The Bow (standard:romance, 6319 words)
Author: J. Nicklaus	Added: Jan 22 2002	Views/Reads: 3329/2221	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A symbol of gifts, and this bow is no exception. A woman receives guidance from a most unlikely source.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


“Sure.” She set her items on the counter between them. 

He took a deep breath, then looked her square in the eyes, his voice
soft, yet firm in its Louisiana drawl. Leaning with both palms on the 
counter, he spoke. 

“I remember when you first started coming here. You used to smile all
the time. I remember how it would light up the whole store, you seemed 
so happy. Whatever it was that made you that way, find it again, my 
dear. You’re far too pretty a lady to not be smiling.” Her smile was 
genuine this time. 

“Thanks, Jimmy.”  She watched him as he routinely rang up the items and
bagged them, continuing to talk. 

“I may seem like a simple convenience store clerk, but I see all kinds
of people, in all kinds of situations, not all of them pretty, and some 
downright ugly.” He placed a humorous inflection upon ugly for levity’s 
sake. She didn’t miss it, but yawned instead of snickered. 

“Go get yourself a cup of coffee, darlin’ — on the house, then I’ll
finish my thought” 

“Awwwww, thanks Jimmy. I can use it this morning” 

She took the opportunity to stretch, then sauntered over to the
double-pot coffee maker against the wall. Jimmy watched her slowly 
amble over. She was special, this one, he thought. His fifty-odd years 
had granted him a fatherly wisdom few took advantage of. She pulled a 
cup and lid from the stack on the counter. 

“Careful, I just made that pot so it’s real hot!” he warned. “You might
wanna double up on the cups so you don’t burn your hand”, he added. She 
turned and wordlessly waved a thank you, then finished the task at 
hand. 

A sudden gust of wind rattled the store windows and spawned an early
morning dust devil that skittered in the near empty parking lot.  As 
she walked back to the counter she looked outside, noticing the 
bluster. It seemed fitting to her mood. 

“Thanks again for the coffee, Jimmy” she gratefully stated, then took a
quick sip. 

“My pleasure” he warmly replied pushing her purchases towards her. As
she wove her fingers through the plastic handles, he spoke one last 
time. 

“Jo, do something for me?” 

She raised her eyebrows in wonder. “What’s that?” 

“Listen not only to what’s in your heart, but what’s in your soul as
well.” He let his words sink in, the soft drone of the slush machine 
the only noise between them. 

“I’m trying to Jimmy. Sorry for being so untalkative this morning, but
you know...” 

“I know hun.” “See you next time. Take care.” 

“You too.” 

Once again she stepped outside into the persistent breeze, hair
billowing as each gust caught it. Walking around to the passenger side 
she opened the door and placed the bag on the seat. As she closed the 
door something caught the corner of her eye. 

Pinned against the rear tire was a beautiful red bow. Instinctively she
looked around, as if she’d find out who it belonged to or where it came 
from. How odd for a bow to be way out here she mused. Carefully she 
kneeled and pick up the bow with her free hand. Holding it gently she 
turned it around and inspected it.  She was suddenly overcome with the 
urge to keep it, although unsure why at the moment. Perhaps, as 
ludicrous as it seemed, she felt some odd kinship with the inanimate 
item. She’d felt so lonely lately, distanced from where her heart was, 
even though people and things surrounded her everywhere--same for the 
bow. 

Keeping her gaze affixed on the bow she walked around the back of her
car and set the coffee cup on the roof. Upon opening the door she 
tossed the keys on the seat and suddenly reached for the cup as a gust 
caught it, causing it to slide towards the edge of the roof. Minor 
crisis averted, she then set the bow on the dash just above her 
steering wheel as she sat down inside. Taking another sip of coffee she 
closed the door, but couldn’t seem to stop staring at the bow. 
Something about it she wondered aloud, albeit softly. Mindfully she 
tucked the coffee cup between her legs and started the engine.  As she 
backed up then started forward she caught the bobble-head penguin on 
her dashboard doing its designated jig along with the movements of the 
vehicle. It made her smile. 

IV The weight of her world seemed heavy on her shoulders lately. Fondly
she recalled a time when things were much lighter, less confusing. She 
pictured a time when her mother looked at her in the kitchen when they 
were cooking. 

“Jo, what’s up?” her mother had asked. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You’ve had that grin on your face all morning. What’s going on?” mom
pressed. 

“Nothing mom, just in a good mood I guess” she dodged. 

Simply remembering that moment gave her a flash of the warmth she once
shared. Unfortunately the sea of current problems washed it away. 
Certainly things had been building for a while, but now she felt like 
she was at a clearly defined crossroad. The pressures of family, work, 
and everything external seemed immense. Had she slipped that much? Had 
she missed her chance to smile for no reason? Looking at the bow didn’t 
provide the answer she so desperately wanted, not yet at least. She 
could practically focus on thinking instead of driving since she almost 
had this drive memorized. Miles slipped beneath her wheels as she 
introspectively contemplated one thing after another. 

Keeping her eyes on the road she reached down and firmly grasped the cup
of coffee, raising it to her lips to sip without scalding her tongue. 
She raised it again and had it at about a 70-degree angle when there 
was a sudden jolt, sending hot liquid onto the loose fabric of her 
blouse. Reflexively she jerked the cup up and away causing more to 
spill on the seat, just barely missing her leg. 

“Oh shit!” was all that came out. She could feel the warmth of the
coffee on the blouse but it didn’t touch her skin. She got lucky. Now 
her attention was drawn to the grinding noise outside and the car 
pulling to the right. Braking gently she slowed and eased to the 
shoulder of the road, finally coming to a rough stop.  She wanted to 
curse but all she could muster was “Dammit!” 

Traffic had been sparse so far, so help wasn’t fast in coming. Setting
the cup on the seat next to her she muttered while digging in the glove 
compartment for something to blot off the spilled java. After tending 
to the spill, she sighed resignedly. She found an odd consolation and 
peace when she looked at the bow again--amidst the tempest of the last 
few moments, a respite of calm. 

Checking her side view mirror she found the road clear then stepped
outside. The wind wasn’t as strong out here for some reason. Patches of 
clouds lined the sky. Just a few stoplights away was the main road into 
town. Walking around the front of the car confirmed what she feared, 
the passenger tire had blown out. It couldn’t blow in town could 
it...noooooooooooo, she thought to herself. On top of everything else 
in her head and being tired from work, now she had coffee on her blouse 
and a blown tire. Frustration overwhelmed her as she leaned against the 
car and began to cry. 

V. 

A crimson glow seemed to surround the bow where it sat on the dash.
Perhaps a product of the early morning sun, but the sunlight wasn’t 
directly upon the bow. Not that it mattered anyhow, no one could see 
it. Only thing to be seen was a woman crying on the far side of the 
car, shoulders moving less now than when she started sobbing just 
minutes prior. 

A dot on the horizon began to slowly grow as it approached. Had anyone
paid keen attention to the bow they may have noticed the crimson glow 
slowly diminishing as the other vehicle got closer. Jo only noticed the 
car when the sound of the engine slowed as it began pulling over to her 
side of the road. Turning to look, she saw a pearl-sheen plum colored 
car with heavily tinted windows, as clean as if it had just been 
washed. She couldn’t make out the driver from the glare coming off the 
windshield. Wiping away some stray tears, she managed to shield her 
eyes and squint to see more. She hadn’t used any of the usual means for 
hailing help on the roadside; her hazard lights were off, hood was 
down, so the visitor made her nervous. Frustration was getting the best 
of her as evidenced by the utterance of Jesus, what now? -- closer to 
the truth than she knew. 

Everything seemed to come to a stop while she waited for the driver to
step out of the car. A half dozen thoughts flew through her head, each 
one negative and outright unpleasant. Suddenly the sound of the door 
opening broke the uneasy silence. She peered a little harder, straining 
to pick out any small detail before the stranger got any closer.  
Finally he emerged, dressed in black. Instantly she felt guilty yet 
relieved at the same time—it was a man of the cloth. He closed the door 
politely and began reassuringly walking towards her, his white collar 
soothing her frazzled nerves with every step. 

Clearly she was happy to see him. Not just because of the potential help
but moreso because of his vocation. 

“Need some help?” came the gentle query. 

“Yes, Father...” Jo responded. Without even thinking about what she was
doing, she threw her arms around him and began crying again. His cheek 
rested against her face, his arms wrapped around her, his voice warm 
and calming. She unburdened herself on his shirt sleeve, the tears 
making the fabric even darker. 

“Sssshhhhh, come now—surely it can’t be that bad?” he softly stated. Her
thoughts and emotions washed together, completely overriding her 
self-control. 

“But Father, I’m so tired and confused and torn and I have coffee on my
blouse and the tire and...” She sobbed and blurted everything out as 
one long litany of confession. He stroked her hair softly, only once, 
then carefully backed away. He patted the hood of the car, non-verbally 
telling her to sit down, which she did. 

As the heaving sobs lessened, she regained her senses. “I’m sorry
Father, what’s your name?” 

“Friar Tuck” he deadpanned. Jo giggled outright. 

“Thatta girl!” 

“Actually, it’s Gabriel”  “My parents named me after the archangel. Sort
of ironic, huh?” he laughed, its middle age tenor in stark contrast to 
her turmoil. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Gabriel is Hebrew for ‘Man of God’. The archangel Gabriel was present
at the birth of Jesus. My parents were pretty devout.” 

“Ohhh, okay. Well, thank you Father Gabriel. Sorry I lost it. I don’t
even know you, and here I am blubbering on your shoulder.” She sniffed 
again. He drew a handkerchief from his back pocket and offered it to 
her. Smiling as best she could, she accepted it. 

“Father or Gabe, either is fine.” 

Looking beyond her he noticed the bow on the dashboard and smiled
knowingly. 

“Pretty bow you have there. Somebody give that to you?” 

Jo turned and looked over her shoulder. “Oh, um, no. I found it
actually. Just seemed to appear out of nowhere.” Eyeing her 
thoughtfully for a moment, he then motioned to the blowout. 

“Let’s have a look at that tire, then.” 

Feeling more composed, she slid off the hood. “Thank you for you help
Father”, she intoned. 

“Glad to be of service. I was heading to Perry Center to attend a
diocese function. Normally I wouldn’t take this route, but I missed a 
turn and since I’m in no rush figured I’d take the scenic route.” He 
followed her around the back to the trunk, then removed the jack, lug 
wrench, and spare when she opened it. Handing her the jack and lug 
wrench, he asked her to take them over to the flat while he rolled the 
spare over. As he rolled along the side of the car he caught sight of 
the bow again, and smiled. 

“Do you need any help?” Jo offered. “I feel like I should be doing
something.” 

“No ma’am, but thanks for offering” Father countered. 

Quick work was made of getting the car raised and the blown tire off the
wheel. The two made small talk about the weather and local goings-on. 
As the priest began to replace the lugs nuts, he shifted the 
conversation back to the bow. 

“There is something about that bow, isn’t there?” Father prompted. Jo
seemed mildly stunned, as if he had been reading her mind. “Uh, yeah, 
there is, but I can’t seem to place what it is.” 

He hand-tightened the last lug nut, then turned purposely towards Jo.
“The bow means something to you because someone else means something to 
you.” He could tell from her quiet reaction she didn’t quite 
understand. He picked the lug wrench back up, placed it on the first 
nut, then continued. 

“Quite simply, my child, it makes you think of someone who means more to
you than you are willing to admit” Father stated almost 
matter-of-factly. 

“With all due respect, Father, how can you possibly know that?” 

He tightened down the third lug nut. “For one, it’s in your eyes. Two, I
could feel it in your heart when you were crying on my shoulder.”  
Wordlessly he tightened down the last three, then stood up slowly, and 
stepped towards Jo. “Three”, he whispered, “an angel knows another 
angel’s soul.” Jo’s eyes grew wide and mouth hung open. Gabriel simply 
smiled. 

“He works in wonderful, mysterious ways. Don’t question, just accept.”
Placing two fingers over her heart, he solemnly added, “Within here 
lies all your answers. Love is His Gift. The Bow is meant to remind you 
of that. It’s no mistake that bow came to you, and you know the reason 
why. Believe me, this other person loves you every bit as much as you 
think, and more. “ Pointing his index finger towards the azure sky he 
said “Trust me. He knows.” 

Crystalline clarity came to her suddenly; the secure feeling when he
arrived, the light, sweet scent when he was near, the order from her 
chaos, the certain something about the bow. It all made sense to her 
now. Not that it meant everything would be a cakewalk, but now she 
understood where she needed to be. 

Suddenly, she then was keenly aware of the faintest crimson aura
surrounding Gabriel, followed by the same sensation of calm and peace 
she had when she had stared at the bow in front of the convenience 
store. So much she wanted to say and ask, yet her throat absorbed every 
word like a sponge, so nothing came out. 

While she had been immersed in her thoughts and emotions Gabriel had
placed the tools and bad tire back in the trunk and quietly closed it, 
then almost imperceptibly walked up to her. 

“Jo?”  His soft voice broke her reverie. He knows my name, she thought.
“I knew it before I got here” he outwardly told her. 

“Jo, Heaven helps she who helps herself. I am here to nudge you. Don’t
let him go. Trust Us on this.” 

All she could do was nod her acknowledgement. 

Gabriel leaned forward and delicately kissed her on the forehead.
“Kissed by one”, he affirmed, “now, he awaits his Angels kiss.” With a 
smile like a sleepy rainbow, he quietly turned around and walked back 
to the pristine car. Jo looked down and noticed her hands were 
trembling. Taking a deep breath, she too walked around the front of her 
car then stopped and called out. 

“Ummm, Father—uhhhh, Gabriel...” 

He stopped at the front corner of the car and turned to face her. “Yes?”


“Tthh—hh—aank Yoou for the, uh...” she stammered, pointing towards the
replaced tire. 

“Most welcome.” Two simple words which literally seemed swept to her
upon a hushed breeze. She walked around to the driver-side door and 
opened it. 

“Jo...one more thing.” 

She stopped, one foot on the asphalt the other inside the car. “Yeah?” 

“You are his Angel.” Gabriel turned away and walked back to his car. As
he turned to open the door he looked up to find her watching him. Jo 
thought for sure she caught a twinkle in his eye, even from a distance. 
She sat and watched him drive past, then followed his departure in the 
rear-view mirror until the car slipped over the horizon again. All of a 
sudden traffic seemed to pick up, as if it was there all along and  
simply masked from her. Was it?, she thought. The bow caught her 
attention again, and now she noticed it too had a very faint crimson 
glow about it.  Bow, Gift, present...the memory hit her like a bolt of 
lightning. Quickly she started the car, being sure to secure the cup of 
coffee again, although it had gone cold. She thought it most odd that 
it hadn’t spilled already. She signaled a left turn, waited for a break 
in traffic, and then made a beeline back to the convenience store. 

VI 

Jimmy was finishing up with a customer at his counter when he noticed Jo
practically fly into the parking lot. He heard her tires grab as she 
slid to a stop. 

“Have a good day” he half-attentively told the customer while watching
Jo careen through the door, bow carefully in hand. 

She didn’t give him a chance to speak first. “Jimmy, I need a big
favor.” 

“Jo, what the hell is wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” 

“Something like that” she countered. “Friar Tuck” she added, then caught
herself laughing. Jimmy smiled. 

“Friar Tuck? What in the world are you talking about?” 

“Not now, Jimmy. I need to use your Polaroid camera....please?” 

Judging by her demeanor he thought better of pressing. “Sure, sure
thing.” He disappeared behind the counter for a moment, then 
reappeared, camera in hand. “Here ya go, sweetie.” 

With a peck on the cheek she said “Thank you, Jimmy!” 

Only one other person was in the store, so she could easily accomplish
what she wanted to. Rushing over to the condiment area she grabbed a 
handful of napkins, then raced to an open spot on the counter by the 
coffee and donuts. Carefully, she set the bow down and proceeded to 
deliberately unfold the napkins and one by one layer them into a 
miniature white backdrop. Her hands were a flurry of motion, matching 
tempo with her thoughts. 

With almost painstaking precision and care she placed the bow on the
makeshift backdrop. Once it was perfect, she flipped up the flash 
bar/lens cover and waited for the flash to charge up. Looking through 
the viewfinder, the little green light told her it was ready to go. 
Carefully framing the bow, she fired off three exposures from different 
angles, then made sure she picked everything up. Jimmy had watched with 
a studied eye the whole time, and was most curious about the bow’s 
significance, making a mental note to inquire about it when Jo returned 
to the counter. 

“Here’s your camera back. Thank you again, so very much” she said. 

“Anytime, Jo.” He suddenly noticed the coffee stain on her blouse.
Pointing to it, he asked “Did you burn yourself?” 

At the moment the stain was more of a distraction to her. “No. I’ll get
it out later”, she said. 

“Go grab a small bottle of club soda, that should help.” 

Jo rummaged through her purse for a scrap of paper and a pen. “I will in
a minute. You got an envelope and a stamp?” she asked without looking 
up. 

“Ssssssure” he answered quizzically. She placed a dollar bill on the
counter as he slid the stamp and envelope towards her. Jimmy slid the 
money back.  “Keep the cash. I can tell this is important to you.” 

“Very” she replied, finally pulling the scrap of paper from her purse.
An address was scrawled on it. With renewed vigor she very cleanly put 
ink to paper, addressing the envelope to a distant place, yet so close 
to her heart. She squarely set the stamp in the upper right corner, 
then turned her attention to the now developed polaroids. Jimmy 
gestured at the pictures. “What’s with the bow?” 

She smiled while appreciating her handiwork. “It’s a birthday present,
Jimmy.” 

“Oooooooookaay! No further questions, your honor” he quipped. 

She fanned the three shots like a poker hand, comparing them against
each other, then glanced at the bow then back to the polaroids. She 
could still clearly see the faint glow, even in the pictures. “Jimmy, 
do you notice anything odd about that bow, anything catch your eye?” 
Studying it for a moment he flatly replied “Not a thing. Looks like any 
other bow to me.” 

Gabriel was right, she thought. It was no mistake I found the bow, I was
meant to. 

She chose the one shot which most fully exposed the bow and all its
hues. Carefully she wrote on the lower lip of the polaroid Happy 
Birthday...Your Angel. On the outside of the envelope she prominently 
wrote Picture enclosed/Do Not BEND!, then carefully placed the picture 
inside, licked the glue on the flap and closed it lovingly. She stared 
at the back of the envelope for a split second, then kissed the tip of 
the flap, leaving the faint imprint of her lips. 

Tapping the edge of the envelope against her palm, she sighed. A good
sigh. She gathered her belongings and prepared to leave. 

“Good to see you smile again, Jo” expressed Jimmy. 

“Feels good to” she responded firmly. 

Jimmy looked around in a sweeping arc. “It’s brighter in here already.”
He heard her say “Thanks again Jimmy” as she turned and left the store, 
leaving the dollar bill on the counter, and watched her put the 
envelope into the mailbox that sat just to the left of the doors. 

VII 

Inside the cramped, dark mailbox sat an envelope which carried little,
if any, importance to the rest of the civilized world, but held a world 
of importance to the addressee. Its long journey completed, its mission 
almost accomplished. 

He slid his key into the lock and gave it the usual quarter turn
counter-clockwise. The small door opened and daylight flooded the dark 
interior of the box. Drawing out the mail, he mindlessly shut the box 
without even looking at it, turning the key again as he stepped away. 
He muttered under his breath as he sorted through it, “Junk, another 
freakin’ advertisement, bill, junk...” Frozen almost in mid-step, he 
held up the white envelope. Seeing the return address alone made his 
heart pound. Fingers traced the writing on the front, as if to connect 
with the sender. Time itself had momentarily stopped. 

With great care he opened the envelope, making every effort not to shred
it, even though he wanted to get to its contents sooner than another 
second later. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Reaching 
into the envelope he pulled out the polaroid and stared at it. How 
strange, he thought, noticing the faint crimson haze around the bow. It 
truly was an attractive bow, as bows went, but the meaning of the 
picture gripped his entire being. Emotion welled as he read the 
inscription. He didn’t even notice until then that his hands were 
trembling. A mere picture, within seconds, completely changed his 
perspective on life. Strength left his knees as he all but slumped onto 
the bench next to him. Over and over in his head he repeated She 
remembered. This was the only present he desired, no birthday could 
ever have been better than this one. With one last longing gaze he 
burned the picture into his mind and heart, then hung his head and 
quietly but openly wept. 

VIII 

Only three days had passed since she sent the picture, but it hung on
Jo’s every thought. Even now as she finished cleaning the kitchen she 
wondered when she’d get the call from him. She took a sip of her 
morning orange juice while listening to the dog bark in the living 
room. He only barked like that when someone was at the front door, but 
she hadn’t heard the doorbell nor a knock so she figured he must have 
seen another dog or a cat outside the window. Setting the glass down 
again, she busied herself with wiping down the counters, letting her 
thoughts drift. 

Dressed in his freshly pressed uniform, the UPS delivery man stood in
front of her door. He had been there for a few minutes already helping 
out with an odd request.  No actual scheduled delivery to this 
residence, but a quick ten-spot would certainly pay for a couple 
lunches. He’d really enjoy this delivery. He cleared his throat and 
reached for the doorbell. 

Jo about jumped out of her skin when the dual-tone bell went off next to
the kitchen, and hearing the dog bark its head off didn’t help her 
demeanor. “Coming!” she yelled half at the door, half at the dog. 

“Jeez, shut up already!!!” Jo admonished the dog as she approached the
door. “It’s just the doorbell!” Leaning down she again ordered the dog 
to quit barking. “Knock it off!” She stood upright again and quickly 
made herself presentable. Still glaring at the dog, she opened the 
door. 

He waited until she looked up before presenting her with the envelope.
“Hi” Jo answered. “I’m not expecting anything.” 

“Yes ma’am, I know.” 

Extending his hand he offered up the envelope. “But I’ve been asked to
give you this.” Jo glanced at the envelope, then back at the UPS guy, 
then back at the envelope. It didn’t make much sense. Her heart dropped 
when she read the front of it. Not only was it the same envelope she 
had sent, but in red marker RETURN TO SENDER had been written in bold 
letters on its face.  How could it be? 

Her fingers suddenly felt something rough on the backside. Flipping it
over immediately revealed the reason why. Sealing the envelope was a 
small amount of pale red wax. Roughly drawn into the seal was a simple 
line drawing of an angel—a small circle for the head, halo tilted, 
simple wings on either side, two tiny hands clutched over the heart. 
The envelope felt thicker than when she originally sent it too. 

“I’ve been asked to make sure you open it now” he said, thoroughly
enjoying the scene as it played out before him. 

Jo just stared at him, as if he’d been speaking some foreign language.
It took a couple seconds, but finally the garbled words arranged 
themselves in her head to form a coherent sentence. 

“Oh, yeah, okay” she stammered. 

They both heard the sound of a car engine idle then stop, shortly
followed by a car door closing. It didn’t faze Jo, being a sound she 
heard all the time in the neighborhood. Carefully she broke the seal 
and gripped the contents with her fingertips. They tingled ever so 
slightly as she touched them. Two items-- the original picture she had 
taken, and behind it another small envelope, carefully folded, with the 
words Handle With Care neatly written on it. Once again she glanced up 
at the delivery man, as if he would read her mind and bring clarity to 
her thoughts. 

“You have a good day ma’am”, he smiled. 

“You too. Thank you” 

Jo returned her gaze to the two items in her hand, eyes now firmly
affixed to them.  She didn’t even notice or hear the UPS guy walk off, 
too riveted to care. She stood in the doorway, hardly even aware the 
door was still open. 

She took one last look at the original photo, recalling she’d set the
bow next to a small angel he once sent her, a sweet reminder of his 
warmth and love for her. Tentatively, she brought forward the second 
envelope, drawing her caress across the crisply folded edges. Gently 
she unfolded first one flap, then the second. Placing her index finger 
under the flap she untucked it from inside the lower part of the 
envelope, and found the black back of a polaroid facing her. She held 
it by the bottom, careful not to get her fingerprints on the print, 
pulled it out and turned it over. 

Attached to the bottom was a small post-it note, folded in half. Her
lips parted in amazement when she looked at the photo. Shadows, a tree, 
the small flower bed, the sidewalk...it was her front yard, exactly as 
it looked right now. Along the curb was a pearlescent-plum colored car 
with dark tinted windows. Leaning against it was a man holding a large 
bouquet of flowers, combination of mostly red roses, interspersed with 
pink roses and brilliant yellow daisies. Around it, the faintest aura 
of crimson.  From memory she knew they were the same colors present in 
the bow. 

Jo willed her muscles to move, but they wouldn’t. She could feel her
heart pounding in her chest.  Minutes seemed to pass before she could 
capably unfold the sticky note attached to the picture. All it said was 
‘Look Up’. Pure white emotion swept over her like a cool silk sheet. 
Every so slowly she lifted her eyes from the photo. Everything left her 
grasp at the same time as both hands moved in slow motion to cover her 
mouth. 

He had come. In the same car Gabriel had driven, no less. Now the
familiarity with the car made sense to her. She felt warm tears on her 
fingertips. Breath lost, emotions reeling, she stood in the doorway and 
shook. From where she stood, she could see his smile, and was pretty 
sure he was crying too. As she stepped forward the door slowly closed 
behind her. 

One matched step with the other, pace quickening with every step.
Automatically her arms went up in expectation of his warm embrace. His 
did the same, bouquet firmly held in one hand, the other hand 
outstretched, his fingers straining to reach her first. Meeting at the 
edge of the lawn, limbs and hearts entwined for the first time, a 
lifetime in the waiting, certainly an eternity for remembering now. 

Both clutched each other tightly, neither relenting in their embrace.
Heartfelt tears fell, awash with the emotion they had kept pent up 
until now. Finally, Jo gently leaned back, smiling. Through her veil of 
tears she could see a rainbow. Reaching up he lightly brushed them 
away, lovingly tracing her lips with his thumb. 

“Hi, Angel” he whispered softly. 

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Jo choked out. Both simply stared into
each other’s eyes for a moment, the world melting away with each 
passing second. 

“How could I not be?” “It’s all I’ve dreamt of, everything I’ve wanted.”
He leaned in again and soothingly wrapped his arms around her. Turning 
his head towards her ear, he whispered “I love you so much. You are 
now, and always will be my One...my angel...my keeper.” Comfortingly he 
nuzzled against her soft hair, absorbed every warm breath that fell 
upon his neck. 

Jo took his face in her hands, then softly kissed him. “Happy Birthday.”


“No greater present could I ever receive. Now I know he heard and
answered my prayers.” 

She turned her gaze skyward and smiled. “Trust me, they were.” Again
they both stood in place, placidly grinning at one another. He suddenly 
remembered the flowers. “Oh, here. These are for you, of course.”  
Taking them, she cradled the bouquet in the nook of her left arm. 

“Do you see it too?” she asked, still looking in awe at the colors. 

“The glow? Of course I see it, but I didn’t say anything because I
didn’t think you did.” 

“No one else can see it, you know”, she stated. 

Thoughtfully he raised his eyebrows. “Really? Not surprising,
considering...” He let the thought settle and take root. 

“The flowers are gorgeous. Thank you so very much.” 

He just smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Get used to it.” 

“You spoil me.” 

“Do you mind?” he asked. 

“Well, it’s just...” she began. He placed his finger across her lips. “I
will always spoil you. I promise.” 

Taking his hand she started to lead him up the lawn back to the house.
Autumn’s colors set the morning afire. As they approached the front 
porch step he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Jo turned to face him. 
His voice became wavering and slightly choked. “I always knew the wait 
would be worthwhile, and I wasn’t disappointed.” He shut his eyes 
briefly, trying to drop his heart from his throat. “You are Heaven’s 
beauty and Nature’s grace wrapped in Love’s warmth. Thank you, angel.” 

“No. Thank you. Thank you for waiting, for being patient.” Tears began
to stream down her face again. This one decision had changed her life 
for the better. For the first time in a long time, she knew she was on 
the right path, going in the right direction, and it felt so right, so 
complete. 

“Oh yeah,” he intoned, “Gabriel sends his best.” Just by looking into
his eyes she could tell he knew Gabriel’s secret too. 

They fell together once again, ever mindful this was one of countless
embraces to come, for a lifetime to follow. 

IX 

On a beautiful fall morning, the bow sat upon Jo’s dresser. It had more
than fulfilled its purpose for one woman; it helped complete the 
blessing of two souls--the faint crimson glow it once had now 
strengthened twice over. 

But only two hearts could see it. 

The End 

© August 2001, J. Nicklaus 


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