A 'Touched By An Angel' Story

By: Yvette Jessen

It was a sunny and bright autumn afternoon as the Angel of Death named Andrew stood in the middle of the busy subway station looking around. It was a strange place, to say the least, on this day it seemed loud and uninviting, but this was the place where he had been instructed to come, so, for better or worse, there he was.

All around him people were madly rushing here and there, their faces a depiction of exhaustion or stress, neither of which were incredibly positive emotions, but all the same, he could understand because his expression seemed to match their own. Rush hour was there and he continued to watch as people came and went their ways most of them ignoring his presence. If they actually had known who he was, they might have been concerned with the fact that he was there. He was smiling weakly, because for the first time ever, he would be training a brand new Angel of Death, and that she was supposed to meet him at this place at five o'clock.

Somewhat nervously, he glanced around the busy station as some of the people would run past him, some bumping into him without even a word begging his pardon. He had long since grown used to this in large groups, people were not rude, at least not beneath the surface, but being in a hurry tended to prevent them from carrying themselves in a gracious or positive manner.

Sighing deeply he fished his golden pocket watch out of his jacket pocket and consulted it for what appeared to be the twentieth time since arriving. He was not impatient, at least not usually, but he was somewhat agitated that his trainee was running late. Father, he thought nervously, it is not the best impression for an angel to be late for an appointment like this, especially if she has been promoted from Search and Rescue, but please let there be an acceptable rationale behind her tardiness.

His prayer spoken, Andrew sighed, he still had no name for the trainee that he would be working with, and worse still, all he knew about her was that she was tall, with dark brown hair and wearing an off white dress.

Seconds later, he was catapulted back to the real world when a man in a plaid shirt and cowboy boots literally plowed into him and looked at him with unhidden disgust etching his rough bearded face. Andrew immediately could smell the distinguishing odors of alcohol on the man's breath, but he also carried a look on his face as if to say: 'Watch it buddy'. Andrew tried to pardon himself for getting in the man's way, but as he looked up, he noticed that the man in the plaid shirt had disappearing into the crowd.

Once he was gone, Andrew continued to contemplate what had just transpired when he was suddenly overwhelmed with an uneasy feeling. Taking a deep breath, he tried to dismiss it, but when he looked across the station and could see that Adam, another Angel of Death was present, he shook his head all the while trying to dismiss this as mere coincidence.

It was no secret, he was experienced enough to know that something was not exceedingly right at the moment, something about the man made him feel distinctively uncomfortable. Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that Andrew was a very emphatic being, and so when he was sent to be among humans, he could generally see the truth about them before they often could, and sighing deeply, there was something about this particular man made him feel increasingly uneasy.

Time slowly ticked by, and pretty soon it was a quarter past the hour and his appointment had still not shown up. He glanced skyward as the subway car pulled up to the platform and the passengers disembarked. As the people ran through the station, he could see that a young woman in an off-white dress was walking towards him, her blue eyes filled with shyness and she approached the angel somewhat hesitantly. As soon as she had reached him, she looked up at him, her gaze eventually meeting his own, but she offered him a somewhat naïve, yet, timid smile.

"Are you?" She started to speak, her eyes still looking around the station, but eventually, when he spoke to her in a kind and loving manner, she found the courage to look up at him.

"I'm Andrew," he said smiling.

"M-my name is Julie," she said softly, her shyness and almost intense intimidation overwhelming her. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I have had the most horrible morning. I know we were supposed to meet at five, but I had been trying to get some things done before coming here and I missed my train. Excuse me for being so nervous, but I've never met anyone like this before."

He smiled at her, but in the back of his mind, he pondered what exactly she had meant by what she had just said. Although, this apology emerged strange to him, he dismissed the tardiness and offered her his arm. "You have no reason to apologize, Julie," he began, "It's very nice to meet you. Come, let's go some place that is a little bit quieter, and we'll talk for a little while before we figure out where we need to do." He looked at her with gentility in his eyes and when she finally looked back up at him, he smiled hoping that she would eventually find the courage to maintain eye contact.

The young woman accepted his offered arm, and together, they walked out of the station. A few feet away, the angel that Andrew was supposed to meet there had stepped out of the shadows and watched as the two of them were leaving the station. She looked around the large open area feeling somewhat lost, but after a few moments had passed, Tess appeared next to her and looked at the young Angel of Death trainee through a pair of gentle and wise brown eyes.

"Why aren't you with Andrew, Christy?" Tess asked softly the confusion obvious on her face.

The young angel shook her head. "I don't really know, he just left with that human woman and I was still trying to figure out who was Andrew among all of these people," came the truthful answer and she looked at Tess. "What should I do now, Tess?"

The supervisor shook her head. "I have no idea, but something tells me that this is really not what any of us expected. Yet, through it all, something tells me that this entire deal has more to do with that man over there than with a simple case of mistaken identity.

Christy followed the glance of her supervisor in the direction of a man who had bumped into Andrew less than ten minutes before. There seemed to be no outward change in the man's demeanor, in fact, he looked just as angry, if not more so, than he had been some minutes ago.

The younger angel sighed when she saw the man now walking towards them, and she looked at Tess. "Are humans always this grouchy?" She asked, and once Tess had nodded she shook her head despondently and looked at her. "I want to go Home."

Before Tess could even offer a response, the man spoke, his voice gruff, almost a slur as though he had only consumed three beers for lunch and had eaten positively nothing. "So you're my blind date, huh?" He eventually offered when she had not spoken to him, but instead of giving Christy even a cordial nod, he seemed to be giving her the once over, and the young inexperienced angel looked at Tess, not sure what to expect or say.

Tess, not liking this one bit shook her head, and watched as the younger angel found her voice and managed to speak. "My name is Christy," she eventually offered.

The man seemed to look confused for a moment, but then he shrugged his shoulders. "I thought my date's name was Julie," he offered, "but I was drunk when Paula told me that she had managed to get one of her friends a date with me. So baby, why don't we go and get a drink, I'm thirsty and could use a little something with some 'get up and go':"

Christy looked towards where Tess was standing for some sort of help, but when she noticed that the supervisor had disappeared, she realized that she was completely on her own here and she could do nothing but shrug her shoulders and follow him in the direction of the bar on one side of the busy station.

*****

Outside, Andrew had gotten his instructions on where he was to take Julie, so he was leading her through the parking lot in the direction of Tess' red Cadillac. As they reached it, Julie stopped and looked at him with a mixture of fear, dread, and uncertainty. The angel eventually noticed this and he looked at her as he climbed behind the wheel.

"Julie?" He asked once he had closed the door and was sticking the key into the ignition. As he spoke her name, his voice soft and he noticed that she hesitated before taking a deep breath and getting into the car.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she closed the door and began to fasten her seatbelt. "I guess I should tell you that I'm not really used to this kind of thing," she said as Andrew started the motor and drove out of the parking lot.

"I guess there's no time like the present to get started," Andrew said as he kept his eyes on the stretch of road that lay out before then and did not look at her until some time had passed. When he did, he noticed that she carried a frightened, almost uncertain look on her face, and for a split second, he thought that maybe this pale faced; intimidated individual was not the angel he was supposed to meet.

If she was the angel, then there would be a lot of work laid out before them, and she would have to learn a great deal of confidence before she would get an assignment.

For her part, Julie did not say too much, but when they reached a gravel parking area that was adjacent to a large graveyard, she glanced over at him with a trapped look on her face. "What are we doing here?" She eventually asked, her voice emerged filled with nervousness, her eyes filled with fright.

"Well, I thought this would be the place where I could start teaching you," he said softly as he cut the motor and pocketed the keys.

"Teaching me?" Julie looked frightened and she started to fumble with the seatbelt. As she opened the door with trembling hands, she swallowed the lump that seemed to lodge itself in her throat all the while wondering how she was going to get back to the city.

"Well, yes, you see…you know this is sort of business engagement…" Andrew's voice trailed off as he regarded the look of fear that seemed to now be on Julie's face. Sighing deeply, he looked at her and his next question emerged as he tried to put the pieces back together. "Julie, tell me, who were you supposed to meet at the train station?"

"You," she whispered.

"I'm starting to get the impression that it wasn't me that you were supposed to meet, but rather someone else," he said softly.

"My friend Paula set this up, it's…a blind date."

"Now I know what happened," he said softly, as understanding encased him. "There has been a mistake, I thought you were someone else."

"Then y-you're not my blind date?" She asked.

Andrew shook his head. "No, and I think that this is going to be very hard for me to explain to you, but as you probably know, I was to meet a woman in a white dress at the station, but it was not for a date." He shrugged his shoulders as he looked into the eyes of the frightened human.

"W-what then?" Julie's voice started to tremble and she looked up at him.

Andrew sighed deeply as he looked at her. "Julie, it would take me an eternity to explain all of this to you, but seeing as there's been a mistake, it might be a good idea for me to simply take you back to the station, so that you can meet who it was you were supposed to meet."

"I-I don't want to go anywhere with you," she whispered abruptly and without warning, she got out of the car and ran away without even closing the door or looking back. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes and with her hand, she brushed them away as she ran through the gates and into the large cemetery.

As soon as she could no longer see Andrew behind her, she stopped running and took a deep breath. I wasn't ready for a date, she thought despondently, her eyes filled with fear, Paula was wrong, I will never be able to look another man in the eyes without remembering Roy. I just won't.

The tears of sadness streamed down her cheeks as she remembered her ex-boyfriend. He had beaten her black and blue when she had decided to leave him. It had been over a year since this last event, and now he was serving time in prison for assault after he had tried to kill her. Not only that, but he had also hurt her emotionally, and today she was a mere shadow of the self-confident person she had once been. Her trust in men was shattered; her panic towards Andrew was only case in point that she had not recovered from the pain of this.

Then she met Paula, who had stepped in and told her that not all guys would hurt her, not all of them would treat her badly, but she wasn't sure anymore. More than anything, she was frightened and this overwhelming fear and intimidation was still something that she had a very hard time coping with.

She sank to the ground, her eyes filled with tears as she tried to cover her face in her trembling hands. Andrew was probably gone now, and she was stuck in the middle of nowhere.

*****

Back at the train station, Christy and the man walked into the bar. "I'm Kyle," he said smiling at her, his teeth uneven and yellow. She watched as he pulled a cigarette from a crushed pack that he had rolled in the sleeve of his shirt and stuck the end of it in his mouth. He tried to light it, but to Christy's relief the lighter seemed not to work, and eventually, he pulled it from his mouth, swore and stuck it back inside the package.

Instead of speaking, Christy smiled weakly, and sat down across from him and waited for the waitress to come over and take their orders. "Jack Daniels and bring me a book of matches," he barked as he once more pulled the crumpled up cigarette from the pack. As the waitress handed him a book of matches, she looked at Christy as if to expect her to order something.

"Come on, doll, what will it be, I ain't got all day," the waitress finally snapped and Christy was brought crashing back down to earth.

"A ginger ale," she managed.

"Ginger ale?" The waitress looked at her skeptically.

"Coffee?" Christy tried again, all the while smiling weakly.

"Bring her an Irish coffee," Kyle barked.

The waitress nodded and left. "Irish coffee?" Christy finally managed to speak.

"It's a coffee with a kick, believe me baby, you'll love it," he said. "Besides around here, you have to drink something real, or else they will kick you out on your ear."

Christy smiled weakly as she looked at Kyle. "So what kind of work do you do?" She asked, all the while trying to lighten the mood.

"I just got sacked," he said grimly and looked across the table at her. "Listen doll, this is supposed to be a date, I'm not here to talk about work. If I wanted that, I'd have gone out with a computer terminal." He chortled at his joke, and Christy could feel the goose bumps cursing up her back.

Father help me, she prayed softly as the waitress returned, but instead of it being the sharp tongued woman that she had seen before, it was Monica, and the auburn headed angel smiled gently at her as she placed the coffee in front of Christy. "Here's your Irish coffee," she said and looked at Christy's somewhat intimidated face. When she offered the younger of the two angels a smile, Christy knew she was safe and that she was not completely alone in this place.

As Monica placed the bottle of whiskey in front of Kyle, he looked up at her. "Well, it took you long enough."

After Monica had walked away, Christy started to sip her coffee, and once she realized that there was no alcohol in the drink, she knew that all she could do was pretend that there was that added kick, so that Kyle would not get upset. He seemed the violent sort, and she could not help but wonder why it was that she was sitting here with him now, and why it was that the girl who had left with Andrew was not here and why she was going through this not so pleasant experience of watching Kyle get intoxicated.

After about ten minutes, Kyle got up to go and make a phone call and Monica came over to the table. "Christy, is everything OK?"

"Monica, am I glad to see you," the young angel said. "Kyle is not a very nice person and I am afraid that he doesn't have very positive motives in mind at all."

"No, he's not and when he gets drunk, he is very violent, but that's why I'm here, and if he had met his real date, then she would have died tonight," Monica said softly. "I saw Adam on the platform earlier, he's another Angel of Death, Christy, and chances are, he was there for Julie."

"You mean that girl in the train station, the one who sort of looked like me?" She asked softly.

Monica nodded. "Andrew did a good thing when he mistook her for you."

Christy looked at the caseworker. "I think that this is true, but that doesn't explain why things happened as they did."

"Well, chances are, they will become clearer when you see Andrew later, but until then, you just try and get Kyle to talk, the more he talks, the less he's likely to drink," Monica said gently. "And remember, Christy, the Father is watching over you and He will protect you from harm."

Christy nodded as Monica took her leave and Kyle returned to the table.

"What did she want?" He sneered.

"I guess she wanted to see how we were doing on our drinks," Christy offered quickly.

Kyle nodded, his attention diverting back down to the glass in front of him. Once he poured another shot of liquor, he looked across the table and into her eyes. "So how are you doing with that coffee?"

"It's very good," Christy offered, but as she stared down at it, her thoughts a complete jumble and she could only hope that Monica had been right about this situation because the more time she spent in Kyle's company, the less at ease she felt.

*****

Back at the cemetery, Andrew was still staring after Julie as she had disappeared inside the iron gates of the large open graveyard. He sighed deeply as he closed his eye. At that moment, Tess appeared next to him and the wise angel touched his shoulder, thus causing him to open his own eyes again and look at her. "She's not my trainee, Tess," he managed to speak and the elder of the two angels nodded.

"You figured that out and it only took you about twenty minutes?" Tess smiled at him weakly, but she took a deep breath as she returned her gaze to him. "Your trainee's name is Christy, and right now she's with Julie's blind date and Monica. This fragile little thing is now your assignment, Angel Boy, and all I can really say is that it would not be a good idea for Julie to be in the same vicinity as the man she was arranged to meet. I think that God's motives were for you to actually meet Julie first and get her away from him."

Andrew nodded. "Then all I can do is go after her."

"Yes, but be very careful, Andrew, she is very, very fragile, and why she agreed to go on a blind date is really beyond me, but she's been through a lot this past year."

The Angel of Death nodded as began to follow the terrified young woman through the gates to the inner recesses of the cemetery. As he walked, he could hear the crunching of leaves from beneath his feet. He inhaled and could smell a mix of mulch, perfumes, and colognes that seemed to encase the air. In the distance, he could see a man standing over a grave with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He seemed to be speaking softly as though praying and Andrew silently walked past him without saying a word.

Seconds passed, he stopped and could hear the stillness of nature resonating around him and if he hadn't been so agitated by Julie's whereabouts, he would probably have felt a sense of peace enveloping him in what some might describe as an ironic place.

Sighing, he continued to listen, but when he suddenly heard the leaves crunching on the ground nearby and soft sobbing emerging, he knew that he must have found Julie. The question seemed to remain as to how he could approach her without scaring her to death.

A few moments later, instead of him actually finding her, she had rounded a corner only to plow right into him. When she realized that she had run into someone, she looked up and once she recognized that it was Andrew who was now towering over her. She gasped as she tried to back away from him, the words simply not coming.

Self-consciously, she tried to back away from him but stumbled and would have fallen if Andrew hadn't have grabbed her shoulders and held her firmly. "It's OK; Julie," he said softly. "I've got you, I won't let you fall."

Once she had managed to remain on her feet, she tried to, once again, back away from him.

Instead of taking after her, Andrew spoke, his voice gentle. "No, wait, before you leave, there are some things that I have to explain and more will explain what it specifically was that happened back there. It was more important than either of us realized. Specifically, why we ended up here, and probably the reason you are so frightened of me. Will you give me a chance, Julie? I really want to help you, but I can't if you decide to run away."

In response to his gentle plea, she looked up at him. "You weren't supposed to meet me," she said softly.

"Maybe I was and neither of us realized it," he said as a cool gust of wind began to blow and she felt herself beginning to shiver.

Andrew looked at her, but removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Are you OK?"

The young woman nodded mutely. "You must think that I'm the biggest fool that ever lived."

He shook his head. "No, I don't, but tell me something, if you are frightened of dates, why did you agree to meet a stranger at a subway station and go on one?" Andrew looked at her, his eyes filled with empathy, but in the back of his mind, he could not help but wonder why it was that she was responding to him this way.

"My friend Paula set it up, she said that he was a great guy and that he would get me over being scared of men. She kept saying that a blind date was a really cool way of meeting guys," she said shaking her head. "The honest truth is, I don't really know why I had even agreed to go on one, and weirder than that, I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. I mean; Paula's the kind of person who views everything that way, whether is something like giving up smoking or chocolate or going back out on dates." As they reached the gates leading outside, she looked up at him. "I'm really sorry that I kept you from your appointment, I know that that must have been weird for you to deal with someone like me. But, the thing is, I used to date this guy, and he wasn't very nice, and I guess I am a coward.""

"I don't think you're a coward at all, but I do think that going on a blind date may not be the best thing for you. Beings popular and having dates is not always going to be the easiest thing for a person, but being true to yourself is what matters." He said softly. "As for the appointment, well, I am one who believes that things happen for a reason, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. You see, I think there's a reason why all these things happened today."

"A reason?" Julie asked softly as she looked at the angel. "I don't think I fully understand what you mean."

"Julie, there are a lot of things that I need to tell you, but I think you know that I won't hurt you, don't you?" He asked gently.

She nodded, "I guess if you were going to, you would have," she said as she looked down at the ground, her eyes filled with sadness.

"I wouldn't," he affirmed gently as they reached the car, and Julie watched as Andrew opened the door and she crawled into the passenger side seat.

Once Andrew had walked around the car and got in, she looked over at him and found her voice, and her courage to speak his name. "Andrew?"

"What is it, Julie?"

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked. "I mean; if you're supposed to meet someone else, why did you choose a cemetery?"

The angel smiled weakly. "I was supposed to start offering someone a sort of job training today and the person I was supposed to meet would be learning about death. I figured that this was a good of a place as any to start."

"Death?" She whispered.

"Mm-hum," he nodded as he pulled the car out onto the street.

"What do you do, sell coffins or gravestones?" She asked. "You don't look like a mortician or something."

"No, I'm actually a counselor, I help people die," he said softly.

"That explains why it is so easy to talk to you, you have probably had all the training in the world and know what to say. You make me feel at ease, as though whatever I have to say is OK," she mused. "You help people who are dying?"

"Yes, but sometimes, I help people with living," he said smiling weakly. "At least I like to think that I am helping them."

Julie nodded and although she could see his profile, instead of speaking, she looked down at her lap still uncertain as to what to say. "You must think I have no life, then."

"Why would you say that?" He asked softly.

Julie shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it's a lot better to say this stuff myself before anyone else can."

"You do that to protect yourself," Andrew said.

"Yeah, it makes it easier to say it myself than to hear someone else say it," she whispered as she stared down at her lap.

"You must have been through something really horrible if you believe that you are unworthy of kindness," the angel said sadly.

"I never said that," she suddenly got offensive and then backed away from him, almost expecting how he would react to her.

"I know you didn't, but you remember I am a counselor, Julie, and it is obvious, you were probably hurt deeply by someone, a man, I think. From the way you reacted to me back at the cemetery, you probably are used to men raising their fist at you, hurting you, and invalidating you." The angel pulled the car into a gravel parking lot and cut the motor. "I won't do that to you, and you can be as honest or as angry as you want; but I will not hurt you, and I will not say things to you that will make you feel less than special."

Julie looked at him. "You wouldn't?"

"No," Andrew shook his head. "When was the last time someone held you? When was the last time someone told you they loved you and you believe it?"

"When I was little," she whispered. "My mother used to say it to me a lot, and then after I grew up, no one said it, not my mother, or my family. I was alone, Andrew, and today I'm just a secretary who works for a large company downtown, I have maybe one or two friends, but most of the people stay away from me. My life is anything but exciting, but I've had worse." After a few seconds, she became still yet again and Andrew looked at her.

"Are you sure that everything is OK?" He asked as he turned and looked at her. "Julie, your face is so pale?"

"I thought you were taking me back to the train station," she whispered as she looked at the establishment where they were now parked.

"Yes, I will take you back, but I thought you might like to have some dinner before we go. Maybe we could talk a little bit here," he said gently.

"But what about your appointment and my date," she whispered.

"Listen to me," he said gently, his voice the epitome of sincerity. "I have a friend who has gone back to the station and she's going to tell my appointment and your date that we're both OK; alright?" He smiled gently at her. "I promise, you can trust me, I think you know that."

Julie nodded, something in his words was sincere and she climbed out of the car and joined him before they went into the restaurant.

Once inside, she looked around, her eyes filled with delight as she took in the place. "It's funny, this place reminds me of one that my father used to take me on Sundays. My parents were divorced when I was six, but I would go and spend weekends with my father and he always brought me here for blueberry pancakes."

Andrew smiled as the waitress approached and offered them both a warm smile. "Two? Smoking or non smoking?"

"Non smoking," Andrew said and he looked at Julie. "If that's OK?"

She offered a meek nod and the waitress led them to a booth in the corner. Once they had sat down, the other woman handed them both some menus and Julie opened hers, but after a few moments she closed it and looked up. "Andrew, I just was thinking how nice it would have been if you had been my date."

Andrew smiled gently, but he reached for her hand and squeezed it once he held it. "Julie, tell me about this date you were supposed to have."

"I don't know much about it, all I know is that Paula told me that he was really cool, but I felt weird about going on a blind date."

"Why?" He pressed gently.

She shook her head. "I was in a relationship for a long time, I had dated a man who seemed so perfect, but perfection doesn't exist, at least not here. Roy was a good man when we met, but then he changed and started hitting me."

"Why would he hit you?" Andrew asked as he looked at her. He could see the tears that brimmed under her eyes.

"I don't know," Julie said softly. "He said I deserved it."

"No, you didn't," he said gently.

Julie picked up the menu and shook her head. "Maybe, maybe not, I have been the best when it came to attracting the wrong people. I wanted to tell Paula that I wasn't interested in a date, but she said that in order to belong, I had to have a social life, and suddenly, I felt forced into doing something that I didn't feel right about. I mean, maybe this guy is not so bad, but I'm scared to find out. I feel safer here, with you."

"You are safe here," Andrew said softly. "But, you know that People can have a social life without dating and doing things which make then feel uncomfortable. You don't have to prove anything to anyone; all you have to do is be true to yourself. If something doesn't feel right to you, then you will have the chance to find what does. No one, not Paula, nor me or that guy you were supposed to meet has the right to tell you what you should think, feel, or do, the only thing you ought to listen to is your conscious. Let that be your guide."

Julie smiled weakly and offered him a hesitant nod, yet when the angel looked at her, he could tell that she did not believe his words, but he reached across the table and touched her hand. "You always have a choice, Julie, and God wants you to make the best one for yourself."

"God?" She whispered.

"Yes, God, the same God who loves you and who weeps when He sees how unhappy you have been," Andrew said softly. "Do you believe in God?"

Julie looked down at her hands, "I believe in Him, I just figured…"

"…You figured that after you were hurt that God abandoned you?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," she whispered as the tears caught in her eyes.

"He didn't," Andrew said softly. "That much I can tell you."

Julie looked up at him, but instead of speaking, she shrugged her shoulders.

*****

Christy was still at the bar with Kyle some four hours later. She was still nursing her second cup of coffee and the bar had pretty much emptied out. Kyle looked at her impatiently, his eyes starting to glaze over. "Are you still not finished?" He asked impatiently.

"No," the young angel said. "I like to savor and enjoy my drinks."

Kyle scoffed that off. "Most women do," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Christy asked. "Isn't savoring something a nice thing to do?" The young angel regarded the half drunken man skeptically. "You have been sitting here for the last four hours getting intoxicated, you haven't asked me any questions about me, you don't know where I come from, you have no idea what my favorite color is or what kind of music I like."

"Why should I?" Kyle asked. "It's not like we're married, and believe me baby, the last thing I need is a broad to spend all my money and to drink all my beer."

"Well, then why did you agree to go on this date?" Christy asked.

"Probably because my sister was the one who arranged it, and she thought it might get me to stop drinking or smoking," Kyle grinned as he looked at Christy. "Now, if you are finished with your drink, them maybe we could go out and have some real fun."

"Fun?" Christy looked at him the color slowly draining from her face. She looked around the room until her eyes landed on Monica who nodded to her and she got up from the table.

"Where do you think you're going?" Quick as a flash Kyle reached across the table and grabbed Christy's wrist. "I didn't say you could go."

"She doesn't take her orders from you," Monica approached when she saw that her friend and fellow angel was having some problems leaving the table. "Now, please let her go."

"What do you care?" Kyle sneered. "You're nothing but a waitress."

Monica took a deep breath as she looked at Christy. The young angel for the first time, appeared calm, in fact, she was regarding Kyle with more empathy than Monica had ever seen.

"I'll be OK, Monica," Christy said as she suddenly looked at Kyle. "You said something about fun, well, I think that we need to get going. The night is young."

Kyle smiled as he dropped some money on the table. "Come on baby, let's blow this joint." With that he led Christy to the door.

Once they had come outside, Kyle led her towards the parking lot where a dark blue Chevy was parked. He began to fumble with the keys that were in his hand until he found the key he was looking for and managed to unlock the door and get behind the wheel. As he tried to poke the object into the ignition, Christy remained standing outside, and he looked up and made eye contact with her, but after a few seconds, when she didn't get in, he motioned for her to do so. When she didn't, he got out of the car and looked over the hood at her, his eye gleaming.

"Aren't you going to get in? My apartment may be close by, but it's not that close," he said.

"Should you even be driving, Kyle, you just finished drinking an entire bottle of whiskey by yourself? I don't think that you really should be driving in this condition."

"Come on, baby, now is not the time for a public service announcement, are you going to get in or not?" He asked.

"No, I won't ride with you when you're drunk, and I don't think you could find a woman who would," Christy said assuredly.

"What happened to you?" He asked. "Did a couple of Irish coffees make you become more assertive or are you just playing another stupid game with me?"

She shook her head. "No, because I didn't drink any Irish coffees, I asked the waitress not to put alcohol in mine because where I come from, alcohol isn't consumed. She respected my wishes, and added some extra whipped cream to it."

"You're telling me that after I told that woman in there to bring you Irish coffee, that she didn't?" Kyle asked looking at her and instead of seeing an insecure and stammering woman in front of him, he saw a woman who was not afraid to speak her mind, a woman that was not afraid, and this completely infuriated him.

"No, she didn't," Christy said simply. "Let me ask you something, do you order alcohol for women so you can take advantage of them or do you order it so you have someone who won't count how many drinks you've had?"

Kyle looked at her, but instead of starting the car and driving away, he stumbled out of the car and came towards her, his hand now gripping a knife. He reached out and grabbed her and pulled her against him, her eyes widening when she saw a pair of bulging eyes bearing down at her. "Now, get in the car," he growled and with a clump of her hair in his fist, he crawled into the passenger side and she was left with no choice but to get in the car.

Once he had locked the doors and they were both in the car, he looked at her through a pair of gleaming eyes. "I'm not afraid of you, Kyle," Christy said, her voice even.

"Maybe you should be," he said as he started the car and pressed down on the accelerator and they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Back at the bar, and standing in the doorway was Monica. She was watching them with concern in her brown eyes. Seconds later, Adam appeared next to her and she did not notice his presence until he spoke her name. "Monica?"

She turned around and when she saw him, she spoke, her voice emerging somewhat nervously. "Adam, what just happened here?" Monica asked. "Christy seems suddenly different, not like an inexperienced angel, but rather someone who knows what it is they have to do and are insistent about doing it."

"That's because Christy just got her first assignment," Adam said softly. "She's going to be taking someone home tonight."

Monica looked at him. "Who, Kyle?"

Adam shook his head. "I'm not sure, Monica, at this point all we can do is pray that everything will just work out for the best, but right now, it is hard to tell."

The brown-eyed angel could only nodded and stare in the direction of the parking lot and the street Kyle had taken off in.

*****

As Andrew and Julie came out of the restaurant she smiled weakly as she stared at the stars. "It's a beautiful night," she whispered as Andrew joined her next to the car.

"Yes, it is," he said softly.

"I wanted to thank you for dinner," Julie said softly.

"It was my pleasure, but you seem awfully silent now, is everything alright?" He asked softly as he looked at her, his green eyes filled with worry.

Julie looked at him. "You're probably going to think I'm crazy, but I'm really glad that you were with me tonight, there were so many things that you have said that made me think about things, about my life, and where it's going."

Andrew smiled. "Everything happens for a reason," he said softly.

"I believe you, Andrew," she said softly. "So it wasn't a mistake that we met, that I ended up here?"

"No, it wasn't, Julie the date you would have gone on would not have been what you had hoped for…" Andrew said softly, his voice trailing off when they heard the sounds of squealing tires in the distance. She looked at him. "Something's happening."

Andrew came over to her and put a protective arm around her and held her as they watched the headlights of an oncoming car in the distance. Julie stood planted to the ground as the car came closer. She watched as if entranced as the car swerved from one side of the street to the other. As it came closer, her eyes widened and Andrew began to glow, the light of God's love covering him.

Julie turned back to see him glowing, but only for a split second as she watched the car ram into a tree going full impact. "Oh my God," she suddenly was hurtled back to reality as she stared at the man who had come crashing through the windshield, his body now on the pavement, the outlines of it dimly lit by the nearby streetlamp.

Without thinking, Julie ran towards the man, her hand reaching into her pocket and pulling her cell phone out. She dialed 911 and waited for someone to pick up. When they did, she began to speak, her voice trembling. "I just saw a man hit a tree with his car, h-he's on the ground in front of the car, there's blood everywhere," Julie said trying to stay calm, but unable to.

"Where are you?" The operator asked.

"Out in Junction, near the old diner," she whispered.

"We'll have an ambulance there in two shakes," the woman said and hung up leaving Julie with no choice but to go over to where the man was lying on the ground. When she got closer, she could see a woman crouched down next to the man.

When the woman looked up, Julie gasped, the woman looked like her twin. "This is impossible!" She turned around to see Andrew standing behind her, the angel bathed in light. "W-who?"

"My name is Christy, and I am Kyle's Angel of Death, Julie," Christy said softly. "If Andrew hadn't have met you at the train station tonight, you would have died. God sends angels to help people, and sometimes, an angel will help you when you least expect it." With that, Julie watched as Christy brushed a gentle hand across Kyle's gaunt face, and she watched as the man's spirit joined the angel. As they disappeared in the nimbus of light, Julie turned around and faced Andrew.

"Y-you're an angel?" She asked softly.

Andrew nodded. "Yes, I am."

"I-I don't understand; that was supposed to be my date?" She asked weakly. Her eyes were wide as she regarded him.

"There are many things that happened tonight that you may not understand, Julie, but God had a plan, and his plan meant an angel who looked and acted like you, and that me mistaking you for Christy was a good thing, because it saved your life."

"You saved my life," she whispered. "Andrew, I thought all that talk about God was talk, I was trying to figure all of this out, but I couldn't."

"I know, but what do you know now?" He asked gently.

"I don't have to go on dates if I don't want to, I can fit in just by being me, and one never knows when one will meet an angel in a subway station," she said smiling weakly at him.

"Those are important lessons," he smiled proudly at her as he reached for her hand.

She accepted it as the ambulance arrived and they took Kyle's body away. "I guess I will have to wait for the police to come and take my statement," she mused. "Andrew, would you mind waiting with me? I still have something I need to ask you."

He smiled and nodded. "What would you like to know?"

"You said earlier that you are a counselor for people who die," she began and once he nodded, she continued to speak. "I guess that means, you're an Angel of Death too, right?"

"Yes, I am, and I'm supposed to train Christy, that's why we ended up at the cemetery, and that's why all of these things happened the way they did," he said softly. "I think it was a good thing that this happened, Julie," he said as he reached over and brushed her hair out from in front of her face.

She reached up and touched his hand, thus holding it against her face. "I hope that I one day find a man just like you, Andrew…" her voice trailed off. "OK, not just like you, he doesn't have to be an angel, but if he treats me well, then I will be happy."

Andrew smiled and nodded. "Treat yourself well, don't do what other people expect, do what it is that you want for yourself and let the rest come to you."

Julie nodded and smiled as she got up on her tiptoes and kissed the angel's cheek. "I won't forget, Andrew, I'll never forget."

*****

Thirty minutes later after Julie had left her statement with the police and she was finally told that she could leave, she climbed into the convertible next to Andrew. "Thanks for taking me home," she smiled weakly. "I don't really like taking the subways after dark."

"My pleasure," he smiled at her. "This is the kind of taking home that I don't mind in the least."

Julie looked at him. "I'm sure," she smiled as they pulled onto the highway. "What's going to happen to Kyle, Andrew?"

"He's been forgiven for all the mistakes he's made, and he's striving to make things right again," Andrew said gently.

"God's really looking out for me, isn't He?" She whispered. "That could have been me. How could I have been so foolish?"

"You're not foolish, Julie, you're trying to find trust, but remember, don't look for trust in dates or doing things that don't express you. Put your trust in the One who deserves your trust. The Father will help you if you ask Him for guidance, and if something doesn't feel right to you, then you already know the answer."

She nodded. "You must think I'm really petty…"

"No, I don't, you are just searching, but now I think you have found the right path that you want to take. This will help you in the future, but only if you not allow this to act as a hindrance to you."

Julie nodded. "I'll remember."

Andrew smiled as he pulled up to her house and she turned to him before getting out of the car.

"I'll never forget you," she whispered.

"Nor will I forget you," he said gently as he felt her embracing him before getting out of the car.

As she walked up the walk, Andrew smiled, he understood how things were, what had seemed a mistake to the Angel of Death had saved the life of a young woman. Nodding, he started the car as Christy appeared next to him. "I'm ready Andrew," the young angel said softly.

"Perhaps the lesson that needed to be learned was by me, Christy," he said smiling.

The younger angel smiled as she glanced skyward and a snow-white dove flew over the trees and vanished in the distance.

The End…

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