A 'Touched By An Angel' story

With a touch of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' magic

By: Yvette Jessen

Tasha Summers was five-years-old the day her mother told her father that she wanted a divorce. This had been a long time coming, as the little girl had heard for months the sound of shattering glass whenever her parents would argue, and this seemed to be the rule rather than the exception. It was becoming more and more consistent. Her mother had a temper; that much was true, as she would completely lose it and more of their wedding china would be thrown in anger against the kitchen floor as a result of these outcries that tended to erupt in her family.

The fetching blonde-haired child could not get over all the things that seemed to embody her parents, but as luck would have, neither of them had, to this point, ever lashed out at her, but she was always afraid that her mother's anger would somehow get the better of her one day. Tasha already felt that she was the reason behind the arguments her parents always seemed to have.

Worse still, any time her parents would talk to her, it was to tell her that the other had done something wrong, thus leaving the child alone to retreat to the living room and turn on the television and use a particular show as a means to block out these erupting emotions. The only reason she did this was to hide away from the pain that emanated her whenever she felt pressured to choose between her parents.

Her favorite show was about a man, a special person who talked to her over the airwaves each afternoon at six through a wonderful world of make-believe. She would literally sit and watch all the while totally captivated by the puppets and the stories she would hear on this man's show. She was happiest when she could see him each day, but her happiness only lasted a short 30 minutes and then the program would end, and she would once again feel the pressures of growing up. The more she would think about it, the more convinced she became that her parents didn't really love her and every day she believed more and more that they were using her as a pawn in their endless arguments.

She sighed sadly as the final song was playing, and she could hear the soothing baritone voice of this wonderful man emanating through the living room. Tasha had made sure that the volume was only loud enough so that she could hear the show, but all the songs she knew by heart and she would sing along, her tiny voice filled with hope with each word that escaped from between her lips.

"It's such a good feeling to know you're alive, it's such a happy feeling, you're growing inside…" the closing song filled her ears, but her eyes were the depiction of the utmost sadness as unhappy tears began to well from beneath them. Now, the man had put on his regular jacket, making him look more like that of an executive going to meet clients in a business dinner than the love of children all over America. Sighing sadly, she knew what this meant, soon the closing credits would be rolling across the screen and her half hour of happiness would once again be behind her.

She watched unable to stop this, but she reached a tiny hand out and touched the smooth glass surface of the television screen. "Please, Mister Rogers, don't go away and leave me all alone. Mommy is mad at Daddy again," she pleaded softly with the stillness as the screen once again went black and their local PBS station had stopped playing her beloved program and 'Nova' had started.

As the sad tears trickled down over her face, she held tightly to the stuffed bunny rabbit that she had been given for her fourth birthday.

Unbeknownst to the five-year-old girl, four angels were standing not far away and were watching her, one a handsome man with sparkling and compassionate green eyes. Next to him, stood three women. One, a lady with beautiful auburn hair, the second a dazzling brunette with glasses, and the third, a grandmotherly woman with mahogany colored skin, but a smile that could light up the darkest of skies.

"Tess, she's adorable," the man said softly, his gentle heart suddenly taken by Tasha, his compassionate eyes never leaving the place where the little girl was seated. He knew deep inside that the little girl couldn't see him, but he still kept his voice soft, as though he was trying not to disrupt the indescribable gentility that seemed to emanate the room where they were standing.

This quiet room, however, was quickly altered when they heard a glass shattering in the kitchen along with the sounds of a woman yelling. He could see that Tasha had cast her bunny aside and had covered her ears with her tiny hands as the tears streamed from beneath her light brown eyes.

"What is this, Tess?" The auburn-headed woman asked as she looked to the woman with mahogany colored skin. "Who is our assignment? This little girl?"

"As if you haven't noticed, Miss Wings, this family is completely falling apart," Tess said sadly. "The main part of this assignment will be Andrew's, but we're going to be in and out of the lives of the parents as their behavior is really leaving a negative impact on this little girl."

"Why?" Gloria asked as she shook her head. "She looks like a normal child to me."

"That's only the physical, Little Angel," Tess said sadly. "The fact is, that little girl's world is completely falling apart and she's going to need a little bit of help, so the Father has sent us, but mainly, He has sent Andrew."

The Angel of Death smiled weakly as he continued to watch the small child, his green eyes filled with sadness as she held the bunny in her arms and was cradling it. From her place on the sofa, she could no doubt hear her mother cleaning the kitchen the glass being collected, and the yelling dissipating ever so slightly.

"Is she going to die, Andrew?" Gloria asked.

He shook his head. "I don't think so, yet, it's going to be complicating. Tess, how am I going to make contact with this little girl?"

"You remember how it was when you spent time with Kate Prescott's grandson, Dillon, don't you?" Tess asked.

"Yes, I was like his imaginary friend of sorts, he called me 'Dew', and I used to tell him stories," Andrew said softly.

"You're going to do this again, Andrew. Tasha is going to need a friend, she has yet to start kindergarten and doesn't know too many children, but she needs a trustworthy adult in her life," Tess said softly. "She has to learn how it's going to be when her parents get a divorce, but she also needs to understand that this is not because of something she has done. I think the Father wants you here because her parents don't really know how this is affecting her, and she's going to need someone who understands her."

"Someone like Mister Rogers," Gloria offered and when the other three angels looked at her, she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, that's the program she was watching on television when we came in. Anyway, there was a kind looking man who was telling her 'I like you just the way you are' and she seemed to hang onto his every word."

"Yes, but this assignment isn't about television, Little Angel," Tess said.

"Maybe it should be," Monica observed. "It seems to me that this little girl considers Mister Rogers to be her best friend in the world."

The three angels continued to watch as the little girl crawled up against some throw pillows, which were on the sofa, and began to stroke her bunny's furry head. "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood…" she began to sing softly the theme music, the unhappy tears still streaming down her cheeks, but her tiny voice was filled with the sensation of an affirmation as she looked around the empty room, but eventually back down at the bunny she cradled in her arms.

"Tasha?" the voice of her mother eventually emerged and she looked up. "Time for dinner."

"Yes, Mommy," Tasha answered her mother's call as she laid the bunny down, crawled off the sofa, and walked slowly into the kitchen. As she came in, her father was cleaning the fragments of porcelain from off the floor and she sat down at the kitchen table without saying another word. Before she could say anything to either of her parents, a small bowl of chicken noodle soup was placed before her and she reached for a piece of toast and began to dip it into the soup.

Tess, Monica, Andrew, and Gloria followed, the four angels still in angelic form and none of them were visible to the family.

As they came into the room, Tasha's mother, Frieda was seated on the other side of the table, Tasha's father, William, had left the room and was getting ready to go to a hotel for yet another night.

"Where's Daddy going?" Tasha finally asked her mother, but somehow the small child knew the answer before her mother could even give it.

"To the Harrisburg Inn," Frieda said softly.

"Why?" Tasha wanted to know, but when her mother looked at her, the question died on her lips and she finished the soup in silence. As soon as she had put her empty bowl in the sink, she whispered a barely audible 'good night' to her mother and slipped from the kitchen and began to walk towards the stairs that would lead up to her room.

Tess motioned for Andrew to follow, and sighing deeply, the Angel of Death followed the small child out of the room. She, Monica, and Gloria remained in the kitchen with Frieda.

"What are we going to do, Tess?" Monica asked.

"You and Gloria are going to be their new neighbors and I'll be working at the unemployment office," Tess said and once the three of them understood their parts of the assignment, they disappeared.

*****

Tasha came into her room by this time and she pulled the door halfway closed behind her. She went to the closet and began to get dressed for bed. Her favorite pajamas were made from material that had tigers and other large cats on them. It was obvious that the little girl's world seemed to revolve around 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' as she loved tigers, especially Daniel. He was her favorite of all the puppets Mister Rogers had on his show, simply because she related to him. Daniel was a tiger and he was just as shy as this little girl, herself, was.

As she finished buttoning her pajamas, she went into the connected bathroom and brushed her teeth. She had lost another of her baby teeth, and wanted to put it under her pillow in the hopes that the tooth-fairy would come and leave her a quarter like she did when she lost her first tooth two months ago. She never told her parents about this one simply because she figured that they were too busy to pay her any mind about it, and it was usually her father who was even interested in this sort of thing.

She sighed deeply as she put the tooth in a small container and went to slip it under her pillow. As she did, she could feel the tears beginning to tumble down over her face once again. She didn't know why she was crying, but for some reason, she feared that her parents would forget to tell the tooth fairy that she had lost another tooth and the little girl would once again be overlooked.

Andrew remained in the room watching as the little girl pulled the blankets back, crawled under the covers, and slowly got into bed without turning off the overhead light.

Tasha sighed sadly as she remembered what she had wanted to tell her parents, and that was that the night light had burnt out and she was still afraid of the dark. After a few moments, she heard her mother in the hallway calling out to her.

"Tasha, did you remember to brush your teeth?" Frieda completely pushed the door open and poked her head inside the room. "Why haven't you turned the light out yet, you know seven is bedtime?"

"My nightlight doesn't work," Tasha said softly as she looked over towards the outlet where the nightlight usually was.

"Is that why haven't you turned the light out?" Frieda asked as she put her hands on her hips and looked at the little girl, her impatience evidently showing.

"I'm afraid," Tasha said softly.

Frieda released a pent up sigh, "OK, we'll put the hall light on tonight, but you go to sleep. You really need to get over being scared of the dark Tasha, you're almost six-years-old."

Tasha nodded and once her mother had left the room, leaving the door partially opened so that the small girl could see that the light from the hall as it shined into the room. She snuggled down against the pillow and looked at the ceiling. "Dear God, I wish I had a friend of my very own," she whispered sadly to herself as she closed her eyes. Within seconds, she could sense movement and she opened her eyes to see that a man was standing in the room, his blonde hair illuminated by a strange light, which seemed not only to surround him, but also to radiate from him.

Somewhere deep inside of herself, she knew that he must be an angel, but she wondered if she was even allowed or supposed to see him. When her eyes met his, she could see that they were the color of a grassy meadow, the serenity that encased him indescribable, and when he smiled at her, she could see all the compassion and love that seemed to embody him.

The little girl regarded him with innocence and wonder, but deep in the recesses of her eyes, she also seemed to gaze at him with a small trace of fear. "Who are you?" She whispered, being sure to keep her voice soft so as to not bring her mother back into the room. Surely, speaking when she should have been sleeping would anger her mother, as she seemed to always be at the end of her patience is it was.

"Shhhh, you don't want to disturb your mother," he smiled gently at her as he placed a single finger over his lips. "My name is Andrew." His voice emerged filled with the utmost kindness. He came over towards her and sat down on the edge of the bed. This action caused her to subconsciously back up against the pillow, and she continued to stare at him with anxious eyes. "No, Tasha, honey, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. God heard your prayers and He sent me."

"God heard me?" Tasha asked weakly, but her voice had emerged too loudly and she could hear her mother's agitated voice from the hallway filtering into her room.

"Stop talking to yourself, Tasha and go to sleep this instant," Her mother once again appeared in the doorway to her room. After hearing her mother, the little girl had to rub her eyes to make sure she was really seeing an angel standing in her room and that this wasn't just her imagination playing some kind of trick on her.

"You don't see him?" Tasha asked her mother, but before she had completely finished asking the question, her mother was no longer there and she could hear that Frieda had gone back down the stairs.

Tears of sadness sprang to her eyes, but she tried to wipe them away. After a few seconds had passed, she could hear the sounds of the television from her bedroom, and she finally found the courage to look at Andrew, who was still in her room. "Y-you're real?"

"Yes," he smiled gently, all the while, he was still glowing and she timidly reached a tiny hand out towards him. When he saw this, he reached over and took both of her hands in his as his eyes met her own. "You have nothing to be afraid of, I'm here to help you."

"Are you really an angel?" Tasha asked after a few seconds had passed and he could see that she was trying to process his words. "Like in those Christmas stories my daddy used to tell me?"

Andrew nodded and smiled at her analogy. "Yes, Tasha I am."

"And your name is Andrew?" She asked as she tried to formulate her words correctly. Although he knew that she knew what his name was, it had emerged as 'Androo' rather than 'Andrew' thus causing him to smile ever so slightly.

"Are you afraid of me, Tasha?" He asked but nodded in recognition of her question.

She nodded, but after a few seconds, she shook her head, but her brown eyes were looking up at him, her innocence taking him as she asked another question. "Do you always glow like that?"

"No, not always," he smiled mysteriously. "Sometimes, I work incognito."

"Incognito? Is that your last name?" Tasha asked innocently.

"No, I don't really have a last name," Andrew said.

"You don't?"

"No," he smiled gently at her but shook his head.

"You have no family?" She asked weakly.

"Oh, I have a family, just not the same as you do with your mother and father," he said, his voice soft and gentle, but instead of elaborating, he anticipated her next question. "'Incognito' means I try to help people without them always knowing who I am. Your mommy can't see me, but you can."

"Why not?"

"Well an angel can only be seen by a human if he or she wants to be seen by them," Andrew said smiling at the little girl.

"Why not, don't you like my mommy?" Tasha asked weakly, her innocent question caused Andrew to chuckle, but he could see the fear in the little girl's eyes at the mere mention of her mother. When he continued to smile at her inquiry, she misinterpreted it and continued speaking to him, her voice not hiding the fact that he had unintentionally hurt her feelings. "I'm not being funny," she objected and somehow she thought he was laughing at her and this did not go over exceedingly well with the sensitive child. "Mister Rogers would never laugh at me like you're doing."

"Oh honey, I'm not laughing at you, I just think your question was so sweet that I couldn't help it," Andrew said as he blushed slightly. "Am I forgiven?"

Tasha thought about his words and eventually she nodded. "You promise you won't ever make fun of me again?"

"I promise," Andrew said gently.

"You'll be my friend, then?" She asked weakly as she yawned.

"Yes, it would honor me to be your friend, Tasha," Andrew said gently.

"I'm sleepy," she said he helped her to get comfortable on the bed and she snuggled up against the pillow, but her soft toffee colored eyes looked up at him. "You won't leave me, will you Andrew?"

"I'm right here, sweetheart, and you'll see me tomorrow, I promise," the angel said gently as Tasha closed her eyes and could feel the sleepiness overcoming her and she slipped into a peaceful slumber.

*****

"You're the one who forgot to close the garage door last night, not me," Tasha woke to hear her parents downstairs arguing once again. She looked around the room in hopes that her new friend was nearby, and when she saw him sitting in a chair, she released a pent up sigh.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Andrew offered.

"Hi," Tasha spoke, but when she heard the yelling continue, she covered her tiny ears and could feel the tears streaming down her face. "I hate it when they do that, I wish they would just stop it."

Andrew stood up and walked over to where she was sitting on the bed, and once he sat down, he offered her his hand, and watched as she reached out and began to trace the patterns across the palm of his hand. She looked up at him after a few seconds, her sad eyes filled with pent up emotions. When she said nothing, he spoke, his voice breaking the stillness of the room. "Your parents argue a lot, don't they?"

The little girl nodded solemnly. "Yeah, they are always fighting about something, and then when Mommy comes and talks to me, she only tells me that my daddy is really bad, or that he's revolting. Andrew, what does 'revolting' mean?"

The angel sighed deeply, but he reached over and began to stroke the soft hair of the child. "It's something that is not a very nice thing to say to or about anyone, sweetheart. It is something that your mommy shouldn't be telling you no matter how angry or upset she may be."

Tears sprang in the little girl's eyes and she looked at the angel. "Why do my mommy and daddy not like each other? Is it because of me?"

"No, honey, it's not because of you," Andrew said gently. "Sometimes grown-ups just don't know how to react to each other, and they do what they can to prove to themselves that they are making all the right choices, but they somehow forget that they are hurting others because pride gets in the way."

Tasha thought about his words, but she shook her head. "My mommy and daddy don't love me, Andrew."

"Oh no, that's not true, deep down inside they do, sweetheart, it's just that sometimes, they forget to tell you. But, I'll tell you a secret; God is going to help your mommy and daddy realize this." The angel smiled gently and looked at his young friend.

"It's impossible," Tasha said softly as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Why would God make things better?"

"Because He loves you, and He knows that you are very sad right now," Andrew said softly, but instead of elaborating on this, he opened his arms to the little girl and she crawled onto his lap and rested her head against his shoulder, the tears falling from beneath her eyes, the pain overwhelming.

There, Tasha began to weep softly, her face meshed against his chest, her body shaking as she released the grief she carried in her shattered spirit. Seconds later, they could hear the doorbell ringing from downstairs and the little girl looked up and into the gentle eyes of her angel. "Andrew?"

"My friends are here, and they're going to help your parents, but you can't tell them, they're working incognito too."

The little girl nodded, but crawled off his lap and began to walk towards the door. Once she disappeared out into the hallway, Andrew stood up and followed her.

*****

At that moment, Frieda had stopped shouting at William long enough to go and answer the door. As she pulled it open, she could see two young looking women standing on the porch.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice emerging in a demanding tone, but the usual impatience, still there.

"Hi," the auburn headed visitor said offering the frowning woman a gentle smile. "My name is Monica and this is Gloria, and we're new in the neighborhood and thought we would come by and say 'hello'."

"I really don't have time for this, I'm sorry ladies," Frieda said as William came out into the living room and could see the new neighbors standing on the porch and looking apologetic as though they feared having interrupted something important. Instead of responding to them negatively, William offered them a friendly and cordial smile.

"Hello ladies, I'm William Summers," he introduced himself all the while trying to ignore his wife's rudeness. "I was just heading out, I've got an appointment at the unemployment office, otherwise I'd stick around and chat."

"Story of his life," Frieda said bitingly as Tasha came down the stairs, her stuffed rabbit in her arms. Seconds later, Frieda turned around and regarded her daughter. "I told you that you needed to be dressed, not get back upstairs and get yourself ready, you know I don't want to be late."

Tasha nodded and without saying a word, she backed up towards the stairs. Behind her, Andrew followed, his sadness overwhelming as he cast a fleeting glance in Monica and Gloria's direction. Once the little girl and her angelic companion were gone, Frieda looked back at the ladies who were standing in the doorway.

"I really don't have time," she repeated her words and without another glance in their direction; she closed the door leaving Monica and Gloria on the porch.

Outside, the two angels came down the three steps, Monica looked at Gloria. "I think this is going to be harder than I initially thought."

"Monica, why do people take their anger out on their children?" Gloria asked.

"I don't really know, I understand that Frieda has a terrible problem with her temper and it will reach the breaking point if she does not do something about it soon. Unfortunately she's using this as a means to distance herself as well as control her daughter," Monica said softly as she looked at her angelic companion and they made their way down the sidewalk in the direction of the street.

"I feel sorry for the little girl," Gloria said sadly. "She seems so lost."

"She is lost," Monica said softly. "I think the only person who will be able to help Frieda realize what she is doing will be William, but William needs to learn to be a little more assertive. As long as he hides away without telling Frieda the truth, he will continue to enable his wife to hurt their child, and there won't be any peace left in this family at all. Essentially, there is more riding on William than on Frieda, because without his intervention Tasha will be in danger, because aggressive people without control over their tempers do have abusive tendencies."

"Abuse?" Gloria looked at Monica, her eyes widening. "Harm, insult verbally, unjust or corrupt practices," she continued as she remembered the dictionary definition of the word Monica had just spoken.

The more experienced angel nodded. "Yes, but right now, Tasha is afraid of her mother, and her father is not doing anything to help ease that fear. Every time they argue with one another, Tasha retreats more and more into her own little world."

"That television show," Gloria said softly.

"Yes, but Tasha needs to learn that God is that unconditional love that she needs," Monica said.

"Monica, I'm sorry, but I think a little girl needs to feel loved here on Earth, too, and if she feels love emanating from a man on television, then maybe, he's being guided by God to deliver that message to her," Gloria said. "Maybe Mister Rogers is a messenger of some kind and maybe his mission is to teach children to love themselves."

Monica nodded acknowledging the truth in Gloria's words. "Perhaps, you're right."

"Then maybe we should find Mister Rogers and ask him to come meet Tasha."

"Wait a minute, Little Angel," Tess' voice interrupted their conversation and the brunette angel looked at Monica's supervisor, who just appeared from out of nowhere.

"But, Tess, maybe it would work," Gloria said, her voice carrying more conviction than it ever did before. "If we can get Tasha's hero to come here, then maybe it would help her accept that someone loves her."

"No," Tess said shaking her head. "Now grant it, Little Angel, I know your intentions are good, but bringing a famous person to this little girl is not going to help her with the problems that her family is having. Now, I know that Mister Rogers is a wonderful human being, but God doesn't want us to convince Mister Rogers to come and see this little girl, He wants us to help this little girl reconnect with her parents before it's too late. You hear me talking, Little Angel?"

"Yes Ma'am, but Tess, couldn't we ask him?" Gloria asked.

"No, we cannot, and do you know why?" Tess continued and when Gloria did not offer any sort of response, she continued. "Mister Rogers already knows that he makes a difference and Tasha is one little girl, whom he has made a difference to, but meeting him is not going to change her parents, what is going to change them will be God."

Monica nodded and once Tess was gone, she looked at Gloria. "Don't worry, Gloria, you'll get used to Tess' attitude. It took me awhile to, but I did."

Gloria nodded. "I'm just trying to help."

"I know, and deep inside, Tess knows that too, but she's right, Mister Rogers is only going to be able to help Tasha through his show. Meeting him will make her happy, but that happiness will be extremely short lived, because once he goes away, the situation facing Tasha's parents, will still be there. Do you understand?"

"OK, but if they won't let us in, then how are we going to help them?" Gloria asked.

"It takes time, but in God's good timing, we will have the chance to help," Monica said softly. "Keep in mind that Andrew is there, and he's helping Tasha, too."

As soon as she finished speaking they walked across the street in the direction of the house they were renting. Once inside, they closed the door.

*****

William drove downtown about ten minutes after Monica and Gloria had visited his house. As he pulled into a parking space and was getting out of the car, he looked up and could see that the sun was shining brightly over his head. He smiled weakly, and although he was worried as to whether or not he would be able to get unemployment benefits, he understood that he needed to at least try. If not for any other reason, but his efforts were for the sake of his family. He glanced skyward as it hit him how nice the day had turned out to be. The sky was bluer than it had been in weeks, possibly months and he could only conclude that maybe a day like this was a blessing for him. Maybe if he went inside this building in good spirits, it would leave some kind of an impact on the unknown fate that loomed over his head at that moment.

As he reached the door, he turned around and could see that a woman with mahogany colored skin was coming towards the door, her arms loaded down with filing folders. He stood back and held the door open for her so that she could come inside without loosing any of her paperwork.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly at him once she managed to enter the large building and he allowed the door to close behind them.

He nodded, "my pleasure."

As she brusquely made her way towards a large lobby, he followed, all the while walking more hesitantly in the same direction, all the while his eyes on a number of small offices. Entering one, he walked up to the counter and handed his application to the woman seated at the desk. Once he had done this, she directed him to a glass-encased waiting area. He went over and took a seat on one side of the room.

The room was relatively empty, only a couple of women were waiting and he picked a magazine up off the table and began to listlessly flip through it.

Ten minutes later, someone called his name and he stood up, his eyes widening when they met those of the woman whom he had helped when he had come into the building. Taking a deep breath, he replaced the magazine on the table and walked towards the woman, who was now smiling warmly at him.

"Hello, it's nice to see you again," he said with a warm smile.

"Come on in, Mr. Summers, my name is Tess," she introduced herself and he smiled somehow immediately relaxing in her presence.

Once he was seated in the office, he made eye contact with her.

"Now then, what is your occupation?" Tess began.

"I was working in the area of marketing when I got laid off. The fact is, the airline industry has been really hit hard since last year, and they basically told me that my job was no longer necessary," he sighed weakly hoping that this answer was acceptable. The last thing he wanted to tell her was the real reason as to why he had lost his job.

"Are you OK?" She asked. "Maybe this isn't the best time for you to ask me to offer you some help."

"Maybe not, it's just that things in my family are kind of falling apart, I need a job, and my wife was really angry that I got laid off. She says it's my fault, that I can't hold down a decent job if my life depended on it."

"Mr. Summers, how long did you have your last job?"

"Almost ten years, I had thought that I would get a promotion and that I would be able to take my family on vacation. But, life is sometimes hard, and one doesn't always realize how much they have until they face loosing it."

"You are not just referring to your professional life, are you?" Tess asked, her eyes staring at him, and feeling the intimidation of her stare, he nodded.

"My wife wants to get a divorce because of all of this, and well…" his voice trailed.

"You thought that if you got a good paying job, that you would not have to worry about going through a divorce, that your wife and you would be able to resolve your problems."

"Yeah," William nodded, "we have a little girl, Tasha, and she's really special, but I'm scared for her. Frieda's got a temper and she's not patient at all. I think she's stressed out all the time, but…" His voice trailed but he looked at her. "Oh God, what am I doing, telling a perfect stranger about my problems?"

"I asked," Tess said matter-of-factly.

"Perhaps you did, but this does not leave a very positive impression. You probably think I'm the world's biggest wimp." He shook his head and began to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes.

"Listen, Mr. Summers, you have to understand that when it involves work, and professionalism, an employer will want to hire those who don't have so many, ah how can I say this without sounding rude?" A pause as she took a deep breath before her last word emerged. "Problems."

William took a deep breath. "So you want me to tell you every minute detail of my short-comings, and why my daughter thinks I'm revolting. She's five-years-old, she adores chocolate cake and watching 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' while holding a stuffed bunny and wearing overall pajamas with tigers on the front. She believes in the same simplicities of life, but now things have gotten so bad with my wife, that I've started to hide my favorite coffee mugs because Frieda will destroy them with the wave of her hand."

"Your wife has a temper?" Tess asked.

He nodded numbly. "It used to not be so bad, but we fight almost constantly. I spend more nights at the Harrisburg Inn than I do at home. The horrible thing is she's called me names in front of our daughter, and she has yelled at our daughter in front of strangers. Only this morning, two of the neighbors came by to say 'hello' and my wife practically threw them out of the house." He took another deep breath before he was able to continue. "Sometimes I think going to work would just be an easy way to get away from all of the stress."

"Your daughter lives with this all the time, neither of you talk to her about it?" Tess asked. "I mean; talk to her in a language that she can understand?"

"It's much easier to let her watch television and find the comfort in a show with puppets and music," William said softly.

"But, it isn't the same thing as having a mother and a father who are observant of the stress that is bestowed upon her, but who also love her. You see, baby, kids take in so much of what adults toss out. Divorce is a big deal, because it affects not just the two people who are married, but it involves the children as well. Just consider this, a child who realizes that the attention, or lack thereof does leave a lasting impact and sometimes, it affects the rest of their lives," Tess said.

"We do limit what she watches, but it seems as though the only thing she really is interested in watching anymore is 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'."

"A good selection, but that does not replace the love that parents can give to a little girl. You can exercise control, or limitations with a child, but you may limit her so much, that she cannot face the feelings she carries. Mr. Summers, does your daughter talk to you?" Tess asked.

William shook his head.

"Well, maybe that is where you need to focus your energy right now," Tess said. "Just think about it, OK," she smiled, but her focus went back to the papers that were on the desk in front of her. "Now, back to your situation. You say that you worked before in the travel industry. Could you explain to me some of what your job entailed?"

"Mostly customer service," he said shrugging his shoulders. "I worked behind the scenes, but I also helped travel agencies organize their itineraries for trips. Our company had a lot to do with planning trips, but we weren't really directly involved in the traveling industry, per se. Anyway, I really liked my work, I liked working with people, but it just didn't work out for me, I guess."

Tess nodded. "OK, that's a good start for us. I'll make a few phone calls, and see if I can find something along that line, you have a number where I can reach you?" She smiled at him, but she could see that there was something hidden in the man's eyes, something was not right with William, and when she saw him leaving the office, she turned around and could see that Adam was standing behind her; his gray-blue eyes filled with sadness, and her silent question seemed to be lodged in the back of her throat.

"He's dying, Tess," Adam said softly.

"What? Are you sure?"

"You think I would show up here and lie about this kind of thing?" Adam asked weakly, and when Tess looked at him, she could do nothing but wait for news from the Father.

*****

William left the office some ten minutes later, Tess' business card tucked in his pocket, but as he left, he could see that his wife and daughter were now coming into the building from the opposite direction, Frieda was holding tightly to the hand of their daughter, and Tasha was constantly looking behind them as though she was expecting to see someone behind her. William approached them.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice soft so as to not attract any attention. He remembered to offer his little girl a warm smile.

"Well, we're here because there's a preschool class I want to enroll Tasha in so I can go back to work without worrying that she's home alone," Frieda answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why don't you let me take her?" William said softly. "We could go to the park for the afternoon while you're at work."

"You know perfectly well that you should be out looking for a job," she said loudly, thus causing other people in the lobby to turn and stare at them. "I cannot in good conscious leave you with Tasha, you would spend the day goofing off."

Her words hit him like a train and instead of speaking of his objections; he shrugged his shoulders. As usual she has to humiliate me, he thought angrily, but instead of fighting back and upsetting things more than they already were, he said nothing.

Instead, Tasha looked up at her father, her sad brown eyes meeting his and she tried to pull her hand out of that of her mother. "Mommy, why can't I go with Daddy?" She asked, but when her mother looked down at her, the small girl felt the intimidation and fear curse through her body and she stopped speaking. She turned around once again and her gaze came to rest on Andrew, who had been silently standing next to the little girl, his compassionate green eyes filled with sadness when her gaze locked with his.

As soon as she had spoken and was silenced by her mother's unrelenting eyes, Tess emerged from the office he had exited moments ago and the angel approached them. "Mr. Summers, I found a position for you. The 'You Go Travel Agency' is looking for someone with experience in the travel industry to come down for an interview. I called them and they said that they knew of you and were impressed with your credentials. Your contact person will be Monica."

William looked at Tess. "You're kidding?"

"No, I'm not kidding, it appears that you're exactly what they're looking for," Tess said matter-of-factly as she cast a pointed glance over at Frieda. "Here's their number, and I'd suggest that you jump right on that one, the pay's good, and the benefits are probably the best you'll get in the city." She turned and could see that Frieda was standing off to one side, but was watching them like a hawk.

"This is wonderful news, Tess, thank you so much," William accepted the card and without a word to his wife, he turned and smiled down at his daughter. "I'll see you tonight, honey. Wish me luck."

Tasha crossed her fingers and smiled up at her father. "I think Andrew will pray for you to get the job, Daddy and so will I."

"Andrew?" Frieda asked interrupting them and looking pointedly at her daughter. "Who is Andrew?"

"He's…my friend, my angel," Tasha said softly and when she looked up at Tess, she got a slight nod.

"Angels," Frieda sighed deeply, and looked at her daughter. "Maybe I should be getting you to a psychiatrist instead of enrolling you in school."

Tasha stared down at the ground upon hearing her mother's words and after a few moments, she looked up at Andrew. The angel smiled gently at her but placed a finger over his lips and the little girl nodded.

"Come on Frieda, do you have to humiliate Tasha too?" William asked. "You've already had your fun belittling me, do you have to do that to our daughter too?"

Frieda looked at him, the anger in her eyes unmistakable. After a few seconds had passed she reached out, grabbed Tasha's hand, and practically jerked the small child towards the elevators. Tasha turned around as her mother pulled her away. "Daddy," she called out, her voice soft, but when William turned, she spoke. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Princess," he said softly and watched with sadness as his wife and daughter got into the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Frieda looked at her. "What was that all about?"

Tasha shrugged her shoulders. "What Mommy?"

"Andrew?" Frieda asked angrily. "The last thing your father needs to hear is more fantasies of a five-year-old girl. He's got his head so far up in the clouds as it is."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Tasha stared down at the ground as her mother pressed the button for the fifth floor and they rode up in silence.

*****

That evening, Tasha did her usual routine of watching 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' and eating dinner, but this time, she had Andrew next to her. Once she had finished dinner, she went silently up the stairs to her room.

As she got ready for bed and had crawled under the covers, Andrew came over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Are you OK, Tasha?" He asked gently.

The little girl nodded without saying a word, but when her eyes met his, he could see the suppressed pain in her expression and he realized that the events at the office building had left a damaging and lasting impact on the little girl.

"You can tell me anything you want, you have nothing to be afraid of," Andrew said to the little girl.

Tasha shook her head; afraid to speak for fear that her mother would hear her talking to 'herself' and this would not go over extremely well. She glanced towards the door and then back at Andrew all the while not knowing what she should say or do. As she remained silent, Andrew nodded after a few moments.

"You're still scared because of what happened today, aren't you?" The angel asked softly and once Tasha nodded, he reached over and began to brush her hair out from in front of her face. "I have an idea, you lay down, try to go to sleep, and then we will talk, just not in the way you think. Just trust me, OK?"

Tasha nodded numbly.

"I'm going to turn the light out now," Andrew said, "don't be afraid, you're not alone, sweetheart."

Once the light was out and the room was dark, Andrew sat down next to her bed and within seconds, he could see that the little girl was reaching out to him. He leaned over and brushed the side of his hand gently against her face, sleep overcoming the child and the walls of her bedroom disappeared.

Seconds later, they were both standing in a meadow filled with wildflowers. Tasha looked around the area, her eyes wide, but seconds later, she could see that her angel was standing behind her, his blonde hair glistening in the sunlight, his kind green eyes regarding her with all the love and compassion that was in him.

"It's OK, you can talk to me now, your mother cannot hear you," Andrew smiled gently at the little girl.

Tasha nodded, but still no words emerged.

"Come over here and sit down with me," Andrew said softly. "It's OK, sweetheart, you have nothing to be afraid of."

The small child extended her hand towards him, and when she felt his hand gently holding her own, she sat down on the grass next to him.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" he asked, but his question emerged more as a statement of fact than an inquiry.

Tasha nodded once again as the tears began to stream from beneath her eyes. She stared out across the meadow, but her sadness was overshadowing all the other emotions she had.

Andrew smiled gently at her, but instead of speaking, he pulled a small flower from the ground, reached over, and put it gently in her hair.

The little girl stared for some time down at the ground and then after a few moments had passed, she looked back up at him. "Andrew?"

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I'm scared," Tasha's words emerged and she crawled closer to where he was sitting. The flower he had put in her hair had fallen, and drifted onto the ground.

"Why are you scared, Tasha?"

"My mom is not very nice to me," she said softly. "She gets mad at me a lot and yells at me about my daddy."

"I know, I've see her do it," he said softly.

"Why does she?"

"I wish I knew," he said gently as he took her onto his lap and held her gently in his arms. The little girl's head rested against his chest, her unhappy tears dampening his shirt, but she could feel his hand gently stroking her hair.

"Andrew?"

"Yes?"

"What's heaven like?" She asked weakly. "Is God nice?"

"Heaven is wonderful, it's filled with light and love, and God is the most special friend you could ever ask for," Andrew said, his voice soft.

"Will you take me to meet Him?" She asked softly.

"One day I will, but not for a long time," Andrew smiled at the little girl who was wrapped in his arms. "One day, I will come, take your hand, and lead you Home to God."

"Why can't you do that now?"

"Because you're not ready to go Home just yet. You have so much to do before that time comes, sweetheart."

Tasha looked at him and shook her head. "God doesn't want me, either."

"No, that's not true, and that's not what I said," Andrew took her chin in his gentle hands and made her look up at him. "God loves you, Tasha, and He knows that you're sad because of what is happening with your mom and dad. He wants you to know that He understands why it is that you have been so sad about everything that has happened. It makes Him sad too, but He would never ever reject you. He loves you so much that He wants to give you a chance to live and experience life on Earth, before you go to Heaven."

"Why?"

"Because you have something that you need to do, and when you get it done, then you can go Home," Andrew said gently.

Tasha looked at him. "Will you always be my angel, Andrew?"

"Yes, for as long as I am able," he smiled gently at her as he ruffled her hair.

"I wish I could always stay here with you," she whispered.

"I know, but it is time for us to go back," Andrew said as the meadow disappeared and they were once again in Tasha's bedroom. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

After that, he sat down in a nearby chair and continued to watch over her. He glanced skyward for a few moments, and then back down at the sleeping child.

*****

The phone jarred Tasha awoke the following morning, it's ringing causing the little girl to open her eyes and look around. She could see Andrew was still next to the bed; his head was down as though he was asleep, but when he finally looked up, he could see that his young friend was staring at him. This made the angel smile brightly, but this was short lived because within five minutes of the phone ringing, Felicia appeared in the doorway and Tasha backed against the wall when she saw the anger in the eyes of her mother.

"Get out of bed right now, you're going to make me late for my appointment," her mother shouted, and Tasha quietly crawled out of bed.

Once Frieda was no longer standing in the doorway, the small child went to the bathroom, thus leaving Andrew standing in the room, but only for a short moment.

"Andrew?" He heard his name being called and he looked up to see that Adam, his friend and fellow Angel of Death, was now standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Andrew asked weakly, the color fading from his cheeks when he saw that the look on Adam's face clearly said, 'you don't want to know'. "Adam, please tell me, is it about Tasha?"

The gray-eyed angel shook his head. "No, I'm here because of William."

"Tasha's father?" Andrew looked at him.

"He's very sick, Andrew, he has lung cancer, but he hasn't told anyone anything about it yet, not even his wife. He lost his job because he was going to treatment and it looks as though he is only feigning laziness in order to hide the shame he feels for having wasted some years of his life dealing with addiction," Adam said softly.

"So, this actually does have something to do with him losing his job," Andrew said softly as he shook his head.

"Unfortunately, It has everything to do with it. In reality, the company he worked for didn't like that he was sick all the time, and those days when he didn't show up at work, he was going through treatment. He's been saying that rapid hair loss had to do with his age, but the fact is, the treatment is causing this, and he's been wearing a toupee for months now. That's part of the reason why he's been spending more time at the Harrisburg Inn and less time at home."

"He's living a lie, in other words, he's not really weak, he just displays that to keep his wife and daughter from discovering his secret," Andrew said softly.

"But he's not going be able to keep it a secret for much longer," Adam said.

"Frieda doesn't know yet?" Andrew asked.

"Not yet," Adam shook his head. "But, things are coming unraveled fast, there is not going to be any way for William to keep this a secret. He will have to find a way to face the truth if he is ever going to save his family."

"How much time?" Andrew asked.

"For now, he's wining the battle, but not the war. The therapy seems to be helping, and as amazing as it sounds, William seems to have the will to live, but how long that will be remains to be seen," Adam shrugged his shoulders.

"Is William here?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, he's…" his voice trailed off and he could hear more china shattering against the linoleum floor. "…Downstairs."

Andrew sighed deeply as Tasha came out of the bathroom and walked into the room. "Hi," she said to Adam, as she walked by them. The energy was not in the little girl's words, but once she got dressed, she joined the two angels out in the hallway, her miserable brown eyes filled with suppressed pain.

"You're going to have to hurry, Andrew," Adam whispered and when he received a reciprocating nod, the elder of the two angels disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Tasha asked once they were alone.

"He has something that he needs to do," Andrew said softly.

Within seconds, the little girl heard her name being called by her mother and she walked by him and towards the stairs.

Andrew followed, hoping all the while that things would not get worse than they already were.

*****

"What took you so long?" Frieda demanded once the small child came into the living room. "I thought I told you to be ready this morning." Her voice had reached a point where here impatience was starting to get the better of her. She approached her daughter and the little girl shrank back in terror as her mother raised her hand with the intention of hitting her. The small child sank to her knees and covered the back of her neck.

At that moment, William came into the room, and he could see that Frieda was expressing her anger towards their daughter, and he quickly stepped between them in order to intervene. "I told you, Frieda that you needed to get counseling with your temper. What are you going to do when I'm gone?" He asked, but before the question could fully emerge, he looked at her, and pulled the toupee from his head and glared at his wife.

Frieda stopped that instant and looked at him. "What are you talking about, William?" She demanded as the doorbell rang, but ignoring this, she looked at him.

"Frieda, I didn't lose my job because of laziness, and I didn't lose it because of the layoffs, I lost it because I had taken too many sick days to go in for treatment," he said, as Gloria and Monica came into the house. They could see that the little girl was still hunched over in a corner, and Monica went over to where she was and helped her get up off the floor.

Once they had left, William and Frieda were alone in the house, but within seconds, Tess appeared next to him, and she regarded Frieda with frustration in her dark eyes.

"Frieda," Tess said the woman's name, thus causing her to look up and make eye contact with the angel.

"You're the woman from the unemployment office," she said, but shook her head as though she was in denial. "What are you doing here?"

"I was sent here to help your husband," Tess said. "William, do you remember what you told me yesterday about the situation with the job?"

"You knew that I didn't tell the whole truth, didn't you?"

"Yes, baby, I did," Tess began to glow, and she regarded the couple with sadness in her compassionate eyes. "I knew from the start what had happened here, and I knew that you were afraid to tell your wife the truth about your condition, but baby you cannot hide that truth any longer. Your wife, and your daughter need to hear it."

"Tess, I don't know where to start," William said softly.

"Tell her why you lost your job. Tell her where you were going and why you were spending more time at the Harrisburg Inn and less time at home with your family."

"I've got cancer, Frieda, I lost my job at the company because I was taking too many sick days to go to the hospital for chemotherapy and radiation."

"I don't believe you," Frieda said and looked at him with contempt in her eyes. "This is just another excuse, probably to get sympathy."

"No, it's the truth," Adam said as he appeared in the room.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Adam, and I have been with your husband since his chemotherapy started, I'm an angel, and so is Tess, and I think you should listen not only to William, but listen to yourself. Listen to how you treat your daughter, and belittle her being a child."

"I don't believe this," Frieda said assuredly.

"You don't want to believe it because you don't want to have to deal with the guilt of what you have subjected your husband and daughter to," Tess said. "You see, your husband is dying, Frieda, and nothing you say about his condition is going to change that. You judged him as being weak, but the reason you did was not because he was a depiction of that. I think you know deep down inside what has been happening and it angers you to realize that you don't have any control over it. You cannot change what he is going through, but you can change your attitude towards him, as well as towards your daughter."

William nodded when Frieda looked at him. "I wanted to spend as much time with Tasha as I could before I die. I wanted to be a success in your eyes, and I wanted to share as much time with my family as I could, but I didn't want you to know that I was sick, and I didn't want you to feel pity or guilt over what had happened to me." He looked at Tess. "Does it make sense to you that I didn't want to see my family suffer because of me?"

"Yes, baby, it does, but you know now that you cannot hide the truth from them, and you cannot protect your little girl unless she knows the truth and all of it. That's why Andrew has been with her."

"Her imaginary friend?" Frieda asked.

"He's not imaginary," Tess said softly. "He has been with her for the last two days, he has talked to her, and she has confided many things in him, but there exists so much fear in her heart because that little girl's momma only yells at her, and she only tells her things about her daddy that she should not be hearing. A child's place in this world does not include having to choose between her parents. A child should be able to grow up and love both of her parents without feeling pressured to love one over another. A child may learn to like him or herself from a man on television, but a child will never fully learn to love who they are without the impact and the love that emanates from their parents. This is something that television and make believe cannot replace. You both need to look at your daughter, and see the pain that encompasses her whenever her parents started to fight with each other."

William looked at Tess. "You're right."

Frieda shook her head and walked away, the denial evident in her face. Once outside, she stormed across the yard where her daughter and the angels were sitting on the grass. "Tasha, it's time to go."

The little girl shook her head. "I'm staying with Daddy."

"You're going to do as I say, or I'll beat you black and blue. Now, get up, it's time to go," Frieda stepped closer to her daughter with the intention of grabbing her arm and jerking her to her feet. Instead of accomplishing this, she was left having to almost immediately stop because Andrew was now in human form, and he had intervened.

"It surprises me that a mother would try to harm her own child because of selfish pride," he said and looked at the woman with sadness in his eyes. "Why do you do this? Why do you think that a child should be forced to choose someone who harms her over someone who loves her?"

"This is none of your business," Frieda shouted.

"You're right," Gloria said softly. "It is none of our business, but it is God's business, because Tasha is His child, and He weeps when a child as precious as her is hurting."

Monica nodded. "We came over yesterday to say 'hello', now we are here to give you a message. Frieda, we're angels, sent by God, Gloria, Andrew, and myself. You may not believe it, but God loves you, and he loves William and this little girl very much. He is very sad, because your disbelief in your husband may very well succeed in destroying any remnants of a family that you may still have. When William is gone, Frieda, you will be all that Tasha will have left of her parents, and today, this wee girl is afraid of you. Just look at her, look at how she cowers whenever you come near her. You came so close to harming her today, and if not for Andrew, she would have been most assuredly harmed because you got angry."

Frieda glanced over and could see that her daughter was now seated safely on Andrew's lap, her face buried against the chest of her angel and her tiny body trembling in fright and panic.

The Angel of Death looked up and his eyes met those of the woman. "She is afraid of you, and perhaps for good reason. You have yelled at her, you have spoken unkindly to her, and you have intimidated her to such a degree that she won't speak of the pain she carries in her heart." He brushed his hand through the soft hair of the child as he felt her tears falling from beneath her eyes and moistening his beige shirt. "Look at her, Frieda, look at the daughter you have been blessed with, the family that God has given you, but that you have taken for granted." He bent down and kissed the forehead of the little girl.

"Your child has become a pawn in a destructive game that you and your husband have been playing," Monica began to speak once again. "But, what you don't understand, Frieda, is that she doesn't want to choose between you and William, and the Father wants you to know that she should not have to. However, you should look at how selfish pride has damaged and spiritually wounded this child's fragile spirit."

Frieda wanted to walk away, but suddenly Gloria's innocent and loving voice continued where Monica had left off.

"When I first saw Tasha, she was watching this man on television, and she was inspired by what he was telling her. He affirmed to her many positive and beautiful things: Among them an affirmation that the Father has bestowed on each and every one of his precious children. 'I like you just the way you are.' Among his other affirmations, he has put to music, 'It's a good feeling to know you're alive, it's a happy feeling you're growing inside…' How many times have you actually said these to your child?" She paused taking a deep breath before she was able to continue speaking.

"For some time, I thought that maybe if Tasha could have met her hero, that she would feel better about herself, but now I understand, that the impact he has had on her has been solely emanated by these images she has seen on television. These cannot make this man responsible for making up for that which lies in the hands of the parents. His words are immortal, in that they will live on forever. However, Tasha should hear those words coming from those she is close to, from you, her mother, and not just from a television show. She needs to hear them and know beyond any doubt that they are true, because as much as Mister Rogers cares for children, parents should encase their child with these same loving virtues and unconditional messages he has done. He is only the beginning of this ripple effect, now his message should be passed on, but by you."

Frieda looked at her daughter, who was still resting in Andrew's arms, but after a moment, she looked at Monica. "I thought…"

"Tell your daughter, Frieda, don't tell us," Monica said softly as the woman sat down on the ground. Once she was seated next to Andrew and Tasha, Monica and Gloria disappeared and she was left staring down at the little girl who was resting in Andrew's arms.

"Tasha?" Frieda began.

Andrew leaned down to the small child. "Sweetheart, you need to listen to your mom now, give her a chance, OK."

"Don't go, Andrew, I'm scared," the little girl's muffled sobs could be heard, and he looked at Frieda.

"She wants me to stay with her," he said softly. "She's still afraid."

Frieda nodded. "Sweetheart," she spoke, but her voice cracked. "I'm sorry."

As her mother spoke, Tasha looked up, her eyes puffy and red from the crying she had done, but somewhere in the innocence of this child, the five-year-old managed to find forgiveness for all the pain her mother and father had subjected her to.

As Tasha crawled off of Andrew's lap some moments later, she could feel that he stroked her head one last time before disappearing and leaving mother and daughter alone to resolve the problems that had been encasing this family.

*****

Five minutes later, Tess and Adam led William outside to the front yard where Tasha and Frieda were sitting. "You need to go to them now, baby."

William looked at Adam. "How much time to I have left?"

"You have enough time to make things right for your family, use the time God has given to you wisely, and when you see me again, you'll be ready, I promise," Adam smiled and disappeared.

Tess too offered him a gentle smile. "You will have that new job, William. It will be part-time so you will have time with your family as well as the treatments for the cancer. Monica has already gone and spoken to your new boss and she has explained everything to him. You have nothing worry about, he has responded compassionately towards your situation, however, there is something that is more important than that, baby. That is, you will have a new beginning with your wife and daughter. Now is the time to take that opportunity that God has blessed you with and use it. Find the love and courage that your little girl has learned, and maybe when you learn this lesson yourself, you will find peace. Always be honest, William, for the honesty and truth will free you from those things that hurt as well as those things that hold you prisoner from that thing, which you call life."

With that, Tess disappeared and William walked over and joined his wife and daughter.

As he sat down on the ground, he looked at his wife. "Frieda, I'm sorry, I guess I should have been honest with you, but I was so scared. It was easier for you to think that I was lazy than for me to admit that I was afraid."

"I think I understand why you were afraid. You wanted to think that you could just die and have us not have a hole in our lives. You wanted to save us from the pain, but you put yourself through even more," she said as she looked up at her husband, but remained next to her daughter and continued to stroke Tasha's hair.

"What are we going to do now?" He asked.

"You said that you wanted to spend time with Tasha while I'm at work, right?" Frieda said softly. "Why don't you two go and do something fun and I'll see you tonight."

William smiled and nodded. "We'll be home when you get off of work, because I think we should all be together tonight and maybe watch 'Mister Roger's Neighborhood'."

Tasha looked at her father, and smiled weakly. "Do you think Mister Rogers believes in angels?" She asked weakly once she realized that her angel and his friends were now gone.

"I don't know, sweetheart, but I would say that Mister Rogers is an angel himself. He teaches us all to love ourselves and he honors us with a show that reminds us that we are all special," William said smiling.

"And all this time, I had forgotten," Frieda whispered softly as she looked at her family. "But, I won't ever forget again," she said softly as she watched a white dove take to flight and disappear over the horizon.

The End…

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