“Well, should we find out what’s inside?” she said to Kailey, who was dancing around the package excitedly.
“Yeah, yeah!”
Angela and Kailey proceeded to tear the glossy red paper from the box. This revealed a nondescript brown cardboard box, which they worked to remove the tape from in order to open the top. When they’d finally succeeded, Angela gaped in at its contents.
“There’s a turkey inside.”
“And presents too, Mommy!” Kailey exclaimed with joy.
“And some other Christmas-feast trimmings. Look Kailey, there’s a present for you.” Angela handed Kailey a small package, wrapped with shiny red paper and tied with a silver bow.
“Oh boy!” Kailey cried. “Can I open it, Mom?”
“Just wait a minute, honey.”
Angela removed the other three presents from the box and inspected their printed labels. There was one for Catherine, one for Justin, and one for both Jack and Angela.
“Maybe we should call everyone else to come and see what Santa brought,” Angela said with a smile.
“Yeah!” Kailey said, as she ran off to roundup the rest of the family.
Reluctantly, the remaining three members of the family percolated back into the living room, confused by Kailey’s message.
“What’s going on?” Catherine asked, mostly dressed now to go out.
Angela took the present labeled Catherine and held it out to her.
“Here, this is for you. And Justin, this is yours.”
“Where did these come from?” Catherine inquired.
“I believe from the same angel that’s been making us dinners.”
“From Santa!” Kailey corrected.
“Right, I mean from Santa,” Angela said.
Jack entered the room asking the same question as Catherine. Angela briefly explained her view of the situation, while Kailey continued to insist Santa was the one responsible.
“Did he leave any footprints in the snow?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t notice,” Angela replied.
Jack went to the front door to investigate, only to return a few moments later, his brows furrowed in an expression of contemplation.
“Well, either they came in the middle of the night and the snow covered their tracks, or else it was Santa.”
“Of course it was Santa!” Kailey cried.
“The food inside is cold,” Angela said. “So, there’s a chance it’s been sitting outside for some time.”
Jack shook his head. “Well, I guess we should see what’s in those presents.”
Kailey opened first, being the youngest. Eagerly, she tore away the wrapping paper and bow. For a mere half-second she stared at the unwrapped gift in her hands. The next moment she was screaming and dancing around with delight, her curious family members attempting to see the box that she was triumphantly waving in the air.
“Kailey...honey,” Angela shouted, trying to get her attention, “what is it?”
At last Kailey paused long enough to hold up the box for everyone to see. Justin’s mouth nearly hit the floor when he realized that it was a hand-held game console.
“Wow Kailey, that’s quite a gift!” Angela remarked.
“I like it!” Kailey said, her eyes fixed on her package.
Next came Justin’s turn. He was no less disappointed to open his gift and find a stack of new video games for his Xbox. Catherine’s turn yielded a pink MP3 player. A really nice one, according to her.
“Those are all really nice presents, kids. If we ever find out who did this, you’ll owe them a big thank-you.” Angela said.
All three of the children nodded in agreement, with a sort of humble solemnity that showed they truly felt gratitude to their anonymous benefactor. Then Angela turned to Jack. “There’s just one present left,” she said, handing the last gift to her husband.
Jack shook his head, as if he were afraid of what it contained.
“You open it.”
Angela took the gift and gave it a little shake.
“Feels like an empty box,” she joked.
“It’s probably a bill for all of these gifts.”
Angela slowly tore away the wrapping paper from the box, removed the lid, and pulled out a sheet of paper, folded into thirds.
“See, what did I tell you? A bill.” Jack said.
Angela rolled her eyes as she unfolded the paper. As she did so, a smaller piece of paper fell into her lap. She picked it up and looked at it. Her eyes grew wide, as if she had just read something which she couldn’t believe.
“It’s a...check...I think” she said, “for a lot of money!”
“A check! From who?”
Angela looked again at the check. “I don’t know, it doesn’t look like a normal check.”
Jack snatched the check from her and eyed it suspiciously. “It’s a cashier’s check,” he said after a brief inspection. “That is a lot of money. Enough to—” His voice trailed off as he looked up at Angela, who was reading the larger sheet of paper.
“Read this,” she said softly. Jack read it aloud.
This should be enough to cover your next house payment and the others, which are outstanding. In the coming months, if you need additional assistance with your mortgage payments, leave a yellow slip of paper on the porch with whatever cookware you are returning. On each slip write a verse of scripture which you have recently read together as a family.
“Is this for real?” Jack said, as he finished reading the letter.
“That check certainly looks real.” Angela said.
“Yeah, but where did it come from? Who’s doing this? Meals are one thing, but this...this is hard to believe.”
“It’s from Santa,” interjected Kailey.
“Of course it is, honey,” Angela said, putting her arm around her daughter. “Why don’t you three go out and play in the snow? Dad and I will be out in a few minutes.”
After the children had left, Angela turned back to Jack. “So, do you not want to accept the money?”
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I just wish we knew who was doing all this. That’s a lot of money, Angela. Not something to take lightly.”
“I don’t take it lightly.” And even as she said this her eyes began to water. “I believe it’s a blessing from God.” She paused. Her voice was shaking with emotion when she spoke again. “And I’m sure we don’t deserve it.”
“Well I don’t like this. Whoever it’s from, we’re going to owe a lot of money.” Then he shook his head and sighed, as if in defeat. “But, we can’t exactly return a cashier’s check if we don’t know who sent it. And I can’t bear the thought of letting my family get kicked out of our home. If we do ever find out who’s doing this, I don’t know how we’ll ever repay them.”
Angela put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “I think we should start by reading the Bible together.”
Eventually, Jack relented to accepting more aid from their anonymous benefactor. Each month, near the end of the month, they marked a little yellow slip of paper with a verse they had read together, and placed it under whatever casserole dish or stew pot they had recently received. True to the letter’s promise, the next time a meal came they found an envelope containing a cashier’s check, made out for exactly the amount they needed for their house payment. And so it went on for a year, until Jack found better employment. Then, as if by magic, the meals and the checks stopped coming. Jack resumed a normal work schedule. Angela quit working as a substitute teacher. Catherine got her treasured cell phone back. All the kids stopped taking the bus to school. On the surface, all seemed to be back to how it had been before Jack lost his job.
But if you looked deeper, you would observe that things were not the same. The Higgins family was not the same family they had been just one year earlier. Never would they forget that Christmas or the inexplicable kindness of an unknown friend or stranger. Even after the checks ceased coming the Higgins fam
ily continued to read from the Bible together, always marking their favorites, and thanking God for all they had.
* * *
The years passed by in Angela’s life like the passing of a day. Before I knew it, Angela and Jack were preparing to be empty-nesters. Their once waist-high six-year-old was a month away from her high school graduation. Justin was preparing to graduate summa cum laude with a degree in electrical engineering. Catherine was married and expecting her first child in a few short months.
It was during this time, on a Saturday, that a knock at the door interrupted Angela’s afternoon reading. When she opened the door, she found a stranger standing on the door step. She was a dark-hair woman, just shy of fifty, with a rosy complexion and warm smile.
“Hello,” the woman said with kindness in her voice, “I’m Olivia Barnes, Patsy Mapleton’s daughter.” The woman gave Angela a look, as if to ask, do you know who Patsy Mapleton is?
“Oh, I didn’t realize Mrs. Mapleton had any children. Yes, how can I help you?”
“Are you Angela Higgins?” the woman asked.
“Yes.”
“Well...were you aware that my mother passed away last week?”
“No, I had no idea. I’m very sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you. She’d been slowing down. It was her time.” The woman hesitated. “Did you know my mother well?”
“Well, we’ve been neighbors for many years. I think everyone in the neighborhood knew her. Did I know her well? No, I wouldn’t say I did.”
The woman seemed to expect this reply.
“I apologize for all the questions. You see I’m the executor of my mother’s will. And you were included.” The woman held out to Angela a black leather-bound book. “My mother wanted you to have this. It’s her Bible. Don’t ask me why. That wasn’t the only strange request she put in her will.”
Angela stood, stunned.
“I can’t take that. You should keep it. It belongs to your family.”
“Thank you. But it’s really alright. This Bible holds little sentimental value for me. Please, take it.”
Angela reluctantly took the Bible from Mrs. Mapleton’s daughter. The two exchanged a few more words, Angela offering some words of condolence, and the woman departed from their door step. Angela closed the door and walked slowly back to the living room, staring at the book as she went.
“Who was that?”
Angela turned around to see Jack standing in the threshold of the kitchen, wiping engine grease from his hands with a rag.
“I saw a woman walking away from the house,” he explained.
“That was Mrs. Mapleton’s daughter.”
“Her daughter?”
Angela nodded. Then with gravity, she said, “Mrs. Mapleton passed away.”
“Oh,” Jack replied, as if she just told him they were having meatloaf instead of pizza for dinner. “Well, I imagine she was getting pretty old. I guess she won’t be calling you anymore.”
Angela did not respond, her thoughts were still going over her conversation with Mrs. Mapleton’s daughter. She said nothing about the Bible. Jack left, returning to his work outside. Angela sat down on the couch and stared at the cover of Mrs. Mapleton’s Bible. It was well-worn. The corners and edges bent and frayed. The gilded letters rubbed dull, now scarcely visible but for the embossing.
She opened it and began thumbing through its ruffled pages. Many passages were underlined or marked with a highlighter. Obviously, Mrs. Mapleton had read it often, and paid attention to what she read.
Angela was about to set the book down when one of the pages fell open, revealing a bookmarker. At first she thought nothing of it. Just a slip of paper. She vacantly picked it up and turned it over. On it she discovered some writing. She looked at it more closely.
Almost instantly, her heart began to pound audibly in her chest. Her eyes grew wide. She couldn’t believe what she saw. A yellow slip of paper, and on it a verse of scripture was written. She looked at the place the marker had been set and realized it laid where the actual scripture was found.
With trembling fingers she scoured through the rest of the Bible, finding one slip of paper after another. In the end, she held twelve yellow slips in her shaky palm.
XV
A NEW LIFE
The dim glow of the lamplight illuminated Angela as she sat reading in the dark living room. The light touched her silver hair. It revealed the numerous age-worn lines in her face. This was not the Angela I first met those many years ago.
Now she was old. Time had wrinkled her skin, faded her golden hair, weakened her bones and muscles, slowed her walk. Yet, to me, she looked more beautiful than ever. Indeed, this was not the same Angela. For, while Time wore away her body, God purified her soul. Her light shown brighter than ever.
Angela closed the book she had been reading, removed the glasses from her face, and placed the book on the end table. It was Mrs. Mapleton’s Bible. During all those years she never read from a different Bible. It reminded her of those important lessons she learned decades before.
With tired limbs she rose from her seat and crept across the living room floor. The house, which she and Jack had lived in for most of their marriage, where they raised their children, was now only home to her. The children moved out long ago, coming to visit often—especially Catherine. Jack had come Home five years previously, leaving Angela and me to keep each other company.
How she had grieved over Jack’s death. Though she now knew better how to accept comfort and didn’t doubt God’s love, the loss had brought her great pain. The passing of time had eased some of her pain. Still, bouts of loneliness occasionally seized her. Keeping busy helped with that. She especially enjoyed baking meals for individuals in need.
Angela made her way back to the bedroom. After saying her prayer, she turned out the lights and soon was sleeping soundly. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. Those days I hated to leave her side. Sometimes I didn’t, but would stay by her and talk to her in her dreams. Had I only known that that would be the last night I would be with her…
* * *
The shining spire of Angel Command came first into view as I approached the hill on which it stood. A wholesome breeze swirled around me, catching my hair in its invisible fingers. I smiled involuntarily, breathing in the sweet fragrances which surrounded me. What a day! Every day is always better than the one before in heaven.
Inside Angel Command, I found Glendor and Anawin, and the others. They greeted me warmly with hugs. Those two had become so dear to me; it was sometimes hard for me to believe they weren’t my real parents. Anawin smiled at me with all the warmth of the summer sun. Then she took my hands and cupped them together with hers, staring into my eyes intently.
“Forenica, dear, I have something important to tell you. Today will conclude your labor with Angela on earth.”
“What!” I said, furrowing my brow.
“It’s time for you to move on, my dear,” she explained.
“Move on? You mean I’m getting a new assignment? But I can’t leave Angela now. She’s so close. I couldn’t bear to part with her.”
“You won’t have to part with her, Forenica,” she said. Then, very solemnly, “She’s coming Home.”
I just stood there, unable to comprehend. Angela’s was coming Home? It was beyond belief. Though I had ever looked forward to and prepared for this day, its dawning took me completely off my guard.
“What’s going to happen to her?”
Anawin’s face became grave. “It will not be easy for you. But you mustn’t attempt to intervene. It will only make it harder for you.”
“Intervene! How is she going to die, won’t you tell me?”
She smiled. “Forenica, I have told you as much as I know. Don’t worry though, I know you can do this.”
“Won’t you come with me?” It was the first time I’d ever asked Anawin to make the descent to earth with me. I felt that I couldn’t bear this weight alone, especially if I had to watc
h Angela suffer. Jack’s death had been difficult, but not sudden or unexpected. The whole family had been there to offer support and comfort to Angela.
Anawin shook her head—I wasn’t surprised. “I cannot come with you, dear. But she can.” And she pointed to someone behind me. I turned, unsure who to expect. I nearly cried when I saw who it was.
“Clairus!”
“Hey kid, how have you been?”
I ran over to her, throwing my arms around her neck. “You’re coming with me?” I asked, as if I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t a dream.
“Angel Clairus, reporting for duty,” she said with a salute. “Here to keep you from passing out.”
All I could do was smile. It was more than I could have hoped for to have Clairus with me again.
“Shall we descend?” she said. And we parted company with Glendor and Anawin. But as we exited the room I heard Anawin call out, “Bring her Home!”
Angela was quietly sleeping when we arrived. She looked just as well as when I had left her the night before. Could this really be the day she dies? I wondered. Aside from arthritis and a temperamental hip, Angela’s health was excellent. I began to imagine all the terrible, painful deaths which she might have to endure. Surely, she deserved to die peacefully.
“Doesn’t she look beautiful!” said Clairus. “Only prettier with age.”
Angela was in her thirties the last time Clairus saw her. It was true that she had only grown in beauty.
“What do you say we bring her back right now?” I suggested.
“Oh sure, and have her miss the exciting day ahead of her? Where’s your sense of adventure, Forenica?”
“I hardly call waiting for Angela to die some unknown—and possibly horrific—death adventurous or exciting.”
“I think you watched too many movies on earth,” she said, as she jabbed me softly with her elbow. “Don’t worry, both you and Angela can handle whatever’s coming. And I’ll be right by your side.”
Diary of an Angel Page 12
