My gifts
I walk around the sand watching as the sun sets in the horizon, colouring the ocean and the sky with shades of purple and orange. Another day is over and the sound of the waves crashing in the sand reaches my ears. It’s spring, and along with the nature that follows its course and shows the world what our loving Creator wants for His children, I think about the grace He conceded Andrew and me. I’m eight months pregnant and the little angel I carry in my womb is giving the first signs that soon he or she will be in our arms.
We count the days and the hours for this moment to arrive. Every angel dreams about this blessing, and Andrew and I never thought that we would be chosen to generate another angel. As I approach the beach house, I see that Andrew is waiting for me at the porch. I chuckle, imagining that he must have been there for some time, patient as always.
"Angel," I heard him saying, and on the following second, he was holding my hands and kissing each of them. Then, he looked deep inside my eyes, as if reading my very soul, before bending his head and brushing his lips against mine, "I'm sorry it took me more time that I thought to get back here..."
"It's alright, Andrew. I watched the sunset while you were out... It was beautiful..."
"I promise we'll watch it together tomorrow," he said, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear and caressing my cheek with his usual tenderness and delicacy.
"Are we ready to go?" I asked, anxious to arrive at the party our assignments were throwing. One more mission was fulfilled, and with a happy ending: a blessing every angel asks God when accomplishing His will. Andrew and I had it conceded - but we're always having our prayers answered, and sometimes, when I stop to think how blessed we are, I can't help but break down and cry.
But I can see he was not so sure about taking me with him. Even though I assured him that everything was alright while he was out, he insisted that I should stay there and rest a little.
"Absolutely not, Andrew!" I interrupted him, moved with the permanent concern he holds towards me, "I'm perfectly fine and there's nothing in the world that could make me miss this party! And Thomas and Christine will be upset if I don't go!"
I try to hide my amusement as he rolls his eyes, clearly not sharing my opinion and wanting me to stay away from the "dangers of the world" until our little angel is born, even though there are still some weeks for this to happen.
"Alright... But we'll get back early, I don't think it's advisable to stay awake until late in your condition, Monica, and Tess would agree with me if she was here!"
I try to ignore his excessive worry and search for my sandals, left by the porch steps. Being pregnant made me feel nothing less than wonderful, but there were a few drawbacks I still couldn't get used to - my belly grew so much it was difficult to kneel and put my shoes on by myself. With infinite patience, Andrew knelt in front of me and slipped my sandals on my feet, not missing the opportunity to caress them. Then, he looked at me with slight worry, "Are these comfortable enough? Don't you want to get these changed?"
"They're perfect, Andrew, really. And you have to learn how to relax more, mister!" My smile at him might have brought a tiny bit of relief to his heart, as I saw him nod and give a slight smile too.
Then, he placed his hands on my belly - an action that he would repeat every day, and many times a day, even during my sleep. "Hey, little angel! Are you ready to go to the party, huh?"
A laughter escaped both of us when we felt the baby kicking, as if replying to his question.
"I guess our wee one is saying 'yes'!" My hand stroking his blond hair while he kissed my belly, and our little angel's response to his loving presence finally managed to put his heart at ease, and then he stood up and held my hand, "So, you're ready then?"
"Yes! Everybody is ready!"
My enthusiasm made him chuckle, and he guided me up to Tess' Cadillac, opening the door for me and taking the driver's seat afterwards. "But we'll get back early, are we understood? You need to rest as much as you can now and it's not good to go on doing 'human things' such as going out and taking long walks," he said, turning the car on.
Slightly amused with the seriousness with which he'd said that, I placed my hands over my belly and gazed at him somewhat defiantly, "We've been doing way too many human things lately, don't you think, Andrew?"
"M-Monica..." Watching as he blushed and the embarrassed expression on his handsome face made me lean to the side and grab his face with my both hands. When I brushed my lips against his, all his unnecessary concern was forgotten and he returned that sweet caress with the same love and tenderness.
"You are a hopeless little angel, you know that?" My beloved angel of death spoke, caressing my cheek and studying every little detail of my face once we pulled away. In his eyes, and on his warm smile, I could see the reason why I fell in love with him so many years ago.
"I love you, too."
He crossed the small distance between us and another loving kiss followed - the party could wait for a few minutes more, as in moments like these, time and space seemed to be restricted to a world that was only ours.
Some time later, we arrived at our destination. Our assignments' house was not far from the beach, and once we got there and I saw all those happy faces, I immediately sent a prayer of thanks. Being surrounded by so much happiness was a privilege that every living creature, either human or angel, should always experience, and I also prayed that one day this should become a reality to every soul on this Earth.
My beloved Andrew took me out of my reverie, gently rubbing his hand on my arm, and I could see the amused look in his eyes as he spoke close to my ear. "My beautiful dreamer," he calls me, and I return his smile, thinking about the strong connection we shared since from the moment we first met. Hardly did we know how deep and intense it would become as the years went by.
Unlike many other assignments, we didn't reveal ourselves as angels to the ones we were helping. Besides, due to my condition, I couldn't return to my angelic form until the new angel I was expecting was born. Nevertheless, God's presence could be felt in that house. He was blessing His children, and whispering in their hearts a message of peace and hope, and I know that someday Thomas and Christine will wonder if they have been visited by His messengers.
And despite Andrew's insistence that I had grown way too many human habits, he was not aware of his own behaviour: his angelic heart was full of worries typical of a first time father. As soon as we arrived there, he was quick to find me an armchair and made sure I was comfortable. His protectiveness towards me started long ago, though. Ever since our loving Father made our paths cross, I could always feel caring green eyes following me wherever I went, and my heart started to beat for a certain angel who had definitely become a part of who I am.
We two are one, a whole, a unity. And the little angel I am carrying with me is the living proof of our immense love.
A birthday was being celebrated in there, and, along with joy and laughter, there was music filling the air. As much as I wanted, I didn't dare to sing. I knew pretty well my abilities were not to be shown in public - even though they served to amuse Andrew, as I could always detect a smile in the corner of his lips whenever I thought he was not close enough to hear me humming a tune. He would even say that he liked listening to me, as "my singing meant I was happy," but my dear Andrew is not only a caring and loving angel, he is also a gentleman. Besides, how could I not be happy if I had him by my side along with his love?
As slow music begin to play, a happy memory came to my mind: years before, at a bar called "The sign of the dove," I swayed in the arms of my beloved angel, lost in the magic of the moment and in his tender green eyes, who gazed at me with nothing but pure love reflected on them. We had danced other times, and all of them were etched in my heart forever, but on that occasion our bond seemed so intense that I couldn't let go of his loving embrace - and he made no motion to let me go either. Andrew and I went back Home together, in each other's arms, and for the first time I realised, or just admitted to myself, the great joy his presence brought to my heart.
All those memories caused me to feel an urgent need to dance and someone seemed to sense it almost immediately. Biting my lips, I soon noticed his tender gaze: he was practically reading my thoughts. My smile at him, and probably my pleading face, caused him to walk over up to me, equally smiling. Andrew knelt down in front of me and took my hand, kissing its back without turning his eyes away from mine. "May I have this dance?"
Smiling broadly, I nodded my head, "Sure..."
Andrew and I walked up to the middle of the large hall, where other couples were already dancing. Then, he wrapped one of his arms around my waist and held my hand with the other one, kissing my hand one more time, and then holding it close to his heart. As our foreheads rested together, and we started to sway, the world seemed to freeze once again. He conducted me with the soft melody and I felt lost in the safety of his arms. Occasionally, I could hear some people saying that we made a perfect couple, and pleased to see how elegantly we danced.
I was happy to hear those comments - I was always happy at the statement that we were a couple, and even now, it still sounded new to me. But when Andrew's voice reached my ears I forgot about everything else again. "I love you so much, Angel..."
I wish I could tell him of all the joy he brings to my heart and how much I love him. But then, again, I failed to do so. Still, the tears that fell down from my eyes probably managed to transmit my thoughts because my beloved Andrew reached out to wipe them away, smiling at me with the typical complicity of those who didn't need words to express their feelings.
His warm breath and the contact with his lips kissing my forehead made me sigh with contentment. I raised my eyes and looked deep inside his green pools, "You're my eternal gift."
He bent down and kissed me softly and tenderly. When I rested my head against his shoulder, my lips turned into a broader smile, and a small giggle escaped me. Noticing his questioning gaze, I looked up at him again. "I have to inform you that someone else is dancing too!"
Andrew let out a small laughter, and couldn't help but stop the dance to hold me tight, tenderly caressing my belly and feeling our baby moving. His heart was bursting with joy, and all I could do was thank for those two precious gifts, which I will treasure for the rest of my existence.
To be continued