Seven months is a long time. Seven months since I began my work—more than half a year. The world has gone more than half its way around the sun, an enormous distance. I have come a long way, too. I have received my second wing and the trust of my superiors, and I have also borne their reprimands and learned from my mistakes. My assignments, my beloved charges, have taught me so much about the way the human mind and heart works. I suppose it is possible to be proud and humbled at the same time.
But today is the beginning of an end for me. My first assignment is coming to a close.
Tonight was the seven-month anniversary of the night that Tammy and Lamarr met. Yes, precisely seven months ago I caused Tammy to trip over a fire hydrant, spill her coffee, and attract the attention of a young man passing by.
Who could have known, other than the Father-King, that such an interchange would lead here? Lamarr, more polished than I have ever seen him, picked up Tammy after work tonight with a bouquet of pink roses and yellow lilies. She greeted him with an eager cry and a kiss that brought smiles to everyone passing through the lobby of her building. Heedless of the attention, which months ago would have made her deeply anxious, she seized his hand and proceeded out of the building.
They went to a restaurant with a table by the water, with soft jazz[1] playing in the background. Their talk seemed always drawn to the future, a future they two will share. Lamarr has been offered a job by one of his professors, and he is excited that the new opportunity, which is in his chosen field of architecture, will match better with Tammy’s schedule and give him more time to spend with her. Tammy, meanwhile, brought him an invitation to dinner from her mother, who appears to not only have come around to her daughter’s chosen partner, but to begin to enjoy his company.
Close to the end of the meal, Lamarr leaned over the table, resting his chin on his hand. “Everything seems to be coming together for us, doesn’t it?” he asked.
Tammy beamed at him. “Everything is wonderful.”
He raised his brows. “You know, it won’t always be this easy.”
“Don’t kill my buzz,” she complained, taking another sip of wine.
This made him smile, but he held out his hand to her, and she took it. “I’m serious,” he said. “Everyone goes through hard times. I guess I just want to know that you’ll still be with me when those hard times happen.”
“Marr.” She covered their entwined hands with her other one, squeezing. “Whatever happens, I’m with you. I promise.”
He studied her face, the earnest promise there. Nodding thoughtfully, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “Why don’t we make that promise official, then?” he asked, and flipped the box open to reveal the sparkle of a diamond.
Tammy stared at the ring open-mouthed.
“I know it’s soon,” Lamarr said, nervousness coiling in his stomach. “I know we haven’t known each other for all that long, but Tam, I love you. And I don’t want to take even the slightest chance that we won’t be together forever.” He leaned forward. “So what do you say, baby? Will you marry me and make me the luckiest bastard in the world?”
She laughed a little, breathless with the shock. “Guess I already said it, didn’t I?” She extended her left hand, eyes glittering with tears. “Whatever happens, I’m with you.”
He caught that hand and kissed it twice, murmuring prayers of thanks. Then the restaurant broke into applause as Lamarr slid the ring onto her finger. These moments are always so full of emotion that that emotion spills over, catching the attention of others. It is never an intrusive thing, but something that brings happiness and sweetness to all who see it.
It brought both of those things to me, as well as pride, of course. But it also brought a tiny bit of sorrow, for in that moment I could see that soon Tammy and Lamarr will no longer need me. One never knows what will happen, and marriage does not always mean the end of a couple’s need for positive influence, but the Choice Web is clear with these two as it rarely is. They are well-made for one another, and their relationship will remain strong through all tests. And there are others who need my time and attention more. Danit has mentioned a new assignment to me, but an Archangel rarely takes on even as many as I already have.
It is the natural course of things—eventually all assignments come to an end, and the humans must be left to their own devices. But I will miss these two, my first pairing, very much when their vows have been said and the case is closed.
[1] I like jazz music very much. There is freedom in it, and confidence. It always seems to be either leaning forward or leaning back, and it either urges one to dance or encourages one to relax. Beyond that, it is impossible to describe without one having heard it, which I encourage you to do.