Unexpected Angel (23 page)

Chapter 38

Something odd caught Wally’s eye as he pulled the car into the parking lot at the apartment complex.  He noticed a soft amber glow coming from his bedroom window.  I must have left the TV on, he thought, as he shut the car door and started down the walk. There was so much jabbering and carrying on, this morning, over what the folks at the office might say about us.  My whole world is different.  It’s like Norman just waltzed in, blew all my routines to bits, and turned my life upside down.  Ah, but isn’t it fun? 

Before he reached the entrance to the building, Wally looked again at the window with the amber glow.  He conjectured that it wasn’t exactly like the glow from a TV.  He wondered if it shouldn’t be more of a bluish white with reds and greens mixed in?  Then he surmised that the light should be pulsating because of the constantly changing scenes on the screen. Well, I guess I will find out when I get up there.

Wally was alone on the elevator.  It was here that the shock began to wear off and the loss began to set in.  What if he doesn’t come back? he thought.  What if they find his body downstream and I have to go to the morgue? What if they can’t find his family and I have to make the arrangements.  Part of me died with Tony.  Will the rest of me die with Norman?  Wally’s cheeks were wet when the elevator door opened on the third floor.  No one was in the corridor.  He was thankful for that.

Wally entered his apartment and closed the door behind him, He walked across the living room and into the short hallway leading to the bedrooms and bath.  Sure enough, the glow was still there. Shouldn’t there be sound, if I left the TV on?  This place is so quiet I can hear the clock tick. No, wait.  There’s a soft humming sound like something electrical.  I wonder what it is.

Wally’s heart began to race.  OK, what is going on here?  I hope I don’t get mugged when I walk through that door.  There
is
something strange . . .

The words got caught in his throat as he entered the room and saw the source of the amber glow.  He was face to face with Norman, a semi-transparent radiant Norman, dressed in a shimmering amber-colored robe.  Norman was standing on the bed.  Not a single indentation, or even a wrinkle, was visible on the spread.  Norman stretched out his arms and spoke.

“Don’t be afraid, Wally.  I couldn’t just run off and leave you.  I convinced them to let me come back and say goodbye.”

“Them?” said Wally.  He quivered.  His chin trembled.  “Leaving me?  What are you talking about?”

Norman spoke softly,  “The folks up yonder.  You know, like Heaven.”

Wally’s voice went up in pitch.  “You mean, you’re dead?  You’re a ghost?”

“No.  I’m
not
a ghost.  I’m a deputy angel.”  Norman seemed proud of this revelation.

“A what?” asked Wally.

“A deputy angel.  I am not a
real
angel
all
the time.  Just when they have a job for me to do.  I’m also what you might call an angel in training.

Wally stood in wonderment.  He couldn’t talk.  He couldn’t cry.  He couldn’t even think of another question.

Norman went on, “They won’t find my body.  You see, I’ve been a deputy angel ever since we started working together, and even before that.”

“Yeah, but you were real.  I touched you.  You touched me.  We . . .”

“That’s the problem,” interrupted Norman.  “They sent me here to do a couple of jobs, and I fell in love with you.  They reprimanded me, and I tried so hard to control myself.  But I did the big no-no.”

“What’s that?” quizzed Wally.  He was beginning to be more at ease.

“I made out with you.  I made love to you.  That’s so . . . so not angelic.  They said I had malfunctioned, and they would do a recall on me just as soon as I finished the other job.”

“What other job?”

“That little girl in the truck..  She’s going to become a scientist.  She’ll work with some doctors to discover the cure for Alzheimer’s disease.”  Norman bristled, content with a job well done.

“Well,” asked Wally.  “Why didn’t God just prevent the accident or stop the flood?”

“Oh, he could have done it that way.  Easily.  However, he wanted the little girl to have a personal encounter that would leave her open to God’s spirit working in her heart.  Never doubt God.  He knows what he’s doing, even if it does seem kind of round-about or strange.”

“Was I  one of your jobs?” asked Wally.

“Yes, God knew how devastated you would be when Tony got killed, so he sent me here a few years early to become your friend and learn all about you.”

“But you seemed so real and I could feel you when we hugged and kissed and . . . “

”Listen,” said Norman. “ Heaven wrote the book on virtual reality.  They pull it off so well that earth people don’t notice any difference at all.  And, the more we get involved with you all, the more we feel it too.  That was another problem.”

Wally giggled.

“That’s good, Wallykins.  You’re turning back into the man I want to remember for eternity.  You were supposed to be just another job for me, but I got kind of . . . you know, like
involved
.  Man, you are fantastic.  I will
never
be the same again.”

“I’m kind of overwhelmed, too.  I always thought you were out of this world, but I didn’t know you
really
were,” said Wally.

Norman chuckled.   “Do you remember the day I blew a kiss to you?  Well, here’s another.” Norman puckered his lips and blew the kiss across his hand.

What Wally felt when the kiss landed upon his cheek was the sensation of Norman’s lips on his skin.  “Man alive!  That virtual stuff is incredible.”

“Come over here, “ said Norman.  “Let me show you something else.  They’ll probably yank me right out of here after this next move.”

Wally moved toward Norman.

“Now, don’t touch me,” admonished Norman.  “Your hand will go right through me.  I am not real flesh.  More like a hologram.”

With Wally as close to him as possible, Norman lifted his finger and touched Wally’s forehead.  “Here,” said Norman, “It’s my love.”

Wally squealed with delight.  A feeling of intense satisfaction came upon him, and he began to purr like the happiest kitten on the planet.  He could feel Norman’s arms around him, Norman’s lips on his, the warmth of Norman’s body, and even Norman’s breath as a whisper in his ear.  “I love you, Wally.” But Norman had not moved.

“Wow,” exclaimed Wally.  “You’re incredible.”

A low rumble, like thunder, got their attention.  A whistling sound, like the wind, went here and there throughout the room.   Everything became quiet.  Then a resonant masculine voice spoke, “Norman!. Haven’t we warned you about such behavior with humans?”

Wally’s mouth flew open.  He gasped.  “That must be God!  Oh, good heavens, what have we done?”

Norman looked at Wally.  “No, that’s not God.  That’s the Arch-Angel Superior, Gordon.  He’s my boss.  I guess it’s time for me to go.  I’ve done it again.”

Wally’s spirit sunk within him.  “Don’t leave me, Norman.”

“I have to.  Listen, you’re going to be OK.  I just put some of my love in your heart, to stay there forever. He looked at Wally and blew another kiss.  “I love you, Wally.”

“I love you, Norman,” said Wally, trying to hold back the tears.

The thunder rumbled again, and the wind whistled.  The room shook, but the resonant masculine voice did not speak.

Instead, a breeze as fresh as a spring day meandered around the room.  It moved as a gentle whisper, a winsome presence scampering across Wally’s face, a soft sound like that of fingers rubbing the rim of a crystal goblet.  Delicate wind chimes began to clink and tinkle.  Wally’s mind transported him to a time when he was ten years old, to a swing on his grandmother’s porch.  He remembered his conversation with God, how he had thanked him for the beauty of the flowers, the sky, and the clouds. 

The breeze paused.  The music stopped.   Wally snapped back to reality as Norman made a low whistling sound to get his attention.

“Wally!.  God, himself, just came into the room.  I think I am in big trouble.”

A gentle voice--mixing all the pleasant qualities of a favorite aunt, a grandfather, a lady who tells stories at church camp, and a kid brother--broke the silence,  “OK, Gordon.  You can go back to your office.  I am going to handle this.”

Norman chewed his amber-glowing angelic lip.  Wally shook with fear.  He was tempted to close his eyes but curiosity got the best of him.

The gentle voice spoke again. “Norman, you have committed some very serious infractions of the code of angelic behavior.   Yet, in my onmiscience, I understand why you acted as you did.”

Norman gulped.  “You do?”

“Yes, my child.  You were in love with young Wally, here.”

Norman remarked.  “Yes, sir.  I mean, Your Holiness.  No, that’s for the Pope. Yes, sir, Your Righteousness.  Oh, darn.  I keep messing up.”

“Norman,” said God in a gentle, motherly tone.  “Just call me God.  That’s my name.”

Norman relaxed.  “OK, God.  I was. . . I mean, I am in love with Wally.  They told me I had malfunctioned.  They are going to reprogram me or recycle me, or something.  It doesn’t sound good.”

“No, it doesn’t.  That’s why I decided to intervene.  I know what love is because I created it.  I run my universe on it.  And,
I
, God, wrote the book on it.  You know--the Bible.  I will admit that your behavior was improper.  Then I looked at the why and the how.  I recalled a young boy who talked to me like I was sitting next to him on a porch swing, and told me how beautiful my creation was.  That little boy grew up, and you fell in love with him.”

God spoke to Wally,  “Just for the record, young man, I
was
sitting beside you in that swing, and it was a delightful afternoon.  Thank you.”

Wally dropped to his knees.  “Oh, Lord.  I mean God, sir.  I love you as much as I did then.  I want to please you.  But, I’ve got these feelings for Norman.  It’s a mess.”

“No, young Wally.  It’s a mystery.  It defies human understanding.  I am going to overrule Norman’s superior.  Here is my pronouncement.  Norman, get on your knees like Wally.”

Norman hopped off the foot of the bed and knelt beside Wally.

God continued, “Norman of the Amber City, you shall continue to glow for two days, sixteen hours, and twenty-four minutes.  During that time, your holographic presence will gradually return to virtual flesh.  As the glow subsides, the virtual flesh shall become real flesh.”

Norman’s face glowed even brighter as a wide smile spread across it. 

“Wipe that grin off your face.  I am still issuing my pronouncement.”

Norman’s countenance became more serious.

“Listen carefully to me, both of you.  During the two days, sixteen hours, and twenty-four minutes, you, Norman, and you, Wally, are not to touch each other in any way, and neither of you is to leave this apartment for any reason.  Wally, you will be permitted to phone your boss that you are unable to come to work.  Norman, you need to do that, also.” God paused to reflect that he had covered everything. “Now, for the consequences,” he resumed. “If you disobey me, Norman, your virtual flesh will never become real flesh.  If you disobey me, Wally, you shall glow in shimmering amber color for the next five years.  I am sure that will create a stir at the shopping mall and at work.” 

“You mean we can live together with your blessings?” asked Norman.

“No,” said God.  “You may inhabit this apartment together.  No doubt, your love affair will continue whether I permit it or not.  I cannot condemn love.  However, the Church will have to get some discussions going and make a determination about issues like this.  It is becoming more widespread.  I will be watching.  Once in a while I might nudge somebody to speak his mind.  But, it will be my people who decide.  That is why I gave them brains.”

The winsome presence began to leave the room.  The gentle breeze meandered close behind.  At the corner of the room came God’s admonishment. “OK, guys.  I am really serious about the two days, sixteen hours, and whatever.  Exercise your self-control and keep your paws off each other.  Is that clear?”

Wally stood up and began to jump with glee.  “Oh, Norman, I could hug you and kiss you until you would have to come up for air.”

“Now, wait a minute, Wally, oh boy. You heard the man--you know God, as in God, God.  He’s going to give me real flesh to cuddle up next to you.  You think the virtual Norman was hot?  You ain’t seen nothing till you end up on the mattress with the
real
Norman.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.  It will be worth waiting for. Do you reckon we can pull it off?”

Norman looked at Wally.  His countenance was stern.  “Listen, Wally.  Go take a cold shower.  After that, let’s not be in the same room at the same time until the trial period is over.  Then, I’ll make it up to you.  I love you, man.  This time, I’m going to get it right.”