Lash Broken Angel

11





“Okay, this is far enough,” Naomi said, shifting the car into park.

Chuy threw himself to the ground, panting. “We need to get Welita a new car.”

Lash collapsed next to Chuy, feigning exhaustion. When the car broke down about a mile from the house, he knew they were in for a long walk. The car wasn’t heavy to him at all. Alone, he could easily have pushed it without breaking a sweat, but with Chuy and Naomi there, he couldn’t push faster without raising suspicion. They were moving so slow, he was tempted to throw Chuy back into the car and push it himself.

When Chuy had climbed out of the car, Naomi sighed and made her way to the front seat as if they had done it before. She gave Lash an expectant look, and when he didn’t move, she said, “Well, don’t just sit there. Help Chuy push.”

How was he to know that they actually wanted to take the car with them? He climbed out of the car and shook his head as he eyed the clunker. By the looks of it, the gas in it was probably worth more than the car.

Naomi slammed the car door shut. “It isn’t that far. We pushed it all the way from downtown last year.”

“Why don’t…you…have it…towed,” Lash said. His chest rose and fell as he faked being breathless. He was starting to feel dizzy from being over oxygenated. He’d never had to simulate physical exhaustion before.

Naomi hovered over him, hands on hips. “What’s wrong with you? I thought you were like Mr. Fitness or something.”

Lash stiffened. He’d better reel in the acting a bit.

“You didn’t have to push four thousand pounds of steel in the heat.” Chuy propped himself up on his elbows.

“Come on, you big baby.” Naomi held out a hand to Chuy. “You two look like you could use something to drink.” She inhaled and smiled. “It smells like dinner is ready.”

Lash took a deep breath and smelled a delicious aroma. In thirty-five years on Earth, he’d had his share of fine cuisine—when he was able to get his hands on cash. But, the wonderful aroma wafting across the front yard was something he’d never smelled before. His stomach rumbled.

Chuy slapped a hand on his back. “Ever had tamales?”

“No.”

“Seriously?” Naomi asked as she reached the steps of the house.

“Yeah. I’ve seen tamales in a can. They smelled nothing like this,” Lash said. He shuddered as he recalled the repugnant odor of the slimy goo.

“A can? You’re missing out man.” Chuy pulled the screen door open and yelled as he walked in. “Welita, we’re here! I got Naomi’s boyfriend.”

Naomi turned red and scampered after him. “He is not my boyfriend!”

Lash chuckled and followed her into a quaint house that had seen better days. The cream-colored sofa, yellow with age, was covered with a knitted blanket in bright, cheerful colors. A bedroom dresser, looking out of place in the living area, served as a stand for a small TV. He was surprised by the lack of modern electronics most households seemed to have.

Naomi and Chuy went into another room, while Lash stayed in the living room looking at family photos on the dresser. He picked up a photo of a little boy wearing a red plaid shirt and black corduroys. Large brown eyes emerged from beneath black curls. Javier.

He felt his eyes prick as he stared at the little boy. Javier didn’t even have the chance to live out his full life. He could only imagine the pain Naomi felt for losing him.

Lash heard a scratching at the door, and he put the photo down.

“Lash, would you open the door and let the dog in,” Naomi called from the other room. “Be careful though, she doesn’t like strangers.”

Lash grinned at the thought of how surprised Naomi was going to be. Over the past few weeks, he and Bear had become good friends. “Sure, no problem.”

He opened the door, and Bear scurried into the room. Seeing Lash, she ran around in circles, excited.

“Sit,” he instructed.

Bear barked and sat, her tail pulsed against the linoleum floor.

“That’s strange,” Naomi said as she stepped into the living room.

Lash squatted and scratched behind Bear’s ear. “What’s strange?”

“She usually barks non-stop at strangers until they leave, and she really doesn’t like anyone petting her, except for us.”

Naomi reached out to pet Bear.

Bear growled.

Naomi snatched her hand back. “Crazy dog. No table scraps for you.”

Lash chuckled as Bear let out a huff, turned her attention back to him, and licking his fingers. “I think Bear and I are going to be great friends.”

Naomi rolled her eyes. “Come on, dinner is ready.”

“There you are,” Welita said, as Lash followed Naomi into kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron. “You must be Naomi’s boyfriend. I’m Naomi’s grandmother, Anita, but everyone calls me Welita.”

He placed a hand into hers and shook. “Lash. Nice to meet you, Welita.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Naomi said.

“No?” Welita turned to Chuy. “You told me he was.”

Chuy chuckled, and Naomi threw a potholder at him.

“I said there was a guy that Naomi was hanging out with after her group thing she does every Monday night,” Chuy said.

“You failed to mention that I was with another girl, too,” Naomi said. “Her name is Ellen. She’s in the group.”

“Is Ellen your girlfriend?” Welita asked Lash.

“Welita! That’s private,” Naomi said.

“Why should that be private? If he has a girl, he should be proud to show her off.” Welita turned to Lash. “Well?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Really? Such a handsome fellow like you is single? And you’re so polite, too.” She patted his arm. “Take a seat here,” she pulled out an old wooden chair.

Lash sat down across the table from Naomi. “I know you didn’t expect me for dinner, Mrs. Duran—”

“Welita,” she said, pulling a lid from a huge black pot.

“Welita, I really appreciate you allowing me to have dinner with your family.”

“I knew you were coming.” Welita plopped a heaping scoop of beans onto a plate.

Lash glanced questioningly at Naomi.

She shrugged and eyed Chuy suspiciously.

“I didn’t say anything. It was a last minute decision,” Chuy said.

“How did you know, Welita?” Naomi asked.

“Rebecca told me.” Welita dipped a large spoon into a pot of Spanish rice.

Rebecca? The other angel? Lash thought. Did the guardian angel know about him? Maybe he could get more information about her from Welita.

“Who is Rebecca?” Lash painted an innocent expression on his face.

The room fell silent. Chuy and Naomi looked at each other.

“Well, uh, she’s kind of…she’s…” Naomi sputtered.

“She’s my guardian angel.” Welita placed a plate of food in front of him and sat in the seat next to him.

“Oh, I see,” Lash said casually. He picked up his fork and dug into the beans. “Umm, this is delicious.”

“Let me explain that,” Naomi said. “Welita is religious and—”

“There’s nothing to explain. Rebecca said an attractive young man would be coming for dinner tonight, and he did.” Welita ruffled Lash’s hair and he grinned. He was really starting to like Naomi’s grandmother.

“Rebecca has good taste.” He winked at Naomi and placed a forkful of rice into his mouth.

Welita studied him for a moment. “You know, you look like her. You have the same perfect skin, and the same almond-shaped eyes—almost an exact duplicate of her.”

Lash coughed as a grain of rice went down his windpipe. Welita didn’t let anything get past her, and he feared he was close to being discovered. Although, based on Chuy and Naomi’s reactions, it didn’t seem like they believed her. Though many have claimed to see angels, or even to have their own guardian angel, most unbelievers dismissed these claims as side effects of drugs or religious wishful thinking.

Naomi snorted. “Yeah, Lash is an angel.”

Welita scowled. “I didn’t say that. I said that he looks like Rebecca.”

Lash picked up a corn-husked wrapped package. The conversation was getting too close for comfort.

“Lash, you need to—ow, stop kicking me Chuy,” Naomi said.

Lash looked curiously at Chuy.

“Don’t mind her. Go on. You’ll like it,” he encouraged.

Lash bit down on the husk and gagged.

Welita threw Chuy a glare. “Lash, you’re supposed to take the husk off.”

Chuy dramatically demonstrated the unwrapping of the tamale.

Lash did the same with his own tamale and bit down into the meaty pastry. “Umm, this is good.”

“Told you,” Chuy said.

As they ate their meal, Lash wondered how often Rebecca came around. He didn’t notice her while watching over the house during the day. If he could somehow manage to run into her, maybe she could give him more information about what was going on with the Duran family. He shuddered to think that something bad would happen to any of them, even Chuy.

He looked around the small table. It was clear that Chuy and Naomi loved and respected Welita, even if they didn’t hold the same beliefs as she did. As much as Chuy and Naomi pretended to be annoyed with each other, Lash could see the familial love between them.

Bear started to bark, distracting him from his thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Bear?” Naomi asked.

The light above the table flickered and Bear barked again.

“That’s her.” Welita got up from the table and began to gather the dishes.

“What are you talking about?” Chuy handed her his plate.

“The light.” Welita placed the dishes into the sink and turned around. “It flickered.”

“And?” Chuy looked confused.

“It’s a sign.”

“A what?”

“A sign.”

Lash wondered if Raphael was using the light to contact him. He concentrated on the bulb and listened for any sounds that were out of the ordinary.

The light flickered. “See? There it goes again. It’s a sign that Rebecca is here.”

“It’s a sign that it’s time to change the light bulb.” Naomi got up from the table. “I think there’s a pack in the hall closet.”

If it was Raphael, he needed to act fast. He didn’t know how much time Raphael would be available to him. “I need to be going now. Thanks for the meal, Welita,” he said as he watched Naomi disappear around the corner.

Welita shuffled to him and patted his arm. “You come over any time.”

Naomi came back into the kitchen. “Leaving?”

“Yeah, it’s been a long day.” He faked a yawn.

“Let me walk you to the door. Chuy, you wash the dishes.” Welita threw Chuy a dishtowel and took Lash’s arm. “And do them right this time. Last time you left spots,” she said.

Chuy looked over to Naomi. “We need to buy Welita a new car and a dish washer.”

Naomi unscrewed the light bulb and set it down on the table. “She already has a dishwasher—you.”

Chuckling at their banter, Lash walked with Welita to the front door. He was glad he accepted Chuy’s invitation and he hoped he’d be asked back again soon. As much as he knew it would be painful to leave them when his assignment was completed, it felt good to finally feel something other than anger and hate.

When Lash stepped out onto the front porch, Welita looked back to make sure that Naomi and Chuy stayed in the kitchen, then she quietly shut the door. “Lash, you look like a good boy. I know you’re in that therapy group with Naomi. She had a hard time trying to deal with losing her father so soon after her mother’s death. I know you can help her.”

Lash was stunned. Did Welita know who he really was? “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Rebecca told me you could help her.” Welita held his gaze for a moment before she continued. “After meeting you, I know she’s right. My Naomi needs someone like you.”

Lash was floored. She knew nothing about him, except what Rebecca had told her. How could she put so much faith in someone she hardly knew? “I’ll do what I can, but I’m not sure how I can help.”

“Keep doing what you’re doing. Ever since she started that group, she’s been happier. I thought it was because the psychologist was doing a good job. Now that I’ve met you, I see there’s another reason.”

“I don’t think I’m the reason. I think she just got better with time. You know what they say, ‘time heals all wounds’ and all that shi—uh, I mean, stuff.”

“No, it’s you. I see the way she looks at you. She hides it. But, I know. A grandmother always knows.”

She likes me! Naomi likes me. For a fleeting second, Lash allowed himself to feel elated with the thought before he shut it out of his mind.

“I like Naomi, and she’s fun to be around. I can definitely see us being great friends.” What was he supposed to say? Sorry, but I’m an angel like Rebecca, and I’m not supposed to fraternize with the people I’m assigned to?

Welita smiled slyly as if she wasn’t totally buying what he was telling her. “You have that look in your eyes, too, when you’re with her.” She opened the door and stepped inside the house. “You’ll be more than friends. A grandmother knows.”

***

After Welita closed the door and he heard her conversing with Naomi and Chuy, Lash ran to the back of the house, looking for Raphael. There was no sign of him. It’d been a while since he last heard from Raphael, and he really wanted to see him. He was so afraid he’d mess up his assignment, and he needed Raphael to give him some direction on what he should be doing.

Lash’s suspicions about Dantan were confirmed when he overheard him talking to Sal during Naomi’s first group therapy session. Dantan was paid off to keep an eye on Naomi. Lash didn’t know for why or what purpose, but it couldn’t be good. If there was some way Lash could make her stop going to the group, he would. He hated to admit it, but Dantan was a good shrink—too good. He was able to draw out his group members’ secrets. There were times when Lash almost started to talk about the plane crash and, consequently, reveal himself. He wondered if Dantan knew about Luke and Sal’s real identity. Maybe that was how Dantan got his powerful gift of persuasion.

“Raphael, where are you?” Lash whispered out into the darkness. He peered through the window into the empty kitchen. The light above the table flickered.

“Raphael,” he whispered again

A woman’s voice drifted through the air. “Leave with her soon. You are in danger.”

“Who’s there?” A warm breezed fluttered over him and his head started to pound. Then he remembered. He heard the voice before—a long time ago. An image flashed across his mind: a woman with dark hair, beside a fire, stirring something in a small pot. She turned to him, and a warm smile lit up her face. And then, she said a name he heard from only one other person. “Lahash.”