Angel
A magnificent sight, she truly is. With both arms and wings outstretched behind her, eyes closed and head tilted high up to heaven, Angel stands tall atop a hand carved marble pedestal. She is kissing the cool breeze that is touching her face. As the breeze slowly melts the pedestal she stands on, softly her feet land on the cobblestone. Slowly she stands upright, finally opening her eyes, allowing her vision to absorb her surroundings.
High dome ceilings, archways alongside both walls, and colorful stained glass windows tell her she is in the middle of an old church. This is familiar territory as she has been in many. Sent by the old man up above, or just taking a break from her heavenly life, churches are her destination and sanctuary.
Her thoughts are distracted by a noise she hears. She looks toward the altar and realizes she is not alone. Her feet push off the ground and she floats toward the murmuring sounds. The scent of gardenias, calla lilies, and roses fill her nostrils. Flowers outline the end of the pews. Women in hats and men in tuxedos fill up a few rows on each side of the church. It is not long before she realizes she is at a wedding. Angel is filled with excitement. A wedding always warms her heart. She remembers the man up above beaming with joy when he sees a wedding on earth. “It is a blessing,” he says.
She gently flaps her wings and glides behind an archway just adjacent to the altar. Feeling like a little girl playing hide and seek, she is curious to see whose wedding she happened to come across. She sees the priest standing in front of the crowd. He is talking to the bride. Angel cranks her neck to get a better view. The bride is in a beautiful wedding gown adorned with beads and crystals. The full skirt is floor length and the veil is so thick, it is covering her like a cloud. The groom is looking at his bride and has his back to Angel.
Angel’s curiosity peaks. “Who are these people?” she whispers to herself. The tall groom shifts his weight and flips his head back in laughter, his long wavy hair dancing to the beat of his laugh. As the crowd echoes in laughter, Angel gasps. He recognizes the groom as a member of her favorite band in the 80’s – Duran Duran. It is John Taylor, the bassist of the group.
This is the guy who was responsible for Angel losing her voice when she was 15. She screamed her lungs out at a concert one summer night. This was the guy who was responsible for Angel squandering all her allowance on teenybopper magazines wherever the band was featured. This was the guy who was responsible for the decoration in her room as Angel plastered his picture on every inch of her wall.
Angel couldn’t believe her luck. For four years during her teenage years she prayed to the man up above every night for this guy. She knew in reality that as a fan, among a million other teenage fans, the probability of meeting and marrying this love of her life was far fetched. Teenage innocence and naiveté, however, had a stronger pull than reality. So her prayers were something like this, “As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my John I meet. If I should die before I awake, I pray the Lord, John and I you take. “
Long ago were those nights and Angel shakes her head in disbelief. She couldn’t believe she went through that phase in her life. Singing their songs night and day. No regrets, though, as this is what teenage life is made of.
The cool breeze brings her back to church. She continues to watch on the sidelines. They exchange prayers, vows, and rings. He sees the big smile on John’s face. She wonders who the lucky lady is. The bride’s veil is so thick; you could not even trace the outline of her face. Who is she?
“I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the priest says. “You may now kiss the bride.” The crowd stands, bursting in a roaring applause. Slowly, with a big smile on his face, John turns to his bride, lifts up the veil, and……….
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Damn alarm clocks!
High dome ceilings, archways alongside both walls, and colorful stained glass windows tell her she is in the middle of an old church. This is familiar territory as she has been in many. Sent by the old man up above, or just taking a break from her heavenly life, churches are her destination and sanctuary.
Her thoughts are distracted by a noise she hears. She looks toward the altar and realizes she is not alone. Her feet push off the ground and she floats toward the murmuring sounds. The scent of gardenias, calla lilies, and roses fill her nostrils. Flowers outline the end of the pews. Women in hats and men in tuxedos fill up a few rows on each side of the church. It is not long before she realizes she is at a wedding. Angel is filled with excitement. A wedding always warms her heart. She remembers the man up above beaming with joy when he sees a wedding on earth. “It is a blessing,” he says.
She gently flaps her wings and glides behind an archway just adjacent to the altar. Feeling like a little girl playing hide and seek, she is curious to see whose wedding she happened to come across. She sees the priest standing in front of the crowd. He is talking to the bride. Angel cranks her neck to get a better view. The bride is in a beautiful wedding gown adorned with beads and crystals. The full skirt is floor length and the veil is so thick, it is covering her like a cloud. The groom is looking at his bride and has his back to Angel.
Angel’s curiosity peaks. “Who are these people?” she whispers to herself. The tall groom shifts his weight and flips his head back in laughter, his long wavy hair dancing to the beat of his laugh. As the crowd echoes in laughter, Angel gasps. He recognizes the groom as a member of her favorite band in the 80’s – Duran Duran. It is John Taylor, the bassist of the group.
This is the guy who was responsible for Angel losing her voice when she was 15. She screamed her lungs out at a concert one summer night. This was the guy who was responsible for Angel squandering all her allowance on teenybopper magazines wherever the band was featured. This was the guy who was responsible for the decoration in her room as Angel plastered his picture on every inch of her wall.
Angel couldn’t believe her luck. For four years during her teenage years she prayed to the man up above every night for this guy. She knew in reality that as a fan, among a million other teenage fans, the probability of meeting and marrying this love of her life was far fetched. Teenage innocence and naiveté, however, had a stronger pull than reality. So her prayers were something like this, “As I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my John I meet. If I should die before I awake, I pray the Lord, John and I you take. “
Long ago were those nights and Angel shakes her head in disbelief. She couldn’t believe she went through that phase in her life. Singing their songs night and day. No regrets, though, as this is what teenage life is made of.
The cool breeze brings her back to church. She continues to watch on the sidelines. They exchange prayers, vows, and rings. He sees the big smile on John’s face. She wonders who the lucky lady is. The bride’s veil is so thick; you could not even trace the outline of her face. Who is she?
“I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the priest says. “You may now kiss the bride.” The crowd stands, bursting in a roaring applause. Slowly, with a big smile on his face, John turns to his bride, lifts up the veil, and……….
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Damn alarm clocks!
Comments
Post a Comment