You Have Wings?

Chapter 45

Samuel sat on the grass, next to the river bank. He was a few meters away from everyone but his mind was deep in happy thoughts.

Monica was trying to entertain Jenny, knowing she was feeling down about something but she pretended to be okay.

Corey's dad was standing knee deep in the river with Corey and Panuleon as he explained the different types of fish that swim here.

Samantha was lying sleepily on the picnic blanket, trying to catch the warm sun's glare on her skin and hoping to turn a shade darker.

Samuel watched his son. He was listening to Richard with such interest, he could tell there was a lot for him to learn now that he's living on earth. He almost hoped that would happen. Heaven is changing. The laws are becoming more strenuous and too harsh. An angel never has time off from their assigned jobs. They can never see their parents and they sometimes never witness love or what friendship feels like.

Samuel was a doctor in heaven, just like Panuleon. He knows how tough and demanding that job was. But because he had Monica as a childhood friend, he was able to find her again in late teenage years before they fell in love. If an angel has no one to begin with, they'll most likely remain alone. It was purely by chance that Monica was his soulmate.

If Panuleon had continued to live in heaven, he wouldn't have known what it was like to love someone. But seeing him here, enjoying the earth's natural beauty and receiving the love he deserves from someone who has a heart of gold is just perfect. Panuleon is happy, and that's all his parents could ever ask for.

Samuel looked around at his surroundings and shaded his eyes from the sun's glare. He twiddled blades of grass between his fingers. What a wonderful place this is. He hasn't been here since Corey was a toddler.

"May I join you?" A deep voice asked.

Samuel looked up to see Panuleon standing in front of him with his feet still in the river.

"Of course" He smiled and watched his son take a seat next to him. Corey was only about three meters away but they wouldn't make it any further.

"Can you sense something?" Panuleon asked when he was sure everybody's interests were elsewhere.

"Yes, but it seems far away." Samuel looked around cautiously.

"Yes. I can tell there is no danger but I would like to know what it was."

Just then, Monica sat at the other side of Panuleon. He looked around to see Jenny walking further along the trail with her head low.

"Is Jenny feeling okay today?" He noticed how quiet she has been.

"I'm not sure. There is something definitely bothering her but she won't tell me," Monica sighed and watched as Richard tried to capture a fish from the river floor. Corey was trying to help but he was finding it too funny to watch his dad stumble about in the river.

Panuleon smiled at the sound of his laughter.

"So, my son. How are you liking earth?" Samuel asked.

Panuleon allowed his mind to settle as he concentrated on himself, sitting in-between is parents.

"At first, I couldn't understand how things worked and I was a little afraid," He admitted. "but, now that I've found my soulmate, I can't imagine ever going back to heaven." He looked at Corey, wanting nothing more than to make him happy for the rest of his life. "Is that selfish of me to want to stay here?"

"No, not at all. Here, you have a chance to live, love and be free." Monica could see that the hole he had from being kicked out of heaven wasn't fully patched up yet. It took them both a long time to admit that they're never going back.