66. Jersey Girl

If we’d been in Uriel’s office up in 7^th Heaven, he’d have thrown me out the window. I didn't mention that either? Angels can’t fly in the celestial plane, only when we’re Earthbound. It was either one of Jehovah’s jokes or the old man had had a screw loose from the very beginning. Yeah, the only place an Angel can wear their wings out and proud is somewhere where they can’t use them. He did look like he might throw me over the railings, but just then around forty children of grade school age burst through the Orphanage entrance, followed by Mother Innovación.

Uriel stood up straight. ‘You’re a little early, Sister.’

‘Mother, Big Fellah. Someone’s got to watch over these kids. I need a cigarette. Don’t tell me, you don’t smoke either. Hey, Stanley, still here? Who’s the big guy?’

‘I’ll let him tell you, Mother.’

Uriel harrumphed though I doubted he could spell it. Cream rises to the top, whether it’s because it’s thick - as the Britishers say - or in spite of it, I couldn’t say. Uriel went for bluster, as expected.

‘Mother, you need those children inside until they’re called for. We’d like them in one place whilst we check the whole building and we’d like that place to be inside.’

The nun looked at me,’Correct me if I’m wrong, Stanley, but if we’re all outside, then anyone or anything suspicious inside is going to be easy to find, ain’t it?’

I thought Uriel might have some kind of stroke. A feather floated up behind his back into the air. He noticed our eyes moving up towards the sky behind him.

‘Sorry for ruffling your feathers, Mister.’ Mother Innovación winked at me. Maybe she had some spiritual spark inside her, maybe it was coincidence. I laughed. Uriel didn’t.

‘You stay with the kids, Gabriel. It’ll keep you out of trouble,’ he said, before he strode off, no doubt to arrange a search of the building. It was surely busywork because the people who might have plans to do anything today were both outside. That is, him and me.

The smoking nun was leaning against the rails.

‘Gabriel, huh? You don’t look like no angel. Oh Lord, please take this temptation away from me.’ She started laughing, then spluttering, but stopped short of coughing a lung up.

‘You okay?’ I asked her.

‘Nah, not really. Think I’m going to meet my maker sooner, rather than later.’

I hoped it wouldn’t be in person, here in the schoolyard, and wondered where Uriel had stashed The Ineffable One. I said what people always say in such circumstances.

‘Surely not. You look fine.’

‘Not as fine as when I used to work the tables at Atlantic City, Stanley.’