She looked into his eyes, hating him for his superior attitude. How dare you consider yourself above me? Admittedly, he was a respected physician-turned-administrator with lots of pull in Columbus and beyond, but he was no match for Marcus, whose family tree for generations had cultivated money and exuded class as only the ‘old money’ rich could.
“You’re a married man, with a very sweet and devoted wife, and a son dying to follow in your footsteps. You shouldn’t be trying to hop into bed with every pretty woman you encounter.” Morgan clicked her tongue. “Tsk tsk; shame on you.”
“Touché.” Clay laughed deeply, genuinely, a rich sound both men and women found equally enjoyable. He admired a woman who could hold her own, a worthy sparring partner. “Like you’ve never strayed on Marcus? You, Miss Supermodel, do you honestly expect me to believe that?” He shook his head, smirking at her. “I think that with me, you just lost your nerve. Maybe you were afraid I’d be a bit more than you can handle, that you wouldn’t want to quit once we got started. I’m willing to bet that you’ve graced a few beds in this town, outside of your husband’s.”
Morgan laughed to cover her growing anxiety and distaste at the direction the conversation was taking. In the dimness of the bar, she saw he didn’t believe her. “Think what you will, but the truth is that I’ve never been unfaithful to my husband. Not once; I’ve never even considered it.”
“You certainly had me fooled. You give the impression that you’ve ridden around the back seat of a limo a few times, Morgan. You come off as quite the tease,” he taunted, but had to admire her candor. He was beginning to wonder if there was more to the former cover girl than merely her beautiful exterior.
Morgan took another sip of her drink and glanced at her watch. She was certain Clay would be amused to know that Marcus didn’t seem to care where she was. The thought made her wonder if perhaps she should leave with Clay, spend the night with him, if he was still interested. It was obvious that he found her attractive; he was a very desirable man himself, and she might be able to use it to her advantage one day. It would serve Marcus right.
Clay took one last swallow of his drink before he pulled some bills from his black leather wallet and placed them on the bar near his empty glass. He was no longer interested in making Marcus Cole’s wife his conquest, even if he wasn’t sure why. His ardor had inexplicably cooled, and the game was over without having been won by either of them. It was time to call it a day, to go home to his wife whom, despite his peccadilloes, he loved and desired.
He turned to Morgan. “A word of advice, Mrs. Cole,” he uttered soberly as he stepped down from the stool. “Don’t play with matches if you can’t handle the fire. This isn’t high school where teasing is frustrating for the guy, but also somewhat expected—of the nice girls, anyway. You’re too old to play the shy virgin; no one would ever believe it. I’ve let you off the hook; your next mark might not be such a gentleman.”
Morgan watched as he turned and strode out of the bar as if he owned everything his gaze fell upon. She focused her attention back to her drink, and asked herself why she was sitting there in the first place. Santoni’s was a nice restaurant and respectable lounge. Looking around, she saw mostly couples of varied ages, but she guessed most of the patrons were thirty-something. Brannan’s Point was a small city with no dangerous or shady areas. There was nothing wrong in having a drink, but something inside told her she needed to get out of there before someone saw her and it got back to Marcus. Everyone knew each other in their little corner of the world, and it was no secret that there were more than a few women interested in dethroning Morgan from her coveted spot in Marcus’ life.
***
Bernie was fatigued, unsettled and anxious as he tried unsuccessfully to concentrate on the ten o’clock TV news, but his mind kept wandering. Brownie’s visit had shaken him to his very core and he knew would never forget the almost desolate loneliness he was left with when Brownie disappeared and he found himself alone. Bernie had become caught up in his feelings, particularly a sense that by expressing his disbelief, he had disappointed God Himself. It didn’t make sense, that’s just how it felt.
“What sort of help could I possibly give Morgan Cole?” Bernie muttered as he leaned his head back against the soft, brown leather chair, which over the years had molded itself to the contours of his body. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes as a feeling of extreme weariness, bone tiredness, seemed to overtake his being. “What is it I’m supposed to do? God, I can’t stand feeling this way!”
“You could be her friend, Bernie; just be her friend. While you’ve disagreed many times, she respects you.”
Bernie’s eyes immediately opened upon hearing Brownie’s voice. The familiar teddy bear sat across from him on the tan brocade couch beneath the old portrait of a youthful Isabel. Bernie lamented, “Brownie, I don’t know what to do, something has happened to me. This is all too real—your presence, I mean. I don’t want to disappoint God!” He ran his hands across his face and thought, I sound like a raving lunatic.
Brownie smiled. “Tell me what’s troubling you. Perhaps I can help you make sense of what you’re feeling.”
Bernie leaned forward in his chair. “I can’t get what you said out of my mind. While I have no idea what I could possibly do for Morgan Cole, I know I was wrong to turn you down the way I did. I don’t understand any of this, or why it is happening. I mean, why would God want my help?”
“It’s amazing how many times I’ve heard that same sentiment since I arrived,” Brownie mused. It was almost verbatim. “Why wouldn’t God want your help? He created you, didn’t He?”
“Why yes, of course He did, but that doesn’t suddenly make me believe in Jesus! Lord knows Isabel tried her best to make me see Jesus as Messiah, but she was never able to. I’m a Jew, Brownie. Jesus was only a carpenter, a Rabbi. The Jews were looking for a king they never found, who never arrived!”
“Jesus is also a Jew, the Galilean prophesied about in the Old Testament,” Brownie said quietly. “May I trouble you for a cup of tea? I’m feeling a bit thirsty this evening.”
Embarrassed, Bernie shook his head. He ate most of his meals out and seldom cooked. “I’m sorry, Brownie, I don’t have any tea. There isn’t much of anything in the kitchen. I’ve got coffee, and might even have some instant hot chocolate, but not tea.”
“That’s okay; don’t fret about it.” Brownie tilted his head slightly as he looked at Bernie. “Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like?”
Who hadn’t? Bernie shrugged his shoulders. “I figure I won’t make it, so if there is one, why wonder about something you can never have?”
“It’s a beautiful place, Bernie, even to a fatalist like you. I could try to explain it to you, but that would be impossible. There are no words in your language to describe some of the sights, particularly the colors and fragrance of the flowers. It’s the first thing humans comment on when they arrive.”
“I don’t know why, but I believe you,” Bernie said softly. His view of Heaven was of people in white robes tending sheep for eternity, though he had no idea where that image came from. “I’d like to believe that Isabel made it; I know how much it meant to her. It makes it easier to know that she’s truly in a better place, as they say.”
“Would you like to have a look for yourself?” Brownie asked as he hopped off the chair. “I’d love to introduce you to my counterparts, at least the few of them that are still in Heaven. This is a busy time for most of us. The Father has sent us on more missions than ever!”
“Have a look at Heaven?”
Brownie nodded. “We’ll be back in no time.”
Before Bernie could protest, Brownie took his hand. He was aware of motion and a swirling, transparent golden mist surrounding them, a light that shone above the mist. The light was bright but not blindingly so; was white, yet cool and warm at the same time. It was as if his house fell away and Bernie felt himself ascending toward the light. He looked down briefly, surprise
d that beneath him everything appeared to be swathed in a cold, gray darkness, a land of shadows and fear.
As the ascent continued, Bernie looked around as beautiful pastel colors gently exploded like silent fireworks all around them, leaving glittering vapor trails of gold, silver, pink and light blue. Shades of lavender, of turquoise and extraordinary yellows he had never seen were everywhere. He was reminded of friends in college who had shared details of their LSD trips with him, who had described brightly colored lights that exploded all around them. He fleetingly wondered if he was losing his mind.
“Have you ever seen anything like it?” Brownie asked with a smile on his face. “This is sort of like the driveway to where I live, and every time I see it I can barely contain myself! I don’t think humans truly realize how creative He is.”
Bernie drank in the intoxicating swirl of colors as they came closer to the light. Seconds later, he was aware that there was firmness beneath his feet. The light dispersed, expanding and separating until it dissipated like vapor.
“I am rather limited in what I can show you,” Brownie cautioned. “And while I know your heart’s desire is to see Isabel, I must tell you that I haven’t been given permission to do that at the moment.”
“Not even for a second?” Bernie asked like a child trying to strike a bargain with an immovable parent. “To be so close and not see her!” He clutched his heart.
“You aren’t staying, Bernie. It would be too painful for Isabel and you to see one another, and then have to part. You wouldn’t want to hurt her, would you?”
“No,” Bernie said humbly and looked around. The sky was the most incredible shade of blue, almost indescribable. It wasn’t robin’s egg, wasn’t azure; it wasn’t any identifiable shade of blue he had ever seen or could describe. When Bernie looked up, he saw not only blue, but blue blended with mauve and pink, and it was breathtaking to say the least.
Beneath his feet was a carpet of the most luxurious, lush green grass he had ever seen, once again of an indescribable shade that was not quite sage, and not quite forest or Kelly. The air had a sweetness and freshness he had never experienced before, fragrant and unfamiliar to him. He took a deep breath, allowing it to fill his lungs and immediately he felt revitalized. He wondered if earth ever had such glorious air, before man ruined it in his efforts to improve it.
“Come, Bernie. I see some of my friends. They’d love to meet you,” Brownie said and took the man’s hand. “You’ll find that we love humans!”
Bernie allowed himself to be led by the bear that was suddenly much larger than he had been on earth, now standing nearly five-feet tall! As they walked along, Bernie saw trees he’d never seen before in rich shades of green that went up as far as the eye could see. Flowers in amazing shades of pinks, purples, even reds and greens were in full and glorious bloom. They gave off a sweet fragrance and Bernie continued to breathe in the magnificent air of Heaven. Like a child, he thought to himself that perhaps if he breathed in enough of it, he would still have some left when he returned home.
Beneath one of the trees, Bernie saw a group of teddy bears like Brownie. They appeared to be having a picnic and enjoying themselves immensely as they sat on the grass drinking tea.
Suddenly one of them was on their feet. “Brownie! Hello, Brownie!” This bear was pink with a ring of pink-and-white roses around her head. She sounded female and Bernie was astounded. He smiled in awe and found himself wondering if he was snoring loudly on his couch, dreaming an amazing tale he would likely forget.
“Teerah!” Brownie began to walk faster as he pulled Bernie along with him. “I’ve missed you, Teerah!”
Teerah looked somewhat apprehensively at Bernie, clad in his earthly night clothes and bedroom slippers; this made Brownie laugh. “I believe that they call these ‘pajamas’. This is Bernie, one of my new friends from Ohio, in the States.”
“Hello,” Bernie said hoping his feelings of awkwardness did not come across as unfriendly. He wasn’t sure how to address one of Brownie’s fellow teddy bear angels. “Uh, it’s nice to meet all of you.”
Teerah smiled. “Why, you’re Isabel’s husband,” she said in a sweetly soft, almost childlike voice. “And you’re also the father of Seth, are you not?”
“You know my Isabel? You know my son, too?” Bernie asked and then wondered why he should be surprised.
“Why, yes,” Teerah replied. “We all love Isabel. She’s a charming lady. She loves flowers, especially the lilies of the valley that grow near the Gates. Her house and gardens are filled with them! Everyone loves to go to visit her home.”
“She has a house?” Bernie asked.
“We all have homes,” Teerah explained and then giggled. “We don’t live on the streets here, Bernie, although we do spend a lot of time there. Every dwelling place here is specifically created individually for us by the Lord.”
“Bernie, meet more of my fellow angels,” Brownie said. “This is Quigley, and this is Rasha. They will be on the earth soon. All-in-all, there are probably one-hundred or so of us participating in the Father’s Christmas mission this year.”
Quigley was a white Polar bear with a festive red-and-white scarf, a matching pom-pom beret set jauntily sideways on his head. He had big blue eyes, and was smaller than Brownie and the others. He tipped his beret in a greeting and bowed.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Quigley.” Bernie managed what he was certain was a very silly-looking bow of his own.
Rasha was black with long, curly fur and sported a red-and-green-plaid vest and red bow-tie. “Welcome, Bernie,” Rasha greeted him.
“Hi.” Bernie was astounded by the sights before him. Never in his wildest dreams had he pictured himself actually standing in Heaven, never mind in the company of teddy bear angels.
“Care to have some tea with us, Brownie?” Teerah invited and Bernie could have sworn she was flirting with his escort. “I know how much you enjoy a good cup of tea.”
“Yes, Teerah, that would be lovely.”
Teerah nodded before turning to Bernie. “Would you care for some, Bernie? We have plenty.”
“Actually, my throat is a little dry.” Bernie was not sure he should be drinking tea in Heaven with angels, but he was thirsty. “I hope that will be okay.”
“Of course it will, so please come and join us,” Teerah invited. “How do you take your tea?”
Quigley had begun pouring a cup and stopped to look up at him to await further instructions as to how to prepare Bernie’s tea.
“With milk and honey, please, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all,” Quigley replied in a distinctly British accent that caught Bernie off guard and made him smile. The voice suited him perfectly.
“Come, Bernie,” Teerah encouraged, motioning him to sit with them and have his tea. “Do make yourself comfortable. Enjoy.”
Bernie had no idea how much time passed as he drank the most delicious tea imaginable, and spoke easily with four adorable angels. He was awed by the situation he had found himself in, and with each passing moment, he grew certain that he must be asleep back home, dreaming this incredible adventure.
When they had finished their tea, Brownie announced, “I’m sorry, Teerah, but I’m afraid that Bernie and I must be on our way. He must return home soon, and I’m sure, too, that you will be leaving for your mission.”
Bernie handed his empty cup to Teerah with a smile. “Thank you for the tea, Teerah. It’s funny; I feel as if I’ve known all of you for a very long time.”
Rasha nodded. “So do we. That’s the way it is here, Bernie. All is love.”
Teerah smiled at Bernie. “It was lovely to meet you, Bernie; very lovely indeed.”
Bernie nodded as he got to his feet.
“I’ll see all of you very soon,” Brownie stated and Bernie felt himself being pulled along once again. He waved at the curious group of teddy bears and allowed himself to be led on.
As they walked along, Bernie heard the
sound of a beautiful choir of magnificent voices harmonizing in a way he had never imagined possible. It reminded him of a Christmas choir, the kind heard on TV specials during the holidays, except the singing had been overdubbed on a powerful mixer that perfected each and every voice. The sound filled the air, and then traveled above it so that it was everywhere, like the most amazing, advanced sound system ever created. “What’s that?”
“Those are the voices of the Heavenly Hosts. They’re singing praises to God. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I’ve never heard anything like it.”
“We do a lot of that here. When God’s people sing, to Him they sound like angels, even if they can’t carry a tune.”
Bernie looked around. He saw people walking along an adjacent road. There were men and women, some of them clutching the tiny hands of children. All were clothed in robes and gowns of assorted colors, and though they were a distance away, Bernie sensed they were happy. He heard gentle laughter float through the air and smiled. It seemed to Bernie that a long time had passed since the sounds of happiness came anywhere near him.
“Where are they going?” Bernie asked.
“They’re on their way to the City,” Brownie explained. “Everyone’s favorite place is the Throne. Jesus is always with His people, from greeting the new arrivals to visiting with them all over Heaven. It’s glorious, just glorious!”
“Can we go there, to the City, I mean?” Bernie asked, growing excited. He was certain that if they went in that direction, despite Brownie’s denial, he might still catch a glimpse of Isabel. It was worth a shot. “Please?”
Brownie shook his head, sadly aware of what was in his companion’s heart. He was about to remind Bernie that he couldn’t see Isabel when it became clear to him that something had changed.
“I’m sorry, Brownie. I had to try.” Bernie exhaled with a loud sigh that seemed to take his very breath away and made him shrink in physical stature. He looked around at the beauty it had been his honor to witness. He wanted more. “It’s just that— “
BROWNIE: An Angel's Visit Page 14