Because You Look Like an Angel...

Okay, seeing as I have nothing interesting to report (other than the fact that I need to go to the grocery store and that I have become a slllloooowww reader), I have decided to share another memory lane story. I have been compiling a list of these to use in moments such as this one :). Aren't you lucky?

So, about 10 and a half years ago, I was in Young Women's at church. I had 3 of the greatest Young Women leaders. (I should really plan ahead so I can have pictures to go with these posts...). The YW President was Jackie, her 1st counselor was Ladonna, and her 2nd counselor was Debbie. I had become great friends with Ladonna (and still keep in touch with her to this day, actually). And I'd also become close with Jackie and Debbie. Anyway, so toward the end of school (this would have been May or June 1997), a lot of people were getting ready to move away (they were military families, and so this happened often). I decided to make a "Cardenas Ward" yearbook of all the Young Men and Young Women at that time. Part of this entailed getting pictures and brief biographies from all of the parents. And this proved to be quite a chore. So on the Sunday before I was to have this project completed, I still didn't have all the pictures from all the parents. So Jackie volunteered to drive me around to the youths' houses and personally pick up the pictures, etc. from the parents. Now, I lived nestled between two military bases (as I may have indicated before). One was Ft. Clayton and the other was Albrook AFB. And some of the families lived in downtown Panama City. Well, there were several ways to get into Panama City, but the closest and most convenient for us (since Jackie's husband was Army), was to go through the bases. Now, it is important to remember that they check IDs when going onto the bases, but at this time (I don't know why) they were also checking IDs when you would leave the base. So, Jackie comes and picks me up. And she says to me, "Okay, we're going to go back through Ft. Clayton, because I want you to see this guy checking IDs at the gate. He's really cute." And I'm like, "Okay." And then she says, "Oh, and when he asks to see your ID, I dare you to ask him his name." And I said, "Why?" And she said, "Because, if he asks you why, then you can say, 'Because you look like an angel.'" Yeah right. Like I was going to do that! Just the thought of saying something so bold made me turn red. So I told her I wasn't going to say any such thing, but she still wanted me to see him. So, we go back onto Ft. Clayton, but this guy isn't checking IDs coming on base, but rather going off base. So, Jackie plans to come back through while bringing me back home, and we go on our merry little way.

We complete our tasks, and head back to my house. And, Jackie does not forget. So, we go back onto Ft. Clayton at the back gate, drive through Ft. Clayton, and get to the front gate. Well, there's a few cars lined up, and Jackie says, "Oh no! He's not there!" So I just resign myself to not seeing this totally cute GI, which is fine with me, because Jackie is still teasing me about asking him his name. But as we get closer, she sees that he is there. And right when we get up to the gate, she goes, "Say it Hila, I dare you!" And I'm like, "No!" So, Jackie takes her time getting her ID to show him, so that I can get a good look at him. And as he's calmly looking at her ID, she says, "What's your name?" You will never guess what he said. He goes, "Gabriel." Jackie looked over at me, we could not contain our laughs and giggles, Gabriel hands her back her ID and says, "Do I know you?" And she says, "Nope." And we drive off, in more laughter. What are the odds? Maybe he really did look like an angel ;). Which, I couldn't tell you, since I never got a good look at him. Which just about KILLED Jackie, since she'd made every effort to let me see him. She even wrote in my yearbook that year about how I should always remember Gabriel... And, so far, I haven't forgotten :). Yeah, I had some seriously fun YW leaders.