by S S Bazinet
Arel nodded, noting that Michael’s box was a lot bigger than his. “You’re right. I think I’ll take a bigger box too. Here goes,” he said as he bent at the knees to try his hand at a more impressive challenge.
Michael nodded. “I think we’re both getting the hang of it.”
Arel grunted out his agreement. “Yeah, this is what you call man’s work.” It wasn’t easy, but he was able to wrestle the box off the floor. “Glad I stuck it out with Kevin’s workouts.”
“Arel! Not that one!” Peggy yelled as she rushed towards the kitchen. “That’s a two person box!”
For the second time, her voice, six feet closer, hit with such force that Arel’s equilibrium was blasted out of existence. Next, it was dominoes. He fell into Michael, and Michael lost his grip on the box in his hands. Both of them fell backwards.
“Holy hell!” Arel screamed as he went down.
Peggy ran over with alarm. “Oh my lord! Look at you two! Are either of you hurt?”
Arel glanced over at Michael. The angel stared back mutely, but it was Michael’s red face that told him everything. “No, we’re fine, just a little embarrassed.”
Peggy’s frown deepened as Kevin and Tim came running into the kitchen.
“We heard you scream, Peg, what happened?” Kevin asked.
Tim nearly bumped into Kevin. “Yeah, what’s going on?”
Both men’s attention went to the floor. Arel and Michael were sprawled out flat on the tile.
Peggy pursed her lips. “I’m going to have to watch these two every minute of this move. That’s what’s going on. They don’t know how to take care of themselves.”
“We’ll be more careful,” Michael offered in a guarded tone, gathering in his dignity. He was surrounded by kitchen ware and assorted kitchen compliments from the broken box that he’d dropped.
Tim pushed away a toaster and a skillet to get to the stricken twosome. “Need a hand up?” he asked Michael.
Arel let out a gasp. “I’m a little surprised at how many rules there are for moving a box.”
Peggy tapped her foot with annoyance. “I hope I don’t have to watch you this closely on the other end, when we’re unloading.”
After Michael was back on his feet, Tim gave Arel a hand up too.
“Thanks, Tim,” Arel said quietly, not voicing his thoughts about the ‘other end’ of the move.
Once Peggy went back to attacking the closet again, Arel noted that Michael looked surprised, even a little taken back. Smiling, he clasped Michael’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Michael continued to stare in Peggy’s direction. “Maybe this is a novel experience in more than one way. I think she has the most powerful voice I’ve ever observed in such a small person.”
Kevin overheard the remark and leaned in to whisper. “She’s something, isn’t she? Tim and I heard that scream of hers all the way out in the truck.”
Arel wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d heard Peggy in space. But he was happy in spite of Peggy’s lungs. Soon his friends would be living next door to him.
Eighty-Three
PEGGY SAT ON the couch in the living room of her new home. Tim sat next to her, holding her hand. Her guests, Carol, Kevin, and Arel, were seated around the room. She smiled at each of them. “We wanted to thank you guys for all your help getting us moved and settled.”
“You two did all the settling in,” Carol corrected as she looked around. “You even have your pictures up. How did you do so much in only a week?”
Kevin nodded. “Yeah, Peg, you had so much squirreled away. When Tim showed me the storage unit, I thought we’d have to get a bigger truck.”
Tim laughed. “Don’t look at the garage. I’ve posted avalanche warnings out there.”
“Talk about an avalanche, Michael took quite a tumble from what I heard,” Kevin said. “I gather that he tried to pile stuff a little too high. He’s lucky he didn’t get his brain splattered when that wall of boxes tipped over on him.”
“Happily he’s fine,” Arel said as he held back a smirk. He’d never seen his friend passed out before. But even an incarnate angel has to be careful with his physical body.
Peggy’s face turned a bright red. “I think that was my fault. I startled him, and he tipped over a stack of boxes, but he was trying to do too much.”
Arel’s smile broadened. “I tell him that all the time, but he’s the type that doesn’t know how to pace himself.”
“Please convey my apologies again,” she said.
“Peg, you were only trying to help,” Tim said quickly.
She glanced at her friends again. “I worry because I care about all of you. I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and family. Now we have a home of our own and—” She paused and looked up at Tim.
Tim put his arm around her. “And there’s more. Shall I tell them, sweetie?”
Peggy clutched at a tissue in her hand and nodded back with a smile.
“Carol, Kevin, you’re not the only ones in the baby business. Peggy is expecting too.”
* * * * *
All of the group’s angels, including Michael, were in attendance when Tim made the announcement. They couldn’t be seen by the humans, but that didn’t lessen the joy that they felt. Peggy’s angel, Glory, was absolutely beaming. Without her armor, she looked like a much softer angel, but her glow was so powerful that it made Grace laugh.
“Dearest, if you get any brighter, I might have to put on sunshades.”
Tim’s angel, Kell, the least verbal of the angels present, was unusually radiant too. As waves of elation passed back and forth between Tim and Peggy, his heavenly energies flowed out to them, blessing them with his well wishes.
Fred and Grace looked divinely contented. A new soul had happily agreed to come in as Kevin and Carol’s child. Now, after Tim and Peggy’s announcement, a second baby was on the way. They knew that the two souls involved were close and would enjoy growing up together.
Grace almost cooed with delight. “My sweet Carol is already thrilled to have Peggy as the sister she never had. Now they can share the journey of motherhood.”
“And Kevin won’t feel so alone either,” Fred sighed. “He’s always looked up to Tim. After this, their brotherly ties will be even stronger.”
Michael paused at the mention of strong ties. He thought about Faine. Fortunately, after Arel’s visit, Faine calmed down enough to reflect on Arel’s true intention. Arel wanted Faine to know that someone cared about him. It would take time, but hopefully Faine would soon let go of the past and allow himself to be helped.
Eighty-Four
PEGGY STARED AT herself in the wide, mirrored closet door. “After all these years of thinking about a family, being pregnant doesn’t seem quite real.”
Tim came out of the bathroom and crossed his arms. “How about those bouts of morning sickness? I bet that’s real enough.”
She rubbed her hand over her silky nightgown and the slight curvature beneath. “I don’t have a bad case like some poor gals. For me, a few soda crackers and weak tea do the trick.” She furrowed her brows and gave herself a stern, reprimanding look. “I only wish I could eat something that would make my shortcomings go away.”
Tim walked over and looked at the mirror too. Putting his arms around her, he pulled her close. “What shortcomings? You’re an amazing, beautiful, and perfect woman.”
“But will I be a good mother?”
“You’re going to be a great mom.”
“I wish I could be sure of that. Maybe I don’t know how to nurture. When I try to help Kevin out, I always seem to aggravate him.”
Tim laughed. “Kevin isn’t a child, and you’re not his mom.”
“I know, but what if I do and say the wrong things with our baby?”
He bent down and nuzzled her cheek. “You won’t. I’m sure of it.”
She turned around and put her arms around his neck. Tim seemed incapable of finding fault with her. When she wa
s with him, she always felt better about herself. “I just want our baby to feel loved. I want to do all the right things that a mother should do.”
Tim answered her with a kiss on the top of her head. “You will.”
“You’re positive?”
“Yes, I am.”
Gazing up at Tim’s strong, confident face, she let her shoulders relax and even smiled back at him. “I hope you know how much I love you.”
“And I love you.”
She inhaled a hint of shaving lotion that lingered on Tim’s neck. She took a deeper breath and let herself get lost in his scent and his words of comfort.
“Everything is okay,” he whispered.
“I hope Kevin knows that I care about him. I hope he feels that I’m only hard on him because I want the best for him.”
“He just needs time. He’ll come around.”
“I don’t know about that. He puts on a good show, but I think he’s very afraid of becoming a father, especially now that he and Carol are getting ready to move back to their apartment.”
“Kevin is smart. He’ll figure it out.”
“You’re both almost the same age. Why are you so secure about it all? If only Kevin were more like you.”
Tim pushed back a lock of her thick, red hair and nibbled an ear. “Maybe you’re too concerned about him.”
“I can’t help it. He can be such a mess.”
“You have to stop thinking about it. Anyway, that’s what Arel would tell you. You know how insistent he is about mothers being happy.”
She let out a sigh. “Yes, I know.”
Tim’s eyes were bright and mischievous. “Maybe we should go back to bed for a while.”
She smiled, getting caught up in the playful look he gave her. It short circuited her concern over Kevin. “Maybe we should.”
She felt a wonderful shudder of anticipation as she watched Tim climb into bed and gesture her over. She quickly put her worries on the back burner, but she also made a promise to herself. Tomorrow morning, she’d ask Arel about her feelings and see what he thought.
Eighty-Five
AREL HAD A problem, and he needed to pass his burden on to broader shoulders. Michael’s seemed like the obvious choice. “Good, you’re here,” he said as Michael joined him in the downstairs living area.
Michael walked over and gave him a look of surprise. “Why the scowl? You looked fine earlier.”
“That was before Peggy’s daily visit. You know that she’s been coming over the past couple of weeks. She has a cup of tea before she goes to work.”
“You two seem to get along very well. She always leaves with a smile after your chats.”
“Yes, I’m sure she does. After she’s deposited her load of woe on me, she’s free to go her merry way.”
“What’s this load of woe you’re talking about?”
“Each morning she’s been going over her life, trying to see if she’ll be a fit mother. She feels bad about being unkind to Kevin when they were kids. It seems that she was bossy and demanding. She’s afraid of being like that with her child. Anyway, every day it’s a new litany of sins from her past. She’s made me some kind of father confessor.”
“What do you tell her?”
“I tell her what she wants to hear, that she’s not really like that. That’s when the argument starts.”
“What argument?”
“She makes me the devil’s advocate. I have to convince her that she’s wonderful.” He gave Michael a questioning grimace. “Don’t you pay attention to what I’m going through?”
“I’m not here to invade your privacy. I’m here as your friend, one who will help out if you’re in trouble.”
Arel sat up straighter. “That’s the point. I am in trouble.” His golden glare was directed at his own father confessor. “I love Peggy dearly, but my nerves are shot.”
“Maybe you need to tell her how you feel.”
“Are you insane?”
Michael’s eyes took on a puzzled look as if he had to contemplate the question. “No, I don’t believe so.”
“Obviously you don’t know anything about women when it comes to this kind of thing. You can’t ever tell a pregnant woman that she’s a pain in the ass.”
“Well, I didn’t know that you were going to put it like that.”
Arel stood up, pushed Michael aside, and began pacing. “In her condition, Peggy is a sensitive creature that’s doing the best she can to navigate between happiness and crap. It’s fallen to me to captain her unsteady vessel to safe shores.”
“And you’re doing a wonderful job.”
“That’s what you think.” He walked back to where Michael was standing. “The captain’s boat is sinking. Who’s going to get the captain to safety? You’ve got to intervene in this situation. Just adjust her hormones a little.”
“I’m sure that’s not necessary. Nature knows what it’s doing. Peggy’s moods will even out in time.”
“That’s great. I figured that you’d have an excuse.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m desperate,” Arel groaned, bowing his head, going back into the role of a penitent. “If you can’t do anything about Peggy, you have to help me.”
“Tell me what I can do?”
Arel’s eyes came alive with his petition. “Give me the patience of a saint. Surely if you can bring me back from the dead, you can help in the patience department.”
Michael smiled broadly. “Arel, let me tell you about the patience of a saint. You’re up at 5:30, and you’re going nonstop until you fall into bed exhausted every night. No matter how irritated you are, you try never to be hurtful. You’re always there for all four of these young people, with everything from a meal to an encouraging word. You’ve put your own interests on hold to help them out. You’re already an example of patience. I couldn’t add anything more if I tried. Be proud of yourself.”
Arel paused as Michael’s praise sank in. “Thanks, Michael. I think.”
“It’s going to get easier soon. Aren’t Carol and Kevin moving back to their apartment this weekend?”
“Yes, Carol seems to be out of the woods. They can start living a normal life again.”
“So you can relax a little more.”
“I’m really going to miss them. Isn’t that crazy? Life will be easier, but—” He didn’t know how to finish the sentence. One minute, he was complaining about Peggy, and the next, he felt a forlorn sense of regret about Carol and Kevin not needing him anymore.
Michael came over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve got empty nest syndrome.”
He jerked his head up. “Empty what?”
“It’s common. Parents feel sad when their children leave home. You’re not Carol or Kevin’s parent, but you essentially took on that role. Thus the name, empty nest.”
“Well, I don’t want some accursed syndrome. The name alone is offensive. I’m not some nesting chicken who’s had its eggs ripped off.”
Michael almost grinned, but sobered immediately. “I’m glad you feel that way. Being sad isn’t something I recommend.”
Arel scowled down at the rug. He didn’t want to admit it, but he did feel sad. “Oh hell, just tell me what I can do about it.”
“Focus your energy in another direction. Let me show you.”
Arel felt his gut tighten, a sure sign that Michael was up to something. “I think I’m too tired.”
“This won’t require any of your energy.”
“On second thought, I’m fine.”
“Close your eyes. I can help.”
“Geez, Michael, please don’t send me to the dark ages again. I’ve had enough of that for a while.”
“I promise, now let everything go.”
“Easy for you to say, you don’t have Peggy, Carol and Kevin running around in your brain.”
“Exactly, so let’s help you put them where they belong.”
Arel shut his eyes tight and frowned. “And where’s that?”
“Like that’s easy.” He took stock of his mind. After a busy day, a myriad of details were still processing. Plus, there was a list of items for the next day wanting his attention. “I don’t think that I know how.”
“Pull your concentration downward, into your heart, the actual physical vessel,” Michael said soothingly.
“I’m trying, but—”
“Stay with it. If you need to, put your hand on your chest. Get in touch with your center.”
Arel let out a great, weary sigh, knowing he was in a bind. If he didn’t follow Michael’s suggestion, he’d probably be plagued by a restless night and wake up the next day feeling like hell. He obediently put his hand over his heart, tuning into the pump that moved his blood steadily in and out. “What’s next?”
“What do you feel?”
“Nothing, except for the steady beating.”
“Are you sure that there’s nothing else? Let your vision expand. See your friends in a space with you. Make it a special place, with the sun shining down. There are no agendas, nothing to think about. See yourself going somewhere that’s serene.”
“I like the idea of summer and the seaside.” Arel’s brow smoothed out as visions of sparkling, white sands and palm trees filled his mind. He’d never experienced vacation envy before. Now, getting away for a while seemed like exactly what he needed.
“And you can have a vacation of sorts, right now,” Michael continued. “Tell me what you’d see if you were actually on that beach.”
Arel smiled dreamily. “There’s an ocean breeze. Carol and Kevin are in lounge chairs, and so am I. Tim and Peggy are there too, but Peggy is so quiet. She’s sipping lemonade.” He paused. “I see you, Michael! You’re wearing shades and cut offs, and you’re walking along the water.”
“Sounds great.”
Arel sighed again, but this time it was a happy, blissful sound. “What a wonderful place.”
“And remember, it’s there for you whenever you want, for however long you want.”
Arel heard the sound of seagulls. Palm fronds waved softly overhead. “All my worries are gone when I’m here. It’s strange, but I don’t feel bad about Carol and Kevin leaving.”