Episode 3

“What’s an ethnic angel?” The question came from the door where Dan, a regular at the coffee house, had just entered.

“Hey Dan!” Muriel greeted the elderly man dressed up as usual in a coat and tie, though he always wore sneakers.

Dan shuffled to the counter where he shook hands with Yusuf and winked at Dina. Muriel was already pouring his coffee, diluting the strong house blend with hot water, then adding non-fat milk and half a teaspoon of sugar, just the way Dan liked it.

“I’m not sure race exists in the angelic realm,” Dan continued, laying exact change with tip on the counter. He thanked Muriel before sipping from his cup, closing his eyes and giving a hum of pleasure.

“I think that’s true, Dan,” Yusuf agreed. “But in Africa we do have images of Black angels.”

“What country in Africa are you from?” Dan asked.

“Eritrea,” Yusuf answered.

“Do they observe Christmas there?” Muriel asked.

“The Christians do,” Yusuf informed her, adding, “But not me, which is why I’ll be working on Christmas day.”

“Me too,” Muriel sighed, “and I do celebrate the holiday!”

“When I was young, nothing was open on Christmas day,” Dan said as he carried his cup to a favorite table by the window where he would spend the next hour reading the paper with a refill and a bran muffin.
Muriel went into the back office to do some paper work, leaving Dina and Yusuf to get ready for the lunch crowd.

“Does your religion have angels?” Dina asked Yusuf.

He smiled broadly. “Yes! There are called malaikah and we recognize some of the same angels as you. Jabrai'il, for instance, is your angel Gabriel.”

“Really!” Dina remarked. She’d never given much thought to there being angels in religions besides Christianity.

The next day Dina enjoyed a Saturday brunch with her friend, Hana, sharing what she’d learned from Yusuf.

“That’s so interesting,” Hana responded. She brushed back a thick black curl from her smooth dark forehead.

Like Dina, Hana was half Japanese, except her father was African American. They’d become friends in high school, sharing a special bond.

“Are there Buddhist angels?” Dina asked.

Hana was a practicing Buddhist and she worked at The Asian Art Museum. “Well, more like celestial beings,” she explained. “They’re called Devas and there’s a lovely story that they’ve been known to rain down flowers for good deeds performed in the world.”

“That’s beautiful! What do they look like?” Dina asked.

“Hmm…” Hana contemplated. They’re more like energy or light, but there are physical depictions. It depends on the country or culture of the artist. Most of the renderings of Devas are Asian though.”

“No hapas?” Dina asked, using the Hawaiian term for mixed-race.

Hana laughed. “Yeah, why aren’t there hapa Devas?”

“Or hapa angels?” Dina sighed.

Suddenly, she brightened. “I’m going to find an angel that looks like my kids! A Japanese, Irish, German, Mexican angel!”

“That would be one beautiful angel!” Hana exclaimed.


To be continued December 4...