MEETING WITH AN ANGEL
Emma was in a terrific mood. The challenging delivery had ended successfully. She had helped bring a new life into the world today. Emma worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist at a maternity center. After a tough shift, she was eager to head home.
Her arms were weighed down by a bag and a sack of groceries. Her husband had tried to teach her to drive so she wouldn’t have to rely on buses when he was away, which was often due to work trips out of town. He even gave her a couple of driving lessons, but she couldn’t manage it. She was terrified, truly petrified.
When Emma was a child, she narrowly avoided being hit by a car. She still vividly remembers the overwhelming fear of that moment. To be honest, even as a passenger, she doesn’t feel entirely comfortable, let alone being the one behind the wheel. Never!
Tomorrow was a day off, and it was also Emma’s 40th birthday. She had decided, firmly believing in omens, not to celebrate it. It would just be a small family gathering at home.
The bus stop was close by. Emma realized she was quite tired. Suddenly, she slipped (as it always happens unexpectedly), her foot slid sideways, and down she went, falling into a snowdrift! Congratulating herself on the soft landing, she pondered how to get up with some dignity.
“Miss, did you hurt yourself?” A voice came from behind her right shoulder. “Can’t get up? Let me help you!”
And who was offering her a hand? A pleasant man, about Emma’s age, with a friendly face and an inviting smile. He easily pulled her out of the snow and helped brush it off her clothes. “You’re always in a hurry,” he said, his voice so warm; Emma felt she had heard it before… but no, they hadn’t met. She thanked him. It was time to move on.
“You’re very tired, Emma,” he said without a smile this time. There was such caring in his voice that it seemed like he was someone very close to her. “You’re exhausted; that’s not good,” he softly repeated.
“I’ll rest over the weekend. Anyway, it’s my birthday tomorrow,” Emma mentioned. The stranger smiled again.
“Congratulations! I’d like to give you a gift. Before you go to bed tonight, say, ‘Let my life change for the better tomorrow!’ and it will. Just don’t forget!”
“I won’t forget,” smiled Emma.
The stranger said goodbye and turned the corner. Just then, her long-awaited bus arrived. Home, as usual, was in disarray. The hallway was a mess, and the kitchen sink was piled high with dirty dishes. Rocky, the little dog, whimpered by his empty bowl, looking at his owner reproachfully.
First things first, Emma fed Rocky and took him for a walk. Her daughter had found the half-frozen pup on the street two years ago. She brought him home and persuaded Emma to keep him, promising solemnly to take care of him. She managed for about two weeks before the responsibility gradually fell on Emma.
How much time had passed? She finally finished all the housework. Thankfully, no one was nagging her about the unprepared dinner. Her husband was on a business trip to a nearby city. Her daughter was with her grandmother. They’d come tomorrow. Her husband had already said he couldn’t make it. She figured she’d cook something special for the next day, but now she could enjoy some solitude.
Solitude is a luxury, where no one piles on their problems or weighs on your mind with a bad mood. You can enjoy being alone, listen to music, or read a book… but all she really wanted was sleep.
She was almost asleep when she remembered the stranger’s advice, and without knowing exactly why, she whispered, “Let my life change for the better tomorrow.”
Early in the morning, a doorbell ring was entirely unexpected. Her husband stood there, beaming with a glow rather than the usual grumbling frown. “Hello, my sunshine,” he said tenderly.
Emma was shocked. She hadn’t heard such words from him in ages. She used to be upset by his lack of affection but had gotten used to it. And now, when she was finally accustomed to life without showy affection… whoa! He seemed sober, holding a large bag.
“Happy Birthday! I missed you so much, I made arrangements and dashed home. They’ll manage without me,” all in the same gentle tone. Emma stepped back, hardly believing it. Jason came in, set the bag down, hugged her, kissed her, murmuring sweet nothings.
Where was the usual grumpiness and displeased look? Emma grew more and more amazed. An almost forgotten sensation of happiness washed over her like a warm wave.
The phone rang.
“Happy Birthday, Mum! You’re the kindest, most beloved, most beautiful! Gran and I will arrive by lunchtime. We have such a wonderful gift for you,” her daughter exclaimed.
After that, her boss called, surprising her with the offer to take the long-forgotten three days of leave from last year. Then a friend, an auntie, a classmate, grateful patients…
You quickly become accustomed to good things. Emma felt like everything had always been this wonderful. The abundance of goodness didn’t seem strange at all.
In the evening, after seeing off her guests, Emma went to the nearby park to walk Rocky. The stranger appeared quite unexpectedly, “Was it a good day, Emma? Happy Birthday!”
“Wait, how do you know my name? We’ve never met, as far as I remember,” Emma asked directly.
“We’ve known each other for 40 years, Emma. It’s hard for you to understand, but try. I’ve been with you since your first day of life. I’m your guardian angel.
Remember when you were five and ran after a ball onto the road? No one understood how that truck missed you. You had no odds to survive. No one saw me carry you across, but this is just between us.
And when you were with your college friends at the summer work camp about to swim in a strange river, you sprained your ankle (my doing) and stayed behind. There was a dangerous whirlpool, and you were supposed to get caught in it.
And yesterday, who do you think placed you into the snowdrift? If you’d fallen a minute earlier, you certainly would have broken your leg.
I’m constantly helping you, subtly and invisibly. I’ll continue to be by your side; that’s my duty. But…
It’s hard for me with you.
You love your husband, your daughter, your mum, your friends, your patients, but yourself? You don’t love yourself!
You take on an unbearable load. You utterly don’t love yourself and naively expect love from others, but that’s not how it works! If you don’t love yourself, no one else will love you; they’ll just take advantage of you!
I broke protocol and materialized to get this message across—love yourself!”
“You really know everything about me, but angels should have wings,” Emma doubted.
“What is it with people? Always suspicious of everything. Didn’t you notice my wide coat?” He opened it, turned sideways, and Emma saw folded wings. “And now goodbye! I must go,” he told her and vanished into the swirling snowfall.
P.S. You might say, “A fairy tale,” my dear readers. I would reply, “Indeed, a fairy tale, but it carries a hint of truth. Love yourself and be happy! I sincerely wish you this with all my heart!”
