Terra Firma

“Here’s where I must leave you,” Angel said.

Her black eyes held me to my seat. “You need a man to see the grace in you.

I see wondrous things. Remember, I’ll always be with you. Don’t be frightened or live by fear.” She kissed his cheek and left an imprint of roses. Angel stood by the side of the car and undressed. The coat slipped from her shoulders, and she stood tall, her wings magnificent. Their height and breadth hid her body with brilliant snowy feathers contrasting against the red rock.

I etched that brilliant image in my mind.

I walked over to where Angel stood and picked up my overcoat. “Leave me,” she commanded.
“It’s desolate here. What if something happens or goes wrong?” I didn't want to leave her alone.
Her voice lightened. “I’ll be fine. Remember my words. This is my gift to you.” She kissed me on the forehead - a sweet kiss of grace.

Dwarfed by the mountain of rock, she appeared fragile. I reached out my arms to protect her. A mist rose up from the ground and blinded my vision. I wandered, lost in the wall of fog, calling
out... "Angel....". But there was no answer. When the mist cleared, she was gone.

Tears drifted down my face. “I need you.”

“You must stay here”, she said. Taking a tissue from the glove box, I wiped my tears and took a loose stand of hair that was stuck behind my ear. The only remaining thing from the Angel!

'Don’t ever give up hope', i said to myself. Angel’s teasing washed over me, her nebulous form clouding up.

“Angel, where were you?” Her human form pulsated as she swirled around me, leaving vapor trails of lavender.

“Still in human form? You must like it,” I said. “I like you better without it. Come with me. We’re lucky your impetuous behavior went unnoticed by the hierarchy.” I shoved my hands on my hips, refusing to move. “You didn’t answer me. You left me in a mud hole in the middle of nowhere. My only fault is that I love You. How was I to know that the shock of our meeting would cause me to fall free?”

“Causing you to fall, and me to follow,” she sniffed. Her eyes darkened to a deep amethyst. “Your impetuous whim almost costs us dearly. And, as far as finding you, I had things to do. I can’t
baby-sit you forever. Anyway, you seemed to have done fine without me. You don’t need me anymore.”

Angel faded from my sight. I sensed a certain sadness in her voice that caused me pain. I shouted, “ Stay with me.”

It seemed ages since my hallucinatory dream took hold of my mind, convincing me of angels – what nonsense.

I remembered - the arid desert, sagebrush, and the strange pink and purple flowers that squeezed out from the cacti, mocking me that they survived harsher conditions than my own pathetic life. I had wakened in a sweat, my eyes aching from a nagging headache, shaken from a dream made terrifying by its reality. No good to think of the black-haired angel who haunted my
memories.

Even now, on my dresser, was a twig like a talisman, the one I found in my overcoat pocket. A feather, translucent and brittle, with a thread of black hair stuck between the quills, smelling
faintly of lavender.

Icy gusts of wind kicked up and I pulled up the frayed collar of my overcoat. I’ll have to break down and buy a new coat soon. Yet, the coat held memories of her. The glance at my wristwatch
made me pick up my pace. It wouldn’t be good to be late for the meeting.

A white feather blew in the breeze, skimming the sidewalk, looping in circles before settling near my feet. I picked up the feather and ran the quills through my fingers. I shoved it in my pocket
along with my anxiety.

Surprised at the red brick lofts, I checked the address I had written down on a piece of notepaper - the early morning drowsiness had not cleared when i noticed the advertisement in the local newspaper and made the phonecall for an appointment - this was the place. The meeting was to be at someone else's home.

When the door opened, I lost my voice. Soft russet hair fell in curls down her back, and when she smiled, I refused to breathe.

“Hi, you must be Hari. I’m Kalindi. Come in.” She opened the door wide and I stepped into the sunlit room.

Kalindi's eyes widened into round orbs, and I frowned, wondering why she looked surprised to see me. “I called you for an appointment," I said. "You told me two o’clock.”

“Yeah, sure,” and she bit her index finger, her face turned a bit pale. All I noticed was her eyes. “Angel?” I said.

“Kalindi, my name is Kalindi.”

“Yeah, yeah, right. I’m Hari.”

“I know. You told me,” she said, and smiled again, and her body relaxed. “Can I get you something to drink? Tea, water…”

“Nothing for me.” I’d have a hard time answering her questions if she kept smiling like that, and I sank to the nearest chair and crossed his arms.

I answered her questions in monosyllables, not daring to look at her angelic face. While her eyes weren’t as black, they were familiar and disturbing - soft, tender and dangerous. Somehow, I got through the meeting and to my astonishment, she stood up to shake my hand in acceptance of my proposal.

Seasons blended into months, then years, and my secret love for Kalindi consumed him. What remained was the pain. I had yet to admit to this love, too grand to put into words, too
fragile to risk losing. Yet, Kalindi refused to let me go. She'd wormed her way in, and light shone with triumph between the cracks in my shell. Did Kalindi love me too?!..