CHAPTER 3: MICHAEL

I keep on tossing and turning on the floor with a blanket that I cover as my bed for tonight. I tried to make myself sleep but I can’t sleep. The floor is cold and I can hear the mosquitos buzzing in my ears and at the same time biting me. They are partying with my blood. I can also hear the loud videoke singing, talking, and laughing outside like the mosquitos, they are partying too like there is no tomorrow. It’s already midnight and the people are still active and drinking. As if they don’t have work tomorrow. While tossing and turning and forcing myself to sleep. I heard my stomach growl and I am hungry again. I stood up and took my wallet inside my bag and checked because I wanted to buy a biscuit to ease my hunger but I felt dismayed when I saw my money. What my wife did to me suddenly flashbacks. The day when I caught her cheating inside my house, on our bed crashed me again, and right now I am poorer than a rat. This is not the life that I wanted, this is not the life that I expected. I count my money because I know it is not enough. It will not last for long. That is why I need to do something about it before I run out of money. So instead of going out to buy a biscuit. I will go out to find a job. I look around the place to find a job. I can’t sleep anyway. I left dad with Simon who is still sitting beside my sleeping dad. He is sitting the way how he sat a while ago. His blood is still dripping but it didn’t get our blanket stained.

“Are you going to Jackie, now?” Simon asked. I didn’t mind him even though I know that his cold eyes are watching me. He is waiting for my answer. He is hoping for me to go to his wife. Jackie.

“Are you going to Jackie, now?” He asked again when he saw me going out but I still didn’t mind him. He is not real anyway. He just watched me go out and close the door.

I went out and started walking around with a P20.00 in my pocket. There are a lot of open cafeterias. Some are nightclubs, one of the women wearing panty shorts and a backless shirt waves at me and gives me a flirty smile. I smile back and start walking again. I started asking the store owners, cafeteria owners that I saw open if they needed a helper, cook, manager, or any job that they can offer me but they just looked at me. With a question, if I am serious about a job that I am asking? And then they will shake their heads and tell me that they don’t need those or they are not hiring. I smelled the grilled chicken that made me more hungry. I want to buy it but my money is not enough, and I am saving it for tomorrow because I don’t know what tomorrow can bring to me. That is why I kept on walking until I got tired and I took a deep breath and sat at the side of the road thinking what to do, but I couldn’t think properly with a hungry stomach and a broken heart. I feel like I want to break down. My mind is clouded because of what is happening to me. I looked around and I saw a four-story building. I decided to go up there with my anxiety and frustration. I want to think for a moment and clear my mind, but as I reach up I look down. Everything changes. The plan of clearing my mind changed once I looked down. I feel like jumping and ending my life, because I feel so useless, hopeless, and down right now. I am wondering too what would be my life on the other side? Maybe it is much better because my dream of having a happy family is now gone because of the bit** that I loved. I walked near the edge and I felt the wind blowing on my face. In this cold, dark city everybody is busy. Nobody will give a damn if I jump off the building. I looked down and I closed my eyes. I know it would be painful but the pain will not last for long. Not like now. I don’t know when my pain will end. That is why I want to end it now.

I jump off the building with my eyes closed.

“Bye world, bye dad and I am sorry” I whispered in my head while waiting for me to fall on the ground, but it took me ages to fall on the ground and I feel like I stopped from falling. I opened my eyes to see what was going on and I was surprised that I am only inch facing the ground and I am one inch apart from falling. I didn’t know why I didn’t fall. It seems that I am floating or something is holding me from falling.

“Ehem!” Someone cleared her throat and dropped me.

“That’s enough, get up on your feet, boy,” She said and I turned around to see who she is.

“Who are you?” I asked the girl who saved my life and now standing in front of me.

She has short black hair, wearing sunglasses under the moon, wearing black jeans, a black shirt, and black sneakers. I stood up and looked around. There were some people on the street but they didn’t mind me. They were busy minding their own business in the busy streets of Manila, and they didn’t even bother to look at me. As if I am invisible. I am safe because nobody saw what happened.

“I mean, what are you?” I asked again while still looking at her. She looks ordinary but I know she is not an ordinary human or should I say. She is not a human.

“I am Michael” She answered

“You mean, Michelle?” I asked just to make sure that I heard it right

“Michael,” She said

“Michaela?”

She sighed and she irritably said “Michael” and then she removed her sunglasses and I was surprised at the same time I was dazed by what I saw. Her eyeballs are on fire. A real, blazing fire and I am right that she is not a human because a human can't save me from jumping. They don’t care about me. Well nobody cares about me except my dad.

“Why are you trying to kill yourself?” She asked while wearing her eyeglasses back, which made me come back to my senses. I shook my head scratched my eyes and looked at her again.

“Why are your eyes blazing?” I asked in amazement and at the same time, I am confused if I saw it right or maybe my eyes are just tricking me.

“Why do you have a lot of questions?” She asked.

“Get up and let’s go home,” She said

“Okay” She helped me stand and I asked, “Wait, what?”

“Let’s go home,” She said as if I am deaf or slow and I didn’t hear what she said.

“Let’s go home? means you’re going to go home with me?” I asked just to make it clear if I heard her right and She didn’t answer but she smiled and she nodded.

“No way! You are not gonna go home with me” I said.

“I didn’t even know who you were,” I added.

I walked away from her while laughing like crazy because I didn’t know what was happening to me. When I decided to settle my life, I lost my wife. When I decided to eat lunch, I remember that I didn’t have a stove, spatula, frying pan, or even cooking oil. So I decided to buy ready-to-eat food but I don’t have any utensils. That is why I decided to buy cup noodles but a commotion happened and I accidentally dropped my cup of noodles on the ground because the man who was running from the police bumped me and then, I saw the dead man inside my apartment and his name is Simon who keeps asking me to talk to his wife, just to let her know how much he loves her. How sweet? while I am here with my heartbroken and I decided to end my life. There’s this Michelle, Michaela, or whatever her name is. Save me even though I am not sure what she is. DAMN! what is going on with me?

I went back to my apartment with nothing but a failed life. I slowly open the door because dad is already sleeping and I don’t want to disturb him. I open the light too but before I get inside I am surprised to see the girl inside my apartment sitting on the floor like she owns the apartment.

“Why are you here?” I was surprised.

“What took you so long?” She asked back.

“How did you get in?”

“Like how you get in”

“But you don’t have the key?”

“But there’s a doorknob… I just open it”

I scratched my head and closed the door, because I don’t want someone to see me talking to someone, especially to the weird one. I touched her hands, I touched her arms and I touched her face. I can touch her so she is not dead.

“Tell me what you are?” I asked and she raised her eyebrow and looked at me.

“I am Michael”

“I know you are Michelle but what are you?”

“Michael”

“Michelle,” I said

“Michael… and I am an angel,” She said. Paused and I laughed hard at what she said.

“And you think I will buy that? Angel thingy” I asked her

“I am just hungry but I am not stupid,” I said and then I laughed again.

“You can go now,” I said and opened the door and I wanted her out but she didn’t move.

“Your parents might be looking for you now and I know you’re underage and I don’t want to be in trouble,” I said and I grabbed her on her arm and pulled her out of the house.

“Are you okay there, Isaac?” Divina asked while looking at me.

“Who are you talking to?” She asked while looking inside the house. I looked at her scratched my head and took a deep breath. I looked at Michelle and looked back at Divina.

“I am sorry… I am just… trying to recite something” I lied and then I immediately closed the door and locked it.

“Did she not see you?” I asked her but she didn’t answer

“Did you already talk to Jackie?” Simon asked again and still wants me to talk to Jackie and I know he will never stop asking me until I talk to Jackie, but I will never stop not minding him.

“Oh! Hi there,” She said to Simon

“Can you see him?” I asked her

“Yes and he can see me too” She answered

“How is it that he can see you but Divina doesn’t?”

“Because Divina is mortal… he is immortal because of course, he is already dead” She answered while looking at Simon and she looked at my father and said, “He can see me too” and she looked at me and said,

“Because he is dead too” I shook my head when I heard what she said because my dad is not dead. He is alive and drinking coffee. wait. Drinking coffee again.

“Yes, that is right he is drinking coffee again because his actions now are limited because he is dead… if you will recall… he just keeps on drinking coffee using the same mug then after he will sleep… the same routine every day” She said and yes, I remember and she was right but it doesn’t mean that my dad is dead. Of course not, he is old and blind which is why his actions will be limited.

“He is not like that before… He is an active old man but since then… since you caught your wife cheating and you want to shoot her but your dad stopped you that is why you ran to your wife with her other man, and your dad tried to follow you. He fell on the stairs while you had an accident that made you sleep for a week, and then when you woke up the nurse told you that your dad had passed away” She said and she knows my life story. BRILLIANT! This stranger, a teenage girl, knows my life story.

“Where did you hear that?” I asked her but she just looked at me.

“I didn’t ask to be in the news or on any social media… tell me and I will sue them,” I said while looking at her because I am eager to know where she heard my story.

“And you want to end your life after all the long, bad days that have happened to you because you are hungry and you have nothing but hopelessness and failure life” She added

“And this guy,” She said and point to Simon

“He got shot, it is not his time yet… his life was just stolen” She added while looking at Simon and looking back at me.

“And you need to help him to have his life back,” She said but it didn’t convince me.

“Are you real or maybe I am just hallucinating because I am hungry that is why I don’t know?” I asked, trying to tell myself that I am hallucinating and they are not real. Except for my dad. She took her sunglasses off just to roll her eyes on me.

“Hunger is just for mortals… but okay,” She said and she snapped and my hunger was gone. I feel so full that it makes me sleepy.

“It is just my mind… telling my stomach that I am not hungry” I defended that there’s no magic happening when she snapped her finger that makes me suddenly full and I yawned. She rolled her eyes again and snapped her finger and WOW! I have a table with food on it.

My mouth began to water when I saw food on the table. There’s a steak, salmon, salad, champagne and many more. There’s a plate and utensils too. I grabbed the plate and put steak and salmon on my plate when I was about to eat. She snapped and all the food was gone. I looked at her and she laughed and said,

“Just kidding” And she snapped again and the food was back, and I started eating like a hungry wolf because I am so hungry, and when I am done eating I am already full. They are still here. Simon and Michelle. I can still see them.

“So you are full now and you are no longer hallucinating,” She said and she smiled at me, and her smile tells me something.

“So what does that mean? What does your mean smile mean?” I asked her while looking at her. The fire in her eyes is gone and that makes me look into her eyes.

“It means that you need to go back to heaven because God wants for reconciliation”

I am silently looking at her because I didn’t know how to react to what she said. It is weird and it sounds crazy and I am sure nobody is going to believe what she said even the craziest person living on earth. I am thinking about what to react to because I am tired of laughing but I really want to laugh at what she told me. How can I believe her? She sounds crazy or taking drugs or something. 

“Come on, Isaac, you are not a human, you are the angel of death and you are—” Then she stopped what she was about to tell me.

“I am what?” I asked.

“I cannot tell what’s your name because you will be gone forever… I mean you will stay forever as a fallen angel and there will be no chance for you to go back to heaven” She said and now it is time for me to laugh, and I laugh hard, I can’t help it I can’t stop myself from laughing SO HARD because I know that I am not hungry anymore but she is making me hungry by thinking of what she is saying, and she thinks that I will believe her. NO WAY!

“When Lucifer became rebellious to God, he influenced other angels to strike God and you are one of them… and you are one of the fallen angels but you’re in a second batch… Lucifer, Azmo, and Beel already reconcile” She said seriously and her eyeballs turned into a blazing fire again. That makes me not look at her.

“And we are many?” I asked and she didn’t answer. She just nodded.

“And how many are we?” I asked again to test her to convince me.

“Many”

“And who are you again? What is your role?”

“I am Michael, and I am an archangel, who was assigned to gather all of the fallen angels to bring them back to heaven” She answered and I became speechless because I didn’t expect this all. I lost my wife, my career and now I am an angel. An angel of death. WOW!

“And you will start seeing visions of death and there’s a volumina fumi or a black smoke who will come out from you to get the souls and they will bring the souls to you… so you need to bring the souls to the crossroad… whether heaven or hell” I am not interested. I know that kid is just making fun of me. I took a deep breath and said,

“I think… that is all for now… I really have a long day and I want to rest my brain, my eyes, and my body” And then she just sighs. Her eyes went back to normal but she is still looking at me.

“You will not feel all of those if you go back to God” And I didn’t reply to what she said. I am still thinking and catching all she said. She still convincing me to believe about the bullsh*** that she is saying.

Maybe I am crazy because of the traumatic experience that happened to me. It is mental abuse and emotional abuse, and I think I need a psychiatrist because I saw people that only I can see and I know it is not normal. I need psychiatric help, but I can’t afford to have one. I need to find a job, for my mental issues. YEAH RIGHT! Before Michelle appears. I was thinking of finding a job to start my new life again without my cheating wife, but right now I need to find a job for my psychiatrist. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

“Come on! Isaac, you are not crazy… only your life of being an angel is coming back” She said and now she can read my mind.

“When are you going to talk to my wife?” Simon asked from nowhere. She looked at Simon and she looked at me.

“The earth will be full of lost souls because they are waiting for you… You need to help them cross the road to reach where they are supposed to be” She seriously told me and I am speechless again. She teleports to me and looks at me with her blazing eyes again.

“Wake up, Isaac, wake up,” She said face to face, and then boom. She is gone in just a snap.