ENCOUNTER WITH AN ANGEL
Emily was in high spirits. A challenging delivery had ended successfully. Today, she had helped bring a new life into the world. Emily worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist at a perinatal center. After a tough shift, she was hurrying home.
Her hands were weighed down by a bag and groceries. Her husband had tried to encourage her to drive so she wouldn’t have to rely on buses when he was away on business, which was often. He even gave her a few driving lessons, but she couldn’t manage it. She was terrified.
The thing is, as a child, Emily had narrowly avoided being hit by a car. She still remembers the horror that loomed upon her! To be honest, she doesn’t feel comfortable even as a passenger, let alone in the driver’s seat. Never!
Tomorrow was her day off, and it was her 40th birthday. Believing in superstitions, she decided not to celebrate, just to gather with family at home.
She was only a short distance from the bus stop. Emily felt genuinely tired. Suddenly, she slipped (it always happens unexpectedly), her foot shot out sideways, and Emily, along with her bags, plummeted into a snowbank! Congratulating herself on a soft landing, she pondered how to gracefully get up.
“Miss, are you hurt?” a voice sounded from over her right shoulder.
“Can’t you get up? Give me your hand!”
Who was offering her a hand? A pleasant man, about her age, with a kind, calm face and a friendly smile…
He easily pulled Emily from the snowbank and brushed the snow from her clothes.
“You’re always in a hurry,” he said in such a kind voice that she imagined she’d heard it before… but no, they had never met. She thanked him. She had to be on her way.
“You’re very tired, Emily,” he said without a smile. It was spoken with such care, as if by someone truly close to her.
“You’re very tired; you shouldn’t push yourself,” the stranger softly repeated.
“I’ll rest over the weekend. Besides, it’s my birthday tomorrow,” Emily replied.
The stranger smiled again.
“Congratulations! I want to give you a present. Tonight, before bed, say, ‘Let my life change for the better tomorrow!’ And your life will surely change for the better. Just don’t forget!”
“I won’t forget,” Emily smiled.
The stranger said goodbye and disappeared around the corner of a building. Then the long-awaited bus arrived.
Home, as always, was waiting for its mistress in a bit of disarray. The entryway was cluttered, and the kitchen sink was full of dirty dishes. Her dog, Benny, was whining beside his empty bowl, giving her an accusatory look.
Feeding Benny and taking him for a walk was the priority. Two years ago, her daughter had found the half-frozen pup on the street. She brought him home and begged her mother to let him stay, promising to take care of him herself. She kept her promise… for two weeks before the responsibility shifted to Emily.
How much time had passed? She finally finished all the household chores. It was good that no one was there to get upset over an uncooked dinner. Her husband was on a business trip to a neighboring city. Her daughter was with her mother. They’d come tomorrow. Her husband had already informed her he wouldn’t be able to make it. She ought to prepare some sort of festive meal tomorrow, but for now, she could rest alone.
Solitude is such a luxury—no one else’s problems interrupting, no bad moods weighing on her mind. She could relish the quiet, listen to music, read a book… but all she wanted was to sleep.
She was falling asleep when she remembered the stranger’s advice and, without knowing why, whispered, “Let my life change for the better tomorrow.”
Early the next morning, a knock on the door was a complete surprise. Her husband stood there, gleaming like a polished coin, not his usual grumpy self.
“Hello, my sunshine,” he said tenderly.
Emily was in shock. She hadn’t heard those words from him in a long time. She used to be upset by his aloofness but had gotten used to it.
And now, completely accustomed to life without sweet nothings… Well, blow me down! He wasn’t even tipsy, and he held a large package.
“Happy birthday! I’ve missed you so much, I sorted everything out and rushed home. They’ll manage without me,” he said in the same gentle voice.
Emily took a step back, unable to believe it. Paul entered, set down the package, hugged and kissed her while murmuring loving phrases.
Where was his usual grumbling and unhappy demeanor? Emily was surprised more and more. A forgotten feeling of happiness washed over her like a warm wave.
The phone rang.
“Happy birthday, Mum! The kindest, the most beloved, the most beautiful! I’ll be there by lunch, and Grandma too. We have a wonderful gift for you,” chirped her daughter.
Then the chief doctor called to congratulate and even unexpectedly granted her three long-forgotten days off from last year. Then a friend, an aunt, a classmate, grateful patients…
It’s easy to get used to good things, and it seemed to Emily that this was how it always was. The abundance of joy didn’t even feel strange.
That evening, after the guests had left, Emily took a walk in the nearby park with Benny.
The stranger from the previous day appeared quite unexpectedly, “Was it a good day, Emily? Happy birthday to you!”
“Wait! How do you know my name? We’ve never met if my memory serves me right,” Emily asked directly.
“We’ve known each other for 40 years, Emily. It’s hard for you to grasp, but do try. I’ve been with you since the first day of your life. I’m your guardian angel.
Remember when you were five and ran onto the road after a ball? No one could understand how the truck missed you. You had no chance. They didn’t see me carry you to safety, but that’s strictly between us.
And when you and your friends from the university went swimming at an unfamiliar river, and I made sure you sprained your ankle (my work), so you stayed behind. There was a dangerous whirlpool there, and you were meant to get caught in it.
And yesterday, who placed you into that snowbank? If you’d fallen a minute earlier, you’d definitely have broken a leg.
I help you constantly, subtly and invisibly. I’ll always be around, that’s what I do. But…
You make it challenging.
You love your husband, your daughter, your mother, your friends, your patients, but yourself?
You don’t love yourself!
You take on an unbearable burden. You don’t love yourself at all, and naively expect love from others, but it can’t work that way! If you don’t love yourself, no one else will love you either, they’ll only use you!
I broke protocol and materialized to convey this message to you, you need to love yourself!”
“You do know everything about me, but shouldn’t angels have wings?” Emily doubted.
“Oh, why must you humans always look for a catch? Didn’t you notice my broad coat?” he said, opening it to reveal folded wings to her.
“And now, goodbye! I must leave,” he said as he faded into the falling snow.
P.S.
“A fairy tale,” you might say, my dear readers.
“A fairy tale,” I’ll tell you, but a fairy tale with a hint.
Love yourself and be happy! I wish you this with all my heart!
