Guardian Angel – Chapter Three

Posted on | June 21, 2006 | No Comments

Chapter Three – Too Many Questions

The rest of the first evening for Jessica was one of intense surprise. Gabriel was a true enigma to her, as she watched him spend the evening quietly in the living room lying down on the couch reading a transcript of what she could only assume was an upcoming role, for some movie.

With her wings tucked behind her, she sat with her back to the wall kneeling. Jessica had assumed such a position would be uncomfortable, but found it actually quite the opposite. She gave some thought to this supplicating position, never realizing how versatile it would be to an angel — she could be attentive and watch, or she could pray and meditate. At the moment she was actively watching every movement Gabriel made and listed to all the sounds emanating from within the house. The turning of each page was the most prominent sound, with the near silent hush of every exhalation underlining the quiet atmosphere. If she strained, she could hear the ticking sound of a clock someone in another room.

With an exclamation and the sound of paper slamming together, Gabriel startled Jessica in drawing her attention back to him. She watched as he threw the thick manuscript down on the coffee table and then settle back against the couch.
Again, Jessica wished she could see what was going on inside his mind. Was he happy? Was he looking forward to getting up each morning and participating in the normal day-to-day routine of living life? Did he enjoy his career and the people he worked with?

She sighed heavily. Another set of too many questions she had, that only time and observance would hopefully answer. In the meantime, she’d give almost anything for a computer or a pack of cards — something she could use to pass the time. She’d never been one for internal contemplation or meditation. Or prayer, even. Now she had all the time in the world to learn. Oh joy, she thought, then chuckled out loud.

Gabriel continued to lay on his couch in total silence staring into space as if daydreaming. Both occupants of the living room jumped in surprise as the cordless telephone rang.

The actor reached over and picked up the phone, but didn’t answer it immediately. Jessica could only assume that Gabriel had call display and was debating about answering, knowing who was at the other end. After the third ring, he pressed a button and raised the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Patricia.”

Jessica watched as Gabriel rubbed the furrow on his forehead, as if pain or wariness. Several seconds of silence lapsed as this unknown Patricia talked. The frown on Gabriel’s face deepened.

“No, I can’t attend McMillan’s party with you tomorrow. I’ve already got plans.” Gabriel leaned back against the couch and let his head drop back with a quiet sigh escaping through his parted lips.

“No, I can’t cancel them on such short notice. You’ll just have to call you other ‘boyfriend’ and get him to take you. He needs the exposure more than I do.” The tone in Gabriel’s voice was heavily sarcastic and ladened with cynicism.

The phone was jerked away from is ear after that last statement, and Jessica heard the harangue happening from the other end. With a shake of his head, he pressed another button, which cut the loud chatter off mid-sentence.

Jessica snickered. She’d often felt like doing that to annoying telemarketers, but had always been too polite. She wondered if telemarketers were supposed to pay some form of penance for their job when they reached heaven. Ah, probably not, in all fairness, she thought.

The phone clattered on the coffee table and came to a rest at the opposite edge away from Gabriel. It teetered back and forth, before coming to a rest with the phone half on and half off the table. The poor man swore briefly and then threw himself prone onto the leather couch. He brought his arm up to cover his eyes and sighed long and loud.

The phone rang again a few seconds later and both Jessica and Gabriel waited for it to stop. Did that woman honestly think that he would want to go through her viperous spiel again? After five rings, the answering machine in the actor’s home office clicked on and the welcoming message could be faintly heard, as if spoken with a soft, even cadence. A beep followed and then the shrill voice of Patricia could be heard.

“I can’t believe you hung up on me, you self-righteous prick. You wouldn’t be where you are today if it hadn’t been for someone just like me having taken an interest in you and putting your face out there. I remember it was Jeri Lane who had you squire her about from one party to the next. And don’t tell me the tabloid rumors of you being her boy toy were false …”

And then the annoying high-pitched voice was terminated as the answering machine gave a short beep, then clicked off.

“They were false; Jeri was just a dear, close friend at the time,” Gabriel spoke quietly, the sadness and tenderness he felt towards Jeri vibrating through his voice.

Jessica remembered who Jeri Lane was, how she had risen to fame and had stayed laid back and unpretentious about Hollywood and the stardom, before it all came to a halt when she’d been stalked and murdered by an obsessive fan five years ago.

Jessica looked closely at Gabriel and noticed that the conversation had taken its toll on an already stressed-out man. The reminder of his departed friend had acted like a hammer to a previously crumbling cookie and had smashed his hastily put together wall and brought it to the ground in tiny pieces. Jessica wanted to go to him, to hold him and soothe his hurts. No human should look that fragile. Even knowing that he would not feel her presence, Jessica knew that the act of giving him solace would at least help her — help give form to the outpouring of her own turbulent emotions. And when he eventually would go to sleep, she resolved to put her own feelings to rights by seeking guidance from God through prayer, something she had done too infrequently in her previous life. But for the moment, she rose from her kneeling position and sat herself next to him on the couch and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

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