“Are you okay?” Tiffany said. I realized she had been observing this ritual for the first time.
“I’m fine, Tif.” Joe said. “Just need to get this hand in order. But you must still be thinking about everything that’s happened to you in the last couple of days.”
“Yeah, don’t know what to think.”
We looked at each other. I wanted to help Tiffany sort through her emotions. “Tiffany, you had something special happen today. You got to see your mom again and see your brother for the first time.”
“It was special. Thanks so much. Do you think she loved me as much as she loves him?”
“What?” I quickly looked at Joe and decided to plunge ahead.
“Of course she loved you. She still loves you. She probably blames herself every day for her mistake.”
“I don’t know….don’t know how to forgive her. I mean, I have a great life now, but I was supposed to grow up on Earth. “
I opened my arms and she rushed into them. We held each other for a very long time. “Jesus teaches us to forgive someone by loving her.”
She pulled away. “Just love her?” She looked at me, then at Joe.
“Sounds simple, but that’s what we’re taught.” he said.
She continued to stare at us and then spoke very slowly at first, then faster. “I, I think I can do that. I mean, I’ve always thought I loved her. But I want to know more, when can we see her again?”
“We can take you to St. Louis again, but let’s give it some time.” I said. “You know cupids aren’t encouraged to go to their old homes until they’re around 15 or so, so you went early. But we thought it was important. . . Joe thought it was important.”
Joe and I reached out for her and held her for a few more moments. Poor kid, she knew and yet—how could she ever know?
“So much to think about, so much.” Tiffany pulled away. “I want to tell Hannah—where is she? Is she back in Zion? Can we go now?”
I laughed and gave her one more hug for good measure. “So many questions! We’ll leave after breakfast. I’m sure Hannah can’t wait to see you.”
We caught an express bus the next morning and were soon boarding a taxi for our cloud. Joe said all his dizziness was gone. His hand looked fine. A new greenish pink peacock couple greeted us when we touched down on the outskirts of our cloud. Rose trotted up and raised up on her back legs to say hi.
All seemed in order. We were all back and couldn’t wait to see Laurence and Hannah.
The front door opened before we hit the porch, Laurence stood in front of us, his arms opened wide.
“You’re back!” He gave all of us a huge bear hug.
“Yay!” Hannah rounded the kitchen’s bar and headed to the foyer. We hugged her, too.
Soon we were settled in the living room, drinks and nibbles from Cloud in hand. Rose trotted into our space, sidled up beside me, and went into a very formal sit so I would be sure and give her some of the cashews I was munching.
“Nice jeans.” Hannah said to Tiffany. “Where’d you get them?”
“A cloud, in China.”
“So you did go to China.” Hannah said. “Tell us all about it. Start from the beginning.”
“Well, there was this weird song and then An rescued me and—“
“Is that the Chinese angel, Liu An?”
“Hannah, let Tiffany tell us.” Laurence said.
Hannah bit her lip. “Okay, go on.”
“An and I went to Earth, because—“
“Earth!” Hannah shrieked. “I still can’t believe it, no way! For my twelfth-year, I had to go to Hell.”
Tiffany was clearly happy she had impressed her friend. But they were getting a bit too excited for Laurence, who asked them to adjourn to the back of the cloud.
“Now, perhaps I can hear a calmer version of your adventure.” he said.
“Of course, but first,” I turned to Joe. “Don’t you think we should let Columba know we made it home okay and that you’re okay?”
“Just what I was thinking.” said Joe.
Laurence smiled. “Let’s get Cloud to contact him, you’ll remember their lack of technology as far as phoning.”
“Cloud?”
“Yes, Master Joe?”
“Could you send a message to the monastery’s cloud and let Columba know that we made it safely home and that I’m feeling fine. That’s probably all he would need to know, but we can give him more info, of course.”
“Certainly, consider it done.”
We waited. Then Cloud came back with a message.
“I must profusely apologize, but I find that cloud unresponsive.”
“Oh, we forgot,” I said. “They never use their cloud, so he’s gone dormant. Rats.”
“That’s what not working for a few centuries will do to you,” said Laurence.
“Cloud,” Joe said. “This is important. Do you have any thoughts?”
“Well, Master Joe, one possible option is a cloud bump.”
“What?” we said in unison.
“It’s a simple maneuver, rarely used. I shall contact a cloud neighbor of the monastery cloud and ask it to give their cloud a nudge.”
“I’m trying to picture this.” Laurence said. “Are you describing one cloud actually ramming against another one?”
“It is probably too violent to describe it as ramming or butting. This is a subtle and civil maneuver when done correctly.”
“And would the occupants of the monastery feel this?” I said.
“No, Madam, this slight tapping should not disturb them.”
“In that case, Cloud, I’d say bump away,” said Laurence.
“You know,” I said, “Columba will have a shock when his cloud speaks to him.”
We all chuckled at the thought of this disruption.
“I shall proceed.” Cloud said. Then, after a moment,
“Madam Claire and Masters Joe and Laurence, I have made connection. A quite intelligent Cirrostratus neighbor was accommodating. She reports that the monastery cloud has been sleeping for more than three centuries, so she had to be slightly . . . aggressive with her bump.”
“And did Columba send a return message?” I said, keeping a straight face.
“Unfortunately, St. Columba is traveling at this time with the noble leader Liu An. St. Brigid sends her regards and her regrets that she has no quick way to reach him.”
“Ah, he’s dragged Columba along in some other matter.“ said Laurence. “Please thank Brigid and tell her we send our best.”
“Immediately, sir.”
The cupids wandered in, got bored with our rendition of the journey, and opted for dinner in Hannah’s room. Cloud fed them burgers and a side salad of kale and mixed veggies. Chocolate sundaes followed. As I put Rose outside, I heard Tiffany thank Cloud and for that I was grateful.
We huddled in the living room. Joe had an ale, Laurence, a brandy coffee, and I was happy with my buttery Chardonnay. We sipped in silence. A veggie thick crust pizza appeared, the pieces sliced and arranged in a circle on a lovely green crystal plate.
“Thanks, Cloud.” Laurence said as he grabbed a piece.
“Yeah, this looks great.” Joe sipped his brew.
I swung my feet up on our chaise.
“This is what I don’t know.” I said. “Is Tiffany’s challenge over?”
Lawrence finished his slice and wiped his lips. “I can’t imagine that she has to go through anything else.”
The next day, Jamie visited after the girls were home from school. He greeted Laurence, Joe and me as we were coming in from Marie’s—we had flown over to check progress on Kara’s homecoming. But Marie had been out. Knowing her as I did, I figured she was probably on a fly-about, too. We left a message with her cloud and soon came home. I was still feeli
ng tired after our journey and had begged off any more exercise.
“Hi, Jamie.” I reached for a cold water. “Are the girls inside?”
“Oh, sure. They’re back in Tiffany’s room, listening to Earth’s big DJ Skrillex on HALO. We’re not uppermost in their minds.”
This was immediately discounted when Tiffany and Hannah walked into the room, carrying their backpacks.
“What’s up?” Joe said.
“Oh, hi, we just had an algebra question for Jamie.”
“Madam, may I—“
“—in a moment, Cloud. First, Tiffany has a gift to open.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Tiffany leaned over and rummaged through her backpack. “Here.” She pulled out Columba’s tiny package with its blue bow.
“The angel Marie approaches.” said Cloud.
Why should she be coming here? “Wonder what’s happened?”
Laurence let her in.
“Gee, hope I’m not disturbing something.” Marie said.
“No, of course not.” Joe said.
“What’s up?” I said.
“It’s been confirmed. Kara’s coming through in less than two hours.”
Nobody spoke. Then Jamie broke the silence. “That’s terrific, fantastic!”
Marie’s face broke into a huge smile. “Yes, it is, isn’t it? And, I’ve made a decision to include her family—her dad and brother.”
“Very wise, my dear.” Laurence said.
“Hope so. I’ve never met them.”
“Marie, do you need any help?” I said.
She took my arm and led me away. “Could I just run a few things by you? This won’t take very long.”
“Sure, but first, let’s have Tiffany open her gift.” I said. “Then the girls can go to the back. They need to finish their math. And we all need to work out if there’s more to Tiffany’s challenge.”
Marie nodded a “sure,” settled in, and gave Rose the behind-the-ears rubbing she loved.
The bow seemed to pop off in Tiffany’s hands. She lifted the top of the box and peered inside. Her hand scooped up a lovely golden bracelet. It had one oval charm on it, an inscription surrounded by a complex Celtic knot. Pave diamonds woven into the knot glinted and shone as Tiffany read the engraving.
“The Search is the Answer.”
Nothing for a few seconds. Then Laurence spoke.
“Very Eastern, and yet, in keeping with our traditions, too.” he said in a slow and thoughtful manner.
“Sounds like graduation to me,” Joe said. “Well done, kiddo.”
I nodded. My eyes were moistening up and I quickly wiped the tears away.
Tiffany held her arm and the jewelry out so Marie could put the bracelet on her wrist.
“It’s gorgeous, Tiffany,” Marie said.
Tiffany was all smiles. Hannah pulled on her other arm. “C’mon, we’ve still got lots to talk about, plus I want to try that on. Hey, Jamie, could you look at one or two of these problems? We’re stumped. And there’s a word problem that doesn’t make much sense.”
“Sure.”
They pulled him up and walking on either side of him, escorted him out of the living room.
We all seemed to take a simultaneous deep breath. Laurence spoke first. “Now, Marie, how can we help?”
She turned to him. “Well, I’ve been told I need to bring a list of her favorite music.”
“Yeah, that would be helpful, ‘cause they’re going to ask you about the sounds.” I said. “Want me to get pen and paper?”
“That would be great.”
I got up and pulled out a drawer where I kept a jumble of note pads and pens. Cloud had offered to simply provide one when needed, but I found the drawer comforting.
“How about a glass of wine or better yet, champagne?” Joe said.
“Oh, of course, so sorry, Marie, what would you like?” I said.
“If you’re all having, champagne, please.”
“Cloud, if you would.” Laurence said.
Champagne-filled flutes landed by each of us within moments. “If I may observe—“
“Hold that thought, Cloud, we need to help Marie.” Joe said. “Go ahead, tell us what you remember about her likes.”
“Well, Liszt and Chopin.”
“Romantics.” Laurence said. “Any tunes in particular?”
“Liebestraum for sure. The etudes.”
“Beautiful.” I said.
“But, she also likes Stevie Wonder.” Marie said. “Oh, and Al Green, the Supremes, Allen Touissant, the Temptations, gosh, so many.” Marie was starting to stare into the distance. We needed to bring her back.
“Okay, friend.” I said. “We need Joe and Laurence for this assignment. Joe, what do you think?”
“Flo, Melvin and Allen are here.” he said. “You might ask Melvin to sing Silent Night, that was his big standard. Perhaps he and Flo could go together? Don’t really know how this all works, but you can ask.”
“And, obviously, we have Franz and Frederic with us,” Laurence said. “However, seems like I remember Fred is in retirement. A lot of people wanted his services.”
Marie quickly jerked herself awake. “Sure, sure. I’ll ask about all of those, right?”
“Yes, the producers will work it out, you’ll see.” I handed her my notes. “You probably won’t wind up with all of it, but they’ll create the best sound for you. They’ll also ask how you want the River Jordan to look, but you can decide that from some of the samples they show you.”
Now Marie looked tense. I suspected I was overloading her with information.
“The archangel Harold and the angel Jarrod approach,” Cloud said, a bit too loudly. Was Cloud being pushy or was it just me?
“Does anybody know them?” Laurence said.
We all shook our heads “no,” except for Marie. “It’s Kara’s relatives. My cloud must have sent them here. Oh, dear.” She started pressing down her skirt and then she popped up and walked to the door.
I went with her. “It’s going to be okay.”
The door opened. Two African-American men, one with long corn rows, the other with closely cut hair, stood facing us. They were dressed in dark suits and colorfully striped ties.
“Marie?” the one with the braids said.
“Jarrod?” she said. “Harold?”
They held out their arms and engulfed her in a hug. Marie started crying, but they were tears full of joy. She pulled back and the two men wiped their eyes dry.
“C’mon, girl.” Harold said. “We’ve got a Homecoming to go to.” They took her by the arm. Marie turned, waved good-bye, and mouthed a “thank-you.” Then they tapped their hearts and their shoulder wings began to flutter.
“Let it be a golden and peaceful day,” Harold said as they hovered in front of the door, and in a flash, they were gone.
“Well,” said Joe. “That was quick.”
“I’m so happy for her,” I said.
“Yes, can’t wait to meet Kara,” said Laurence.
“Madam?” Cloud said.
“Oh, yes, sorry, Cloud, have we been ignoring you?”
“No, Madam, it is not possible to ignore me since I strive to obey you. However, it is my duty to point out three things. First, the Archangel Gabriel’s cloud notified me that her master was immensely gratified with your success regarding the little cupid’s mission. She also said that the great Archangel believed that any danger has passed. I found the message somewhat vague and asked for elaboration, but she said you would understand.”
“Terrific,” I said. Laurence and Joe gave me big smiles.
“Second, Master Jamie has asked that I include him and Master Miles in dinner tonight.”
“Fabulous. Please do, Cloud.”
“Finally, the Great Gabriel�
�s messenger was here earlier this morning, immediately following the cloud communication.”
“A messenger!” we said in unison.
“Yes. He left two items for the cupids. They are on the foyer table.”
“How exciting.” I said. “Well, by all means, tell the girls we have a surprise for them. And I think we need another round of champagne. Jamie, too.”
“Very good, Madam.”
Cloud’s summoning brought our cherubs and Jamie back posthaste. Our flutes were then simultaneously filled.
“Claire, do you know about the Penny Angels?” Tiffany said.
“No, who or what are they?”
“I know, but I’m going to see if Tif does.” said Laurence.
“We didn’t know, but Jamie explained it to us.” Hannah said. “It was in a word problem. And do we have something from Gabriel?”
“One thing at a time,” Joe said. “What about these angels?”
“Pennies from Heaven.” Tiffany said.
“Ah.” I said. “I see. I mean, I think I see. No, I don’t see.”
“They’re the ones who make it happen.” Hannah said. “Jamie thinks they see a homeless person or just somebody who’s a bit down and they put out pennies on the street for them.”
“That’s partially right.” Jamie said. “They jingle somebody’s pocket so a few coins fall out and are left there. They don’t actually go around with a supply of pennies hung from their belts.”
“That’s right,” Laurence said. “Hey, maybe this is what I’ll do when I’m no longer a parent. Sounds like a true calling!”
“I’ll go with you,” said Joe. “We can hit up all the zillionaires and lighten their pockets a bit.”
I raised my palms. “Okay, gang. This sounds like future planning to me. We’re still parents. And you do have something from Gabriel.”
Hannah zipped into the foyer, picked up one small box, tied with a silver bow and a large flat envelope. “Here, this one’s for you.” She handed the envelope to Tiffany.
“Is it Christmas?” Laurence said.
“Someone’s birthday?” said Jamie.
I laughed. “We are getting showered with an unusual amount of packages.”
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