by Jody Sharpe
Mayor Willie says, “Thank you, July. It’s an honor to have you here again. We are truly blessed today. As you know, our town has done wonderful things in the last two years helping others. We are volunteering at shelters in San Francisco, and volunteering here in our fair town, and extending now to the great town of Riverton to the southwest. Rescuing animals in need is a large part of our organization too. It’s been life-changing. Everyone in town is on board with the wonderful feeling of giving back to the community. With a large donation from several companies, including other incredible sponsors, we are starting a new community Center, the AVA Community Center, to be located on the edge of town servicing the children and families of both Mystic Bay and Riverton.”
“Mayor Willie, this is such wonderful news. The children of both towns will be given free art programs, after-school programs, and weekend activities.” As Willie speaks more about the center, July’s eyes shine like all angels do.
July introduces us. “We are so pleased to have here the San Francisco Symphony Quartet accompanying the Mystic Bay High School Choir and Maggie Malone, soloist, directed by Carol Sands. They’re singing for the angels and for you today, for everyone who is watching us here in Mystic Bay and around the world. Listen, listen to the words of this beautiful song.”
The quartet starts the intro of my favorite song. I hear the choir behind me as I sing, “Bless the Beasts and the children. Keep them safe, keep them warm.” I want to close my eyes but don’t. I see Gram and Tim in their lawn chairs with King by their side. They sit in the front row GG in her wheel chair and Seraphina on her lap. We have all fallen in love at first sight with the little dog and she with us. And who wheeled GG all the way from Moon Road? Why, there he is, Mr. Jamie Bond next to Tim with Emma Rose in his arms. He’s smiling too, like so many others. Elena is sitting next to them. It’s obvious; they have decided Emma Rose is their priority even thought they are not a couple. I sing my heart out, looking at them. But it’s not only the quartet and choir playing and singing with me. I hear other voices sweet and clear. I hear a choir of angels singing with us too. This is like a beautiful dream. Their voices sound sweet beyond description. I look at the crowd of happy faces; many are singing along.
Noah’s in the second row with Cal, Lorraine, and his father, who sits in a wheelchair. Noah looks at me and my eyes try to send him the same message of love I feel from his eyes. I look back at GG, Gram, Tim, and King and King turns his head, looking up at the bell tower. He’s there perched with Jeb on the roof. Mr. Neal Beasley, my angel, is dressed in his white robe, glittering gold wings by his side. His hand is on Jeb, the dog I will always love. He waves to me and I know he’s proud of me. I feel only love and gratitude for my guardian angel. I can really see him and the spirit of my beloved Jeb. Then he is gone in an instant and I sing my solo part now. My eyes look at Gram’s eyes. I see joy in them. She so loved the name Joy and it became my middle name, the favorite part of my name. I look at GG and she winks her little wink. The song is over and the applause is thunderous. People are smiling, talking. Did they hear the angels sing too? Maybe they did. I can’t wait to tell Noah how I could hear their voices. I think I will tell GG and Gram about the angels. They need to know. I have to share this quiet knowledge of the angels. They really happen to be our friends.
We bow and bow again and the show goes to commercial. People in the crowd are talking and laughing and the whole atmosphere is light and beautiful.
I see Hannah and her family in the first row near Gram and GG. Hannah smiles up at me while her husband Josh, Gabe and Aunt Helen busy themselves with the twins. She waves to me, her eyes shining like star beams. How incredible, I can see them from here.
As the show returns, July asks Willie, “Something has happened in Mystic Bay, am I correct, Willie? Something to do with angels?”
“Yes, July,” Willie says with utter calm and sincerity. “We are announcing today that real angels have appeared to three children in Mystic Bay.” There is a hush over the crowd; people seem to lean in listening. I look at the Jumbotron as it scans the faces of the crowd. Mayor Willie begins. “The three children are ten and younger. Two of the children have special needs and their names must be kept anonymous. One child spoke for the first time. The child said the word “Angel” the other day. Now this child, a few weeks later, is speaking in little phrases. The angels appeared to another child who has drawn and painted two pieces of artwork at the request of the angels. The miracle is the child could only scribble before. I will show the first drawing done with crayons. Please look at the screen.” Up on the screen appears the angel with the dog in his arms. The colors are beautiful like pastel ice crystals. I’m staring at the screen almost in disbelief at the sight. It is so quiet that the only sounds to be heard are the occasional cough in the crowd and the birds singing in the trees. The next painting appears on the screen. Angels are painted representing three ethnicities. And amazingly, both paintings show them singing, singing for the world. The angels have looks of joy on their faces.
July stands, pointing to the Jumbotron. “Many will find this is hard to comprehend, Mayor, and yet here the artwork is for all the world, artwork done by a child. It’s a true miracle. This painting looks impressionistic. Amazing angels!”
“Angel,” shouts the little voice coming form the hushed crowd. I look at Emma Rose and she is pointing at the big screen. I begin to panic but then Patrick shouts “Angel” too. Miraculously, all the children in the crowd begin a chorus, a chant of “Angel, Angel, Angel.” The crowd is on their feet shouting, applauding. Hopefully no one connected Emma Rose or Patrick with the sightings. It doesn’t seem so. Seeing Patrick’s drawing so large on the screen brings the force of this sighting to everyone, this message to the world. How did he do it they will ask? The answer will be, it’s an unknown, a gift from heaven that lasted a moment and was gone like the golden sundown each blessed day.
After a minute or two of shouting and cheers, the audience calms down as Mayor Willie speaks again. He stresses how these children must have anonymity and protection, and that the message is clearly for the individual to contemplate.
July asks him his beliefs. She minimizes her role. She is the reporter, not the one to report about the happenings.
“July, to me, this is not about which faith is real. This is about all faiths coming together. Are we here to witness this happening in our lifetime for a purpose? For right now, so much of our world is indeed tormented.”
July remarks with a soft glisten in her angel eyes, “The angels must be happy the town is helping others, but do you think they are calling us all to do more?”
“Yes, July. This is what I think. But I am a mere mortal. Only the God all faiths believe in has the answers.”
The show goes to commercial break and we all feel the emotion in the crowd. GG and Gram are wiping tears away, as are many others. Noah is talking to his dad who has that far away look on his face again. He then looks at me and I smile. I look up at the roof of the bell tower, but Mr. Neal Beasley is not there with Jeb. And through the hum of the crowds talking, I listen for the trees. I can almost hear them still.
The show returns and July says, “And another beautiful, joyous message from the angels is about to occur. Tell us, Mayor Willie. Tell us the good news.”
“Today, Anthony Chen is the violinist who played for us with the San Francisco Symphony Quartet. Anthony has a son named Benny. We must say his name for he will play for us now. People, it is my pleasure to introduce Benny Chen. Angels have come to him in a dream. They have given him the notes to a song for him to play for all of you. This song is for everyone wherever you are. Ladies and gentleman, I present Anthony and Benny Chen!”
Up the stairs, Benny walks to his father. Beside the boy is his service dog, Vinnie. He holds the beautiful golden lab whose steps help guide the way. Mayor Willie decided not to announce the fact that Benny is visually impaired. It’s evident. Benny settles at the piano. Anthony steps up with a mic
rophone.
“Hello, everyone. A miracle happened the other night. Benny had a dream, and angels gave him the melody for this song to play for you. Benny is studying piano and is quite good for his age. But nothing prepared us for the song they gave him. As you listen, you’ll hear a song, a message for you. The quartet will accompany him. Benny says the angels call it, “Forever Love, Forever Peace.” He steps back to his seat at his violin, nods his head, and Benny and the quartet begin. How many people are watching around the world, I can’t imagine. I close my eyes, listening to the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. The melody takes me away to the clouds. I can picture the angels leaning over Benny as he slept whispering the notes to play. It’s as if no one is in the town square but Benny and the quartet playing the song. I feel hope, gladness. As the last few chords are played and the quartet is silent, there is a silence too in the crowd. It’s so silent you could almost hear a snowflake fall.
Then Benny gets up and Vinnie gets up too. Benny takes hold of the dog as the audience breaks into roars of clapping and shouting. I see people crying and laughing in pure joy. As Benny takes a bow, the clapping continues with whistles and more cheers.
“Oh, how the children have inspired us,” July says to everyone. “This is the most wonderful day I have ever witnessed. Thank you, Benny and the San Francisco Quartet for the most beautiful piece I have ever heard in my life.” There are more cheers and applause.
“I have a surprise for all of you. Please look up on the screen. Here is the newly elected President of the United States and his wife, by his side. “Hello everyone, this is a wonderful day for Mystic Bay, California, and for all who are witnessing your show, July. I would like to thank the children who have seen angels. Thank you for the artwork, for the songs. You all are bringing such joy to the world today. Thank you, July, for delivering to us such an inspiring show. And thank you, Mayor Willie Walin, for all your work to put this amazing event together. It is with great pleasure that I announce that the artwork by the child and a recording of Benny’s angel song will tour our country and then the world. The exhibits will be at no cost to the public, thanks to an anonymous donor. These children have been given a gift from real angels. My family and I thank you all and say, “God Bless America. WE believe in angels!”
To say the house comes down would be an understatement. The crowd’s enthusiasm is top of the charts. As the show comes to a conclusion, we are asked to sing again the beautiful song. As we sing the glorious, “ Bless the Beasts and the Children,” on this glorious day, I look up at the robin’s egg blue sky. I think everyone is looking up, hoping to get a glimpse of an angel.
24
Bees Fill The Yard & August Weddings Bloom
It’s Jenny and Jason’s big day. Noah and Sue Cero are having a meeting to work on their new book, The Rescues of Mystic Bay. But I’ve just answered the door to a very polite duo, Entomologists, dear old friends of Marshall Greenstreet.. I escort the gentleman outside to the backyard where Gram and Tim and GG sip tea in celebration. You see Gram and Tim ran away to San Francisco last weekend eloping. How happy we are for them. “Wedding Fever,” said Tim as he kissed Gram on the cheek when they told us the news. Tim will be living at our house now and GG is ecstatic. “It took you a while, but you finally did it,” GG remarked.
“I asked her for years and years and she finally relented,” Tim said with a gleam in his eye.
“I was afraid, but no more,” Gram said proudly. “With the angels calling, I knew it was the right thing to do. We plan to have a party at the new restaurant in town, Mahoney’s Pub. It just opened and will be so much fun, but first we have Jenny’s wedding, and the bee men are here.”
They will be here for many days researching our yard, for they have found nests of an endangered bee. They will study the topography of our garden and Noah’s. How the plants are attracting the bees.
And my winged gold angel bee I captured on my cell phone?
The Entomologists say there is no such species documented anywhere. “It will be a miracle if we find it here,” they says emphatically, “but we will search your yard and Noah’s. For just as we need to save the trees and forests and seas of our earth, we need to preserve our bee friends to.
“Mystic Bay is becoming quite the nature haven,” exclaims Gram.
As sunset comes, I stand in my beautiful shocking pink dress next to Jenny, holding her bouquet of pink roses, as Jason looks lovingly at her sweet face. The beach off Jack’s is perfect with the patio for the guests to sit as the couple marries. The reception will be here as the stars come out and the local DJ plays their favorite songs. As she walked up the path, The Angel’s Song, “Forever Love Forever Peace” played.
So many things have happened since I moved home to Mystic Bay. I wrote the letter to my mother today, addressing it to Mrs. Lyla Wasserman. I asked her to please tell us about my father if she could. I inquired about her well-being. I asked her to communicate with Gram if possible, how it would mean so much to her. If we get a response, it will be welcome. It felt good to put it in the mailbox at the Post Office, good because it was the right thing to do. If I never get an answer, it will be okay. At least I tried to find the answers. One more try is worth so much.
But right this very second, I think about Jenny’s wedding and look over at Noah sitting on the patio next to Tim, Gram, and GG. Ironically, he is very near Tina and Phil. I see him glance at her and then he looks back at me. Then I see her glance at him for a moment. They know they belong to each other now, and the time is drawing near for a meeting. Jenny and Jason promise to each other beautiful vows of love and friendship. After Jenny and Jason walk back up the aisle, we all parade into Jack’s By the Sea for a sumptuous wedding feast of clam chowder, pasta and shrimp, wines and salads, I take in the wonder of the family and friends I love so much. I have Mr. B. my angel to thank for coming to me in my dream, giving me hope to start life anew, and find Noah. Then the fantastic, almost unbelievable happening of knowing the little children who see angels, who speak to them, make art for them, and play their sweet song. I can see real angels here living as human beings, spreading their love, their good works with anonymity and hope. Why me, I wonder to myself. Why not me? Hearing the trees, the hum of life has been a gift. How precious our earth is. If I were an astronaut, I wouldn’t be able to do the work I was hired to do. I would stare all day at the blue earth and clouds below, waiting for the sight of the aurora borealis.
All these ideas swirl in my mind as Jenny dances with her father and Noah twirls me on the floor. Tim dances with his new bride Gram. Mario sings for the happy couple, an old Italian tune. Tad asks my cousin Marcy to dance and it seems like a romance could bloom. We party till one in the morning and Jenny and Jason leave for the night at The Sea Watch Hotel. Noah and I decide to help the staff clean up after the guests leave. It’s fun to put things away and help clear the tables as the kitchen staff cleans. When all is tidy, we go out in the night among the August stars and walk to Dog Beach.
“I love it here in Mystic Bay and I love you more that anything,” Noah confesses.
“And I love you too, Noah. It’s like a dream and yet it was always meant to be. Isn’t it fitting that here in Mystic Bay I would learn the greatest lesson of all? I would learn how to love.”
25
Changing Winds Of September
The wind blows hot this hazy summer day in the near empty house in Beverly Hills. Her beautiful face glows with light coming in the window. She looks up at a hopeful sky. Polly Ann’s tears roll down her ivory rose cheeks. She looks down at the tear-stained letter from the daughter she doesn’t know. My hand sits on her shoulder. In this instant Polly Ann declares, “I will write her back. I”ll tell Maggie, my daughter, the truth. I will not be afraid to ask forgiveness.”
You see, as I stand here invisible to her, my wings at my side, she wonders if she’s imagining me, that I’m near. The mother and daughter who don’t know each other have needed me so. I think maybe
now Polly Ann knows finally what I know. Just as the earth needs the sunshine and some rainy days, everyone needs an angel.
26
Shadow On The Moon
There’s an eclipse of the moon at midnight, a blood moon they call it. There’s no one on the beach but Noah and me. We’ve brought Smarty, Shadow, and King who play in the dark waves. The little ones are sleeping. Sera’s sleeping with Cookie at 20 Moon Road, and Nursie and Murph are at Noah’s sleeping like little twins curled in their bed. Dog Beach is aglow with moonlight. Noah and I stop and stare as the shadow begins its way ever so slowly across the moon. I suppose others are in their backyards or at the harbor observing this miracle of the universe, but we wanted to see it with the water glowing moonlight on our favorite beach.
At home, a most wonderful event happened. Gram’s expression has lightened. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her because we received a letter from Lyla Jasmine. She apologized for ignoring us for these long years. She wished us well and said we would hear from her from now on. Her note told us that my father was a foreign exchange student at UCLA. He’s from Argentina; Aron Palicio is his name. He has a winery there and she found his address for me. “I’m sorry I never told Aron. It was a brief affair,” she wrote. “So here is his address. If you want to contact him, you must do so yourself.”