The Lights of Tenth Street (21 page)

He could feel her little fingers clenching and unclenching the coat on his back, hear her smothered voice.

“I prayed, Daddy! I prayed, and you’re here! God is
magic
, Daddy!”

Doug laughed through his tears and looked into her shining face. “He
is
magic,
sweetheart—He’s
miraculous.
” He tried to pull himself together, aware of Eric standing by, grinning from ear to ear, then crushed his daughter in another hug. He lowered his voice. “Oh, God, thank You.”

A woman hurried over. “Doug, how thrilling that you’re here. I hate to take you away from your daughter, but we’ve got to get started or we’re going to miss our cue.” She turned back to the group and raised her voice.

“Okay, everyone. Listen up. As the next song starts, the ushers will go in the front door and carry the banners along the front of the sanctuary, turn and process up the aisle to the back of the church.” She turned to the men. “You’ll place your poles in their holders, and then you can rejoin your families for the remainder of the show.”

She turned to the mass of children. “Where are my angels? Okay, kids, remember, you follow the men in, but instead of following them up the aisle, turn to climb the stairs and go all the way to the top of the stage. Just like we practiced!”

She got a chorus of eager nods, and Doug patted Genna on the bottom, scooting her toward the other kids.

“I’ll be out there watching you. I love you!”

Doug looked around for Eric as his daughter scampered toward the other kids. He had slipped over to the director and was talking to her in a low tone, grinning. The woman looked up, raised a mischievous eyebrow, and beckoned Doug over.

As the second carol resounded around the sanctuary, Sherry closed her eyes.

Father, forgive my bitter spirit tonight. I’m sorry
.

She looked up to see the side doors at the front of the sanctuary open. A procession of majestic banners made their way along the front of the room. With so many people standing, all she could see were the banners as they made the slow turn and began their march up the aisle.

Sherry watched as a dozen small children in angel costumes climbed up the steps on the stage, holding their arms in careful ballerina poses. She craned her neck to see Genna find her place and turn toward the audience, a wide grin on her face. She was almost dancing on tiptoe.

Sherry lost sight of her daughter as the banners approached, blocking her view. She craned her neck to look around them. A soft murmuring began in the crowd, growing louder as several people turned to watch the procession continue up the
aisle, their faces registering surprise. It almost seemed as if they were looking at her—

She heard Lisa’s soft gasp, and her friend clutched her arm.

“
Sherry.
”

Sherry turned—and there was Eric, his face alight, carrying a banner at strict attention.

“What …?”

As Eric pulled near their pew, he looked sideways and winked at the two women, then stared straight ahead and solemnly continued up the aisle. Several people standing nearby began grinning and pointing, giving Lisa and Sherry the thumbs-up sign.

Sherry gave them a polite return smile and started to whisper to Lisa, who clutched her sleeve for silence, her eyes dancing, her tone exasperated.

“
Sherry.
”

Doug forced himself to stare straight ahead, his back ramrod straight, looking every inch the regulation banner-carrier as he processed up the aisle.

Sing choirs of angels, sing in exaltation

Sing all ye citizens of heaven above!

He heard the murmurs, saw the pointing fingers, the wide eyes. How many people had Sherry told that he was gone, anyway? No matter. He wasn’t much one for scenes, but in about three seconds this would all be worth it.

3 … 2 … 1 …

His wife’s face screwed up in that adorable way she tried to keep from crying, and her hands flew to her mouth. In that instant, she looked like their little daughter, her eyes as wide as saucers.

Doug kept both hands firmly on the banner pole and turned his head as he passed her pew. He mouthed
I love you
as he marched on up the aisle. He could practically hear those around her sighing
awww
on cue.

Doug joined the other men at the back of the sanctuary and placed his pole into its permanent holder. Then he and Eric slipped down the aisle and joined their wives just as the carol ended.

Sherry grabbed his hand so hard that he gave a gentle wince and loosened her grip. He ran his finger down her cheek, wiping off the wetness. She burrowed her
head into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. This was his calling as a husband, a father.

Lord, thank You
.

The music died away, and the congregation took their seats. As the lights dimmed to black, one spotlight focused on the side of the stage. A preteen boy in a shepherd’s cloak stepped into the light.

“ ‘God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.’ ”

He turned toward the main stage, where the lights rose, revealing Rebekah, in a simple costume. She was sitting on a low stool and sewing. Another tall young man wearing a bright garment and wings stood behind her.

“ ‘The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said …’ ”

In the darkness at the back of the sanctuary, Loriel appeared, watching as the children reenacted the eternal story. Dozens of other shining beings also hovered nearby, their faces turned toward the stage, their eyes intent. Loriel felt the touch of the Spirit. He, too, never tired of the recounting.

“ ‘And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ ”

“ ‘Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests!’ ”

Loriel heard a soft rustling by his side, and turned to see Caliel watching him in the dim light from the stage, curiosity on his face.

“Were you there?”

“Yes, my friend. I was.”

“To have seen the coming of the King! To have proclaimed our Lord made flesh!
We all watched in awe. But to have been there …” His voice died away, his eyes staring into the past.

Loriel put a hand on his shoulder. “Caliel, I was honored to be one of the great host above Bethlehem that night. I was honored to observe the birth of a tiny child.” He stopped for a moment, overcome, and his voice came out as a whisper. “But the joy was bittersweet. It was not easy to comprehend that our magnificent King was a tiny babe, helpless before those who would eventually betray Him.”

“As much as I would have wanted to be there,” Caliel said, “I do not know whether I could have handled such a mission.”

“You could have, if our Lord entrusted that task to you. The event was beyond the full comprehension of
any
of us—even Gabriel himself—for we knew there could be only one reason why our King would choose this course—to sacrifice Himself as the spotless lamb. All glory to our God, and peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

He looked over at the young lieutenant. “And that, of course, is why you were called here. My charge during that time was similar to yours at this time—to help prepare hearts to receive and to reflect His love. I went to a stiff-necked people who thought they sought God but whose hearts were ill-prepared to receive Him.” He gestured at the intent congregation spread out before him. “You go to a complacent people who think they have God, but whose hearts are ill-prepared to reflect Him—or receive Him in His lost lambs.

“The bride
must
awaken, must reflect the love of her Lord. There is so little time—” Loriel’s brows furrowed and he broke off. He was still not released to share the full import of their charge.

Caliel paused in silence for a long moment, staring at the stage before them. He slowly straightened, and gave his commanding officer the traditional salute. “I still do not know why I was chosen for this charge, and I know there is much I do not yet see. But the Lord’s ways are good and I am created to serve Him.”

Loriel clasped his shoulder again. “You were chosen with a purpose here.” He gestured to the many other angels nearby. “Be watchful and stay in close contact until—God willing—we join forces again.”

He saluted and was gone.

D
oug stretched and retied his running shoes, then quickly put his gloves back on. How had he let Jordan talk him into this?

“Ready to go?” Jordan and his right-hand man—the company’s chief operating officer—bounced up next to him, running in place.

At Doug’s nod, the little group set off around the large park. He tried to ignore his freezing nose. He looked over at Jordan. “You’re crazy, you know that? One of the coldest days of the year and you still—”

“Hey, we all decided we were going to get in shape, right?”

“Yes, but haven’t you ever heard of a gym?”

The COO laughed. “It’s good to get some fresh air. We’ve all been working too hard on this Silicon Valley deal. And we might as well make it a working lunch, eh?”

He laughed at his own joke and Doug rolled his eyes.

“So, Doug …” Jordan was breathing easily, and his voice was casual. “What is it looking like? You’ve had a few days to look over the numbers.”

“I don’t know, Jordan. I’m trying everything to make it work.”

Jordan ran a few paces without comment, then his voice came out calm and cold. “You know this is one of the biggest market opportunities we’ve had. Everyone knows that the security industry will be booming for the foreseeable future. And these folks are leaders in that industry, especially when it comes to their hardware. We don’t get in on the ground floor and partner with them on their information-processing packages, they’ll find someone else who will.”

“I understand that, chief, but I’m having a hard time taking such a big loss on a partnership at this stage of our growth.”

“You said you’d find some tax loopholes that would—”

“I said I’d
try
. I can’t promise anything. If the IRS doesn’t go for the structure, there’s nothing we can do. And even if they do allow it, it would still create a big hole.”

“Not if we can get the right terms from Gil’s people, though, right?” the COO said.

“I’ll keep working on it.”

“Good man.” Jordan didn’t smile, and the encouraging words suddenly carried a hint of menace. “You just do that.”

The three men ran in silence for a few minutes and entered another section of the park. Two women runners approached from the opposite direction. They smiled as they passed, ponytails bobbing. Jordan turned to admire the view and whistled, his countenance back to normal. Then he snapped his fingers.

“I almost forgot. We’ve got those possible new clients coming in tomorrow. We’ll need to get the whole executive team to take them out to dinner. Especially you, Doug, since their CFO will be here.”

“Where to, boss?” the COO asked.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been to the Challenger, hasn’t it?”

Doug had passed the neon sign for the place every day for several years. The last time he’d been sucked into his sinful black hole, he’d even been in the club two or three times. Well, maybe more than that.

“You know me, Jordan,” Doug said. “I’d prefer to just find a good restaurant. Maybe Ray’s—”

“C’mon, Doug. You went to the club in Silicon Valley with us, so none of that religious nonsense. It’s the perfect place for a good night out. The only executives coming are men. No ‘liberated women’ to get their delicate sensibilities offended. And I know the principal dealmaker, and I
know
he likes the Challenger. He even mentioned it last time. So that’s where we’re going. And we need you there. End of discussion.”

Doug gritted his teeth. As a younger man, he would have just said no and taken his lumps. But now he had a wife, a nice house, two cars, two kids in private school and fifty thousand dollars left on his student loan bill. He couldn’t afford to lose this job. And it wasn’t like he’d never been in the club before.

He sent up a silent prayer for protection, and kept running. One thing for sure: he would not tell Sherry.

The Elliotts’ den was alive with chatter, the fireplace providing a friendly crackle in the background.

Sherry and Doug had been ushered into the cozy room and introduced to everyone in the home group. Now some people stood by the fireplace, sipping hot chocolate and catching up, while others clustered on the sofas or chairs Lisa and Eric had placed around the room.

Doug already knew one of the men in the group, and they were soon off in a corner, talking technology. Sherry retreated into the kitchen to help Lisa bring out some snacks.

Lisa laughed at the look on her face. “You look a little overwhelmed! What’s wrong?”