Angel with a Gun

At 18 I was the manager of a family friend's gift shop. I would often open and close the store alone. I was fairly oblivious to the obvious dangers that situation posed. Being alone had never been an issue of safety; it was more an issue of boredom. I remember days when only one or two people would come in. I did a lot of arranging and re-arranging to pass the time. There were a few faces that I would recognize as repeat customers. One was a stately older woman who was always well dressed and seemed a bit aloof. On her last visit, she came in with a young man dressed in a suit and tie who looked to be in his early twenties. I bet that's her son I concluded. I asked if they need any help and got the usual "no, just looking". I recognized the smile her son gave me as a flirtatious one. I was dating Jason at the time and wasn't interested. Eventually they moved on.

The next weekend I was again at the shop alone. Working on something in the back room, I heard the familiar sound of the bell on the door - alerting me to someone coming in. I walked out to find the same young man, again dressed in a blazer and tie, wandering in the store. I gave him the standard greeting and he explained that he was looking for something for his mother. He asked me a couple of questions about something and then paused. Turning to me he asked if I would like to go to dinner with him sometime. "Oh, it's nice of you to ask, but I'm in a relationship with someone." I hoped the response would be the end of that conversation. It was and the end of his visit.

The shopping center that I worked in was really nothing more than a glorified strip-mall. It was on the outskirts of town, not a place with a lot of traffic. The management certainly didn't have the means to pay for a security guard; we didn't even have an alarm system. On this day, I was standing behind the counter near the front of the store, again alone and without many customers to wait on. It had been quiet in the store for a while when I heard the door bell jingle again. I looked up to see about five or six, plainly dressed twenty something men filing in. Then as the door closed I saw him. He looked different almost shabby. The way he stared at me with a sinister gin as they walked passed made me uneasy. Something inside me sensed danger. My heart started pounding in my chest. Why was he here with all these guys? Men only come in here with women. Just as the question threatened to ignite my imagination it was interrupted by the jingle of the bell again. A tall, slender man in a security uniform complete with badges and gun came walking in. He made his way over to me, smiled and simply said hello. His friendly disposition and the gentle tone in his voice calmed the wild palpations of my heart. He turned and stood next to me in silence. A bit stunned and relieved, I just stood there like before he came in. From my vantage point I couldn't see the men or what they were doing. About five or so minutes passed when they finally left the store. And with that the security guard turned, smiled and said "have a nice day, miss" then left the store just as he came.

It wasn't until months later when I thought back about that day that it occurred to me; there had never been a security guard at that shopping center before and that I had not seen him since. When I asked if they had hired one I was told no. The realization of a guardian angel gave me chills and thrilled me. I now had a story to tell, a memory that would bring peace when fear would manifest. I don't know what might have transpired that day had things not gone the way they did. I don't really want to think about it. But I do know one thing - they are out there, guardian angels - sometimes we see them, most the time we don't and sometimes they carry guns.

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;" Ps 91:11