by Mary May
“Oh, Mimi has missed you so much!”
Charlie laughed and giggled and said, “Mimi!”
Catherine stopped and looked at Charlie. “You said Mimi!” She turned to the others who were watching. “Did you hear her? She said Mimi!”
Sabrina smiled. “We have been practicing. I would show her your picture and say Mimi… over and over. I really didn’t know if it would work, but I guess it did. Good girl, Charlie!” Charlie looked very proud of herself and so she said it again. “Mimi!” The only problem now was everyone was Mimi! She would point her little finger at different ones in the group and say loudly, “Mimi! Mimi!” then look to her mother for approval. Everyone clapped their hands and offered praise to the little girl!
Later the group all went inside and thawed out in front of the fireplace. Strangely enough the kindling hadn’t gotten switched again, so the fire was an appropriate size. Gideon was still smirking over that little trick and wondered just how Edgar would get him back. The look in the butler’s eyes promised retaliation! Gideon had no doubt the cunning old gentlemen was just biding his time until the perfect moment.
That evening after supper everyone had gathered around in the den to visit. With the glow of the fireplace and the lights from the Christmas tree illuminating the room, no other light source was needed. The den was warm and cozy and filled with good company. Gideon stood in his usual place against the wall in the corner where he could see the entire room and no one could approach his back. Typical warrior position, he knew, but some habits were hard to break.
As he watched the group laugh and talk, he longed for the fellowship of his men. He wondered how they were doing with the problems in the Middle East. The TV was rarely on, so he couldn’t even catch the news. He decided he would ask Edgar to watch some news so he could find out what was happening over there. When he first got this assignment, he desperately wanted something to happen so that he would be called back, but now that was his worst fear. He had become rather attached to this little group of humans, more so than he ever would have thought. He knew that Charlie was his primary focus, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t care for the others as well. Sometimes he wished he could just appear before them and sit down and join in on the conversation! That thought made him smile, because he really felt like after the initial shock wore off, they would accept him and make him another honorary member of the family. It seemed they always had room for one more!
Christmas morning dawned frosty and bone-chilling cold. All the ladies came down in warm flannels and soft booties. Gideon had not given any thought to what the men would be wearing, so when Evan came down in pajamas with FEET, he nearly choked! Now granted they were manly pajamas with FEET, in a nice dark blue striped material. But still, Gideon had to leave the room to try and get himself under control. The rest of the group had no problem openly laughing; of course, Sherrilyn was at a disadvantage not being able to see; however, once the situation was described in perfect clarity to her, she joined in and was soon wiping tears as well.
Evan took it all in stride, merely pointing out the practicality of the garment. “I don’t know why people stop wearing these over the age of four. They are great! You are cozy warm and you don’t lose your socks!” No one could really argue that logic but it was still a funny sight to see.
The Christmas tree had mysteriously been loaded up with presents in the middle of the night, and little Miss Charlie was certain they were all hers. Once Sabrina had explained that most of the presents were hers but not all of them, and that Sabrina needed her help in passing out the rest of the gifts, Charlie forgot about her presents and had a good time handing out the others. Once all the presents were passed out, the tearing and ripping began. All you could hear was different people exclaiming over what they had gotten and showing it to one another. Charlie had unwrapped a mountain of toys and clothes but played in the paper, boxes and bows.
Edgar stood in the background much like Gideon was, and that bothered him. He understood that Edgar was an employee, but he still didn’t like him standing in the corner. He didn’t have to worry about it for long, though.
Sabrina glanced up and saw him standing there. “For goodness sake, Edgar! It’s Christmas! You are off duty today. Come and sit with us!” The old butler looked very uncomfortable with the whole idea and Gideon could tell he wanted to refuse, but Sabrina used all of her charm and had him in a chair with a gift in his lap before he knew what hit him.
“This is from Charlie!” Sabrina said and beamed at him. Edgar held on to the present; he seemed to enjoy just having one to hold. He finally started to tear the paper a little at a time, like he was prolonging the process. He finally after what seemed like an eternity had it unwrapped. Inside a small pink box was a cast of Charlie’s hands and tiny little feet. On a card it read, “My little hands and tiny feet I give to you for you to keep. They won’t dirty your walls or mess up your floors, but they are yours to keep forever more…Love, Charlie.” It looked like Sabrina had helped Charlie “sign” her name. The letters were crooked and oddly shaped.
The butler didn’t raise his head for a long moment, and when he did his eyes were suspiciously shiny. He cleared his throat a couple of times and blinked rapidly before he tried to speak. “Thank you, Miss Charlie. I will put this with my most beloved treasures.”
Charlie looked up from her cave of wrapping paper and boxes and smiled, pointed and said, “Mimi!”
Gideon knew that Edgar didn’t have any beloved treasures, but this at least was a start and more was coming his way. Sabrina had gotten the butler a warm overcoat with leather driving gloves. Sherrilyn had gotten him a CD of the Russian Opera and a year’s subscription to National Geographic magazine. Catherine and Evan had given him a year’s subscription to the Wall Street Journal and tickets to a local musical theater that also performed in Russian.
Keelie shyly offered her gift. “I’m sorry, I didn’t feel like I knew you well enough to know what you might like, so I just made you a basket of homemade breads.” She handed him a beautiful woven basket that had a lid. When he lifted it off, the entire room groaned.
“I really hope you brought more of that with you, Keelie… it would be a crying shame for me to run over my own butler and snatch up his if you didn’t…” Sherrilyn’s deadpan delivery of her little speech had the entire room laughing.
“Yes, I made plenty for everyone. I promise!” Keelie laughed. After they had all exchanged gifts and looked over everyone’s goodies, they headed into the dining room and enjoyed a breakfast spread fit for a king.
That afternoon they went to a Christmas lunch at the church. Gideon liked the pastor at Mountain View Baptist Church. He was a very down-to-earth man who liked to get out from behind the pulpit and walk out among the congregation to preach. He had an easy way of teaching that was appealing and engaging, and he often used humor to get a point across. Pastor Eddie was loved by all in the church. Gideon always enjoyed the services. After they came home, they went into the den, and they all stopped suddenly to keep from trampling Sabrina.
She had stopped in the doorway and was looking up at the angel on top of her tree. When she had left, it was a lady angel in shiny white billowing dress with snow white wings. Now it was a very masculine figure with black wings and… was that a sword?
Sabrina turned and looked at her mother. “Who would have replaced my angel?” she asked.
“What are you talking about, Sabrina? Replace what angel?” Sherrilyn asked her.
“The angel on the top of my tree. It was a lady angel with white wings, but now it’s a man with black wings and a sword, of all things!”
Sherrilyn tried to hide her laugh with a cough, but it didn’t really work very well.
Sabrina narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Do you know something about this?”
Sherrilyn shook her head. “No, ma’am, I sure don’t. Black wings, you say? That’s different,” she said, still not quite able to control her twitching smile.
Edgar finally came into the room. “I’m afraid that this is my doing, Miss Sabrina.”
Sabrina raised her brows in surprise. “You changed the angel? Why would you do that?”
Edgar, stoic as always, replied, “I believe that is a more accurate depiction of a true warrior angel, madam… and I feel that is who watches over this family. However, if it distresses you, I’ll remove it at once.”
Gideon watched Sabrina closely; would she make Edgar remove the angel that looked like him? Sabrina walked closer to the tree and studied the angel. Her head was cocked and Gideon knew she was doing some serious thinking. “I’ll be right back,” she said then left the room. She came back in just a couple of minutes breathless from jogging back down the stairs; she was holding the quilt she had made for Charlie with little angels all over it. She held it out to her mother. “Look at the angel in the left corner; there isn’t another one in the entire pattern. I even went back to the store where I bought the material and looked.” Catherine looked closely at the little angel in the left corner of Charlie’s baby quilt. It was a masculine looking figure with black wings, and it looked remarkably like the one that was sitting at the top of the Christmas tree. Catherine slowly traced the angel then handed it to the others in the room to look at. Evan studied the blanket then went and reached up and removed the angel from the top of the tree to look at it closer. The resemblance was uncanny. It was definitely the same angel. He turned to the butler.
“Edgar, did you also put the little angel on Charlie’s quilt?”
Edgar stood ramrod straight. “Yes, Mr. Evan, I did. The pretty little angels in pink and yellow just didn’t seem correct. I felt like her true guardian should be represented as well on the quilt and on the tree.”
Evan replaced the angel to the top of the tree. “I understand that, and this is what her true guardian looks like?” The butler nodded.
“How do you know that, Edgar. Have you seen her guardian?” Sabrina asked.
The room grew silent as everyone watched the butler to see what his response would be, but no one watched him closer than the angel in question.
“It is well-known in my old country that guardians are warriors, manly angels that are more than capable of protecting little ones from those that may do them harm. I do not know where the idea of lady angels or little children angels as guardians came from, but it seems…impractical.” Gideon was proud of the old guy for covering his tracks so well. Edgar kept his eyes firmly away from Gideon and refused to even look in his direction.
“Ok, so that mystery is solved! Actually two mysteries are solved; I’ve wondered about the baby quilt for months!” Sabrina exclaimed. “Edgar, you old sneak, I see I will have to keep my eye on you in the future! Sherrilyn you didn’t tell me I was getting a sneaky butler!” When Sherrilyn didn’t respond, Sabrina turned to look for her. “Sherrilyn!” Sabrina screamed and rushed to where Sherrilyn had slumped over in her chair.
Chapter 24
The hospital room was silent except for the soft hissing sounds of Sherrilyn’s ventilator. The group that was standing vigil by her bedside was a somber one. Everyone was there except Charlie, who was being looked after by a neighbor. The doctor’s prognosis was grim. They were told that her kidneys had completely shut down and now her body was flooded with deadly toxins. They were also told that Sherrilyn likely wouldn’t make it through the night and she wouldn’t regain consciousness.
Sabrina sat in a chair in the corner with her head down on her knees rocking and praying harder than she had ever prayed in her life. She remembered the words that Sherrilyn had told her that God would give her peace and comfort if she passed, but all she felt right now was cold terror! Everyone else was watching and praying as well.
Gideon stood in the corner willing life into Sherrilyn’s frail body, wishing he could give her some of his strength. He could feel her life force slowly fading and he knew this time what the Lord’s answer was going to be for his friend. He looked over at Sabrina and his heart broke. He knew how hard this was going to be for her.
Keelie was standing looking out the window. It was pitch black outside, so he didn’t know what she was looking at. Perhaps she wasn’t looking outside at all. Carl stood a few feet away and he was studying the floor like the answer to this problem could be found there. Catherine and Evan sat on a love seat, and Evan held Catherine as she wept quietly for her friend.
She cries like Sabrina, Gideon thought. But it was Edgar that was seated next to Sherrilyn holding her hand and urging her to keep fighting and to not give up. The old butler just kept talking to her about whatever crossed his mind. He spoke to her about her family and about the estate. He talked about the first time they met and how he found her to be so undignified, but now he loved her and he needed her country ways to keep him from being a snob. If she didn’t come home, he would go back to the way he was, and all her hard work would be for nothing!
Gideon raised a brow at that comment; Edgar was worse than he is now? That’s hard to believe, he thought.
Sabrina finally got up and left. She didn’t say where she was going, but Gideon was concerned for her, so he followed. She went down to the first floor and found the door marked Chapel.
Sabrina slowly pushed open the chapel door; it was softly lit and had a small altar at the back of the room with a wooden cross hanging on the wall behind it. It reminded her of the old country church where Luke had taken her and she had accepted Christ. She walked over to the altar and knelt down, and every fear and doubt came rushing up out of her. She wept and cried out to God for answers for the peace and comfort that was promised to her.
“Please… please… please… don’t do this…don’t take her from me! I can’t take it…no more death, please, God; please, I am begging you from the depths of soul, don’t do this!” Sabrina cried and prayed and begged her God to listen and to grant her the desperate desires of her heart.
Gideon knelt beside Sabrina and wrapped his arms around her. “Shh… it’s going to be okay; she is going to be healthy, happy and whole and in the presence of Jesus. Let her go, Sabrina, let her go…” Gideon continued to speak peace, love and strength to her and finally after what seemed like hours, Sabrina got up off her knees; she wiped her face and blew her nose then walked out of the little chapel.
Gideon followed her back up to Sherrilyn’s room, and he watched as she walked up to her friend’s side and lifted her hand to her cheek.
“Sherrilyn…I know you can hear me with your super ears… I just wanted you to know that you were right. I don’t want you to go… but if that’s what you need to do…I’m ok. Jesus has given me the peace that I need to let you go into His arms and I know that you will be happy and healthy. I will miss you so much, but I thank God that I had the chance to know someone as wonderful as you. You have taught me how to be strong, both as a woman and as a Christian…and maybe when I get to heaven you will finally tell me who gave Charlie her nickname. Please… tell Luke all about Charlie for me and that we love him and miss him. I love you, Sherrilyn.” Sabrina held Sherrilyn’s hand to her cheek for a moment longer then placed a gentle kiss in the center of her palm. Sabrina felt Sherrilyn’s fingers tighten slightly over her own, so she knew that her friend heard every word.
The group gathered close to Sherrilyn’s bedside. “Sherry…we are all here. We love you so much more than you will ever know, and you will leave a place in our hearts that no one can fill, but we love you enough to let you go be where you need to be, in the sweet presence of Jesus. I won’t say goodbye, my sweet friend. Just…see you later and save me a good spot in heaven.” Catherine bent and kissed Sherrilyn’s cheek then stood back.
The rest of the group said their goodbyes to Sherrilyn Foster, the last being her loyal and faithful servant Edgar. The old butler just stood by her bedside and with tears flowing freely down his weathered cheeks, he said the simplest good bye of all. He lifted Sherrilyn’s hand and placed a tender kiss on her fingers, bowed smartly f
rom the waist, then turned and walked to the back of the room.
The group of friends stayed and watched, and in the early hours of the morning right before dawn they could feel the presence of God fill the room. Gideon looked up and saw a white light shining down through the ceiling over Sherrilyn’s bed. The golden ribbons of love were swirling down and around the bed. Gideon saw the spirit of Sherrilyn rise up and separate from her broken body. She was so beautiful! Her scars and burns were gone and her eyes that were so damaged from the fire were sparkling and looked around the room in awe! She turned and looked at her family standing near her bed. Then she looked at Gideon and her eyes widened, a big smile spreading across her face.
“Hey there, big guy, you’re even bigger than you sound! Take good care of my family for me, okay? Make sure they know that I am alright.” She looked up suddenly like she heard someone call her name then with one last smile for Gideon she lifted up her arms and was swept upward.
Peace, love and joy filled the room and every heart, and they all knew that Sherrilyn was home…
Chapter 25
Gideon stayed with Sherrilyn for a while after the others had left. He knew he should be with Charlie, but he had to be with Sherrilyn when she crossed over. She looked so at peace. Her face looked younger with the creases of pain gone, and her lips were curved in a soft smile. This was different than when Luke died. Then he had felt guilt for not being able to save him for Sabrina and Charlie, but this…this was a personal loss. Sherrilyn was very special to him. Even if she hadn’t been able to speak to him or know of his presence, she was special. She was just one of those people that you couldn’t help but love; he would miss her greatly. Watching her cross over into glory had been one of the most beautiful things he had ever witnessed. He smiled, trying to envision her reaction to seeing heaven for the first time, for being able to see at all! He knew she would be a run-and-jump-into-His-arms type, and he would bet his right wing she was chattering a mile a minute to everyone within earshot. No, he wouldn’t wish her back into this broken body for anything. Following Edgar’s lead, he lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. “My only regret is that I’m not there to show you around the kingdom of heaven…When I arrive, we will sit by the Crystal Sea and we will catch up on everything…Shalom, my dear friend. L’hitraot…” (Hebrew for “See you soon…”)
