very snooty woman, he decided to look elsewhere for his decorator until he found one much more to his liking.
A young man who was just getting his decorating business started seemed to have all the time in the world for Alexander and actually listened to what sort of environment he preferred. After spending scarcely half an hour speaking to him, he hired him to redecorate his entire castle. Steven's earnest face lit up with absolute excitement when Alexander informed that cost was no object.
The first part of the house that was completed was the master bedroom suite so Alexander could move into the house while ongoing work was being completed. It turned out that things weren't as noisy as he would have thought. The place was so large he barely noticed activity going on in other parts of the house while he studied books and found his way through managing the equipment humans called the computer that he found very fascinating indeed.
He was quite happy with the progress of things in the house. But there was one thing he knew he must have and he spoke to Steven about his idea of how it was going to look like. It turned out that Steven knew just who to contact to insure that Alexander got the one thing that he felt his house was missing.
The idea was instigated by his need to be able to reconnect with his Heavenly home even though he was currently cast out of it. He would have a special place built onto the upper part of the house that would make him feel as if Heaven was just one reach away.
9.
FINALLY, everything was completed and by the time the house was left to him alone, Alexander had been a Fallen for almost six months. Time was something else he intimately learn to experience since being banished. Time in Heaven had a different concept than it did on Earth. Simply put, each hour on Earth was important. Humans had found a way to measure every tangible and intangible substance they discovered, including time in respect to what could be done in each unit. Therefore, he also learned how to use and manage his hours by filling each with what he found important at the moment.
At that space in time, the most important thing to him was to establish a place he could call home. He wandered around his huge and beautiful house and he couldn't help but think how empty it felt. He had no one here. He found, to his surprise, that however he liked solitude during the majority of his hours everyday, he would still find himself craving for the sound of others talking, laughing, or simply being there. Although he had taught himself how to cook, he started to prefer to eat out and find new tastes to try and be surrounded by other people. When he ate in a restaurant or cafe, there were people around. They may not have been eating with him but at least they were in the vicinity. What he came back home, he couldn't help but think the place needed people working in the kitchen or tending the lawn. He wouldn't mind hearing someone whistling a tune while he passed the window.
With that thought in mind, Alexander drove into the city of Moon Bay. He found a little cafe where he actually liked all the food being served. It was a tastefully decorated establishment and served delectable home-cooked meals. The only things that remained the same on their menu were the beverages, appetizers and salads. Main dishes, sides and desserts changed frequently. It was almost a family atmosphere.
So eating at the Moon Bay Cafe was one of the few things that Alexander enjoyed. The digestive process was something that had been very difficult for him to adjust to but once he had tasted certain foods, he had decided that one was definitely worth going through again than the others and many of those, he had discovered at this cafe.
Another thing he liked about the cafe was the friendly atmosphere. He was greeted by name. He had been coming here so often that everyone who worked there knew who he was. There was warmth here that came close to the way he had felt when he lived in Heaven.
10.
"Hello, Mr. Sage," a woman in about late forties with a grandmotherly energy greeted him as she served a cup of coffee and a glass of water on his table. "How are you tonight?"
"I am fine, Holly," Alexander replied with a slight smile. "And what about yourself?"
"I can't complain," she started to say. Then tears formed in her eyes and she tried to hide them by fussing over getting his coffee just right. But Alexander wasn't fooled.
"Holly, what is it?" he asked.
"Oh, Noah and I have just had some very upsetting news today."
"What news?"
"Well, both of us had our hours cut during this year and we had fallen behind on our house payments." After that first admission, it seemed to just come out of her without stopping. "Today we got a notice of foreclosure from the bank. It seems as if we're going to lose our house. On top of that, Noah can't keep up any longer at work. He's not very young anymore, you see, so he's going to have to leave soon."
By the time Holly was at the end of this little speech, the tears were steadily flowing even as she tried to wipe them away. Alexander had learned by that time that one of the things that could make him incredibly uncomfortable was tears. Holly was an especially sweet lady and he hated to see her this upset. As he searched for something comforting to say, an idea occurred to him.
"Holly," he said softly. "Please don't cry. I may have an idea that will help us all. How about listening to my idea first so you can tell me what you think?"
Holly nodded and managed to stifle a few sobs as she stared at him, waiting.
"What time are you finished with your shift here tonight?"
This seemed to remind her she was on duty. "Oh, Mr. Sage, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to blubber on like this! Would you like your usual?"
"Yes, Holly, that will be fine. But I still want to know when your shift is over tonight. I want to talk with you. Will you do that for me?"
"Of course, Mr. Sage," Holly said as she looked at him quizzically. "I get finished here at 10 tonight."
"That's excellent," Alexander said. "If you are amenable to it, I will return here at 10 and follow you to your home. In that way, I can speak with and Noah both."
Still rather puzzled, Holly agreed before bustling off to the kitchen with his food order.
11.
PROMPTLY at 10 PM, Alexander was back at The Moon Bay Cafe and as planned, he followed Holly in his car to her home that she shared with her husband, Noah. The house was a clean, well-tended cottage that suited the two of them perfectly. Holly invited Alexander inside and led him to their family room where Noah, who'd been forewarned, was waiting for them. He had already met Noah and also liked him during times he went to the cafe and the older man was working.
Holly went into the kitchen to fix tea for them. Once they all had their tea in hand, Alexander opened the conversation.
"You all probably know that I have recently completed redecorating a home on the outskirts of Moon Bay," he said.
"Oh, yes," Holly chimed in. "Everyone knows about your castle, Mr. Sage. It's said to be quite the show place."
"I am very pleased with the way it turned out," he said smiling. "But my problem is that it's much too large for me to take care of by myself. I need someone who can manage the home for me as well as manage a crew of landscapers."
"Of course. It's such a large place," said Holly again, but there was hope showing in her eyes by now, as well as on Noah's. He was actually being very obvious and they were picking it up. That's good.
"From what I've seen of your work ethic, Holly, I feel that you are the perfect person to manage my home. Noah, I understand that you have quite a bit of experience in the landscaping business. If you were both to come to work for me, I would be most grateful."
Both of them sat and looked at Alexander in what can only be described as a mild state of shock.
"Now, before you answer, let me explain further," Alexander said. "First of all, this would be a live-in position. It would be a bit of a drive for you twice each day if you work for me and still live here. You may or may not know that I not only have a very large main house, but I've got some cottages on the grounds. Where you live would be totally up to you but I would require that you liv
e on the property. You both will be given free rein as far as what you need regarding staff. Hire as many people as you feel is necessary to keep things running smoothly and just submit the payment information to me."
The couple looked at each other, a silent communication going on between them and probably about the prospect of them both leaving their house.
"Now, Holly, may I ask you about how much money you make at the cafe?"
She told him how much she made. Alexander reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pen and a small notebook. "This is what I will pay you each monthly if you will come work for me." He wrote a figure down and tore out the sheet of paper. Then he slid it across the coffee table to Holly.
She picked it up and gasped when she looked at it. Eyes still wide, she handed it to Noah who also looked startled.
"Would that amount be suitable for the two of you to come and manage my home?" Alexander asked.
"Oh, Mr. Sage..." Holly breathed. "I don't know what to say! This is quite generous!"
"Yes, Mr. Sage," Noah agreed. "Are you certain about this?"
"Very certain, Noah," Alexander assured him. "Believe me, you and Holly will earn every dime of this money. It is more than worth it to me to have professionals on the scene to help me run my home as well as free my time to pursue my own business interests. As you well know, many clients judge the soundness of a businessman by the grandness of his home, and this is one of the reasons why having trusted and skillful house managers are important to me."
"Yes, we understand that. I especially have encountered many employers in my time who wanted beautiful lawns in their huge houses to attract bank loans for their business endeavors," said Noah.
He smiled. "See? I know you are right for my plans. You have the experience and will manage people who will take care of the grounds well. Now, I understand that you will need some time to discuss this. Please contact me as soon as you have reached a decision."
The couple, still a little bit stunned, managed to nod and give him a proper goodbye before he went.
12.
ALEXANDER drove back to his castle and settled into his master suite. He had a feeling that he would hear back from Holly and Noah sooner rather than later.
But even he was gladly surprised when his cell phone rang at that very moment, and the caller ID showed who was calling.
It was Noah and husband and wife was on the phone when he answered. They had apparently not needed that much time to think over his offer. Rather, they were ready to move to his estate whenever he wanted them to be there.
"That's delightful! Now, all you needed to do is to pack up." He told them to pack what they didn't feel comfortable allowing others to pack and to show up by the end of the week. "We'll make arrangements to have a crew pack your other things to be brought here when you need them. Though, how about a visit at your soonest free afternoon to choose the cottage you want to get as your own?"
He had to smile at the enthusiasm with which the couple accepted his offer.
Laying back against his pillows, he put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Everything seemed to be coming together for him at the moment. He knew that wherever the Father was, he would agree with what Alexander did for Holly and Noah. Oh, but they so deserved the break! And he promised the Father this would just be the first. He had a list of small businesses he knew would be in need of support. It would require him to use a part of his "inheritance" from the Father, but Alexander had the special business acumen to know it would pay for him and the employees in the end.
He could actually see that an aspect of his human life here on Earth was going to work. He would try to study, get to know and help humans to understand them better. He felt that the more he