An Angel Friend of Mine Helps Robbie's Missions

By Anthony V. Salerno

Robbie, who has lost his father because of an unfortunate accident, is trying to help his widowed mom make ends meet by working after school in a bodega. He desires to attend the University of Notre Dame but feels that it’s a hopeless cause because of the financial demands.

He turns to prayer, constantly visiting his church on an almost daily basis in hopes his prayers will be answered. Through divine intervention, he has an encounter with his guardian angel, Zac, who tells Robbie that God has special plans for him. But before Robbie is told what was in store for him, Zac disappears.

After some time, Zac reappears to let Robbie know that he will be requested to accomplish two missions. By helping in Robbie’s mission, Zac hopes to gain his wings.

Robbie encounters a new and mysterious stranger named Mike, who moves into Robbie’s apartment complex. A friendly relationship builds, and Robbie develops a curiosity over a mystery object that is moved into Mike’s apartment. Robbie learns how to play the harp with Mike’s help. Now you know what the mysterious object was.

Alice who suffers from autism is a person that will come into Robbie’s life as a motivating factor toward his dream of going to Notre Dame. She is a troubled girl due to her disability. The one thing that consoles her is her love of music, and because of Robbie’s ability to play the harp, he forms a bond with Alice. This helps him in his effort to succeed in one of his missions.

Was Robbie able to manage to work out those issues given to him? Did Zac get the job done? Let’s find out how Robbie and Zac handled their jobs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098098452

Book preview

1

Robbie and His Dad

It doesn’t matter where you live; it’s how you live.

Robbie’s father, Armando, would always say that. He lived a life of giving. He always helped those in need. He’d help neighbors bring in groceries or do other chores to make their lives easier. He helped at the soup kitchen, and he visited hospitals, orphanages, and nursing homes. But his greatest attribute was to simply sit and listen to people. He was well-liked by everyone, and Robbie was proud to have him as his dad.

His father always taught Robbie to do his best to help anyone in need. His father told him to look for opportunities to give someone a hand. Robbie admired his father for this and wanted to follow in his footsteps. He wanted the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Because of this, Robbie started following his father’s example by traveling with him. He became as well-liked as his father was. People would say, That’s Armando’s boy. What a great kid.

*****

Robbie’s mom and dad were born in New York but were from Dominican heritage. This was one of the factors that led to their decision to live in a nice apartment on the Upper West Side in the Washington Heights section of New York City, also known as Little Dominican Republic. Dominican flags hung from apartment windows, and the culture resonated throughout the community. Neighbors and friends would repeat stories and traditions shared by their parents and grandparents.

Robbie was fourteen and stood five feet, five inches tall, weighing in at 125 pounds. He had brown eyes, neatly trimmed black hair, and a cinnamon-brown complexion.

He went to Mother Cabrini High School, and while he was an average student, he was an avid soccer enthusiast and played for the freshman team as goalie. Even though baseball was the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic and soccer was barely talked about, Robbie chose soccer. The game involved a great deal of focus and attention in order to be successful at it, which his father encouraged him to be. This was an exceedingly difficult position to play. It required the ability to concentrate on developing the proper techniques. Robbie was thankful that his dad helped him with this.

Another reason he chose soccer was that worldwide it was the most popular sport in terms of fans. He and his dad loved to watch the professional soccer teams play on television, especially the World Cup. Robbie would always wear Lionel Messi’s jersey, the star player for the Barcelona team. Robbie’s mom could forget it if she had to get their attention during a game. They were zoned in on the TV.

Robbie’s dad was a professional chef. He graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. He had been working the past seven years for the Malecon restaurant located at 4141 Broadway, New York City. It was a popular upscale neighborhood establishment that offered authentic Latin cooking. As the lead sous-chef, his dad’s job was to assist the executive chef.

Rosetta, his mom, worked full-time as a waitress in a local diner. To help add to the family income, she’d take in laundry part-time for wealthy families on the Upper East Side.

Besides soccer, Robbie and his dad did lots of other things together. They’d go fishing, bicycle riding, and they even collected stamps together. Armando always made time to do things with Robbie. And this was quite the accomplishment as he worked long hours at his job.

The Delgado’s were a close-knit family. Robbie’s father and mother were both deeply religious. Their faith had a great influence on Robbie’s devotion to his religion. Every Sunday, they would attend mass together at Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church on West 165th Street.

*****

Hey, Robbie, asked Dad, want to bike ride over to the park and kick the ball around for a while?

Sure, Dad. I’ll give Jorge a call to join us.

Jorge was Robbie’s best friend; they played together on the high school soccer team. Jorge was small and stocky in stature but made up for it with a lot of heart. He had long straight black hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and he was also a soccer enthusiast. Although best friends, Robbie and Jorge were very competitive not only with soccer but with pretty much everything. They loved to tease each other about who ran faster, jumped higher, and who was more popular with the girls.

Robbie and his father met up with Jorge, and they headed to the park. Tryon Park was about sixty-seven acres and was a little less than a mile and a half from their home. It is a beautiful park overlooking the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge. Robbie loved Alpine Garden and the Heather Garden. But his favorite attraction was the Cloisters. It was the medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The park also had a full-service restaurant and two playgrounds. There were picnicking areas, bike riding, and jogging paths too.

When they got to the park, Robbie ran on to the soccer field and settled into the goal net. His dad and Jorge booted the ball at Robbie as he tried to prevent them from scoring a goal. He did block some, but a lot of the kicks got by him for goals.

You’ve got to concentrate on the kicker’s feet, said Dad. He’ll give away where he’s aiming.

I’m trying, said Robbie.

That’s why practicing is so important! Dad yelled back.

When they finished, they went over to the park’s restaurant, The New Leaf, for lunch. It was a stone building that kind of looked like a small medieval castle. Robbie, his dad, and Jorge sat in the outdoor terrace. Robbie loved the food there.

The waitress came over to take their orders. Hi, my name is Gloria, she said as she handed out the menus.

After they looked over the menu, Gloria asked, What’s it going to be?

The boys both ordered the crispy chicken sandwich topped with miso mayo and coleslaw on a sesame bun. Dad ordered the New Leaf burger. It came on a large English muffin topped with a fried egg, cheese, and hash browns, with a side of french fries. They all had iced tea with their meals.

When they finished eating, Gloria came over with the bill. Robbie’s dad put his credit card on the bill tray. When she came back with the card, she smiled. I thought I recognized you. When I saw the name on your credit card, I remember you’ve been here before. Robbie watched as his dad thanked her and left a nice tip.

It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we take a ride through the park, said Dad as they walked to their bikes. The boys were all for it. Dad looked back at Gloria. It’s nice that she remembered me.

2

Alice and the Malecon Restaurant

Alice Anderson sat in her room with the door open. She heard her father, Carl, come home from work. He always puts his briefcase in the closet then calls out to his family.

Hi, everyone, are you ready to go out to dinner?

Alice went to her door as her mom came out of her bedroom. Her mom was all dressed up in an outfit she usually wore for the family’s regular Friday night dinner at their favorite restaurant. She went over to Dad and planted a kiss on his cheek. How are you doing? Was it a busy day at work?

Busy, just like the rest of my days.

Alice’s brother, James, came from his room dressed in his usual clothes for Friday night dinner. He saluted his father. Hi, Daddy-o.

Returning the salute, Carl called his daughter, Where are you, Alice? We have to get going so we’ll be on time for our reservation.

Alice slowly walked into the living room. She wore her usual dazed look.

Are you looking forward to dinner tonight? Mom asked Alice.

Alice mumbled to herself and shook her head as if she didn’t know how to respond. She then shuffled her feet and kept repeating, I’d go if I can choose—if I can choose what I want—what I want to eat.

Okay, we’ll see when we get there, said Dad. Let’s go. The car is waiting downstairs.

They went down to the street, and Roger the doorman held the door open to a limousine. Good evening, folks. I hope you enjoy your dinner.

Thanks, said Dad as they got in the limo and headed to the Malecon restaurant.

When they got there, the manager—Janet—greeted them. Hello, everyone. I hope you’re all ready to enjoy the evening. Let me show you to your special table.

Almost every Friday night, the Anderson family would dine at the Malecon restaurant. It was kind of a tradition. They had a special table in an enclosed area to accommodate Alice. Because of her sensory symptoms, the location helped contain her possible tantrums, meltdowns, or emotional outbursts. These episodes could involve crying, screaming, yelling, and stubborn or defiant behavior. Alice was an autistic child with various conditions. Being somewhat tucked away was not only beneficial for the Andersons, but also the other diners.

In addition to the table area, the staff made them feel extra comfortable, which made them feel at home. And they had become very friendly with Louis—their regular waiter—and Johnny—their busboy. But it was Armando, the lead sous-chef, who was the center of attention. He took special care when preparing the Anderson’s meals. The family loved Armando’s specialty dishes, but it was his ability to deal with Alice that made them faithful customers. As a premier chef, Armando would go out to the tables to meet with the customers and discuss how they liked their meals.

This night though, Alice caused an outburst regarding her meal. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the food or how it was prepared; it was just one of Alice’s outbursts. Autism usually required a person familiar with her to be able to settle her down when an episode occurred.

When this would happen in the restaurant, Armando would calm Alice. He’d come out and talk to her about the food. He’d then take the dish back into the kitchen not to change it but to rearrange it on her plate. After coming back out and placing it before her, she would snap her fingers and wave her hands to let him know that she was happy with what he did for her.

3

The Unthinkable

Although Robbie loved to do a lot of things with his dad, one of his favorites was when his dad took him to the restaurant where he worked. His dad wanted him to see the inside of the restaurant’s kitchen. He thought Robbie might develop an interest in becoming a chef—even though a chef had to be on his feet all day or night, making it hard work.

The reward was well worth it though. It was more of an art than a job. The Malecon restaurant was a wonderful dining experience. Robbie enjoyed being in the kitchen so he could watch his dad prepare the meals. He found it thrilling.

Robbie went to the restaurant often and got to know all the people who worked there. Jean Pierre, the executive chef, made sure everything ran smoothly. He did his schooling at La Cordon Bleu, the internationally acclaimed culinary institute in Paris, France. Robbie’s dad was the number one sous-chef. His job was to oversee preparing the main dishes. The other cooks on the line were Jose, Hernando, and Jake. Margie was the pastry chef, and Dottie took care of the salads.

There were other stations attended by other personnel, like the grill and fry stations. Then there were the wait stations, where the waiters and waitresses picked up the orders that were ready to go. This is where Joyce, Louis, Peter, and a few others looked for the plates that they