Authors: Stephanie Jackson
He watched her as she contemplated this new information; her brows pulled together as she chewed gently on her bottom lip. For some inexplicable reason, he felt his anger at her melt away.
“How old
do
you feel then?” she asked.
“I don’t really feel
any
particular age; and before you even ask, no, I can’t explain it any better than that,” he said.
“Wait,” Dani said.
“
Lucifer was flung from Heaven four million years ago?”
He nodded, “Yes.
”
“But I always heard that he was cast out over his jealousy of humans, and
we’ve
only existed about 200,000 years,” she said.
“There was a small war in Heaven about angel’s jealousy over humans, and Lucifer was a big part of it, but he had already been casted out of Heaven at the time. The angels that started that war in Heaven came to Earth to meet with Lucifer. From here he managed to orchestrate the last war in Heaven,” he said.
“So angels hate humans?” she asked.
“Some of them do. They feel like God turned His love away from them and gave it to his humans. Most of them, the ones that p
articipated in the last war, we
re casted out of Heaven and joined Lucifer in Hell,” Gabriel said.
“Is there anything I can’t ask you about?” she asked.
“You may ask me whatever you wish, but I can’t guarantee I’ll answer you; or that there will even be a way to answer you. There are a lot of things, and I’m not saying this to be hateful, that are way beyond what a human is capable of understanding,” Gabriel said.
He watched her mull that over; lip back between her teeth, and steeled himself to say something that, by all rights, he should have already said to her.
“Dani?” he asked to get her attention.
When she looked up at him, he fo
und himself staring, longer than
necessary, into her deep green eyes. He felt almost captured by them.
“What?” Dani asked, pulling him back to himself.
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry I killed the love of your life. I know it had to be hard for you to witness,” he said.
“One; you’re not
sorry at all about what you did,
but, thank you. Two; B
uddy wasn’t the love of my life,” Dani said.
“
Sure, I loved him; I’ve known him most of my life, but I’ve never been
in
love with anyone.
”
His heartbeat doubled in speed at this new information, but he didn’t allow himself to question why.
“And three;
you
’
r
e
going to tell his mother what you did so she doesn’t spend the rest of her life searching for her missing son,” Dani said.
“I’m not
going to do that.
”
“Oh,
yes
you are,” Dani said.
“If you don’t, I will.
”
“No
you
won’t,” Gabriel said.
“It’s not your place to do so.
”
“You’re absolutely right; it’s
your
place,” she said, pushing back from the table. “But
as I said, if you won’t, I will.
”
“What?
” he asked.
“
Now?”
“There’s n
o time like the present,” Dani said
,
and snagged a set of keys from a hook on the kitchen wall beside the back door.
“You can’t drive anywhere!” he shouted, shocked that she would even think of doing such a thing.
“Sure I can, I have a license and everything,” she said, and turned the doorknob that would lead her to the driveway out back.
3.
She screamed when she opened the door and found Gabriel standing on the other side.
“I said you can’t drive,” he said and snatched the keys from her hand.
“How in the
fuck
did you do that?!”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Go from being in here to out there, like that,” she said, snapping her fingers.
“I don’t know,” Gabriel said and shrugged.
“It’s just something I can do
.
”
“Well don’t! You ne
arly scared the life out of me,” she said.
“Is that how you got in my house last night?”
Gabriel nodded, “Yes.
”
“Well, it’s a cool trick,”
she said.
“Now, don’t do it again.
”
“I can’t help it,” h
e said.
“
It’s how I general
ly travel around while on Earth.
”
She stepped around him and walked across the yard to the street.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To Mrs. Thompson’s house,” Dani said.
“
She just lives on
Greenland
Ave
;
it’s only
a
couple of blocks away from here.
”
She thought he would grab her and make her go back in the house, but he didn’t. What he did
do
was walk behind her all the way to Greenland Ave.
She didn’t know how she was going to tell Mrs. Thompson what had happened to Buddy; or that Mrs. Thompson would even believe her. But she had the right to know that her son was never coming home.
She walked up to Buddy’s childhood home and knocked on the door. Now that she was here, she almost wished that nobody would be home, but Mrs. Thompson opened the door almost immediately.
“Oh, Dani! How are you doing, honey?” Mrs. Thompson asked, giving Dani a warm hug.
Dani had
only
seen Mrs. T. for a minute at
her mom’s
funeral. She’d given Dani her condolences, (and a casserole
, of course
. It was a Southern tradition to feed the bereaved)
,
and
then had
quietly slipped out. Dani was touched that she’d come at all.
Mrs. Thompson
had really bad arthritis in
both of her hips. It had plagued her for years,
and Dani knew how much it pained her to go out and about.
“
I’m fine Mrs. T.
, thanks for asking,” Dani said. “Um…
can I come in and talk to you for a minute?”
“
Of course you can, sweetie,” Mrs. Thompson said and stepped back to let Dani inside.
Dani looked back for Gabriel, but he was nowhere to be seen. The chicken shit had left her.
Mrs. Thompson’s hous
e looked as homey as ever, but
for the first time in her life, Dani felt uncomfortable there.
“
Mrs. T., I have to tell you something, and you’r
e not gonna like it,” Dani said.
“Buddy came to my house last night.”
“Good God! A
re you alright?
” Mrs. Thompson asked in concern.
“He didn’t hurt you again, did he
?”
“Yes,
he hit me again, but I’m fine,
”
Dani said.
“Buddy’s not, though.
”
“What do you mean? Is he in jail again?
” Mrs. Thompson asked.
“
I fully understand if you had him arrested. They need to force him into rehab. I can’t believe he violated the Restraining Order; and on the day that you bur
ied your mom, too! I’m so sorry Dani.
”
“He’s not in jail, Mrs. T.” Dani said.
“
Buddy’s
gone, and he’s not coming back.
”
“Gone? Gone where? What do you mean
he’s not coming back
?
Mrs. Thompson asked. “
Where did he go, Dani?”
“To Heaven,” Dani said.
“To Heaven?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dani said.
Mrs. Thompson glared at Dani,
“Are you telling me that
my boy is dead?”
Dani nodded, “Yes, ma’am.
”
M
rs. Thompson stared at Dani like she was a bug.
“Did you kill my Buddy, Dani?” Mrs. Thompson asked.
“No, an
Arch
angel
killed him, but I forgave Buddy, so now he’s in Heave
n.
”
As soon as the words passed her lips, Dani wished she could take them back. It sounded like a lie
even
to Dani, and she
knew
it was true. She could only imagine what was going through Mrs. T’s mind.
“If you killed my son, Dani, you tell me so!
” Mrs. Thompson said in near hysteria.
“But d
on’t you come in my house and tell me lies!”
“I didn’t, Mrs. T.
I swear I didn’t. It was an
Archangel
!”
Dani said.
Dani never expected what happened next. Mrs. T. picked up a vase from the table beside her chair, and flung it at Dani’s head.
Dani was so stunned that she didn’t even bother to duck. She’d never seen so much as a
n
o
u
nce
of violence from Mrs. T.
The vase never hit her
, though
. Ga
briel materialized and caught the vase in mid-flight
before it could make contact.
Mrs. Thompson’s mouth formed a tiny ‘O’, and she swooned in her chair.
“She’s telling you the truth,” Gabriel sai
d, tossing the vase harmlessly
onto the couch.
“
I
killed your son.”
“Good gracious,
” Mrs. Thompson said and made the sign of the cross.
“An angel.
”
“An
Archangel
, actually, and you should be
grateful
that Dani forgave your son before I smote him. If I’d have had
my
way about it, your son would have rotted
in Tartarus until Judgment Day,”
Gabriel said.
“
But
no
;
instead of being gr
ateful, you throw things at her.
”
“I didn’t know,” was all Mrs. Thompson managed to say.
Dani looked at Gabriel, “Please don’t hurt her.
”
Dani would
never forgive herself if Mrs. T. came to any harm because of her.
“Why would I hurt her?
” Gabriel asked
Dani
.
“
Believe it or not, Dani, I do have some understanding of the shock a parent feels when confronted with the death of their child.
Her violence; while inexcusable
is
completely understandable. I’m not a
complete
monster.
”
“My boy is really in Heaven?” Mrs. Thompson asked.
“He is,” Gabriel confirmed.
Mrs. Thompson crossed herself again, “Thank the Lord.
”
“No, thank
the Dani
; the Lord had
nothing to do wi
th
your son
going to Heaven,” Gabriel said. “
Dani is
the one that made
that
decision.
”
4.
Mrs. Thompson slid slowly out of her chair and tried to get to her knees to kneel before Gabriel; a moan of pain escaped her lips.
“Mrs. T., don’t!
” Dani said.
“You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
Gabriel gazed at Mrs. Thompson, “You’re sick.
”
“It’s not so bad,” Mrs. Thompson said, still attempting to get knee bound in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel looked closely at Mrs. Thompson’s body. Her hips were nearly destroyed by the arthritis that plagued her.
“Nonsense,” Gabriel said, and helped Mrs. Thompson slowly to her feet.
He pulled her close
to him and ran his hands down the sides of her body until they settled on her hips.
Gabriel stepped back and said, “You will hurt no more.
”
“What did you just
do
to her?” Dani asked.
“I healed her,” Gabriel said.
Dani watched in amazement as
Mrs. Thompson dropped eas
ily to her knees and kissed Gabriel’s
bare feet.