The second angel, the older one with the calmer voice, had a similar familiar attitude about God, as if God was the CEO and they were His top executives. “Oh ho!” he said. “You know He’s going to be pissed. Remember how upset He was about the Dr. King surprise? Well, you can expect that kind of meeting. Knowing you, you had better try to relax beforehand, or you may just make it worse. You should expect to have to do a lot of explaining and apologizing, sometimes two or three times for the same thing. Then you will probably get a really bad assignment. Remember what happened to Tom, Dr. King’s MGA? It has been over three decades now, and he still hasn’t gotten a decent assignment. All he ever gets now is middle managers and housewives. You know as well as I do that nothing ever happens to them. I’m beginning to think he will never get out of that doghouse.”
The younger one chuckled a little, and said, “Remember the rumor that he was going to be assigned to Jesse Jackson? I don’t know about you, but I thought that would have been fitting. I know I hate it whenever I get assigned to watch over an asshole.”
“I seem to recall that you even went so far as making that suggestion to God,” the older one said. “And what did God say? ‘I’m starting to think that Jesse Jackson would be a good project for you.’ The look on your face was priceless, like someone stole your ice cream, until you realized He was just kidding.”
It was time for Harding to get on home, so he didn’t get to hear any more of their conversation. He did get a good look at them on his way out, though. The older one had white hair and a closely trimmed beard, while the younger one was tanned and had bleached blond hair. He also was struck by an attitude of mutual respect between them, rather than deference from the younger one toward the older one.
Now, Harding was well aware that that conversation fragment could have been taken in more than one way, and the idea of actors rehearsing a scene for a play certainly seemed plausible. The thought occurred to him, though, that maybe they weren’t actors. What if their conversation was completely candid? That would open a whole world of implications needing to be explored.
First he looked into the possibility of a play, and found out that Death of a Salesman and A Midsummer-Night’s Dream were the only plays left for the season at the Waltmar Theater. Then, just for giggles, he looked into the idea of angels on Earth, and in particular how to spot them even if they don’t want to be spotted. It didn’t take long for him to find that answer, and for those readers that wish to look, that sort of information is readily available.
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