Throwing My Loop…    

THE OLD ANGEL 

     Leon was in a good mood…a very good mood.  He sat in his favorite chair high above the small arena watching the young man named Mitch work with the two horses, one of which had been real trouble for most all of the first two weeks.  The old angel had been a horseman during his time on earth, and knew exactly what Mitch – far down below – was trying to do.  Leon was feeling good because he knew evaluating Mitchell would be an enjoyable experience – and that Mitch would get good marks.  He knew that in the first few days.  Then, the buzzer vibrated in his ear signaling a call from HQ…
     “This is Leon.  I can help you,” he answered.
     “Leon?  It’s Maxine in personnel.  We’re sending you another intern.”
     “Oh, brother,” he thought to himself.  “Just when things were going great.”
     “Can it wait just a day or two, Maxine?  I’m almost through here.”
     “You know better than to ask that, Leon,” she said.  “If your mentoring skills weren’t so effective, we wouldn’t always be sending you a new one.”
     Leon sighed, and said, “Okay.  When is he coming?”
     “Here’s there now,” said Maxine.
     Leon looked over to his right.  Sitting beside him was a young man around thirty or so, looking all spiffy with his pressed shirt and starched jeans.  The cowboy extended his hand and said, “Hey, old partner.  I’m Charlie.”
     “Old partner?” thought Leon.
     “Hello, Charlie,” he said.  “I’m finishing up an evaluation here.  Be done this sometime later this evening.  You’re welcome to stay and observe if you like.” 
“Meaning, ‘Don’t talk while I’m working.’  But Leon knew he would never be that lucky.
     “Oh sure, old partner” said Charlie.  “I know all about evaluations.  Learned all about’em in orientation.  Us angels watch how people live, then report on them to Headquarters.  You know you’re lucky, Leon.  I can help you out here.”
     “Really?” Leon said, dragging the word out slowly.  “How so?”
     “I know all about people,” said Charlie.  “And I really know all about horses.”
     “Well,” said Leon, looking off into the sky.  “That is remarkable.”
     “See?” said Charlie with excitement.  “Look at that.  Right now, he should pop that horse on the butt with his rope.”
     Leon looked down over the railing to see the young colt dancing nervously just outside the roping box.  “And what would that do?” asked Leon, in a serious tone.
     “Well,” Charlie said loudly.  “You gotta’ teach that horse who’s boss.  You can’t let him get away with that.”
     Leon remembered how nervous the horse had been in the first few days, and how proud he had been of Mitch and his calm patience.  He rose from his chair and said, “’Scuse me a minute, Charlie.  Gotta’ make a call.”  After walking out of earshot, he dialed the number.
     “Maxine?  This is Leon.  I’ve decided what I’m going to do with Charlie.”
     “Oh good, Leon.  What are you going to do?”
     “I’m gonna’ kill him.  I’m gonna’ stab him in the brain with an ice pick.”
     “No you’re not, Leon.”
     “Yes, I am.  I’m gonna’ kill him graveyard dead.  It’s the best thing for everybody.”
     “You can’t do that, Leon.  Besides he’s already dead.  You say that about every one of them, but later, you always find a way to help them be better.”
     “Well, if I can help this one, it will be a miracle.  The Lord himself is going to have to help me with Charlie.”
     “How can I be of service?” said the kindest of voices.
     Instantly, Leon regretted having said the words.  He turned to see Jesus – dressed in denim shirt and faded jeans - smiling at him.
     “Oh Lord, I shouldn’t have bothered you.  I was just complaining.”
     “Charlie can be a bit trying,” Jesus laughed.  “But I asked that you be assigned to him because I have such faith in you, old friend. It will be all right.  I know you will do well.”
     “How do you know that, Lord?” Leon asked.
     “Because I believe in you, ” He said.  “I have faith in you, son.”  And He was gone.
     The day wore on, Leon watching Mitch and the horses, and Charlie talking non-stop for the entire time.  Later that evening, both angels watched as Mitch went into the city for dinner with friends.  Afterwards, as Mitch walked back to his truck through the dark downtown streets, a voice came from the shadows of an alley…
     “Cowboy?  Hey, Mr. Cowboy?  You couldn’t spare some change for an old man down on his luck, could you?”
     Mitch peered into the darkness seeing nothing.  Then, an old gnarled and twisted hand came from the dark, palm upward.  Mitch reached into his pocket and took out a ten-dollar bill.  He put the money in the old man’s hand with tenderness, and walked on saying nothing.  Halfway down the block, he heard the words from the blackness…
     “Mercy, brother!  Mercy!  Ten dollars?  Mercy, brother.  Oh, what mercy!”
     At that moment, Leon, watching from above, leaned forward and opened his journal.  Turning to the section marked “Mitch,” he ran his finger across the page until he found the column marked “Least of These.”  In the box under that column, Leon carefully placed a small plus sign.
     “Whoa!  Hold it right there, old partner,” said Charlie, staring over Leon’s shoulder.  Leon turned to look at Charlie.  “What?” he asked.
     “There’s your problem right there,” said Charlie.  “That old bum’s just gonna’ drink up that money.  No way in the world Mitch should get a plus sign for helping that old fool get drunk.  You need to change that.  Bum’s just gonna’ drink that money up.”
     Leon sighed again and focused solely on holding his tongue.  “Charlie…” he began quietly.  “Charlie…I’m not assigned to watch the bum.”
     Charlie started to say something, then stopped.  There was silence for a time.
     “I’m not doing too good at this angel business, am I?” he asked Leon.  Leon said nothing.
     “Didn’t do very good at life either,” Charlie added quietly.  “Hit a train.  Died in a wreck at thirty.”
     “How did you hit a train?” asked Leon.
     “It’s easy…if you’re drunk,” said Charlie, with deep regret and shame in his voice.
      Leon thought for a time, then said “Well actually, I think you will do fine.  It will be all right.”
     “Yeah, right,” Charlie laughed.  “How do you know that?”
     “Well, uh…well, because I have faith in you,” said the old cowboy.
     “You do?” Charlie asked, unable to hide his surprise.
     “Oh, yeah,” said Leon.  “You know, actually I asked for you.  I asked that you be assigned to me.”
     “You’re kidding,” said Charlie, stunned.  “Why did you do that?”
     “Uh, well,” Leon stuttered.  Then he remembered the words that had helped him so.
     “Because I believe in you.  I have faith in you, son.”

 

          Michael Johnson