Angel of Soho

by Ken Walker

Title

Angel of Soho

Artist

Ken Walker

Medium

Digital Art - Digital Painting

Description

A continuation of a new style for the artist depicting his love for New York City. The image and attached story (Be warned it's lengthy) gain their inspiration from a culmination of years of watching and reading romance stories and how so often they are centered in Manhattan at Christmas. Being that the holiday season is upon us, it seems fitting to add another holiday romance to the mix. Enjoy.

Angel of Soho

August 18th, 2021 - 9:14 pm

He knew he was crazy. They all said as much the night he’d awoken in the hospital, recounting the tale of the ghost, the angel that had appeared out of nowhere to save his life hours earlier. Utterly exhausted from a full day running his coffee house in Soho, Never Too Latte, he hadn’t seen the out-of-control car barreling down the alley like a missile now locked onto his position. Sam was sure he remembers the vision of shimmering mist swirling around his feet that seemed to undulate to an unseen pulse before a beautiful figure popped into existence, shoving him out of the way of the moving vehicle before it drove through her. But that couldn’t be. Yep he was crazy, well maybe it was just the bad concussion he sustained, Sam rationalized. So why, after all these months, did he still struggle to let go of a need to find someone who never existed? “Sam, “ he thought to himself as he guided the last customer out the door, “Let it go.”


January 18th, 2021 - 10:05 am

Alex had always known she wanted to be a painter, mostly abstracts, and after a few years hobnobbing with Manhattan artist elites, she finally had her big break with a prestigious showing at a high-end gallery in Soho, drawing the attention of some famous celebrities. She was on her way to realizing her dreams. But, fate isn’t always kind, and now she was sitting watching the world fade away. She heard just one word: Cancer. So many thoughts raced through her mind – grasping for something positive to hold onto, she thought about that moment a few mornings ago: She met her friend at a new quaint little coffee house and spotted the cute barista, her future husband, working behind the counter. She wondered if someone gorgeous, confident, yet so down to earth, would ever notice someone like her. She knew she was pleasant looking, but not the super glamorous NYC Soho types like so many others around her in her social circle. To top it off, she felt so chaotic in her life, and while it served her art, she wasn’t sure how well it was doing for her love life. Foolish thinking though now that everything was at a standstill. Cohesive sentences came to the forefront of her mind as she focused on the doctor, “…unfortunately, with your condition, you’ll need a living donor to replace the damaged part of your liver. I suggest having everyone you know get tested immediately to see if they are a perfect match.” Alex sank deeper into the chair and wept.

November 29th, 2021 – 1:45 pm

Sam’s obsession with the mysterious angel had been downgraded to a recurring heartache, painful but manageable now that he had decided to take this new life he’d been given and pay it forward. A life for a life, he thought, as Elton John played over the shop’s speaker, “…someone saved my life tonight…” Damn, whether she was real or not, he was going to show his gratitude and be that guy for someone else. Crazy or not, he had decided to take a compatibility test to become a living liver donor for a complete stranger. According to her friend who had posted a flyer on his wall a few days earlier, she was some up-and-coming artist in the neighborhood and people from all around had rallied to the cause in hopes of becoming a match for her. Sam figured a week in the hospital was worth it. If he couldn’t find her to thank her personally, he’d to this for someone else on her behalf.

April 25th, 2021 – 10:18 pm

Blackness. Alex was floating, a ghost disconnected to the world around her. Was she dead? Didn’t really matter now did it? From the distant haze, she could hear the voices of her parents and friends, which she found both comforting and odd. Most of the time it was silence. She wasn’t afraid. In this place, wherever this was, there was no knowledge of her cancer, or the coma she had fallen into. There was peace here because “Sam” was here with her. Funny how here, of all places, she remembered his name. He was just out of reach, but she watched him close shop and head out onto the city street, heading home, she imagined. He looked so sad and tired. If it hadn’t been for the bright light of the car’s headlight, she might have lost herself entirely in those baby blues of his. Dream or no dream, she wouldn’t let anything hurt him and so she put herself in harm’s way.

December 1st, 2021 – 4:44 pm

Positive. Sam’s heart grew 5 sizes that day knowing he was someone’s gift this holiday season. He was excited to meet this special woman who was apparently so loved by the community. As he stepped into the hospital room to meet the parents, his heart stopped. There on the bed, beautifully peaceful, was his savior, his angel. His mind raced trying to connect the dots. This was the girl, the ghost that night, but it didn’t make sense. The doctor had told him she had been put in a medically induced comma at the beginning of April, weeks before his near-death experience. ..Sam stepped further in the room, closer to the bed. “Thank you for doing this for Alex,” the parent’s said through sobs. He had no words and just nodded “you’re welcome.” “You’re her Christmas angel, I hope you know that!” her mother said, stepping forward to embrace Sam. All he could do was whisper, “And she’s mine.”

December 4th, 2021 -1:18 am

“God bless us everyone,” was the first words she heard, as she felt herself tugged back into the light. Her dad was watching the Christmas Carol in her room. “Dad” she called out rather sounding like a drunk sailor. “Princess!” Yep, her dad was one of those and she adored him for it. “Where’s mom?” she asked wondering how the worrier in the family wasn’t somehow chained to her bed. “She’ll be back, she went to spend some time with Sam,” her father explained. Confused she queried, “Sam? Who’s Sam?” “Your match for the operation, Hun. Can’t explain it, but, well, there is something special about Sam and, uh, he’s sort of become a part of this family. I guess considering what’s he’s given to our family, it makes sense.” Alex could see an admiration in her father’s eyes and was that a tear. Who was this guy that could bring her Rock of Gibraltar to mush. And why did that name sound so familiar to her. Her dad was right though, she already loved him. How couldn’t she. He saved her live. “When can I meet him?,” she asked impatiently. “I guess after the Doc says it’s ok” There was something stirring. Sam, her angel, she had to meet him.

December 5th, 2021: 9:15 am

A few feet more and then he’d be face to face with Alex, no longer a ghost but the girl of his dreams, the one he would love forever. Hell, he is practically already married if Alex’s mother has anything to say about it. He loved Alex’s family, her friends, and her art. He loved her. He felt like he’d know her forever. At the door. What the hell was he going to say. Sam, don’t blow this. You need to stay calm, introduce yourself and see where things go. In the room. There she was, eyes wide open with a smile for him that was more colorful than any of the art she ever created. Just for him.

December 5th, 2021, 9:15 am

A few minutes more and then she’d be face to face with Sam, the man who gave her the greatest gift anyone could ever give – a second chance at life. The doctors gave her the thumbs up. They’d keep an close watch on her for the months to come, but as far as they could tell, she was, more or less, healthy. He’d done this. For her. And she loved him for it. Truth, the love she felt for him, even though she hadn’t met him yet, was watching how her father and mother talked about him. Geesh, Alex figured her mom was already picking out a wedding dress. She had learned he was the owner of Never To Latte, the coffee house where that cute barista worked, but now, she couldn’t imagine anyone else but this mysterious angel, Sam, and how much she wanted to give her heart to him. And there he was standing in the doorway. In an instant every memory flooded back in, all the flashes of color and sound rushed into her, “It’s You!” The cute barista and future husband, her savior in the dark void, and her angle of life, and the one she saved. But that was a dream, wasn’t it?

December 24th, 2021 – 11:45 pm

Alex and Sam nestled into each other in front of the shop’s fireplace, waiting for the clock to chime it declaration of Christmas day. In the days since leaving the hospital, they never left each other’s side. There was a knowing, without the need for words, how they were simply meant to be together. There were many discussions of exploration about who they were and came to be, but the one question still burning inside them needed to be asked. Sam shifted his weight to grab the wine bottle and pour some more wine in Alex’s glass. “Alex?” he asked sheepishly. “Sam?” Alex responded looking at him with gentle wonder in her eyes. “The night I almost died…” He trailed off. Alex urged him on, “Go on. I’m here.” “The Mercedes didn’t veer off course, someone pushed me out of the way, but when the police questioned the driver of the car, he said no one was there that I just got out of the way” Sam finished looking to her, hoping for some sign to finish the story. “It wasn’t a Mercedes; it was a Benz.” Sam mouth fell wide open, “And I should have told you. I thought I imagined it. But when you told me that story I already new every detail because I was there. I can’t say how. It doesn’t make any sense. Maybe I had to be there to be your angel so you could be mine. I don’t care anymore how, only that you’re here now with me!”

December 25th, 2021 - 12:00 am

The clock rang out. “Merry Christmas, my angel” They said to each other. Sam leaned in and kissed her, and at that moment, both their hearts were lighter and full of gratitude and love.

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November 20th, 2021

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