, “Yes, He does, angel. I know that because, since the day we met, my own days have become brighter ones. You, baby, bring much love and joy to my existence and make me see the world through different eyes.”
"Different eyes?"
"Yes..." He bent his head to seek for her sweet brown pools, "When my faith is shaken and my courage seems to be abandoning me... When anger seems to enter my heart... All I have to do is look at you... and listen to your voice... or hear the kind words you have to say to me... You're the perfect reminder of the Father's presence, angel. That's why I love you so much..."
A lonely tear made its way down her cheek and he reached it at the same time he cupped her face. The angel of death crossed the small distance between them and brushed a loving and tender kiss on her forehead and on the tip of her nose. They remained there, in the living room, enjoying each other’s company, and watched as a white dove cooed and perched by the snow covered window, announcing the beauty of Christmas time. The most blessed time of the year.
The end
