Pewter Angels (9 page)

Henry couldn’t help but smile at her warmth and charm. Her words were sincere and he was touched.

“Thank you, Mrs. Engelmann,” he half mumbled, suddenly shy.

Mrs. Engelmann shuffled towards him. It was easy to see she had once been a very attractive lady, and even in a bathrobe she had a sophisticated look about her. When she reached him, she took his hand. “Thank you for your help. We will pay you what we can.”

The look in her eyes and the tenderness of her touch was payment enough, Henry thought.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Engelmann,” Henry said, again, more firmly this time. He had never received such heartfelt thanks from anyone before, and he knew right then and there that he would do all he could to help them. “Nice meeting you, Mrs. Engelmann,” he looked down at the pop bottle, unable to absorb the gratefulness in her eyes anymore. Such thanks was humbling. “Guess I’ll go out back and have my drink.”

“Yes, yes,” she said, sounding like her husband.

Once outside, Henry sat on the crate with his legs folded under him and thought about the morning. How much would they be able to pay him? He knew they would insist. Until Mrs. Engelmann brought it up, he hadn’t given it much thought. It didn’t even matter because what he was doing made him feel so good inside. But what surprised him most of all was that he hadn’t even wanted to talk to Mr. Engelmann in the first place, let alone work for him. He couldn’t imagine Timmy working here. A bright sheen glazed his eyes as he told himself for the very first time in his life,
I’m glad I’m me
.

After putting the empty pop bottle in the trash, Henry went downstairs, refreshed and bubbling with enthusiasm to get back to work. He checked the mousetraps and found two more mice. After throwing them out and resetting the traps once more, he opened the first gallon of paint and stirred it thoroughly the way his dad had drilled into him the previous summer. By lunchtime, one whole wall and a bit of another had a coat of white paint, and three more mice had met their doom. Before heading upstairs for home, he surveyed his work. It was really starting to take shape. Thanks to the new light bulbs and white paint, the basement looked much cleaner and brighter.

Upstairs, Mr. Engelmann was finishing with a customer and packing her purchases into a shopping bag.

“Thank you, Mrs. Thomas. Please come again and say hello to Mr. Thomas for me.” It seemed like Mr. Engelmann knew everyone by name and could even remember special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.

“Well, I’m going home for lunch, Mr. Engelmann. See you in about an hour.”

“Yes, yes, but before you go, could you watch the store for a few minutes. I heard Anna call while I was waiting on Mrs. Thomas.”

“Sure, Mr. Engelmann.”

Just as Mr. Engelmann left, the front door swung open with a sudden thrust and Eddy Zeigler walked in. Henry knew of him and his east-end gang. A cold shiver ran down Henry’s spine as Eddy made his way to the counter. He remembered only too well Halloween night in fifth grade when Eddy and his gang had pounced on Henry and his friend, Gary. They were heading home after a night of trick-or-treating with pillowcases full of treats when Eddy and his hooligans came along and demanded they hand over the candy. When the boys surrounded them, there was nothing Henry and Gary could do but surrender their loot. Henry could still recall how helpless he’d felt, holding back tears as Eddy and his gang, sneering and laughing, walked off with all their Halloween treats. Henry hadn’t run into Eddy since, but he’d often heard of the trouble Eddy got into.

Eddy stood a yard or so in front of the counter and stared hard at Henry, maybe lost in memory as well. Eddy was short and slim, and the same age as Henry, yet his tough guy attitude sent shivers of fear through just about everyone—even guys twice his size. He wore his hair brushed up from his forehead into a high single wave. Secretly, he probably hoped it made him look taller, but it didn’t do much to disguise his narrow face.

Eddy shoved his hands into his pockets and fumbled for some change. Just the way he stood there made Henry realize what looked so funny. Eddy’s oversized shirt hung out over baggy zoot-suit-type pants that tapered in to hug his ankles, making his already long feet seem twice as big. He looked like a clown.

The thought squelched some of the intimidation Henry felt.

Eddy brought out two quarters and tossed them onto the marble counter with a clang. One rolled for a second before it stopped at Henry’s hand. “Gimme a pack of Black Cat smokes.”

Henry knew Eddy smoked but wasn’t sure if he should sell them to him or not.
Geez, guess I better though, otherwise there might be a ruckus and I don’t want to get Old Man Engelmann all upset.

Henry turned, grabbed a pack of smokes and tossed them on the counter in an attempt to show Eddy that he wasn’t completely cowed. He took the quarters, rang in the cigarettes and laid the change in front of Eddy.

Eddy took the smokes, unwrapped the cellophane wrapper, opened the package, pulled off the aluminum foil, crumpled it along with the cellophane and let both fall on the floor. He pulled out a smoke and put it into the side of his mouth, closed the pack and slipped it into his front shirt pocket in exchange for a pack of matches. He struck a match with a quick swipe, lit the cigarette and let the match fall as well. He took a deep drag, squinted his left eye and stared right into Henry’s. Trailing smoke covered his words, “Keep the change, kid.”

Eddy took another deep drag, took hold of the cigarette with his thumb and second finger, held it in midair and jabbed his straight forefinger at Henry, turned and walked out.

Sweat rolled down Henry’s sides beneath his armpits and anger burned in his chest. He shouldn’t have allowed himself to be intimidated by that puny punk. Shaking off the feeling, Henry scraped the change towards him and put it in his pocket.

“Okay, Henry, you can go now,” puffed Mr. Engelmann as he hurried down the stairs.

“See you after lunch.”

“Yes, yes, an hour is just fine. Watch the busy street.” “I will.”

Henry skirted around the counter, picked up Eddy’s garbage and tossed it in the trash then ran out of the store.

His mom had lunch ready as usual. She liked to add spices or onions to a meal, creating an appetite-whetting aroma, and today was no exception.
Mmm. Chili.
Henry told his mom about his morning and all the mice he had caught. She told Henry not to mention the mice thing to anyone for fear that it might discourage customers from shopping at Mr. Engelmann’s store. And while she cautioned him not to take on too much responsibility, she did say she was proud of him for having such a good attitude.

Henry knocked on Jenny’s door before heading back to the store after lunch. A moment later, Jenny’s mom appeared.

“Hi, Henry.”

“Hi, Mrs. Sarsky. Is Jenny in?”

“Actually, she went down to Engelmann’s to pick up some bread. You must have just missed her.”

“Oh. I was home for lunch. Well, maybe I’ll run into her on the way. Thanks, Mrs. Sarsky.”

As he turned to go down the stairs, Mrs. Sarsky said, “Oh, by the way, Henry, we’ll be out for dinner tonight and Jenny is coming along, so she won’t be home.”

“Okay, thanks for telling me.” Henry hustled to his bike as fast as he could, ignoring Mrs. Goronic’s summons as he flew down the street towards the store.

But Jenny was nowhere in sight.

Victoria Avenue was exceptionally busy. His heart galloped as he waited for the traffic to slow down. By the time the flow of cars had finally subsided enough for him to cross, he was sure he had missed his only opportunity to see her that day.

Mr. Engelmann was behind the counter and the store appeared empty. Mr. Engelmann looked up at him, smiled and, with a twinkle in his eyes, cast a look towards the back of the store. Henry followed his gaze to see black and white saddle shoes sticking out into the aisle. So she was hiding on him, was she? He decided to play along.

“Hi, Mr. Engelmann. Boy, I sure am unhappy. I went over to Jenny’s after lunch and she wasn’t home. Guess I’ll have to call on another girl I know.”

“Oh no, you don’t!” Jenny blurted, jumping out from behind the centre aisle with a broad smile. When she reached Henry, she gave him a shove. “Gone for a few hours and you’re all ready to abandon me for another girl, you traitor.”

Henry laughed and was surprised to see Mr. Engelmann chuckling too.

“I had to see you, Henry,” Jenny went on, “We’re going to see my dad’s business friend tonight so I won’t be home later.”

“Yeah, your mom told me. And thank you for telling me, too. By the way, I forgot to mention it to you last night, but there’s a new movie starting at the Broadway Theatre—a comedy starring Bing Crosby that’s supposed to be pretty good. Would you like to go?”

“I’d love to,” Jenny replied, “I’ll have to check with my parents but I’m sure it’ll be all right. What time?”

“There are two shows tomorrow night. One starts at six-thirty and the second at nine. I was thinking we could maybe go to the early one.” Out of the corner of his eye, Henry caught Mr. Engelmann’s nod of approval.

“Sounds great, Henry. I’ll let you know as soon I check with Mom and Dad.”

Once again, Mr. Engelmann nodded in approval. Jenny and Henry tried to hide shy grins. Though Mr. Engelmann had said nothing, talking with each other was a bit awkward in front of an audience.

“Well, I better get home.”

“And I better get back to work or Mr. Engelmann is going to fire me,” Henry countered.

“Oh no, Henry,” Mr. Engelmann said now, shaking his head. “You have a job here for as long as you want.”

Jenny beamed, gave them both a wink, picked up her bread and bounded out of the store, leaving a trail of sunshine behind. Gravity itself could not hold down her buoyant spirit.

“Ah, Proverbs 13:15,” muttered Mr. Engelmann as Jenny disappeared from sight.

“Sorry, what was that, Mr. Engelmann?”

“Oh, I was just thinking how that young lady is an example of what the Lord was trying to tell me in the passage I read this morning.”

“And what was that?”

“A happy heart makes a cheerful face.”

a
fter Jenny left, Henry
walked over to the front door and peered out the window, watching her as she strolled to the corner and stopped to wait to cross the busy street. When he first started school his mom had always watched him as he left the house and crossed the street, unable to do any housework or chore until she knew he was safely on the other side. Seeing Jenny scurry across the busy road, Henry felt the same way, his mind and heart sending out a shield of love to surround and protect her.

Halfway across Victoria Avenue was the boulevard where the trolley ran. Jenny made it to the boulevard and looked down the street. A huge delivery van was in the lane next to the boulevard, followed closely by a blue Chev. There was no other oncoming traffic for at least a block or so.

The van started to slow down for Jenny and she darted out onto the road. Henry caught his breath as the driver in the blue Chev swerved sharply into the other lane and accelerated to pass.

Henry’s heart stopped.
Jenny
.

He grabbed for the door handle, seconds unfolding like hours though he knew there was no time for a warning.

The van honked its horn in one loud blast and the startled driver of the Chev turned and finally saw the girl, his car lurching forward as he hit the brakes. But it was too late. Tires screeched and skidded as Jenny turned and looked in horror at the blue car hurtling towards her.

And then something happened that Henry would remember for the rest of his life.

Just as the car was about to mow Jenny down, she raised her arm and opened her hand as if someone was reaching out to take hold of it.
“Quickly, hold my hand”
flashed through Henry’s mind. And in that instant, it seemed that Jenny was half-pulled, half-lifted a few feet down the street and left standing unhurt on the curb just inches away from where the Chev finally came to a halt.

Mr. Engelmann had joined Henry at the door and lay his hand on Henry’s shoulder. Perspiration beaded on Henry’s forehead and his sweaty fingers clung to the doorknob as he stood frozen. But only for a moment. Panicked, he rushed outside.

“Jenny! Jenny! Are you okay?”

Across the street, Jenny raised her head and nodded. She waved, gesturing that she was fine and not to worry. She didn’t even seem to be shaken. It didn’t look like the bread was crushed, even.

Seeing that she was all right, the drivers of both van and Chev moved on, the Chev driver shaking his head and swearing to himself to pay closer attention. It was a good thing that girl had gotten out of the way so quickly.

Mr. Engelmann came out of the store and stood beside Henry as Jenny waved once more before resuming her walk home, swinging the loaf of bread. Once again he put his hand on Henry’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Henry, she’s got a guardian angel.”

Henry stood there, transfixed and baffled, replaying the scene over and over in his mind. Jenny should have been hit by that car and thrown like a rag doll. And, yet, at the last moment, she’d been pulled out of harm’s way. By a guardian angel? It was the only conclusion he could reach. His goose-bumps dissolved and faded away as a peace settled over him.

Mr. Engelmann patted Henry’s shoulder. “Come, let us get back to work.”

And that’s another thing Henry wondered about as he turned to follow his employer. How had Mr. Engelmann suddenly appeared at his side to comfort him. He hadn’t seen what was happening. Henry was certain Mr. Engelmann had still been behind the counter when he went to the front door to watch Jenny, and yet here he was with his hand on Henry’s shoulder.

Mr. Engelmann had resumed writing up an invoice when Henry reentered the store. Henry stared at Mr. Engelmann for a moment and then headed back downstairs, shaking his head. Mechanically, he picked up the brush and began painting again. Jenny was safe and sound, and that was all that mattered. Soon the brush moved with more vigour, covering both the unsightly wall and the awful memory of Jenny’s near accident.

By the end of the day, Henry had caught a total of twenty-six mice and had completely painted the basement. The basement looked so bright and clean he couldn’t wait for Mr. Engelmann to see it. He ran upstairs to get him, but Mr. Engelmann was unusually busy. There were at least ten customers in the store, most of them picking up supplies for the weekend.

Henry went to the bathroom and cleaned the paint off himself as best he could, rushing back into the store to help. He found a spot beside Mr. Engelmann and packed the items into bags as they were rung through. After Mr. Engelmann handed the customers their bills and thanked each one for shopping at his store (
He knows everyone
, Henry thought again), Henry handed them their bags and thanked them by name, too. The first time Henry did it, both Mr. Engelmann and the customer looked at him and smiled. Mr. Engelmann nodded once in approval and introduced him, “This is my new assistant, Henry.”

It was six o’clock before the store emptied.

“Thank you for staying. You are a big help, Henry. Did you close the cellar doors?”

“Yes.”

“Did you lock the upstairs basement door?”

“No, not yet, I was hoping you’d come down and have a look.”

“I know you want to show me and I cannot wait to see it, but is it all right if we leave it for tomorrow? It’s already suppertime and I am worried about Anna. I heard her call just before you came up and I haven’t had time to check on her yet. We will go down together tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I better get home too.”

Henry locked the upstairs basement door and said good night to his boss. After he left the store, Henry unlocked his bike and wheeled it over to the corner where he stood for a long moment, reliving the incredible scene. He was still awed that Jenny had escaped the impact. Traffic was light now: most people had already arrived home from work and were eating supper.

“There should be traffic lights here,” Henry mused.

He walked his bike to the other side of Victoria Avenue and stood where Jenny had.
Thank you
, he thought, although he didn’t really know to whom his thanks were directed. Prayer was part of his life, yet he had doubts. He questioned who people prayed to, why they couldn’t see Him, how He could listen to everyone at the same time, and so on.

“Just accept it on faith,” his mom had told him. “Don’t complicate it, Henry. Someday it will make more sense.”

Henry took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to release some of the tension he still felt. He swung his leg over the seat, pushed down hard on the pedal and biked home. It was too bad Jenny wasn’t home tonight to talk to. He wanted to know exactly what had happened.

His mom and dad were already eating when he walked in. Henry washed his hands then sat down at the table and told them what he had done at the store. He wasn’t as excited as he would have been, considering the incident with Jenny, but for reasons he couldn’t quite work out, he’d decided not to tell them about it. Besides, it’d make his mom worry even more .

With nothing else to do, Henry went into the living room where his dad was reading the paper and told him about the deal he’d reached with Mr. Engelmann. His dad smiled, but his eyes never left the newsprint. Henry told him he figured they could bring all the supplies they’d need the next day through the cellar doors rather than going through the store. His dad nodded again and gave a noncommittal grunt. Finally taking the hint, Henry decided to take a shower and go to his room.

It was only seven-thirty, but somehow it felt later. Henry’s muscles were sore and weariness mingled with pride and confusion. As he lay back on his pillow, the tension of the last few hours finally began to lift. He took a deep breath and let it go, relaxing even more.

He thought of Jenny and how close he’d come to losing her. Did she really have a guardian angel? In Grade 2, Sister Monica had taught them a prayer about guardian angels. How had it gone? He tried to remember.

Just before he drifted away, the words came to him:

Angel of God, my guardian dear,

to whom His love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side

to light and guard, to rule and guide

my life … and Jenny’s …

forever and ever.

Amen.