An angel named Monica
Monica came along the crowded streets of Richmond, Virginia, at the end of that rainy afternoon, and the expression on her face was not a happy one. She was on assignment and although she knew Andrew could also be there, there wasn’t much to celebrate about it – he too was on assignment, and as an angel of death.
She walked down the steep hill and reached a cross road – without a certain destination, the Irish angel had been told to walk and be attentive to everything around her. Monica had been there before, at The Sign of the Dove, a traditional bar that stood in the main street and which was not only visited by tourists and local people but also by angels – one angel in special. For a few instants, she smiled remembering that her beloved Andrew had a special connection with the family that owned the place and even had a chair in his honour. She also cheered the day they both danced at that same bar, when Benjamin Mason, the owner of The Sign of the Dove, got married. It was a beautiful ceremony and a very happy day which would be in her memory for the rest of eternity.
But her smile didn’t last for long: soon she was in the main street, with a worried look back in her eyes – where would she go?
Her question didn’t remain unanswered for a long time: suddenly, not far from where she was, Monica saw a two year old little girl crossing the street and a pick up truck heading towards her. Her heart started to pound loudly in her chest and she knew she had to do something immediately.
Rushing towards the little girl, the angel in human form crossed the street in front of the truck and tried to reach the baby at the same time her mother screamed and Andrew appeared on the other side of the street. And panic took control of Andrew’s soul when he saw his beloved angel girl in front of the vehicle, trying to save that innocent child; a fear and terror he had only experienced once, when she was sent to hospital due to an explosion in a building, a few weeks before they made their vows.
For a moment he thought that his assignment was to take two lives Home – one of them belonged to his beloved Monica, the angel with whom he shared the deepest connection two heavenly beings could share; the one with whom he had been joined with the Father’s blessing for the rest of his existence. Never had two angels been permitted to share such a powerful feeling and now it seemed that that beautiful love story would end tragically like many others that Andrew himself had witnessed during all those years working as an angel of death.
“Oh Father... please, don’t... don’t do this to me...” he prayed, with his heart filled with anguish and pain. Immediately following his instincts, and somewhat forgetting about his duty, he started to run towards the place, in a desperate attempt to avoid that tragedy.
Everything happened very fast: when the pick up truck was about to hit them, Monica managed to grab the little girl and run to the side walk, where she stumbled and fell on the ground, scratching her arm and the back of her hands, but holding the little baby girl safe and sound in her arms.
At that very moment, Andrew turned into human form, and he and the baby’s mother rushed towards them still in shock.
“Hanna? Hanna, baby, oh my God! Thank you! Thank you!” the woman cried, taking the scared little girl in her arms.
“Angel? Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” Andrew spoke, also kneeling next to them and helping Monica to sit up straight, immediately noticing the scratches on her delicate skin.
“Andrew?” she spoke, her body still trembling.
“Angel... God, for a second I thought... I thought that...” he didn’t manage to speak – all the blond angel could do at that moment was to hold her tight. His human heart was also pounding loudly in his chest and he dreaded to think about the tragedy that could have happened there.
Monica also held him tightly and briefly closed her eyes, lifting a silent prayer thanking God for allowing her to reach the little girl in time. And she was also sorry for Andrew – she could feel the beat of his heart against her chest and the way he was fiercely clutching to her was an evidence of the great shock he’d had. Tenderly, Monica reached up and started to caress his hair and to speak soft words in his ear, “I’m okay now, Andrew, please, calm down...”
“I almost lost you, angel... I almost saw you and this little girl being hit by that truck...” his voice was filled with emotion and still deep fear.
“But it didn’t happen... Please, try to calm down...” she gently pulled away a few inches and placed her hand on his face, not missing the few tears in the corner of his troubled green eyes, “I’m here in your arms; God was protecting us all the time...”
“I know, angel...” he spoke, also stroking her cheek and placing a tiny kiss on her forehead.
“Yes, He was...” the woman standing right beside them finally spoke, still holding her little daughter the same way Andrew was holding Monica, “I’ll thank Him for that... but I’ll also thank you, miss, for what you did for my little baby daughter... You were like an angel who appeared at the right time and saved her life.”
The two angels looked at each other and Monica took the baby’s tiny hand, “I’m happy I was there at the right time to help this pretty little girl!”
The woman noticed the scratches on her hands and arms, “You’re hurt; please come with me, I live near here and you can take care of these scratches.”
Andrew helped them both to stand up and picked up the supermarket bags that the woman was carrying. Then they walked down the main street – with the blond angel keeping a permanent hold on Monica’s shoulders.
“I guess I’ve never been so afraid in my entire life... I let go of her hand for a second so that I could take the supermarket bags and she just ran away...”
“I guess I can understand what you’ve been through...” the blond angel replied, and the woman could see the deep concern on his face, as well as notice the deep connection between those two strangers, judging by the look in his eyes.
“My name is Rebecca and this is little Hanna...”
“It’s nice to meet you both, Rebecca. My name is Monica and this is... this is my husband, Andrew,” she replied, still not used to calling him that way (but deeply happy to do so).
At that moment, the woman looked at them with curious eyes, “This is interesting...”
“What?” the Irish angel wanted to know.
“Well... nothing, it’s... well, let’s go home first and take care of your scratches.”
They walked for a few minutes more and finally arrived at the woman’s house: Rebecca lived on the upper floor of a bar named the Sign of the Dove. The two angels looked at each other with surprised eyes observing the place where, nearly two years before, they had danced together on a great wedding party. Loving memories of one of the best moments they had ever spent together soon started to erase the anguish and fear that had settled in their hearts when the tragedy with the truck almost happened.
Monica felt Andrew caressing the back of her hand with his thumb and shot him a loving glance, which he returned with the same intensity.
“The bar is still empty as today is Monday, but please, come with me. Our house is upstairs, I have some first aid material and you can clean your arm and hands there, Monica.”
“Thank you, Rebecca.”
There was a bartender serving the very few customers there and Ben, the owner of the establishment, wasn’t there at the moment; Rebecca explained that he was at the bank, paying some bills. The woman took them upstairs and while she looked for some first aid material, both angels had their attention turned to Hanna, the little girl saved by an angel a few minutes before.
“Thank you, sweetheart...” Monica spoke, as the baby walked over up to her and gave her a tiny flower she picked on the vase placed on the floor. “She’s just adorable...”
“Yes, Hanna is the light of our life...” her mother replied, placing a first aid kit on the table. Andrew immediately took some cotton and alcohol and started to clean Monica’s delicate skin. “Yes... every child is a blessing, you know. I can see she brings much happiness to you and to your husband.”
“She does!” the woman happily spoke, caressing the little girl’s blond hair. “Do you have children?”
The angels looked at each other and smiled, “No, we... we don’t...” Monica replied, now turning her eyes to the small child. Andrew was taking care of her light wounds but didn’t miss the look in her eyes – a longing, wondering one. Even before they both confessed their feelings for each other, the blond angel knew that Monica wondered about how motherhood would feel. If she could wish something other than his love and being an angel of God, she would certainly ask to become a mother. Andrew knew better than any other living creature that she had a great, huge capacity to love, like he had never seen before. Being joined under the Father’s blessing was a way to expand all that love but the Irish angel was a kind, warm hearted creature and it was far too clear that her loving capacity didn’t have limits.
And neither had his love for her.
“I hope you can have one someday.” Rebecca kept on talking, not missing the affectionate way Andrew was looking at the one who had just saved her little daughter.
“Thanks...” she replied, somewhat sadly; aware that it was nearly an impossible dream.
Andrew finished to take care of Monica’s scratches a few minutes later. “There it is, job done, angel!” he then placed a kiss on her cheek.
They noticed that Rebecca smiled again and shook her head, “This is such a coincidence!”
“What is it?” the Irish angel asked, with a curious face.
“Well... There’s a legend in the Mason family... About an angel named Andrew who watches over the members of the family for many generations. We even have a special chair in the bar in his honour.” She told them, and both couldn’t help glancing at each other with a look of complicity. “And, well, listening him calling you ‘angel’ and after all you did for my little girl...”
“Well... they say that there’s no such thing as a coincidence, that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be...” the blond angel replied, holding Monica’s hand and caressing it with his thumb.
“Well, you’re right, I guess. And I believe that the legend is true, after all, it makes you feel good to know that there are angels taking care of you!”
“I’m glad to hear it, Rebecca. You have a very beautiful family, a pretty baby daughter and a loving husband. These are precious blessings!” Monica spoke, she and Andrew standing up, ready to go.
“Thank you one more time, Monica... If there’s something I could do for you, I’d love to...”
“No, you don’t need to.” Andrew politely objected, “The most important is that your baby and Monica are safe.”
The two angels bid them goodbye and, with her baby daughter in her arms, the woman watched as they left the Sign of the Dove holding hands. Then, she walked around the bar, looking everything around it, and stopped near the chair reserved for Andrew, the angel, with a pensive look.
A few instants after they had left, the bar door opened again, “Rebecca!” It was Ben, her husband, and he had a haunted expression on his face. With his heart beating fast, he walked over to his wife and daughter, “Rebecca, you... you won’t believe what I’ve just seen!”
“Oh, Ben... I’m so glad you’re here...” she spoke, wrapping her free arm around his neck and holding him tight. Somewhat taken aback, he returned the embrace and frowned with concern, “What... what is it?”
“You won’t believe what happened to me just a few minutes ago...”
She told him how their little daughter had been saved by a stranger who had risked her life and about the brief conversation with the couple who had just been at the bar. And, when she mentioned their names, Ben made the cross sign and bowed his head in respect. “Oh, God... thank You...”
“I’ll offer a special prayer tonight too, Ben, thanking God for sending that lady and her husband to help me... You know, sometimes people can be angels too...”
The young man reached out and took his wife’s hand, “Honey... That couple who just left the Sign of the Dove... they’re two angels...”
“What?” her eyes were wide open as he said that, “That’s... that’s impossible, Ben, the lady got hurt and...”
“Rebecca... when we got married, I saw the same couple here... I even spoke to them without really knowing who they were, until Nicholas told me that Andrew was the same angel who had been following my family for generations... I saw him and Monica, the other angel, disappearing right here at this same room...” he spoke, his eyes filled with emotion.
“Oh, God... Are you sure?”
“We’ve been visited by angels today, Rebecca... think about how many people are visited by angels everyday; suddenly helped by a stranger that apparently comes from nowhere and then disappears as mysteriously... Fortunately, thanks to God, we’ve learned how to recognise them and the blessing that He is giving us...”
With tears rolling down her face, the woman squeezed little Hanna tightly, “She saved our daughter, Ben... She put herself in front of a car and saved our baby girl...”
He too held the little girl and kissed her little head, “And that means she too has an angel... an angel named Monica looks after our child...”
“Andrew and Monica... Two angels now take care of our family...” she spoke, with a happy and grateful face.
“Yes... And, as well as Andrew, she too deserves to be remembered here at the Sign of the Dove.”
X
Hand in hand, Monica and Andrew walked along the street and even if they were happy for saving a little girl’s life, there was still some pain and anguish lingering in their hearts for the tragedy that almost happened. They remained in silence for long minutes and only when Andrew wrapped his arm around her shoulders did Monica speak again, “I’m staying at the building over there,” she pointed the building just around the corner, “Tess and I have been on this other assignment, you know, and I guess it’ll take us some more time to finish it, although things seem to be going just fine!” the slight smile on her face sent some of his worry away, and he also smiled, “I’m sure you’ll do as great as always, angel!” he spoke, and kissed her cheek.
“Where are you going now?” she asked, her heart filled with sadness for the impending separation.
“Well, to tell you the truth I haven’t been told where I should go in the next hours...”
That piece of news was enough to cheer her up, “Oh, really? Oh well in that case I’ll invite you to come in and have a cup of tea with me!”
“You will drink tea?” he raised his eyebrows with amusement and she blushed a little, ‘Well... What if we do like this: you drink tea and I drink coffee?”
“How didn’t I think about it before?” he joked, tapping his forehead and enjoying the sound of her giggling.
“I just hope Tess is not home,” she spoke, in a low voice, as they approached the building, “She might not like it...”
Monica was going to say something else but suddenly, she stopped walking, feeling a strange sensation running through her human body: her face went pale, her temperature went down and her hands and arms became cold. She felt her head spinning and the ground slipping away from her feet.
“Monica?” Andrew called her, watching terrified as she closed her eyes and grabbed his arm for support. “Andrew... I’m... I’m not feeling well...”
“Monica? Angel, what is it? Talk to me, please?” he pleaded, wrapping his arm around her waist for support and cupping her face up.
“I’m... I’m not sure...” although she was conscious, her legs grew weak, “I... just need a few seconds...”
He remained there, supporting her and feeling his heart racing with apprehension and fear: the incident a few hours earlier was certainly causing that. “Let’s go to a hospital, angel!”
“N-no... it’s not necessary, Andrew... I want to go to the apartment...”
Quickly, even if against his will, he took her to inside the building and practically punched the elevator button in a hurry. They were soon in the apartment and, keeping a permanent arm around her waist, he opened the door.
“I’ll carry you...” he took her in his arms and carried along the hall through the corridor, up to her bedroom.
“Andrew, I’m feeling better already...” she said, not missing the anguish and great worry in his eyes as he lay her in bed.
“No, angel. I’m sorry but I won’t believe you’re feeling better, you almost fainted...” he replied, taking her hand and checking her pulse and bruises on her arms.
“I felt bad for an instant... but then... then I got better...”
“You fell on the sidewalk when you saved that little girl... Did you hit your head or any bone?”
Monica shook her head, “No! I just scratched my arm and hands, that was all, Andrew, I swear!”
The blond angel sighed deeply, “Anyway, I’ll call a doctor for you!”
She reached out and caressed his cheek, shooting him a tender look, “Andrew... I’m an angel!”
“... in human form! And you need to find out what happened to you just now...”
“I know what happened to me: I was nervous about the incident with wee Hanna; you know how I feel about children being in danger and when I think about what could’ve happened... When I remember that poor mother’s cries, I...” her eyes were soon filled with tears and Andrew was moved to see how much other people’s misfortunes affected her generous heart.
He pulled her for a warm embrace and tenderly ran his fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down, “I know, baby, I know... Please, don’t cry. Everything turned out just fine and that little girl will live happily with her parents for long years, just because of you! You’re always doing wonderful things for everyone who crosses your way...” he pulled away just a few inches to look at her and smiled, “... that’s why I’m eternally grateful that the Father made you... And for me, angel, the fact that you exist is enough to make my existence a wonderful one!”
Happy to see a tearful smile on her face, he brushed a tiny kiss on her lips, “Are you sure you don’t want me to call a doctor for you?”
“It’s not necessary, Andrew, I’m feeling better already. And I should prepare your tea and...”
She motioned to get out of the bed but the blond angel immediately stopped her, “Oh, no, you’re not going anywhere, Mrs!” he said, gently forcing her to lie down again, “I guess I know now why I don’t have any assignment in the next few hours... I’ll stay here and take care of you, my angel!” Andrew reached out to remove her sandals, not missing the opportunity to caress her small feet.
“Andrew...” Monica sighed deeply, feeling guilty for worrying him so much. But at the same time she felt happy to have her beloved Andrew right there with her.
“Shh... I don’t want to hear a word about it. Since you don’t want to see a doctor, you’ll be my patient from now on and you’ll have to obey my orders while I’m here!” he stated, with a mock serious face and causing her to giggle, “Yes, sir! I don’t think I’d want another doctor other than you!”
“Good!” he stood up, “I’ll prepare you something to eat.”
“What about my mocha?”
He rolled his eyes and finally nodded, “Ok... I’ll bring your mocha too!”
Andrew straightened the pillows against her back and was already leaving the bedroom when she spoke again, “Andrew?”
“Yes?”
“There’s something more I’d like to ask...”
“What is it?” he was immediately attentive and with some concern in his green pools.
“A kiss!” she replied, amused when he narrowed his eyes and shot her another stern look, “You’re quite a demanding patient!”
His heart melted at her cheerful smile and he pressed his lips against hers on the following second. And much to his surprise, Monica wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly, making that sweet kiss last longer.
“Thank you, mister!”
“You’re always welcome, Mrs!” he kissed her lips one more time and left to the kitchen.
X
“Promise you won’t make any effort?” Andrew asked his beloved Monica, later on, after she had changed into a warm pair of pyjamas and lay comfortably in his arms. Despite his best efforts, she ate very little and was feeling a bit tired, which led the blond angel to wonder about her human condition.
In the silence of their bedroom, lying in bed and enjoying the constant movement of Andrew’s fingers running through her hair, she raised her head and gazed at him with a sleepy face, “Only if you promise you won’t worry about me that much.”
“That’s impossible,” he said with a hint of sadness in his eyes, “Especially after what happened today...”
“I guess I’m losing my practice as it’s been a long time I left Search and Rescue to be a caseworker,” she said, remembering the old times when she and Andrew didn’t know each other yet.
He frowned with concern to think about the dangers that she had been exposed to. “I guess I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to see you putting yourself at risk every day...”
Noticing his distress, Monica raised a hand to caress his cheek and brushed a tiny kiss on his chin, “The Father was taking care of me all the time... for you, when we’d meet!”
The blond angel gazed at her and nodded, “I have no doubt about it. By that time, hardly did I now about the gift I was about to receive!” he tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead, “I love you so much, angel, so much... Sometimes I... I feel like protecting you even from the wind so that I don’t see you suffering.”
“Oh, Andrew...” she was deeply moved with that statement and with the sorrow she could detect coming from his soul. “You know something? You’re my heart, Andrew!”
With a tender smile, he bent his head just a tiny bit and pressed his lips against hers, “You’re my heart too, baby. My everything.”
Noticing the extra spark of love in her eyes, he took her hand and carefully kissed her bruised skin, “Now rest, my angel. I want to see you falling asleep her in my arms before I go.”
“I’ll... I’ll do what you’re asking me, even if I don’t like it that much... Sleeping while you’re here, I mean, as I’ll be missing more minutes at your side.”
Overwhelmed with tenderness, he kissed the tip of her nose, “You won’t, baby, cause I’m always connected to your heart so that I can be in your dreams too, holding you tight like I’m doing right now!”
Her heart skipped a bit with so much love for that kind loving angel whom she trusted with her very existence. They shared a soulful kiss and Monica snuggled against his warm body, lulled by the gentle caresses he was performing in her hair. The shadowy atmosphere of the bedroom (Andrew had left the bedside lamp on) also helped and soon the Irish angel fell asleep in her eternal valentine’s arms.
“Sleep well, my little angel. Have sweet dreams...” he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek afterwards.
X
Later at night, Tess returned to the apartment and the blond angel told her what had happened on that troubled day. The supervisor was equally worried to know the danger Monica had been exposed and lifted a prayer of thanks for the Irish angel’s safety.
At about midnight, Andrew had to go back to work and before he left, he went up the angel’s bedroom again. With his eyes sparkling with affection and a multitude of other loving feelings, he sat at the edge of her bed and watched her sleep for a few minutes, slightly caressing her auburn hair. “Father... I know I have no right to ask You anything else, as You’ve given me so much already... But... if you could grant me only one wish, I’d like to ask You to protect this angel... I know she’s Your angel in the first place and You know what’s best for her, but I cannot stop feeling that she’s a bit mine too... And I guess You understand it... I love her so much...”
The loving answer came as a wave of peace and joy inside his heart – confirming that the sweet little angel who was now fast asleep right next to him was created not only to accomplish God’s work but also to spend her eternity by his side. Feeling the presence of tears in the corner of his green pools, the blond angel brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and bent his head, kissing Monica’s forehead with tenderness. “I love you, my angel. I love you forever.”
On the following morning, now feeling a bit better, Monica woke up with the sun coming through her window. She was alone in her bedroom now, as her beloved Andrew was called on assignment some part of the world. The Irish angel sighed deeply, a bit sad with that inevitable separation. But as she turned to the side, Monica saw a red rose on the bedside table and a smile broke on her face – and remained there all day long.
X
A few days later...
“I’m always so happy when everything turns out just fine like this, Tess!” Monica spoke, she and the supervisor walking down the street, with a pleased expression on their faces to see one more assignment accomplished.
“You’re right, baby; and it was high time Robert and Sarah realised that their family is the most important thing in the world!”
“You’re right too. It’s difficult to understand why human beings act selfishly even with their own family. I can’t imagine myself away from you and Andrew, you’re my family too, you know?”
The older angel wrapped her arm around Monica’s shoulder, always touched with her loving nature. “Well, I cannot imagine you away from me either, angel girl! The Father gave me a daughter when He sent you to work with me!”
“Well, He gave me a mother when He sent me to work with you!”
Smiling, they rested their heads together and the supervisor added, “And I believe I don’t have to say that Andrew feels just as blessed as I am!”
“I believe you’re right, Tess!”
That sudden (and familiar) voice that came from behind them made Monica’s heart jump and she turned around to face her beloved Andrew smiling at her, with his green pools sparkling to see the Irish angel again, “Andrew!” she wasted no time in rushing towards him, throwing herself in his already open arms. He held her tightly, lifting her off the ground a little and kissing her shoulder.
“I thought we wouldn’t see each other so soon... I wanted to say goodbye that day but I slept...”
“Oh, my sweet angel girl... There was no need of goodbyes, honey, I knew I’d hold you in my arms again soon...” he placed her on the ground and brushed a tiny kiss on her lips.
She reached up to caress his handsome face, “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Our angel girl seems to glow every time you’re around, baby!” Tess spoke, equally happy to see her angel babies together again.
“Hey, Tess!” he kissed her cheek and then looked at Monica again, with fascinated eyes, “You’re right about the glow... she’s absolutely gorgeous!”
The Irish angel lowered her head, with a shy smile playing on her lips, “You’re both making me blush here...”
“What we’re saying is nothing but the truth!” her dear husband replied, and then kissed the back of her hand, noticing that the scratches on her soft skin were disappearing, “How are you feeling, angel?”
“I’ve never been so well, for your information!” there was a teasing tone in her voice and he turned to face the supervisor, “Tess, is she eating? The last time we saw she didn’t want to...”
“Hum... You know that angel of yours, don’t you? Sometimes she doesn’t want to and sometimes she eats just as if all the food in the world would end!” Tess replied, with a stern look in her eyes, “But she’s doing quite well, you know. She doesn’t look like the pale little angel I saw two days ago!”
Andrew gazed at Monica again from head to toe and smiled – she’d never been so pretty; once again with that sudden and unexplainable emotion that filled his heart whenever he looked at her. He didn’t know exactly why he felt that way, but assumed that it was because his love for her was constantly growing and certainly had no ending. “No, she doesn’t. I wonder how humans don’t realise she’s an angel when they first see her!”
Still blushing, Monica crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at them with her eyebrows raised, “I’ll stay here watching you two talking about me as if I wasn’t here until you both realise that I’m here and that I’m perfectly fine!”
“Thank God you are, baby!” Andrew kissed her cheek and then turned to oldest angel, “Tess, would you mind if I stole your charge for a few hours? There’s a place I’d like her to visit...”
The supervisor rolled her eyes and sighed, “Only if you promise me you won’t disappear with her like you did on the Valentine’s day. Remember we’ll have another assignment soon!”
“You have my word!”
“Where are we going?” Monica wanted to know, as he held her hand and kissed it.
“To The Sign of the Dove... I have a little surprise for you!”
X
The Sign of the Dove was empty and some soft light illuminated the place. In the middle of the hall, there was a table set for two people and a candle light dinner waited to be savoured.
Suddenly, two heavenly beings appeared on the same hall, and one of them had her eyes covered by Andrew’s hands. “Andrew... can I see it now?” an amused Monica spoke, eager to see what surprise was that.
“You’re such a curious little angel!” he spoke, standing behind her also having fun with her impatience.
“You said that you’d take me to the Sign of the Dove, and I’m under the impression that we’re already there!”
“Okay, I’ll let you see now...” he removed his hands from her eyes and kissed her cheek lovingly. Monica looked around her, immediately recognising the place they had been to 2 days before. Then, she turned her eyes to the beautiful table set in front of them and realised they were the only living creatures in that hall.
“Andrew...” she whispered, moved and surprised.
Smiling, the blond angel wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, “I love dating you, angel!” he spoke, kissing her cheek one more time.
“Oh, Andrew... I love dating you too, you know...” the Irish angel replied, turning her head to face him, smiling and enjoying the feeling of being in his arms, “But where are the other people? Where are Rebecca and Ben?”
“Away on a date too. They left little Hanna with Rebecca’s mother. And the other customers have gone too!”
“So this is only for us?”
“Yes!” he led her up to the table and pulled a chair for her. But before she could sit down, he pointed the inscription on the chair, which said: “In honour to Monica, the angel.”
The Irish angel looked at him with a surprised face, “Yes, baby. Now there are two angels protecting the Mason family. Our names will be together in this place here on Earth as well as it is in Heaven.” He explained, holding her two hands and kissing them.
She gazed at him lovingly, “And either on Earth or in Heaven, that’s exactly where I’ll always be, Andrew: by your side.”
Smiling, he brushed a gentle kiss on her forehead and cupped her chin up, looking deep inside her brown depths, hypnotised by the love he could see reflected in her eyes. “Oh, but there’s another place where you’ll always be, my little angel...” he then took her hand and placed it against his heart, “... right here...”
“I love you so much...” she whispered, a few seconds before his lips touched hers, firmly and delicately at the same time. He wrapped his arm around her waist and lay his hand on the back of her head; entangling his fingers in her auburn hair. Their kiss was sweet and slow and Monica wrapped her arms around his neck, treasuring every sweet caress he offered her.
Only a long minute later did their kiss break and Andrew smiled at her, “Dinner is getting cold...” he said, playfully rubbing his nose on hers.
“Hum... I had forgotten about the food, you know...” she spoke, blushing at her own oblivion. He kissed the tip of her nose, “C’mon, take your seat, ‘Monica, the angel’!”
He pulled a chair for her and she politely thanked him, “That’s very kind of you, Mr Andrew, the angel!”
He kissed the top of her head and took the other chair, which had his name written on it.
The two heavenly beings enjoyed a romantic dinner. In between loving glances and words, they finished eating and suddenly low, soft music started to play. The blond angel stood up and reached out his hand for her to join him. After kissing the back of her hand, he placed his right arm around her waist, took her right hand into his left one and brought her human body slowly against his. Smiling and never breaking the eye contact, she placed her free hand on his shoulder and during the next few minutes, they swayed together smoothly and beautifully, as they always did when they danced.
Her innocence and sweetness always amazed him; he liked the softness of her delicate skin, her cheek against his. He was just inches away from the nape of her neck, and was intoxicated with her sweet perfume. Monica, for herself, felt like melting under his touch, enjoying the love, peace and comfort only Andrew could bring to her; being in his arms meant being the safest place on earth, and she always marvelled at the wave of tenderness and love she could feel invading her heart whenever they were together.
Both angels danced for long, wonderful moments, enjoying the romantic atmosphere of the place, which would be part of Monica’s existence, as well as Andrew’s. At a certain point, he planted a kiss on her temple and whispered softly into her ear, “I think it’s time to go...”
“Yes...”
Slowly, the couple started to fade and they finally disappeared from the Sign of the Dove.
To be continued