Crossroads (14 page)

Chapter 9

I stared straight up at my ceiling,
reliving the moment when we almost kissed. It had been exactly a
week since I last saw Michael, but I could still feel the heat rush
through my body and feel the excitement of what could have been
every time I had these thoughts. He was my guardian angel. That was
why he stopped. What was I thinking? Angels and humans did not have
relationships. That was how this craziness all started in the first
place. But I couldn’t keep myself from thinking what it would be
like to kiss him.

Then suddenly, Michael’s words haunted
me. Even animals are allowed to receive and give love. I tried to
hide you and protect you from being found when you would
mysteriously appear at Crossroads. Why was it that I couldn’t
remember how many times I had dreamt about being at the Crossroads,
other than the recent visits? Still, with all that I had endured,
it was hard to conceive that what appeared to be a dream was, in
fact, real. What was real to me was the emptiness I felt after he
had gone. Why did Michael have to go back? As my guardian angel,
why wasn’t he allowed to stay with me at all times? Wasn’t it
reasonable, or was I being selfish? I stopped thinking when there
was a soft knock at my bedroom door.

“
Claudia, are you
awake?”

I cleared my throat. “Come in, Mom,” I
said cheerfully and sat up.

The door opened. “Happy birthday,
honey!” she said excitedly and planted a kiss on my cheek. “I
didn’t know if you were awake or asleep.” She sat on the
bed.

It hit me when I heard my mother’s
voice. It was my birthday. What should be one of the happiest
moments of my life, turning eighteen, was not all that exciting. It
was the last thing on my mind.

“
Do you have any
plans?”

“
I do have to go to work
today, and I promised Gamma that I would stop by her house
afterward. That’s okay, right?”

“
Sure it is. She’ll be so
happy to see you.”

“
I see her every Sunday,
but she called me to make sure I would visit her on my birthday.
I’m planning on having dinner with you as always. Were you thinking
I had forgotten to include you?” I asked, smiling.

“
Well, I thought perhaps
you wanted to spend the evening with your friends.”

“
No, Mom, it didn’t cross
my mind. That’s our time together. After all, you did give birth to
me. You deserve some credit,” I said, teasing and leaning toward
her. “Anyways, my friends and I are going out this Friday. I was
gonna tell you about it. I mean, I was going to ask you if I could
go out with them.”

“
Of course,” she
said.

She looked so happy. I was glad that I
didn’t make any plans. “Yes, I did raise you, no biggy,” she
laughed. “Where would you like to go?”

Just as I was about to answer her
question, my cell phone buzzed three times, letting me know that I
had three text messages. She nodded her head, giving me permission
to check. “It’s from Patty, Kristina, and Maggie wishing me happy
birthday.” I quickly texted them back and then faced Mom, feeling
guilty for not giving her my full attention since we hardly got to
spend time together.

Refocusing and thinking about her
question, I asked, “How about the same restaurant we always go to
on my birthday?” I really didn’t feel like celebrating, but given
the fact that she had made special arrangements at work just so she
could take me out, I couldn’t refuse.

“
Are you sure?” she
asked.

I nodded.

“
Okay then, how about
six?

“
Sounds great.”

“
Maybe you can convince
Gamma to go out to dinner with us. She already turned me down,” she
said as she placed a box in my hand.

“
What’s this?” I asked,
blinking in surprise.

“
Something that I’ve been
saving up for, something you deserve. And it’s about time you get
rid of your bike.” She winked.

I was completely stunned. Getting rid
of my bike meant only one thing. Was it what I was thinking? Could
it really be a car? I continued to stare at the box.

“
Aren’t you going to open
it?” she asked excitedly.

I held the box with both hands. The
beautiful design of the wrapping paper made it difficult for me to
undo it. It was designed with my favorite flower—stargazer lily. I
slowly untied the pink ribbon and carefully peeled off the layers
of tape one by one. I paused for a few seconds, then opened the
box. My eyes glued themselves to the object, and I was in shock,
wondering if what I was seeing was real.

“
I…I…don’t know what to
say,” I said, feeling overwhelmed with excitement. I couldn’t
believe I was holding a set of car keys. “Is this real, Mom?” I
couldn’t believe I said that. What a stupid question!

“
Of course it is, silly!
Do you think I would give you a set of plastic keys as your
birthday present?”

I laughed. “No…no…of course you
wouldn’t, but I can’t believe it’s real. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!
You bought me a car!” I shouted with excitement. “Thank you! Thank
you!” I squeezed my mom so tightly she could hardly
breathe.

“
Let’s go take a look,”
she said as she stood up from my bed.

“
You mean, it’s in the
driveway?” I was beyond excited.

“
Come on! What are you
waiting for?”

I was in my PJs, but I didn’t care. We
both ran out as she pulled my hand, leading me out the front door
faster than I could keep up. There it was…a shiny black Honda
Accord EX. I must have given her a look that questioned if we were
able to afford it, because she answered before I could even ask.
“Don’t worry. I got a good deal and sorry…it’s not brand-new,” she
said apologetically.

I circled the car. I couldn’t believe
this thing in front of me was mine. I didn’t care that it wasn’t
brand-new. I never even imagined I would even get a car. I didn’t
know what to say.

“
Mom, don’t be sorry. This
car is perfect.” I unlocked the door and got in. Looking around and
touching everything made it so real. When I got out, I started
rambling with excitement. “Mom, I don’t know what to say. This is
so cool. I…I…I’ll pay for gas. I have a job. Patty, Kristina, and
Maggie are going to totally flip. I can’t believe it.
I…”

She interrupted my chatter and hugged
me. “Just say thank you, honey. That’s all. You’ve been so
responsible, and I’m so proud of you. You deserve it.” I calmed
down and tenderly hugged her back. “I have to go to work now, so
I’ll see you at six.” She kissed me on my cheek and
left.

I couldn’t wait to go to work to show
Patty my new car. I slowly got ready for work since I had plenty of
time, repeatedly looking out the front window, awestruck by my car.
I couldn’t believe I had my very own wheels.

As I walked from my bathroom to the
front window, I noticed a box on my desk. It was a plain beige box
with a purple ribbon tied into a bow. I wondered who had placed it
there. I had already gotten a gift from my mom. Then Michael
crossed my mind. He knew my birth date, but he couldn’t have, or
could he? Then I thought how silly I was being. Why would he even
bother to give me a gift? He was my guardian angel, not my
boyfriend.

I held the box in my hands and took a
deep breath. I slowly untied the bow while anxiety crept through
me. Inside the box was the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen.
A silver chain was looped through beaded crystals in the shape of a
butterfly. I picked up a note that read:

Dearest
Claudia,

To the world you are one
person, but to me, you are my world. This crystal will warn you if
any fallen are nearby. I will be there to protect you.

In my heart, in my
soul—M

I couldn’t believe it. Did I read this
right? I read it again. I was his world. I kept saying it over and
over again. I was floating in air. At least I knew that he was
thinking of me. Carefully I held the necklace to my chest and took
a deep breath. His words were so beautiful; it swept me off my
feet. There was a strangeness about receiving such a beautiful gift
from an angel. How would I explain this to those close to me?
Keeping any guy in my life a secret would be virtually impossible.
Yet one like Michael, who nobody was to know about, left me with
uncertainty about how to handle the situation. Nonetheless, I
happily accepted his gift.

Hearing rumbling sounds from my
stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten breakfast. I went into the
kitchen and got myself a bowl of cereal. Eating while admiring the
necklace, I was unaware how much time had passed. I quickly got
ready, jumped into my new car, started the engine, and just sat
there, wondering if I could actually drive it. I had driven my
mom’s car with her, but this was different.

Realizing that the necklace was still
in my hand, I placed it around my neck. I lowered the front shade
and opened the mirror. Tiny little facets of light glistened inside
the car. It reminded me of Halo City.

I raised the shade and mentally
prepared myself so I wouldn’t be late for work. I can drive this
car, I thought to myself. There is nothing to it. As I talked my
way through my apprehension, I set the shift to D and slowly
stepped on the gas pedal. This was definitely faster than the bike,
and I loved every moment.

What would have taken me thirty
minutes on my bike only took me five in my car. I should have
factored the time difference, but I’d rather be early than late.
Patiently I sat in the car waiting for Patty. Feeling the extra
weight on my neck, I looked into the mirror again. Just then I was
startled by loud knocks on the window. Patty was jumping up and
down with excitement. I almost knocked her over as I got out to
join her.

“
Happy birthday! You got a
car! This is so cool! I can’t believe it! Now you can pick me up!
We can go anywhere!” she said as she hugged me.

She kept rambling about what we would
do as we headed inside. As I walked behind her, a familiar scent
sweetly danced around me. In front of the cash register was a vase
filled with stargazer lilies and various colors of beautiful
butterflies mixed in. The only people who knew that these were my
favorite were my mom and Gamma. Patty was busy taking care of a
customer, so I walked straight to the vase. I was curious who they
were for. It was presumptuous to think that it was for me and not
for Patty, but it was my birthday after all. There was a
note,

Dearest
Claudia,

Happy Birthday!

In my heart, in my
soul—M

“
In my heart, in my
soul?!?! Who’s M???”

My heart skipped a beat, startled by
Patty’s voice. She was reading over my shoulder. I hadn’t noticed
her behind me. My instinct was to hide the letter, but it was too
late. She immediately crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the
floor, while grinning from ear to ear.

“
I…I…he—” She didn’t even
give me a chance to finish.

“
I can’t believe my best
friend didn’t tell me she has a boyfriend.” She sounded
disappointed.

“
Boyfriend? No. Not at
all. It’s not like that. I…” I didn’t know what to say. “I just met
him.”

“
Okay, then at least tell
me his name?”

I knew she wouldn’t budge until I told
her. “M stands for Michael,” I said, giving her a look asking if
she was satisfied.

“
Nice name,” she said,
nodding and smiling. She didn’t stop there. “Where does he go to
school? Where did you meet him? How old is he?” She asked me a ton
of questions.

How could I ever explain to her that I
was in love with my guardian angel? She would think that I was
crazy and needed some psychiatric help. “Do you believe in angels?”
I asked, out of the blue, hoping her answer would guide me to what
and how much I should disclose of my secrets. However, these were
not my secrets to tell, so I decided not to say
anything.

“
I guess. I mean they did
exist a long time ago. Why are you changing the
subject?”

“
No, I’m not changing the
subject. I…um…” Should I tell her? I wanted to badly, but I knew
that it would mean that I might be putting her life in danger, and
I couldn’t do that to her. I had to protect her, even if it meant
keeping the truth from her.