Angel’s Tenth Birthday
By then, Angel, Eddy, and Amanda had
become accustomed to attending Trinity’s Masses on “high holy days,” as Julia
called them. And so, after going together to church for that Christmas Mass
they attended four years earlier in 1974, they never missed an Ash Wednesday,
Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, or Christmas.
Those days, however, were the only
times they ever went to Mass. Nonetheless, Julia told her children, and proudly
said to others, that they were “parishioners at Trinity.”
By nine-fifty on that Palm Sunday,
the church was packed to overflowing. Every seat in every pew was occupied, and
crowds of people stood in the side aisles and along the walls on both sides of
the church. The large vestibule was packed, and some even stood outside on the
church steps. Fortunately for all, there seemed to be an overabundance of palms
that year, so even the people left standing outside were able to get more than
plenty of them.
The Mass that Sunday started oddly
at the entrance to the church. The pastor stood on a small stepladder just
inside the door and, holding a portable microphone in his hand, announced that
everyone should stand and face in his direction for the first part of the
service.
The choir then intoned an antiphon
addressed to the Son of David, singing, “Hosanna al Hijo de David. Bendito el
que viene en nombre del Señor . . .”
Then the pastor made the Sign of the
Cross, followed by a few words about the faithful’s preparations since the
beginning of Lent and the significance of the coming days of Holy Week. He then
invited everyone to accompany Jesus for his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem.
Acompañemos con fe y devoción a
nuestro Salvador en su entrada triunfal a la ciudad santa . . .
The pastor then invited the people
to raise their palms high into the air as he extended his hands and prayed
God’s blessing over them. And then he walked throughout the church, sprinkling
the palm branches, and consequently those holding them, with Holy Water.
Afterward, he returned to the spot
near the doors of the church and, once again standing on the stepladder, read
the Gospel account of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. Then the solemn
procession of altar servers and the priest toward the sanctuary began.
And everyone sang enthusiastically
together, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the Son of David.”
The theatrical and liturgical
presentation at the beginning of that Mass was spectacular!
Before the Mass ended that morning,
Gladys and her sisters who were there had woven quite a few of the palm
branches into the shape of small crosses. Upon leaving the church and meeting
outside on the Montrose Avenue sidewalk, Gladys handed each of Julia’s kids one
of those special Palm Sunday crosses.
“Can you give me one more so that I
can give it to Drina?” Angel pleaded with Gladys.
“Of course, Red,” she said to him.
“As a matter of fact, take four, so you have one for all the Thompsons.”
“This is so cool. I know Drina is
going to love it. Thanks, Gladys, and Happy Palm Sunday!”
A short time after the Mass ended,
and after walking the five or so blocks to the Thompsons’ apartment on Stagg
Walk, Julia and the kids arrived there as planned for a special Palm Sunday
lunch together.
The Thompsons had also gone to
church that morning at the nearby St. John the Evangelist Lutheran Church on
Maujer Street. By then, they had been members at St. John’s for about thirteen
years. In fact, many years before that Palm Sunday of 1978, on Easter Sunday in
April of 1966, Sylvia and Tyrone had been baptized together at St. John’s
during the same baptismal service. At the time, Sylvia was fifteen years old,
and Tyrone was nine.
Ike and Olivia’s faith, and that of
Sylvia and Tyrone, had always been strong and dedicated, no matter which church
they attended over the years. But during the thirteen years they had belonged
to St. John’s, it had become their true spiritual home.
When they entered the Stagg Walk
apartment, Angel rushed into Drina’s embrace and enthusiastically announced,
“Drina, I have a Palm Sunday cross to give you that Gladys made while we were
in church this morning. And the Father at church threw Holy Water on all the
palms, so I know it’s got a special blessing. And Gladys gave me enough crosses
to give to all of you, and I have one to keep too.”
“Why, Angel, isn’t that just as
sweet as can be! You know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna put that adorable palm
cross on the little table right next to my bed, and every time I see it I’m
gonna think of you and say a prayer just for you, my sweet boy!”
Then Drina continued, “And guess
what, Angel? I have something to give you too! Your Mommy told me it’s okay for
you to take the day off from school this coming Wednesday so that just you and
me can spend a whole day together going shopping and having a fun time in the
City on your tenth birthday. What do you think about that?”
Angel turned and looked toward Julia
and, without saying a word, asked with his eyes if the planned day in the City
was really okay. She smiled broadly and nodded her head as if to say, “YES!”
“REALLY?” Angel cried out. “Oh,
Drina, we’re gonna have a good time together, and now I can’t wait ’til my
birthday even more! You’re the best kind of like abuelita ever! I can’t wait.
YAY!”
And Drina said to everyone, “And
Wednesday is just before the school Easter holiday, and the kids won’t be doing
anything great there anyway, so me and Angel have the perfect excuse to play
hooky together and to celebrate his tenth birthday by breaking the rules just a
tiny, tiny bit!”
“Happy birthday, sweetheart. I’ve
loved you like family since the day you were born, and to be your Drina and an
abuelita too is the nicest thing I’ve ever heard! And now, I think I might be
looking forward to our day together as much as you are! Praise the Lord!”
On the morning of March 22, 1978,
Angel’s tenth birthday, Drina arrived on the sidewalk in front of the Moore
Street apartment building at exactly eight thirty, as planned.
It wasn’t very cold out, but
certainly there was a chill in the air, and although it wasn’t raining then,
the skies were overcast, the sidewalks were wet from an earlier passing shower,
and the forecast suggested that more light rain and drizzle were possible for
much of the day
Drina arrived wearing a raincoat,
and she carried an umbrella at her side. Julia was already outside, standing on
the sidewalk and holding the ever-quiet five-year-old Amanda’s hand as they
waited together for the arrival of her special education school bus. The bus
was nearly always exactly on schedule and was supposed to be there by eight
forty, as usual.
Just then, Angel and Eddy came
rushing out of the building’s front door together. Eddy, wearing a heavy hooded
jacket, had a weighty book bag slung over his shoulders. He came down the steps
and hit the sidewalk running. As he turned to make his way up the street toward
P.S. 147, he looked back and said, “Good morning, Drina. Hope’ya have a nice
time with Angel today. Happy Birthday, Red!”
Angel, also dressed for the day’s
weather, ran down the same steps and into her arms and said, “I’m so excited,
Drina. This is going to be the best birthday ever!”
Drina took Angel’s hand, and then
they walked together to the Montrose Avenue Double L subway stop. But before
going into the station, they stopped at the Stella Di Sicilia Bakery for
Italian pastries and hot chocolate.
“Happy birthday, Angel,” Drina
proclaimed, as she gave him a huge Sicilian-style cannoli.
“You know what, Drina? I remember a
long time ago one summer when we went to the beach for the day, and you came to
meet us here at the pastry shop, and you gave me and Eddy these really good
cookies. And then you gave Aunt Sil, Uncle Ty, Monica, and my mommy one of
these cannoli. They looked so good! And now, I finally know how much I really
do like them! Thanks, Drina! This is the best thing ever!”
Then they boarded a Manhattan-bound
Double L train that took them through the East River tunnel and eventually to
Sixth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, where they transferred to the uptown F
train and traveled just two stops before exiting the system at 34th Street–Herald
Square.
At 10:05 a.m., as they emerged from
the station on 34th Street, they arrived on a very crowded sidewalk, where
pedestrians of every imaginable race, cultural background, age, shape, and size
were coming and going in every direction. Although there were some who walked
at a snail’s pace, most seemed in a great hurry to get somewhere. And strangely
enough, everyone moved among those crowds while making every effort not to
brush against or touch in any way those whom they passed.
“Angel, now that we’re in the City,
the first thing we’re gonna do is walk one big long block over to the Empire
State Building on Fifth Avenue. You’re going to love this, Angel. I think you
know the Empire State was once the tallest building in the world, but now it’s
not even the tallest building in New York. And this morning, we’re gonna take
an elevator and go all the way up to the top. The view up there is out of this
world. Even though it’s a bit cloudy right now, I’m sure we’re still gonna be
able to see plenty. You’re gonna love it!”
With great enthusiasm, Angel took
Drina’s hand, and together they walked toward Fifth Avenue among the crowds on
34th Street. As they walked, he looked into most of the large store windows
they passed along the way and was fascinated by the different types of
merchandise on display, as well as by the customers going in and coming out of
the various stores, many of whom carried colorful shopping bags of one sort or
another.
Moments later, they arrived at the
main entrance to the lobby of the Empire State Building on Fifth Avenue. It was
10:30 a.m. Passing through the revolving doors, they entered the lobby, and
Angel’s eyes were immediately drawn to the dramatic artwork on its walls. He
pointed to the image of the building prominently displayed directly in front of
them.
“Drina, look on the wall up
there! Isn’t that the Empire State
Building? Look at those sunshine rays
coming from the top of it. Drina, why do
they call it the ‘Empire State?’ And why does it say ‘Pennsylvania” right under
it?”
“Well, let me think about this for a
minute,” Drina responded. “Hmm. Well, you know, Angel, we live in Brooklyn, and
that’s part of New York City. And New York City is just a little part of a
whole big state called New York. It’s a really big state and maybe even the
most important state in the country, I believe. So I think the whole state is
called the Empire State because it’s so important. It’s almost like an empire,
which is like a big country that has a king and armies and is very powerful and
all that. We call it the Empire State because it’s the greatest state in our
country. And this building is called the Empire State Building because it was
named after our state. And remember, when they first built it, it was the
tallest building in the whole wide world.”
“Wow,” that’s really cool!” Angel
responded, his eyes gazing with wonder at the image.
“Now, as for the ‘Pennsylvania’
being up there, you have to look a little closer at the whole thing, and you
can tell that there’s actually a map on the wall behind the image of the Empire
State Building. So this building is in New York State, and on the map,
Pennsylvania, which, by the way, they call a ‘commonwealth’ and not a state, is
just south of our state. And you can see that there are parts of other states
on that map too. They just don’t have their names written up there. Maybe there
wasn’t enough room when they made it, but I’m not a hundred percent sure of
that one.”
“Oh, and sweetheart, you are right
about those sunshine rays. The sun is right behind the very tippy top of the
building, and it makes it look like the building and the sun work together to
shine light on everybody.”
They proceeded to the observation
deck ticket booth, and Drina gave the attendant a five-dollar bill that was
just enough for both tickets, one adult and one child.
And before they knew it, they were
on a fast-moving elevator and heading toward the eightieth floor. From there,
they would transfer to another elevator across the hall and continue up to the
eighty-sixth-floor observation deck.
The elevator came to a stop, the
doors opened, and they were then led into another lobby-like area where there
was a small souvenir shop and also a little snack bar. They didn’t stay long in
the lobby, as Drina quickly led Angel to a door which opened to the outside
observation area.
Although it wasn’t raining, the air
felt damp and chilly, a breeze whipped around them, and a misty haze hung
lightly over the city. But for Angel, as he held tight to the wall at the edge,
stood on his tiptoes, and stretched his neck to look out, the view beyond the
retaining wall was the most magnificent sight he had ever seen.
“Drina, look how little those cars
and busses are down there on the street. They seem like they are a hundred
miles away from us! Wow!” He stood there gazing for several minutes, not
seeming to want to move to another spot along the wall.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Drina then
proclaimed. “There’s much more to see!”
They began to walk along the
perimeter of the wall, stopping at spots along the way where crowds were not
already gathered and blocking the view.
Near the southeast corner of the
deck, they came upon a mammoth-looking set of coin-operated binoculars mounted
on a pole.
“Step up on these footrests, Angel,
and Imma put a coin in here so you can look out over the East River and maybe
get a glance of the Williamsburg Bridge through the lenses.”
Angel did as she said, and soon
thereafter was peering through the binoculars. Moving them slightly back and
forth, he was able to see many of the tall buildings surrounding them and,
beyond those, the East River.
“Drina, I can see a boat on the
river way down there, but it looks really small from here. I remember a long
time ago when Uncle Ty took me and Eddy on a boat on the river like that, and
we went all the way around the City on the water. Now I know what it looks like
from up here and looking out there. Do you remember that day, Drina, when Uncle
Ty took us on that boat ride? And that was on my birthday too! I’m the luckiest
person ever!”
The binoculars made a clicking sound
and the lenses went dark. Angel hopped off the footrests and said, “Let’s see
what else we can see in other places, Drina!”
They continued making their way
around the deck, stopping along the wall whenever there was an opening in the
crowd and gazing out to take in whatever else there was to see. As they made
their way, Drina pointed out Brooklyn and Queens, the Chrysler Building, the
Pan Am Building, Rockefeller Center, and then, when they reached the northwest
corner, she told him once again to step up onto another set of binoculars.
“This time, Angel, you’re gonna be
able to see a little bit of Times Square through the lenses.”
She dropped a coin into the
mechanism, the lenses popped open, and Angel peered down into the streets
below, catching a glimpse of the bright lights from the square as they glowed
against the mist in the air.
“I can see different color lights
flashing, and it’s really bright, Drina, but it’s hard to make out anything
else. But this is really, really cool, and I’m never gonna forget this visit up
here.”
Soon thereafter, they were looking
out from the southwest corner, and Drina pointed to the Hudson River and to New
Jersey beyond it. They were barely visible through the fog, but just distinct
enough to get a sense of where they were beyond the island of Manhattan.
Then, looking south, Drina pointed
out the two towers of the World Trade Center, the Woolworth Building, and some
other notable high-rises downtown.
“I think on a clear day you can also
see the Statue of Liberty from here too,” Drina said, with some disappointment
in the tone of her voice. “Too bad it’s not a crystal clear day, but this has
still been a wonderful visit up here. You know, Angel, it’s only the second
time for me!”
Taking Angel’s hand, she led him
back into the observation deck lobby and announced, “Sweetheart, we have one
more thing to see up here. Now we’re gonna take another elevator and go way up
to the one-hundred-and-second floor. There’s a little tiny observation deck up
there, and this visit to the Empire State Building wouldn’t be complete without
seeing it.”
Within minutes, they exited that
last elevator and found themselves in a much, much smaller space confined
entirely to the indoors. From that height, the view was even more shrouded in
haze, and they couldn’t see much of anything down below. Nonetheless, Angel was
overjoyed simply to be so high in the sky.
“Drina, you brought me to the top of
the world today, and I’ll never forget this as long as I live!”
It was exactly 12:30 p.m. when they
walked outside again and back onto Fifth Avenue.
“Angel, I have a special plan for lunch
a little later, but I want to make sure you get something in you before we go
any farther today. How about one of those famous New York hot dogs? There’s a
cart right there on the corner.”
The small metal cart had wheels on
one side and handlebars on the other. A pole attached to its side held a
colorful umbrella above, emblazoned with the words “Sabrett” and “Frankfurters
and Rolls.” There was also a cartoonish-looking hot dog painted on top of the
umbrella. Steam rose from one side of the cart, while a small raised platform
on the other held cold sodas. The vendor, an older-looking but very friendly
gentleman, wore white pants, a white smock, and a small, elongated paper hat
upon his head.
“What can I get for you, ma’am?” he
said kindly as Drina approached the cart, Angel by the hand.
“Can we have two dogs, with mustard,
relish, and onions too?”
Turning to Angel, she said,
“Sweetheart, I think we can skip the soda, no?” Angel agreed. “But,” he said,
“can I have ketchup on my hotdog too?”
“Of course, sweetheart, anything you
want!”
With his left hand, the vendor
pulled two rolls from a plastic bag. Using a pair of tongs in his right, he
opened the rolls and then flipped open a hatch on the cart. He pulled out the
hot dogs one at a time and placed them into the open rolls. Then, using spoons
from separate containers holding the condiments, he quickly dressed the hot
dogs before speedily wrapping each one in a sheet of silver foil.
Handing both hot dogs to Angel, the
vendor said to Drina, “That’ll be one dollar for both dogs, ma’am.”
For a brief moment or two, Drina and
Angel stood off to the side near the cart, unwrapped the dogs, and quickly ate
them.
Between his first and second bite,
Angel said, “Mmmm, these are delicious, Drina. Thank you!”
When they finished their hot dogs,
Drina took Angel’s hand, and together they crossed 34th Street at the corner of
Fifth Avenue.
“Now, Angel, we’re in for another
New York City adventure!” Drina proclaimed as she enthusiastically raised her
hand to hail a taxi on 34th Street.
Almost as soon as she raised her
hand, a big yellow taxicab pulled up to the curb directly in front of them.
Drina quickly opened the back door and urged Angel to climb in and slide across
the seat to make room for her.
As soon as they were both
comfortably settled in the back seat, Drina leaned forward and said to the
driver, “Please take us to 33rd and Ninth.”
Angel leaned forward and peered over
the front seat, fascinated by the glowing red numbers and mysterious mechanisms
of the taxi meter.
As the cab pulled away from the curb
and accelerated into traffic, Angel immediately sat up straight. Turning his
head from side to side, he watched with wide-eyed excitement as the taxi wove
through traffic, passing trucks, buses, and other cars making their way west
along 34th Street.
He felt as though he were on an
amusement park ride! The cab would suddenly pick up speed, only to come to an
abrupt stop in traffic, then lurch forward and accelerate again. Over and over,
the same thrilling pattern repeated itself as the driver maneuvered through the
crowded Manhattan streets.
“Drina, I’ve never been in a taxicab
before! This is really cool!” Angel exclaimed excitedly. “Where are we going
now?”
“Sweetheart, I’ma take you for a
real sit-down lunch at a little diner over on the West Side that me and Pop go
to all the time. You’re gonna love it! It’s called the Market Diner, and it’s a
real New York City ‘establishment,’ as they say!”
The taxi continued west along 34th
Street, crossing Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Avenues before turning left and
heading south on Ninth Avenue.
Within moments, the cab pulled up to
the curb near the northwest corner of Ninth Avenue and 33rd Street. The driver
reached over and switched off the meter.
“Ma’am, that’ll be a dollar eighty,
please.”
Before opening the door, Drina
opened her purse, took out her wallet, and counted out two one-dollar bills,
which she handed over the front seat to the driver.
“Keep the change, and thank you so
very much!” she said with the ease of someone who had made such transactions
many times before.
“Let’s go, sweetheart. Lunch is
waiting for us!”
It was exactly one o’clock.
Drina opened her door, stepped out
onto the sidewalk, and took Angel’s hand as he climbed out behind her.
Standing together in front of the
diner, Drina turned toward Angel and enthusiastically proclaimed, “My birthday
boy, you’re gonna love this place as much as I do, I’m sure!”
“Sweetheart, when we get inside,
since you’re a big boy now, I want you to tell the hostess at the door, ‘We
would like a table for two,’ okay?”
Angel smiled from ear to ear as he
contemplated the great responsibility Drina was giving him!
As they entered, a very friendly
elderly hostess greeted them.
“Good afternoon, my friends! Would
you like to sit at the counter, or would you prefer a booth?”
Angel cleared his throat and,
although slightly nervous, proclaimed, “Ma’am, we would like to have a table
for the two of us, please.”
The hostess looked at him
affectionately and smiled. Drina gave her a knowing wink, as if to say, “Thank
you so much!”
“Of course, sweetie! How about I put
you in one of our booths by the window so you can watch all the traffic going
by?”
“Yes, ma’am, we would like that very
much,” Angel responded, this time with a little more confidence in his voice.
As the hostess led them to their
seats, Drina leaned toward her and whispered, “Today is this little man’s
birthday, and I’m hoping he has a special experience here. Thanks so much for
your kindness!”
Once they were seated, a young
waitress approached their booth and, without saying a word, quickly placed two
enormous laminated menus on the table, along with two sets of silverware, each
tightly wrapped in a paper napkin.
A moment later, she returned with
two tall glasses of ice water and introduced herself as she set them down.
“Good afternoon! My name is Dolores,
and I’ll be your waitress today. And a little bird just told me that this young
man is celebrating a birthday! Happy birthday, honey! I hope your special day
is filled with lots of happiness and love!”
Timidly, but also with delight,
Angel chuckled and said, “Thank you, ma’am! I’m ten years old today!”
“Congratulations, honey! Well, I
hope you have a wonderful day!”
Then she continued, “Our lunch
special today is a cup of chicken noodle soup, a grilled chicken deluxe
sandwich with French fries, a can of soda of your choice, and a slice of
cheesecake for dessert.”
Turning directly toward Angel, she
added, “But darling, it’s your birthday, and you can have anything you want!
Can I get you folks some coffee, juice, or something else to drink while you
look over the menus?”
“Can I have a glass of chocolate
milk, please?” Angel asked.
“You know what? I’ll have the same!”
Drina announced with a smile.
Then, turning toward the waitress,
she continued, “Well, Dolores, it’s so nice to meet you! You must be new to the
diner since the last time I was here, and I’m sure you’re gonna do a wonderful
job taking care of us!”
Dolores told her that she’d been
working at the diner for about a month and that she really loved the job.
“I especially feel lucky to meet
people like you, who come in on special days like this and make my job so
enjoyable!” she added.
“Oh, how sweet!” Drina responded.
“And I’m a lucky one, too, because I get to have a special date today with this
wonderful young man! We’re both so happy to be here, and to meet you, too!
Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness!
When Dolores returned with their two
glasses of chocolate milk, they were ready to order. Angel chose the grilled
ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich special with a side of French fries, while
Drina ordered an egg salad sandwich served with coleslaw, potato chips, and a
dill pickle on the side.
As they waited for their food to
arrive, Angel gazed out the window, fascinated by all the cars, trucks, and
buses passing by as they made their way south along Ninth Avenue.
“Drina, where do you think all those
people are going to?” he asked with wonder.
“You know, Angel, in this city there
are a million possibilities! Isn’t it amazing to be in a place where there’s
always so much activity and so many interesting people? I never get tired of
it!”
When they finished their lunch,
Dolores returned to their booth and asked Angel to turn around and look toward
the back of the diner.
There stood the elderly hostess, a
couple of other waitresses, and a cook wearing a chef’s hat, all gathered
together around a small birthday cake. And then, to Angel’s astonishment, they
began to sing.
“Happy birthday to you . . .”
Within moments, it seemed that all
the other patrons in the diner had joined in the singing!
As the song came to an end, everyone
applauded enthusiastically, and Angel, beaming with delight, leaned forward and
blew out the single candle that had been placed on the cake.
At that moment, other than Angel
himself, no one seemed more jubilant than Drina. She let out a joyful sigh and
exclaimed for everyone to hear, “Happy birthday, sweetheart! I love you so
much!”
After leaving the diner, they walked
south along Ninth Avenue, passing the western side of the massive post office
building. At the corner of 31st Street, they crossed Ninth Avenue and continued
east along the building toward Eighth Avenue.
They arrived at the corner at
two-forty-five.
As they stood waiting to cross
Eighth Avenue, Drina explained to Angel, “This is the main post office for the
City of New York. Look at those colossal steps leading up to the entrance
doors! They’re amazing, aren’t they? And if you look across the street over
there, that big round building is Madison Square Garden, where the New York
Knicks play basketball. They have lots of other concerts and shows in there,
too. And down underneath the Garden is Pennsylvania Station, where all those
big trains come and go.
“If we had more time, I’d love to
take you down there for a little walk around. But there’s something else,
something even more important, that I want to show you. And I think you’re
really gonna like it!”
They continued along 31st Street,
passing Madison Square Garden before crossing Seventh Avenue and walking
another half block east. Finally, they arrived in front of St. Francis of
Assisi Church, located at 135 West 31st Street, between Sixth and Seventh
Avenues.
“Angel, this is where I want to show
you something really special!” Drina announced with excitement in her voice.
She led him through a doorway that
opened onto a flight of steps descending to the lower level of the church.
It was a chapel, arranged with pews,
an altar, and niches containing statues, much like most Catholic churches. But
this chapel was below street level, with a relatively low ceiling. Once inside,
Angel immediately noticed how quiet and peaceful it was, in striking contrast
to the noise and busyness of the city streets they had just left behind.
“Shhhh,” Drina whispered as she took
Angel’s hand and led him toward the front of the chapel.
And there, behind protective glass,
was a magnificent, permanent miniature Nativity scene. It depicted Mary and
Joseph with the Baby Jesus, shepherds and sheep, a stable, palm trees, and
angels.
Drina explained that it was called
the “Perpetual Christmas Crib.” But it portrayed much more than the birth of
Jesus. There was also a scene depicting Mary and Joseph fleeing into Egypt with
the Baby Jesus, and another showing the Holy Family later living together in
Nazareth.
“This church is run by a group of
men called the Franciscans,” Drina explained. “And they say they celebrate
Christmas every single day of the year! Isn’t that something special? That’s
why they never take down this beautiful scene with the Baby Jesus in it. And
it’s been here for a long, long time now!”
Then, turning toward Angel with a
broad smile, she added, “So, happy birthday and Merry Christmas, too,
sweetheart!”
They sat together in a pew for a
short time, simply enjoying the silence. Then Drina took Angel’s hand and
whispered a short prayer.
“Dear God, bless my little Angel
today and always, especially as he celebrates his birthday. Keep him under your
holy care, and may he never feel abandoned by you or by those who love him. Be
with him, Jesus, today and always. Amen.”
It was three-thirty.
Shortly thereafter, they left the
church and continued east along 31st Street.
“We have one last stop before we
head home today, Angel. Have you ever heard of Macy’s Department Store?”
