The Arcade

After everyone had enjoyed at least two mugs of hot chocolate and many, many ginger snaps (Cosmo had forgotten how much he liked those as well), Joe and Rosemary went into the family room to watch some TV.

Cosmo decided he was plenty tired enough to turn in, and at 9 pm, it really wasn’t that early as far as he was concerned. Saying ‘goodnight’ to both his parents, he trudged up the stairs, weary in both body and spirit.

He had barely gotten his shirt over his head when he heard a ‘thump’, followed by “Well, sonny, you did it. Nice job – and thank you.”

He looked over toward his desk to see Sal sitting in the chair. When he looked for the source of the ‘thump’, he noticed his baseball had fallen off his desk and was rolling out the door toward the stairs.

He and Sal looked at each other as a muffled ‘thump’ could be heard each time the ball descended step by step until - at last - one final ‘thud’ sounded from the bottom of the stairs.

Cosmo waited a heartbeat, then said “Can it! You have no idea how many questions I have for you. In fact, the biggest question I have doesn’t even have to do with me; it has to do with-”

Sal held up his hand.

“What are you holding up your hand for?” Cosmo demanded.

Sal replied, “Wait for it…”

At that moment, Cosmo’s dad walked in the bedroom holding a baseball. “Son, did you lose somethi-” Joe stopped in mid-word and stared.

“YOU!”

Sal smiled at Joe and gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. “It’s been a while, Joey. How’s the home computer business?”

Cosmo looked at his father “Seriously? ‘Joey’?”

Joe looked at his son. “I was a lot younger when I first met Sal.” Looking at Sal he said “Wasn’t I?”

Giving a slight nod, Sal replied “Just a bit, my boy – just a bit. How have things been since Cosmo’s little revelation? I take it things might make a little more sense now?”

Looking at one another, and then back to Sal, Cosmo and Joe simultaneously answered “No!”

Sal sighed. “What is so hard to grasp, boys?” Gesturing at Cosmo he said “He is here to save a life, among other things.” Looking at Joe, he said “And when you went back, it was to make a choice that would ensure that you were where you needed to be so that he could.”

Cosmo spoke first. “Okay, okay…lemme see if I have this straight – when my dad was younger,” He gave Joe a sidelong glance “quite a bit younger, apparently, you came to him in the same way you came to me.” Cosmo looked at both men “Am I on track so far?”

Joe and Sal nodded.

“Okay.” Cosmo continued “Then what? Mom and Dad move back here to Washington, he signs on with the computer company, and what – waits for me to be born?”

Sal smiled weakly and said, “That was the idea.”

At this point Joe spoke up “Except it didn’t quite work out that way. When Theo was struck and killed anyway-”

“By Sal” Cosmo added

“-by Sal,” Joe continued “it sort of ruined the whole plan. He was so sure that you would somehow keep Theo from getting on that dirt bike. He just didn’t know how it was supposed to play out. Right, old man?”

Sal let out a sigh and ducked his head “Too true. I knew only that it was to be Cosmo that saved him. I had the dynamics all wrong, though.”

Cosmo cocked his head. “‘Dynamics’? What do you mean by that?”

Looking at Cosmo Sal said “Perhaps I should tell you both a little about myself.”

“Huh - this should be good.” Joe grunted.

“Oh it is, it is, my boy!” Sal grinned “It is a very good story – and all true! Now shut up and listen-”

Cosmo and Joe looked at each other and shrugged.

“Simply put, boys – I am an angel.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

Cosmo opened his mouth, then closed it again before saying “Wait – you mean like with wings, a halo, and all that jazz? Like in the paintings by Rafael and all those guys?”

“I said shut up and listen.” Sal replied, a bit testy.

Cosmo held up his hands and said “Sorry, sorry. Go ahead.”

“Thank you. Now, as I said – I am an angel. I was assigned to be your guardian angel, in fact.” He looked at Joe as he said this. “The problem was, I was also assigned to be his guardian angel.” He jerked a thumb toward Cosmo.

Cosmo held up a hand. “May I ask a question, please?”

Sal huffed and said “If you must, child, if you must.”

“Okay, I’m cool with the whole ‘angel’ thing – I guess. I mean, we are taught in scripture and by the Church that they – you – exist. What I don’t get is what you were doing driving a car. After all, it was you that Theo ran his motorcycle into. Explain that.” Cosmo crossed his arms over his chest, and with a raised eyebrow Joe nodded his approval.

Sal’s face reddened, and he took on the demeanor of someone caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. He coughed and mumbled something under his breath.

Joe leaned forward and said “I’m sorry, what? We didn’t hear you.”

“I said it looked like fun!” Sal grumped.

Realization dawned on the faces of both Joe and his son. Cosmo spoke first “You mean to say that all of this happened because you wanted to go for a joyride?!” His voice rose at word until he was nearly shouting at the end.

Sal shrugged his shoulders and replied “Silly and inexcusable, I know.” Then his eyes lit up. “But you should have seen it, boys! A cherry-red 1972 Mercury Grand Marquis convertible!” His eyes gleamed at the memory.

“It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and the keys were in the ignition. I didn’t think the owner would miss it, and…”

It was Joe’s turn to interrupt. “Just a minute – you stole the car?” He couldn’t believe his ears.

Sal looked at him indignantly. “Listen here, young man! Do you think angels are above a little temptation? I’m not proud of what I did, and as my penance I was tasked with undoing the harm my covetousness caused.” Sal’s anguish quickly turned to shame.

“You see, even though we are heavenly creatures in service to The Almighty, we still have free will – and weaknesses. Mine is cars – well, anything with wheels, really.” Sal’s eyes took on a far away look. “The Romans had some of the cleverest and most beautiful chariots you ever saw! Now that was horsepower!”

Joe cleared his throat rather loudly, and Sal was brought back from his reverie. “Hmm?”

Joe said “What I would love to know is this: how is it that if you can travel through time – which obviously you can – you just didn’t go back to the moment just before Theo ran into your car, and avoid the accident?”

Cosmo hadn’t thought of that. “Yeah, that’s a good question! Why didn’t you, Sal?”

Sal’s face quickly sobered. “There is a complicated rule involved, but the gist of it is that – in a case where one of ‘us’ inadvertently, or even intentionally, commits some wrong or mistake – we are unable to remedy it. Someone else must redeem us. We are unable to redeem ourselves. Of course, that only applies in cases of minor – or ‘venial’ transgressions or mistakes. The biggies, like pride, murder, blasphemy – mortal sins as you call them – are deal-breakers.”

Cosmo nodded his head slowly. “Sort of like how we are unable to redeem ourselves. Christ had to come to Earth to do it for us.”

Sal smiled. “Smart kid ya got there, Joey.”

“It’s ‘Joe’ – and thanks.” Joe winked at Cosmo. “I’m proud of him. Always have been.”

After a few moments, Cosmo quietly asked “So now what?”

Sal looked up. “What do you mean? You’ve saved his life. There is no ‘now what’.”

Cosmo replied “Oh, yes there is. You see, I had to sabotage Theo’s dirt bike to get it to fall apart in that intersection, instead of all over your joyride. Someone is eventually going to figure out that it didn’t just come apart without help. When they do – then what?”

Sal thought about this for a moment. “You have valid point, my boy, a valid point.” He furrowed his brows in thought. After a moment he snapped his fingers, and with a smile declared “Tell them the truth!”

Joe looked at his son and stated matter-of-factly “Yup. We’re in trouble.”