by Joy Redmond
Since Abbie had seen the angel as it turned purple, then flapped its wings, Mandy wondered if Purple Angel would return to protect Abbie.
She shrugged it off and basked in the joy of her baby witnessing the precious angel work her magic. Abbie seemed to be in tune with the spirit world too. Abbie was fay like herself, and Mandy knew Abbie would be warned if anything were to put her on the path of destruction.
December the twenty-second, Mandy was reading to Abbie before they turned in for the night; her favorite part of the day when they spent their time together. Just as Mandy closed the book, they heard a light tapping on the front door. “Well, who is that this time of night,” Mandy said.
She peered out the living room window, but didn’t see a car in the driveway. Just before she reached the door, she saw a hand reach up and tap on the glass window at the top of the wooden door. She recognized the ring and screamed, “Kati!”
Mandy flung the door open and Kati flung herself into Mandy’s arms. “Mama! Mama!” Kati cried as she hugged her mother so tightly, Mandy wondered if Kati was going to squeeze the breath out of her, and hoped she would.
“Kati, my Kati!” Mandy cried as she hugged her daughter, never wanting to turn loose. “I thought you were going to call when you headed this way. But I love surprises and this is the best one ever!” Mandy’s heart raced and bounced around in her chest as she held her oldest daughter tightly. She closed her eyes and took in the smell and the feel of Katie, then Abbie came running in.
“Kati!” Abbie cried as she reached for her sister.
Kati scooped Abbie off the floor and hugged her tightly. “My, you’ve grown so much. And you’re a bit too heavy for me to pick up anymore.” Kati kissed Abbie’s forehead as she gently put her back on the floor.
“Are you by yourself, honey?” Mandy asked.
Kati stepped back and opened the storm door. “Come on in. Mama doesn’t bite. Too hard.”
A short, wisp of a man with dark hair stepped across the door sill with his hands in his pockets and his head tucked as if he feared he was about to get it bitten off. He shuffled in and didn’t look at anyone.
“Mama, this is Jay. Jay, you can look up. I don’t think your feet are going to run off if you don’t keep an eye on them,” Kati said with a sharp tone.
Jay halfway raised his head, and Mandy could see he also had brown eyes, but he didn’t look Mandy in the eyes as he said, “Hi.”
Well, aren’t you an intelligent one, Mandy thought, and you’re the size of a horse jockey. “Nice to meet you, Jay. Please come on in and we’ll go into the TV room. Can I get you something to drink? Are you hungry? I can rustle up something.”
“We’ll take a Coke,” Kati said. “We ate over in Tampa. So we’re good for the night.”
Kati held Abbie’s hand as they headed toward the TV room, and Jay trailed behind, his head tucked, his hands jammed into his jeans pockets, and Mandy wondered if he was going to run into the doorframe. What a dork!
She laughed as Fluffy arched his back and hissed. Good judge of character, Mandy thought, and headed into the kitchen. She took two Cokes from the fridge and pried off the tops. “Do you want your Cokes poured into glasses or do you want them straight from the bottle?”
“Bottles are fine,” Kati answered.
Mandy was so excited seeing Kati, her stomach was dancing and rolling, but the sight of Jay gave her a sick feeling. Something just ain’t right about that man. But I’m not going to let him or anybody else spoil Christmas. She walked into the TV room and handed Kati and Jay a Coke.
“Abbie, you know it’s too late for you to have a Coke,” Mandy said. Then she noticed Fluffy was in the far corner, next to the TV, and he seemed to be keeping his eyes on Jay, as if he were a mouse and he was waiting for the right time to pounce. The cat’s green eyes narrowed and his tail twitched but he never let his gaze leave the mere wisp of a human.
“I know, Mama. But I bet Kati will give me a drink or two out of her bottle.” Abbie giggled, and Mandy watched as Kati handed the bottle to Abbie. Abbie took a long swig and giggled again, along with a loud burp, which sent Kati into giggles too. Mandy laughed with them, her heart full of joy.
After Kati and Abbie had polished off the Coke, Mandy said, “Kati, stand up. Let me see and rub your baby bump. I want to let my grandbaby know it’s loved by Nana.”
Kati stood up and Mandy rubbed her hand in circles over her stomach. “Well, honey, you don’t have much of a bump. You’re hiding the little sweetie very well.” Mandy bent and kissed Kati’s stomach. “Nana loves you, my sweet baby.”
Jay shuffled his feet as if he either wanted to jump up and run or dance a jig. “I’ll go get our bags out of the car. Where do I take them?” he asked.
Before Mandy could answer, Fluffy jumped up, ran across the floor, stood in front of Jay, arched his back into a perfect Halloween cat, and hissed again. Jay almost ran from the room as if he thought he was about to be attacked by a tiger.
“Just go down the hallway and take them to the bedroom on the right,” Kati called out. “Mama, what’s wrong with this stupid cat?”
“He’s very protective of Abbie, and he doesn’t like strangers in the house. He’ll calm down.”
When Jay was out of the room, Kati asked, “When are you expecting Grandmother, Granddaddy, and Tony to arrive? I can’t wait to see them. Especially, Tony. I miss him so much, I cry myself to sleep some nights. It’s so good to be home, Mama. I—”
Kati stopped talking when she heard Jay come back inside the house. She hugged Abbie, again. “And I miss you too, you little brat.” They both giggled.
“Mother said they’d be here tomorrow. So we’ve got tonight to get caught up on things before they get here. You know Grandmother will give you the third degree and badger you until you want to scream,” Mandy said.
“How well I know,” Kati said. “Let me go show Jay where to put our bags.”
Mandy followed Kati down the hallway and into the bedroom. “There’s plenty of drawer space if you want to put some things in them,” Mandy said as she opened two top drawers of the chest. “And there’s plenty of room in the closet if you need to hang things.” She glanced at Jay, who was standing in the middle of the floor still holding two large canvas bags. “Just put them down at the foot of the bed. I’ll help Kati unpack.”
Jay dropped the bags, kept his head tucked and brushed past Mandy. Mandy caught the smell of whiskey. So that’s why you don’t want to talk or get too close. Tucking your head doesn’t stop the smell, you jerk. Her heart pounded with anger and sorrow.
Mandy was about to call for Abbie, when she came running down the hall, Fluffy running behind her. “Can I help?”
“We’ve got this, sweetie. You just keep us company,” Mandy said.
After the bags were unpacked, they all headed into the TV room. Jay had turned on the TV and was flipping through the channels when Fluffy stood in front of him, arched and hissed again. Mandy said, “Abbie, put Fluffy in my bedroom and shut the door. He’ll get on my bed and go to sleep. You and Fluffy will be sleeping with me tonight. But when Grandmother and Granddaddy get here, they’ll take my room and you and I will pull out the couch and sleep in the TV room.”
“Do you have to work tomorrow?” Kati asked.
“No. I’ve got tomorrow off and also the day after Christmas. But, I’ve got to go grocery shopping tomorrow. Do you want to go with me? If there’s something special you’d like to have for Christmas dinner, just let me know.”
“No, I want to go to the beach. I’ve really missed seeing the ocean and sticking my toes in the cool water and the sand. I had forgotten that it’s still in the eighties in December, here in Florida. It’s already as cold as a well digger’s ass in Missouri, but no snow. I also forgot how much I hate cold weather, but—”
Jay interrupted. “You hate everything.”
“Well, it speaks,” Mandy said, and she didn’t care if she was being sarcastic. He was one rude jerk.
Kati giggled. “I told you about Mama.”
Jay gave Mandy a hard glare and Mandy saw a soul that was dark.
Mandy had an overwhelming urge to say, Well, it can also look a person in the eyes. But she kept her mouth shut.
“Mama, let’s go through old picture albums. We used to have so much fun doing that. And we might find a dead lizard.” Kati said. “And I’ll have something to throw at Jay. A dead lizard and him would be two of a kind.”
“Kati,” Mandy mumbled under her breathe. “Don’t start anything. Let’s keep this visit happy. Okay?” Mandy opened the doors on the front of the coffee table and took out picture albums. “Now this is gonna be fun. We’ll find all the pictures of Christmases past. We’ve had some great ones.”
Mandy, Kati, and Abbie sat on one couch and went through the albums, laughed, and made fun of how they were dressed back in the day. Jay fell over on the other couch, and soon he was snoring. Kati walked over, shook Jay and told him to go get in her bed and she’d be there in a few minutes. Jay gave Kati a hard glare but managed to drag himself off the couch and shuffled down the hallway.
By midnight, they were all yawning. “I think it’s time we called it a night. Abbie, take Fluffy to his litter box, then brush your teeth and get dressed for bed.” Mandy gathered Kati in her arms. “It’s so good to have you home. I wish you would stay. Thank you so much for coming and making this Christmas special. I hope I can contain myself until Tony gets here.” Mandy kissed Kati. “I’ll see you in the morning, darling. If you need me during the night, you know where I am.”
Kati kissed her mother on the cheek. “I love you, Mama. It’s good to be home.” Kati teared up, but she shook it off. Then she kissed Mandy’s other cheek and whispered, “That one is from Amos. He said to give it to you and tell you Merry Christmas.”
Mandy kissed Kati’s other cheek. “You take that back to Amos and tell him I wish him the best, always.” She wiped her eyes. “Oh,” she said as she kissed Kati’s cheek again. “Give that one to Jillian. Tell her I love her. I always will. I’m so happy that you two are close. You always were like sisters and she was always like my other daughter.”
“Jillian and I are closer than ever. If it wasn’t for her, I think I’d die of boredom. She’s always there for me. Weekends are great. Her boyfriend works and Jay is—” Kati dropped her head and didn’t finish her sentence. “Jillian loves you too, Mama. She always will. I’m going on to bed before I get too emotional. Hormones, you know.” Kati managed a slight laugh, but Mandy knew it was forced.
“Good night, sweetheart. We’ll talk later. I know there’s things you aren’t telling me. And I’m not prying. I’m just offering an ear. And I won’t give any advice.” She sighed deeply. “I’m just here for you. Always.”
Kati didn’t answer her mother, she just turned and slowly walked out of the room as if her heart was too heavy for her to keep on standing and talking. Mandy watched her daughter walk down the hallway, her heart breaking and feeling as if it were going to fall out of her body. As I said, I’ll be here to help you pick up the pieces when your fairytale dreams fall apart. And I think the pieces are already falling.
Mandy went into her bedroom and found Abbie and Fluffy with their heads snuggled up on a pillow. She got ready for the night, then eased herself into bed, reached over and turned out the lamp on the nightstand table and whispered, “Goodnight, Abbie. Goodnight Fluffy.”
Mandy closed her eyes, took ten deep breaths and silently prayed, Dear God, thank you for this wonderful Christmas. Please show me what to do and how to help Kati. Something is wrong. Very wrong. And as usual when it comes to Kati, I have no idea what to say or what to do.
Mandy was in a deep when she felt someone shaking her body. Hard. Mandy surged upward from the depths of sleep and sat up in bed. “What’s wrong, Kati?” She reached up and turned on the lamp. No one was in the room. Her heart pounding, she got out of bed, walked through the living room, listened for sounds, then went down the hallway. She eased opened the door to Kati’s bedroom. The nightlight was burning and she could clearly see Kati and Jay back to back in the bed and they were both snoring.
She quietly closed the door, tiptoed up the hallway and headed back to her bedroom. Who shook me? What are the spirits trying to tell me? Just as she passed the doorway that led into the TV room, she saw a purple glow. She walked into the TV room and her heart sang. The angel was brightly glowing a beautiful purple. Mandy stood in awe for a few seconds, then slowly gossamer wings began to beat to the rhythm of her heart. “Stay with us. We need you. I don’t think you shook me, but I know you’re here to assure me that everything is going to be alright. Now, you need to turn off your light and get some sleep,” Mandy whispered, and waved as she left the room.
She crawled back into bed and peace enshrouded her, filled her heart and eased her mind. Purple Angel was back, if only for Christmas. She wondered if she would be able to rewrap the beautiful angel in tissue paper and put her up until next Christmas.
Maybe I’ll just leave her out, Mandy thought, then she fell into a peaceful sleep, feeling the strong love from the angels and all heavenly beings.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Although Mandy had only gotten a few hours of sleep, she woke up early, refreshed and energetic, and felt as if she had slept for a week. She eased out of bed, careful not to wake Abbie and Fluffy. Mandy stood over them for a few seconds, then reached down and brushed Abbie’s hair from her eyes. After she finished her bathroom duties, she went into the kitchen and started cooking.
By the time the household was awake, a pot of coffee had perked, its song bubbling away in the kitchen. A platter of crispy bacon, a platter of easy-over eggs, a skillet of hash browns smothered with onions, and a plate of buttered toast was on the table.
Just as she was about to call out, “Breakfast is ready!” Kati walked into the kitchen.
“The smell of wonderful food woke me up,” she said as she rubbed her eyes and hugged Mandy. She eyed the table. “I haven’t had a decent breakfast since I left home. Well, I had a couple when I stayed a few nights with Jillian, but then—” Kati waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. That’s the past. I want the here and the now and that means it’s time to dig in.” She reached for two pieces of bacon, stuffed them into her mouth, and then started filling her plate.
Jay came into the kitchen and sat down beside Kati. “Pour me a cup of coffee. I don’t eat breakfast. You know that.”
Mandy was about to have a seat, but she caught herself in mid-air and stood back up. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Kati, I’ll bring you some orange juice. I don’t want you giving the baby hyper-juice.”
Jay sneered and made a blowing sound with his lips and he reminded Mandy of a child blowing a raspberry.
“Jeer all you want, but caffeine isn’t healthy for an unborn in the womb. Things have changed since your mother and I were pregnant. We didn’t know any better.”
Kati acted as if her husband and mother weren’t even having a conversation. She continued to eat as if she were half-starved. She stopped shoveling food into her mouth when Abbie sat down beside her. “Here, baby. You want some hash browns? I was about to finish them off.”
“Yeah. I want a little of everything if you left anything for me and Mama,” Abbie said, eyeing the almost empty platters.
“Mama and you eat like birds. There’s plenty. Right, Mama?”
“There’s plenty. And if not, I can cook some more.” Mandy glanced at Jay. “There’s more coffee if you want another cup. Help yourself,” she said, as she motioned toward the counter with her head.
After breakfast, Mandy cleaned up the kitchen and told the girls to go have a sister to sister talk and enjoy each other. She noticed that Jay had left the kitchen and went outside after he refilled his coffee cup. She wondered what he was doing out there, but she didn’t really care.
Suddenly, Mandy started laughing so hard she was holding her sides as she pictu
red Houdini running up Jay’s pant leg or jumping in the middle of his chest, blowing out his red throat. Though it had been several months since she had seen the lizard, she hoped he was still around, just long enough to scare the bejesus out of Jay.
Mandy looked at the clock. “Hey, girls. I’ve got to get to the grocery store. I don’t know what time your grandparents will get here, but somebody needs to be here when they arrive. Kati, can you and Jay wait until they get here before you take off for the beach?”
“I want to go now. After Grandmother and Granddaddy get here, you know there’s no way I’ll be able to get away from them.”
Abbie said, “Mama, I’m eight and I’m big enough to stay by myself. I know to lock the doors and not let anybody in. Me and Fluffy will stay on the couch in the living room and I’ll read to Fluffy while we wait.”
“Yeah, Mama. You still think Abbie is a baby. She’ll be okay until you get back.”
“Well, I won’t be gone that long. I just don’t want Mother to start lecturing me about leaving a child alone if they get here before I get back. Ah, crap! Here I go getting all upset about what Mother will say. I thought I’d gotten over her laying down the rules and me being terrified that I’d break one of her commandments, and she and Dad would pitch me out of my own home.”
Mandy found herself rushing through the grocery, checking off the items on her list. Finally, she made it through the checkout line. When the cashier told her the total, she felt faint. Here goes the biggest part of my Christmas bonus. But I want to fix a traditional dinner and by golly, I’m going to, she told herself as she paid the bill.
Mandy came home and was thankful her parents hadn’t arrived, but she was anxious to see Tony. Abbie helped carry in sacks and helped put everything in the pantry and fridge. “We did it in time, sweetie. Thank you for helping.” Fluffy ran into the kitchen and meowed. “Oh, yeah. I guess you want your dinner too.” Then Mandy started laughing as she opened the pantry and took out a can of Friskies. “Lord, is Mother ever gonna stroke out when she sees a cat in the house! And Dad, too!”