Angels in Time

          I put on my heels, grabbed my clutch, pushed my hair back, and made my way out of my room. My roommate, Maddie, would never let it go if she found out I was going out with someone. I tiptoed to the door, trying not to make the old floorboards of the apartment creak. I was about to twist the cold, brass, handle when a curious voice appeared behind me.

          "Where are you going so late, Sarah?"

          "Out..." I calmly said, trying not to seem too suspicious.

          "Out... Where..?"

          "To grab some coffee..."

          "Wait, do you... Do you have a date?"

          "No." I said, slightly shocked.

          "Really, so your going out in fancy clothes just to get some coffee? Just spill the tea!"

          Defeated, I sank into the sofa across from the door and sighed, "Okay okay, I'm going out to dinner with a guy I met at work. Really, it's not a big deal."

          "Not a big deal? Sarah! You haven't been out in a long while! He must be special!"

          "Well, If your definition of special is 'I like him', then, yeah he is special." I huffed.

          "Jeez, I didn't realize it made you that mad."

          "Whatever."

          "Well..?" She said, once again returning to her curios tone.

          "Well..? what?"

          "You know... Is he cute?"

          "Well, I mean, I think he is. He does this thing when he's nervous where he can't string sentences together quite right, and it's really cute!"

          "Okay, well I better let you go so you can see this man. He's lucky, and he's got great taste if he's picking you!"

          "You're just saying that because you know I have self esteem issues."

          "And... because I'm your friend."

          "Aww... thank yo- Hey, wait a minute!"

---

          "It will all go perfectly fine." I said, trying to encourage myself to walk in. I stepped through the wood french doors and into the restaurant, Un Piccolo Pezzo di Casa to be exact. It was a fancy new Italian restaurant, on the corner of 54th and 49th.

          The smell of meat cooking, fresh garlic, and baking bread wafted into my nose, down my throat, and seemingly into my stomach. My stomach growled, yearning for the whatever delicious foods produced these scents.

          "Um... Hello, I'm Sarah Smith... I have a reservation for two at five P.M."

          "Um... Sarah smith, Sarah Smith, Sarah smith..." My stomach dropped as she said my name the last time. Surely, if she said it like that, it couldn't be good. "Ah ha! Sarah Smith, table six!"

          A sense of relief rushed through me, then I repeated "It will all go perfectly fine." over and over again in my head, like saying it that many times would make it definite. Then I followed the Hostess to my tale and sat down.

          The view was beautiful! The sun was hanging lower in the sky because of the autumn season. It was almost golden, and it reflected off the leaves of the trees in the park across the street. I used to go there as a kid, my dad holding one hand, my mom holding the other. We would stroll around in late autumn, when all the trees were bright reds, oranges, and yellows. It was always cold, so we were bundled up in coats and hats, and we usually brought hot chocolates to sip as we strolled around. I miss mom... and ever since, dad has too. But she always told me she wanted me to live out my grandest dreams, and now I'm working to make her proud.

          On the table, by the window, was a little wax melter. The candle underneath was chugging away as the wax evaporated off. The aroma of apples and cinnamon filled my nose once I got close enough. Jack, the guy I was going on a date with, hadn't arrived yet.

          "Don't worry. It will all go perfectly fine!" I repeated in my mind, a good four or five times more.

---

          After another twenty or twenty five minutes, Jack still hadn't shown up. The waiter came over a couple times to see if I was ready to order, and the last couple of times, I could see the ice cold pity swirling in her eyes. The pity was blue, just like her eyes, but darker. Her eyes said "I'm so sorry. That really sucks. Who does that person think they are to stand you up?" I decided to give it good ten minutes more.

          He still wasn't here. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I tried to keep them back. As I thought about it more, the tears were getting stronger, and stronger. It felt like they were pounding and punching at my eyes, trying their hardest to get through. Then, the dam burst. Tears came streaming down my face. I got up from my seat and started for the door.

          "I'm sorry to waste your table." I said to the hostess on the way out. Oh god, my voice sounded like I had been crying for hours, my nose was all stuffed up and beginning to run.

          As soon as I could make it across the street, I bolted for the park. There, I spotted a bench, no one sitting on it. In fact, there was barely anybody in the park. But this bench held sentimental value, It's the bench that my parents and I always sat on when we walked through the park. My mom would be to my left, my dad to my right. We loved it because you always got such a beautiful view of the trees, and the city behind them.

          I walked over, almost stumbling, and sat right in the middle. "I can't believe he stood me up! Made me such an embarrassment!" I said out loud. My tears were getting stronger. I buried my face in my hands and cried. I cried, and cried, and cried. But eventually, my head hurt, the skin under my nostrils was stinging, the salty tears stung my face, and my throat felt dry. I couldn't cry anymore. I was tired. I can just rest my head for a second, I thought to myself. Then I did. I put my head on my hands on the spot of the bench to the right of me, and I kicked my left up to the spot to the left of me.

          It was weird. I wanted to cry, thinking about Jack, who had stood me up, and thinking about how much I missed mom, and how she always comforted me when I cried, but I couldn't. It almost felt like mom was right there next to me, running her fingers through my long blonde curls.

          Then I woke up. It took me a second to realize where I was, but eventually I figured it out. Something was different though, I felt plush fabric beneath my head. Someone's voice sounded above me. With a motherly tone, they said, "It's okay, you'll be fine." I lifted my head. My eyes fixed on a woman wearing a white sundress, the dress went down past her knees and rippled softly in the light breeze. She almost gave off an angelic vibe, as her golden blonde hair rippled with the wind too. She wore winged eyeliner and a soft pink blush.

          Hot tears streamed from my eyes, I hugged her, and through the sniffled crying I yelled, "MOM!". I hugged her even tighter now, the hot tears weren't streaming anymore, they were a waterfall of emotion. "Mom," I whispered, "mom, I miss you so, so much. Why can't you come back? I want you come back... I need you to come back."

          "I'm not gone, I'll always be with you."

          "I love you, I want you to come back"

          "I love you too, my sweet tart. Everything will be okay." And with those final words, I knew what was happening. I could feel her slipping away, so I hugged her tighter. When I let go, I looked one last time, but she had already started to fade back to dust, and be swept away with the wind, and carried with it forever.

          "I love you mom."