Hi all,
Sorry for another re-run only about a month after the
previous one but I've hit a really good spot with "The
Advocate" and didn't want to break the flow by trying to
write a newsletter. I just really, really want it
wrapped up in time to focus on the Christmas
story. Because TA, in part, deals with Andrew
being changed by his experiences as an anam cara to
JenniAnn and a father to their children, I thought it
was appropriate to revisit the story in which Violeta
first joins her future family.
Anyway, I hope everyone's doing well!
God bless,
Jenni
Mysterious Ways
October 31, 2011
Andrew surveyed himself in the mirror. As far as
Halloween costumes went, he reckoned his own wasn't half bad...
especially considering what he could have been stuck with.
October had found him extremely busy with assignments.
When JenniAnn had first brought up the annual Halloween party in
Dyeland and requisite costumes just as the angel of death was
headed for chaplain duty at a maximum security prison (something
he had wisely decided not to tell her), he'd asked her to
consult the girls. He'd agreed to go along with whatever
costume they chose for him. Of the group, Rose and
JenniAnn had been the most vocal with the former settling upon a
baseball player and the latter wanting Andrew to don early 20th
century garb. Ever the peacemaker, Andrew himself had
suggested he might wear an old-time baseball uniform. The
two girls had readily agreed on the compromise and now Andrew
was trying the uniform... his own... on. He couldn't help
but feel a sense of satisfaction when he realized that the pants
and shirt, while perhaps a little snug, still fit. This
was no small accomplishment. The nearly 100 years since
he'd last worn it had seen the dawn of the fast food era... not
to mention 11 years of being surrounded by a group of women who
provided him with tantalizing treats nearly as often as they
heaped love upon him.
Andrew was still smiling at this endearing bit of truth when he
heard a knock on his bedroom door.
"Hey there. You decent?" Rose called.
The angel grinned as he pulled on his cap. "No. I'm
terrible. I have an illegal gambling ring going on in
here. Please go away."
His playful response caused a cascade of laughter in the hall.
"Ya know that's not what she meant. Although if you want
us to go away I guess we'll just eat the warm pumpkin brulees
all by ourselves..."
Andrew's smile grew as JenniAnn's dramatic sigh sounded through
the door which he quickly opened. "Pumpkin brulees?"
JenniAnn entered and tilted her head towards the door. "In
the kitchen. It's really just extra pie filling that Lady
Beth saved from her pies and baked up. But 'pumpkin
brulee' sounds better than 'leftover pie filling in a cup.'"
"Home run on the costume, Andrew!" the younger woman cried when
she stepped into the room.
"I love the hat..." JenniAnn added dreamily.
Andrew pulled his cap off and set it on JenniAnn's head.
"I think it works really well with your Bronte-inspired outfit,
too. I'd offer it to our Hermione here but I don't think
it fits in with Hogwarts' dress code." He smiled at the
black robed Rose.
"I love *you* in the hat," JenniAnn clarified, returning the cap
to Andrew.
Andrew blushed then waved to the door. "Thank you.
So should we go grab ourselves some pumpkin brulee and see if
Lady Beth needs any help?"
The two women assented and headed down the stairs with Andrew
trailing them. When they reached the kitchen, Lady Beth
was checking the pies while Lulu and Fawn looked on eagerly.
"I suspect they need another five minutes," the cook
announced. "Just enough time to enjoy our brulees.
Or go for a game of catch." She smiled at Andrew.
"It suits you."
Andrew hugged Lady Beth then beamed as she handed him his
treat. "Thank you. And you make for a great pirate
queen, Lady Beth." He took a bite of the warm
dessert. "Mmm... Wonderful."
Lady Beth smiled proudly as everyone dug in, even the dogs were
supplied with a small amount. With relish, the woman
counted off the various treats awaiting them. "And I have
apple tarts baking over at Willowveil. C.J. promised to
bring the cider. Rose, JenniAnn, and Aunt Josephine have
us loaded down with cookies. Yva and Willy, of course, are
bringing the candy and cocoa. Beth and Mick insisted on
bringing in enough pizza and salad for everyone in thanks for
the... how did they put it?"
"'Extreme patience in dealing with Bridezilla and Nitwit Groom
moments,'" Rose relayed.
JenniAnn laughed. "Oh, they haven't been that bad...
But we'll take the food!"
"Definitely," Lady Beth agreed. "And Vincent said to
expect some treats from Below. So we're definitely covered
on food. Is everything set up outside for the activities?"
Andrew took another bite, nodded, and launched into his best
announcer's voice. "We have an apple bobbing
station! We have Musical Chairs set to Halloween
music! We have a hay maze! We have a pumpkin
painting and carving area! We have a dance floor! We
have a story corner! So come on down and bring the kids!"
"How far you've come!" JenniAnn remarked happily, patting
Andrew's hand. "Eleven years ago Halloween sent you into a
dither. And now..."
"Things are different here. Here I have friends to protect
me from the ghouls and goblins and reapers. And if
Halloween makes them happy... it makes me happy," Andrew
finished.
"Aww!" the three women murmured in unison.
Andrew chuckled. "I love how that works. It's
getting nearly as predictable as my blushing."
"Well, hopefully predictable will be the word for this party,"
Rose mused. "It's been such a hectic month for
everyone. We need to unwind and have some..."
The door bell rang, cutting Rose off. The odd timing
caused the women to look warily at the angel.
"It's probably Adam. He said he might stop by early to see
if we needed any help," Andrew explained after swallowing the
final bite of his brulee. He rose from his chair and
headed into the hall.
Eager to see the elder angel of death who had been absent for
some time, Rose and JenniAnn leapt to their feet, too.
Lady Beth hung back just long enough to remove her pies then
dashed after them.
"Oooh, Andrew, wait," JenniAnn called as they approached the
door. "I think you got a bit of glitter from Lady Beth's
costume. Don't want Adam to go all big brother-y teasing
on you." She brushed at her own cheek.
Andrew turned to her and brushed at his face while Lady Beth and
Rose proceeded to the door. "Better?"
"Well, now it's on your chin. And some by your
temple. Just... here." JenniAnn approached and began
to brush the glitter away herself. She was standing on
tiptoe and trying to remove a stubborn fleck of black when Rose
opened the door.
"Hey Adam," Andrew called though his back was to the door.
"Violeta, actually," a female voice responded.
JenniAnn's hand dropped abruptly from the angel of death's face
a split second before he spun around to face the door.
A beautiful woman with jet black hair and bright green eyes
which perfectly matched her sleek dress was looking curiously
from Andrew to JenniAnn to Rose to Lady Beth. She seemed
to flinch slightly when she noticed the two dogs rolling on the
carpet.
"Welcome, Violeta," Andrew greeted, moving forward and extending
his hand which the woman primly shook. "Are you, uh, from
the Tunnels?"
The newcomer looked at him as if the suggestion offended
her. "No... I'm from Records and Permanent Files."
"Another angel!" Andrew cried. "That's great! It's
so good to have you here! Well, I'm Andrew. And
these are my friends." He smiled brightly at the three
women. "Lady Beth there in the pirate costume.
JenniAnn's channeling Jane Eyre. And Rose aka
Hermione."
All three waved shyly as Andrew spoke their names.
Violeta's gaze traveled over the three of them and stopped at
JenniAnn.
"We're humans!" the blonde woman blurted out.
"Yes. I'm very aware. Trust me," Violeta
assured. "I'm sorry if I interrupted... something."
JenniAnn began to turn crimson under the angel's stare.
"He, umm, glitter from..." She pointed to Lady Beth.
"Her costume. On his face. Just trying to..."
She stopped after realizing that her mutterings were only making
the situation seem more bizarre.
Andrew smiled serenely, completely unbothered by what his
visitor had witnessed and hoping JenniAnn would stop
fretting. "Halloween costume snafu," he explained.
"JenniAnn wisely recognized that glitter isn't generally part of
a ball player's look... especially not during the early
1900s. So, Violeta, what brings you here? Did Ronald
invite you? We told him he should invite any friends he
wanted. I think it's great that he went ahead and..."
Violeta shook her head. "No. Ronald didn't invite
me. Although I do seem to recall seeing an invitation on
the bulletin board. And I do I know him quite well.
But I'm here because the Father told me I'm supposed to start
training with you part-time," she answered
matter-of-factly. "I'd heard you were off this evening so
thought I might have a chance of introducing myself but as
you're busy I can..."
Andrew's eye brow arched. "Training with me?"
Violeta nodded. "Just sometimes. I will be keeping
my post in Records, too. I couldn't possibly leave
now. I helped introduce the new peer feedback interview
process and need to be around to implement it, after all.
But the Father feels I should know a little about how angels of
death function and working with you was an ideal way to bring
that about."
The smile on Andrew's face widened into a grin. He looked
upwards for confirmation and, upon receiving it, could barely
contain his excitement. It wasn't merely the prospect of
advancement that thrilled him. In fact, that was only a
small part of it. He was overjoyed at the opportunity to,
once again, work cases alongside someone else. "The
Father's letting me supervise another angel!" his jovial voice
sounded as he turned to the three women.
Love shone from the faces of his three friends. Though the
evening wasn't going at all as they had planned, seeing Andrew
so happy lightened their own hearts. A sixteen year old
boy being handed the keys to a new car couldn't have looked so
thrilled.
Violeta, however, seemed less than pleased with the
characterization but nodded. "Yes, I suppose.
Although I can assure you that as I'm several centuries old I
won't need much supervising. I've always been highly
dependable and efficient. In fact, I've even worked some
with the Angel of Angels and he once said to me that I was..."
Rose, her smile faltering, stepped back towards JenniAnn and
groaned. "Andrew finally gets a trainee and he's stuck
with the angelic version of Percy Weasley!"
"Rose!" JenniAnn hissed although it would have been obvious to
anyone who knew her that she was quickly becoming less than
impressed with the newbie. She sighed. "Look at how
happy and proud Andrew is... So let's just..."
"And I've no doubt at all that our time together, though
mutually rewarding, will be brief as I've always progressed very
quickly," Violeta continued.
JenniAnn glared at the angel then, after an elbow to the ribs
from Lady Beth, drew in a deep breath before speaking.
"Try to be nice. And welcoming."
Rose stepped out of Lady Beth's reach. "Fine. But if
she keeps acting that pompously towards our Andrew *then* I'm
gonna show her just how dependable and efficient I can be in
dealing with a twit who disrespects Amish Boy..."
"Lady Beth, Laja, Rose... why don't you come help me show
Violeta around so she can get a feel for how our party's gonna
go? She's staying!" Andrew announced cheerfully once
Violeta had finished her speech.
"Sure!" Lady Beth answered a little too giddily. When
Andrew's and Violeta's backs were turned, she shot stern glances
at Rose and JenniAnn.
"It'd be an honor!" JenniAnn called.
"Definitely!" Rose agreed.
With that, one beaming angel of death, three concerned women, a
rather sulky newcomer, and two blissfully ignorant dogs walked
out onto the dusky lawn.
*~*~*
Dinner had been eagerly devoured and the entertainment portion
of the Dyeland Halloween party was in full swing. As
Andrew, beaming with pride, introduced Violeta around; a small
group of his friends observed from near the willow tree.
After a strained looking Violeta parted from Willy and Yva, the
conversation began.
"It is a little odd. I'll give you ladies that," Adam
commented from beneath the wooly beard of his Hagrid
costume. "Not so much the Father springing her on Andrew
like that. He did the same thing with Gloria and
Monica. He does like to surprise us." The faux
half-giant smiled fondly. "But this is a bigger surprise
than most. I've never heard of someone being an angel of
death in training. Usually an angel goes from working with
a supervisor as a caseworker and then striking out on their
own. Sometimes as an angel of death. Sometimes a
supervisor caseworker themselves. The possibilities are
endless but this..."
Henry shrugged beneath his firefighter's helmet. "I've
also never heard of anyone going from a department like Records
right into angel of death cases. Maybe that's why the
Father gave Violeta a supervisor. Ease the extreme
transition. I mean humans in peril are a little different
than stacks of paper."
"A little?" Lady Beth checked with a smirk.
"A lot different," Henry corrected. He began to count off
the differences in hopes of lightening the women's moods.
"Humans are nicer to hug. It's more difficult to get paper
cuts from them. They tend to complain if you attempt to
stuff them in a cabinet..."
Adam laughed. "I think they'd also complain if you tried
to three-hole punch them."
The girls gave token smiles but remained transfixed by the two
angels across the way.
Adam and Henry exchanged glances over their heads and the former
opted to try a different tack. "Well, I know one thing for
sure: our buddy there's going to make a great supervisor.
Isn't that right, girls?"
Rose, JenniAnn, and Lady Beth were silent as they
disconcertingly observed Andrew trying to convince Violeta to
give bobbing for apples a try.
"Girls?" Adam repeated.
Lady Beth, whose initial optimism regarding Violeta had given
way to doubt, jumped. "Huh?"
The silver-haired angel of death chuckled and pulled the three
into a hug. "Now, now... You're not feeling jealous,
I hope. Because Andrew's still going to love you as much
as he always has."
"Yeah... we know," JenniAnn assured. "It's just... Violeta
seems so..."
"Non-Andrew-like?" Henry suggested.
"Yes! Exactly!" JenniAnn nodded fervently. "I
mean... Andrew's so warm and... and cuddly. And when he
worked with Monica and Tess... well, I know they at least tried
to comfort him. And when we've been able to be with him
during the occasional assignment, well..."
"Andrew was certainly never starved for affection then."
Adam's eyes twinkled.
"I should hope not! And I also think we've all... you two
definitely included... made Andrew feel better about expressing
his playful side." Lady Beth waved to the apple bobbing
area which Andrew and his protege had abandoned when the latter
refused to give it a try. "But what if she undoes all
that? Violeta just seems so... well, cool and... fussy
and..."
"Percy-like! Just like I said!" Rose added, eying Violeta
as she stared dispassionately at Andrew who had Shelby giggling
on his shoulders as he raced through the maze. "She
doesn't exactly scream AOD material, either."
"And yet the Father always knows what He's doing. And He
always has a plan for us," Henry reminded. "And He must
know that somewhere inside of her, Violeta has everything it
takes to be a great angel of death. And who better to
bring those qualities out of her than our friend there?"
Five sets of eyes gazed lovingly at the angel of death as he
completed the maze, lifted the little girl from his shoulders,
hugged her tenderly, and swooped up the next excited child
before darting into the maze again.
*~*~*
As the party began to wind down, the remaining attendees
gathered around Vincent to hear a story. Though the
teacher was as diligent as always in choosing a tale that would
neither frighten the children nor offend the angels, JenniAnn
found herself feeling agitated. She knew it didn't have
anything to do with her godfather but, instead, with the
stranger seated next to Andrew. Violeta's gaze kept
traveling around the circle of friends, never looking entirely
pleased. As much as JenniAnn trusted what Adam and Henry
had said and believed that God knew what He was doing... her
faith in the free will of an absolute stranger was
wavering. It didn't help that she'd caught the other women
looking distrustfully at Violeta, too.
To clear her mind, JenniAnn wandered away and began to box up
leftover food. She hadn't been at it long when she felt
someone squeeze her shoulder.
"Let me help, Laja," Andrew offered.
She shook her head and smiled up at him. "Thanks.
But you go spend time with Violeta. It's so wonderful you
have a trainee. Congratulations, Andrew. I should
have said so earlier I was just so... so stunned. I mean
not that you'd be a supervisor! But just that..."
Her voice drifted off.
Andrew chuckled. "Not exactly the protege you imagined for
me?"
JenniAnn sighed, relieved that she wouldn't need to give voice
to her sentiments. "She's just so... Proper and
prim. And... skeptical-seeming. And not at all
like... well, you. I spose I'm just having a hard time
wondering why the Father paired the two of you up like
that." She was surprised when Andrew began to blush.
"Well, see... He didn't exactly. I mean... He
obviously knew we'd wind up working together because He knows
everything. But Violeta told me that He let her choose her
own supervisor. And can you believe she chose me?" he
asked incredulously.
"Yes!" JenniAnn exclaimed. "I've long thought it a wonder
the whole host of Heaven isn't vying for the chance to work
cases with you! In fact, if I were your protege... I'd
decline promotions just to stay with you. If the Father
allowed it, I mean."
The angel of death's blush deepened. "Laja..."
"Well, I would!"
Andrew only hugged her in response.
JenniAnn silently enjoyed the moment before her curiosity kicked
in. "So... did Violeta say why she picked you?"
"Uh huh."
"And... ya gonna tell me?"
"'There's no crying in baseball,'" Andrew quoted.
JenniAnn pulled away and noticed that Andrew was looking
misty-eyed though he was smiling. "What did she say?" she
pressed warily.
"You're going to make me disobey Tom Hanks," the angel teased.
"He seems a good sort. He'll forgive you," JenniAnn
assured with a smile. "So?"
"So Violeta told me that, since she is in Records, she read the
case files of each candidate the Father presented her
with. And she said..." Tears once again welled up in
Andrew's eyes though he looked completely untroubled.
"Violeta said she read about November 2009... when I was
homeless. She read about how all of you did what you could
for me in the days that followed. And then she read about
last October... how all of you came to support me when I was in
West Hollow. Laja, I know she seems a little
brusque. And a little proud. But she certainly
wouldn't be the first angel with pride issues." Andrew's
cheeks colored slightly before he continued. "Violeta
herself knows she needs to develop her people skills more.
And she wants to. She told me that she wanted to pick a
supervisor who seemed to be the most adept at dealing with
humans. So she said that when she read the files for those
two assignments... she decided that any angel who caused his
friends to leave the comfort of their own homes... for him...
well, he had to have a 'finely hewed rapport with them.'"
Andrew smiled at the eloquent turn of phrase Violeta had
used. "So she chose me. Because of you and the
others. You're all a big part of why I'm a supervisor
now. Thank you for that."
JenniAnn stared up at the angel. There was no mistaking
the well-earned pride on his face. It wasn't just for
himself on reaching a new milestone. Nor was it solely for
the fellow angel he'd taken under his wing. His eyes shone
as he looked over at his friends gathered in the circle and when
he smiled down on her. It was JenniAnn's turn to be
speechless. She hugged Andrew tightly. Peering
around his shoulder, JenniAnn glimpsed Violeta. The angel
was laughing along with the others as Vincent finished his
amusing tale. She seemed slightly embarrassed by her own
glee and covered her smile but her eyes betrayed her.
JenniAnn felt her feelings towards the angel softening.
Anyone who chose Andrew had to be someone special.
"Happy Halloween, Laja," Andrew wished quietly.
"Happy Halloween, Andrew."
The angel smiled up at the stars. "The happiest," he
murmured gratefully as a dove flew across the moonlit sky.
The End
This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye
for inspiring this safe space to explore the scarier elements
of life and remember that, through it all, there's always hope
and always love.
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(Photo
Credits: The photograph used on this page is from Touched
by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline
Productions, and Moon Water Productions. It is not being
used to seek profit.)