Magic hour, p.9
Magic Hour, page 9
“So Maberly told us you can do magic tricks! Is that true?”
I took a sip of my Sprite and shook my head. “Sorry. I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”
“No, it’s you,” the little blonde girl said with the authority of an adult CEO. “I remember you from Evelyn’s wedding. Can you show us that trick with the pencil? Where you make it float in the air?”
“Yeah!” the other children around me shouted. There were five in total, five ten-year-olds and me, at the kids table. I didn’t mind sitting here. I didn’t want to be conversing with all the adults about how I knew Maberly and what classes we took together and how amazing did I think Evelyn’s wedding turned out—and I really didn’t want to answer any questions about how her precious video was coming along.
But I also didn’t want to spend time entertaining these over-privileged, over-fed children. I was thinking about leaving, but part of me wanted to hear what Evelyn’s big announcement was, and I also wanted to have a little chat with Donavin, too, if the opportunity arose; unfortunately, Maberly currently had a death grip on him.
“Can you do card tricks?” the little girl asked, adamant I do something to wow everyone at the table. She grabbed a deck of cards from below and tossed it on my lap. “I found it in the game room. I had to go get it when I heard you were here!”
I pulled up the cards but still didn’t respond. I couldn’t—my mouth was stuffed with barbecue goodness. The Walker family was rich beyond measure, but I was thankful that their Easter buffet didn’t consist of caviar and gold-crusted halibut.
Maberly and Donavin sat at a different table, snuggling up so close together I wanted to puke. I needed something to distract me. The kids, and the cards, were it.
“Okay, okay,” I said. I shifted my chair toward the little ones.
“Yay!” they all screamed. They leaned in toward me. One even climbed up on the table.
“All right, I need you to pick a card, any card.” I held out the deck to the girl, and she chose a card from the middle. My dad had taught me a lot of card tricks over the years, everything from Ace’s Memory to Switcheroo, from Easy Eights to Lucky 13, but I was too rusty to succeed at the intermediate tricks. So I went with an old favorite—the Reversed Card. I turned over the bottom card with a flick of my finger.
“Okay, what now?” she asked.
“Make note of the suit and the number and show it to everyone else at the table. I won’t look.”
She waited for me to turn my head before she showed the card to the other kids. I had turned the wrong way toward Maberly and Donavin. They were still cuddling, his arm wrapped around her.
I brought my gaze back to the kids. “All right, did everyone see what kind of card it was?”
Everybody nodded.
“Good. Now put it back in the deck.”
The blonde girl hesitated, like she wanted to study my movements and seize onto my secrets. She stuck the card in the deck toward the bottom. I shuffled through the reversed cards and found the girl’s card almost instantly. I placed the deck behind my back.
“So?” one of the two boys asked. “Do you know what card it was?”
I grabbed the top card from the deck and flashed it in front of my face. “Might it have been… the eight of clubs?”
“Yes!” All the kids clapped and cheered. “Another one! Do another one!”
Their enthusiasm, and their unabashed love for me, shot me out of my funk for a minute.
But then I glanced at Maberly and Donavin again. He was kissing her cheek over and over while she tapped her hand against his back.
“You’ve got to be shitting me…” I said.
“Oooh!” the blonde girl said. “You said a bad word!”
I glared at her and started shuffling the cards. I needed a permanent distraction. “Well that was fun, guys, but who wants to see some real magic?”
The kids all clapped.
“Who wants to see a card from this deck… disappear?”
The two boys jumped to their feet and rushed up to me. They weren’t going to watch this one from across the table; they wanted a front row seat. The other two girls quickly followed them and sat on the grass beside me. Only the blonde girl stayed in her original seat.
This was one of the first tricks my dad ever taught me. He said nothing astonished an audience more than making something disappear before their eyes. It was a trick I spent years perfecting because I had to slip the card into my sleeve in a way that was effortless. I’d failed at it before, but I had a strong sense I could pull it off now. As long as I wasn’t distracted. As long as I didn’t look at Donavin.
So naturally I peered right at him. He was still kissing Maberly's cheek.
I peered back at the kids and tried to relax. The trick didn’t work if I wasn’t relaxed.
“Okay, I need someone to pick a card from the deck again.” The blonde girl reached for it, but I batted her hand away. “No. Someone new.”
She crossed her arms and scrunched her face into a prune as one of the boys, with short combed-over hair and an adorable beige suit, reached out and pulled a card. He raised it up high.
“Don’t show it to me,” I said. “Show it to the others.”
He did as I said. Then: “Do I put it back?”
“No. Hold onto the deck and hand me the card.”
The boy set the card face down in my palm, and I brought it behind my legs.
I kept my eyes on the grass as long as I could, but then I glanced at Donavin yet again; it was like a bad traffic accident I couldn’t avert my eyes from. He wasn’t kissing Maberly’s cheek this time. He was kissing her on the lips.
I turned back to the kids. I wanted to cry, but I forced a smile. “All right, here we go.” I brought the card up to my face, then waved it around, left to right, slowly at first, then faster and faster. “Who wants to see it disappear?”
They all stared at me, their jaws dropped, ready for their minds to be blown.
“Watch the card, watch the card,” I said.
They all kept their eyes on the card like cats watching a moving laser.
“All right, here we go,” I said. “One… two…”
I looked at Donavin. He had his arm wrapped around Maberly's back—and his tongue shoved down her throat.
I closed my eyes. “Three!” I tossed the card at my sleeve. It bounced right off and floated down to the grass. Epic fail.
I leaned back in my chair and sighed. I peered back at the kids. Prepared to apologize. But they weren’t disappointed, not in the slightest.
They were in a hypnotic trance.
“The deck!” the boy shouted, glancing down at his hands, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. “It’s gone!”
A girl pointed. “What? Where did it go?”
A different boy stood up and asked me, “How did you do that?”
The last boy pushed his hands against his cheeks in goofy amazement. “He wasn’t even standing near it!”
The kids tried to make sense of the vanished deck of cards, which had been sitting prominently in the boy’s hands, but I tried to make sense of it the hardest of all—I hadn’t done a damn thing.
“Oh, I get it.” The blonde girl shot me a creepy grin. “You made us think you’d make the card disappear, but it was the deck! How cool!”
I stepped toward the boy. Checked his hands and his pockets. I searched under the table. The deck was gone.
Where the hell did it go?
I shrugged, and said, “Uhh… well… that’s why they call it magic!”
The loud clinking against water glasses erupted behind me, and everyone’s attention turned to the newly married couple standing on the lawn.
“I apologize for interrupting,” Evelyn said, “but this will only take a moment.”
I peered at Donavin and Maberly for seemingly the thousandth time today. They weren’t kissing anymore, thank God; they were only holding hands.
I looked back at Evelyn and shoved my elbows against the table. “Maybe she’ll say they’re getting a divorce,” I whispered. “And I won’t have to finish the damn video.”
Evelyn paused for a moment, almost like she could hear me. But then she continued: “Mark and I have something very special we wanted to announce to all our friends and family.” She paused a second time for what seemed like an eternity. “We're delighted to tell you all... that we’re expecting a baby!”
Mrs. Walker leaped to her feet and hugged Evelyn, as did Maberly. Mr. Walker, dressed in a black suit that appeared more appropriate for a White House banquet instead of a casual Easter brunch, gave his daughter the biggest hug of all.
I watched other excited relatives crowd around Evelyn, but I happily stayed put. I hated being the only cynical person at the party, but I couldn’t help it. My first thought was that I feared for the horrific life that child was going to endure. And the second was who would deliver her baby first, Evelyn or Maberly? Was Evelyn going to be happy when she found out her little sister might beat her to the delivery room?
I glanced back at the blonde girl, who, with her raised eyebrows and loud yawning, was one of the few besides me who didn’t seem to care about Evelyn’s big news. I rubbed my hands against my legs, straining my eyes a little. “What am I doing here?” I asked, louder than I expected to.
“To show us magic tricks, duh,” the girl said. “Why’d you stop, anyway?”
I pushed my forehead against the side of the table. “Because. There’s nothing magical about today.”
“Uhh... okay...” she said, annoyed. “Whatever, man. If you’re not going to do any more magic, can I have my deck of cards back?” She put out her hand.
I leaned forward—but I didn't have anything to give her. I glanced in every direction again. Where the hell was the damn deck?
“Everyone, quiet down, quiet down!” Mrs. Walker's voice boomed from where Evelyn had been standing. She waved everyone to take a seat. “It appears somebody else has a special announcement!”
Mrs. Walker stepped away—and Donavin pulled Maberly to the same spot.
My eyes widened. “Oh, God,” I said.
Was Maberly going to say she was pregnant, too? No, she looked too nervous, too frightened, like she had no idea what was coming.
“Donavin, what are you doing?” she said. She pulled on his arm like she wanted to sit back down.
He took her hands and faced her. “Something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.”
“Oh, God,” I said again.
“Maberly,” Donavin said, not taking his eyes off of her, “we’ve been together for a long time now. We’ve been through so much, both the good and the bad. You’re my best friend. And so… I was wondering…”
“No,” I said. “No, no, no, no—”
“Maberly Allison Walker…” He pulled her close.
I wanted to scream, shout, pray, anything. But I didn't budge. It was like I was made of stone.
Donavin smiled. “Will you go to the prom with me?”
Maberly’s eyes went wide, and she sighed in obvious relief. “Yes, of course I’ll go to the prom with you!”
The couple hugged, and a mixture of laughter and applause emanated from a crowd that was clearly expecting a different kind of question.
I sat back in my chair and took the deepest breath. I had been worried for nothing. My fear had been nothing but a—
“Oh, wait. I did have one other question…” Donavin said, and he got down on one knee.
The crowd roared. Mrs. Walker was the first to jump to her feet again, and Evelyn followed behind her. As all the children around my table leaped from their chairs and started clapping, I stared forward, not at anything in particular. I thought I was going to black out again, this time without Maberly’s fist colliding against my cheek.
He didn’t even need to ask the question. Maberly nodded her head and started wiping tears from her eyes as Donavin placed the engagement ring on her finger.
“Yes,” Maberly said. “Yes, I will marry you!” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the lips.
“Wow!” Mrs. Walker screamed.
“Congrats!” Mr. Walker shouted.
“Hooray!” Evelyn bellowed.
“Shit,” I said.
I jumped to my feet and promptly kicked my chair to its side. I was done.
I walked toward the sliding door and glanced back at Donavin and Maberly one final time. Mrs. Walker was hugging both of them, her arms wrapped around them tight. I was the only one leaving the party, so I had to be stealthy; I didn’t want anyone to see me. I walked like a cartoon character, low to the ground, my hands pressed against the grass.
“I can’t believe it!” Mrs. Walker shouted. “My little baby’s getting married!”
More applause, more screams of delight. It was like being at a championship football game.
The sliding door was just three steps away. Two steps. One step.
“And… oh my God… look!” Mrs. Walker screamed.
A hush fell over the crowd. I stopped and spun around. They were all staring at me—Donavin, Maberly, everyone.
Mrs. Walker pointed at me. “Henry can be your wedding videographer!”
My eyebrows rose. My stomach lurched. My balls shriveled to the size of pine nuts.
Then I puked all over the pavement.
CHAPTER 14
Chloe pulled the book from the bottom shelf and waved it in my face. “You should get this. You might learn something.”
I grabbed the large paperback and perused its blasé orange cover. “You’re joking, right?”
“It’s a dollar. They’d probably give it to you for free if you asked.”
The book was called How to Succeed in the Wedding Video Business, and it looked at least ten years old.
“They also have this one, Wedding Videography from Start to Finish.” She tossed a second book at me, this one a large hardback, but I put my hands up and let it drop to the carpet.
“Stop it,” I said.
“What?”
“You know what! I don’t even want to think about wedding videos right now. After the last offer I got?”
She shrugged, then grabbed the book and put it back on the shelf. We moved to the next section—Travel. “Hey, I’m just as pissed off about this as you are. I’m all for a loving couple to be happy, but Maberly and Donavin are neither happy nor in love.”
“Tell me about it.” I picked up a slim photo book about Los Angeles. “Should I?”
She nodded. “I don’t see why not. How much is it?”
I pointed at the price tag. “Eight bucks.”
“Eight bucks? What are we, made of money? We’re not Maberly Walker.” She chuckled, picked out a book about New York City, and flipped to the theater section. “I get it, though. Her and Donavin. It makes sense.”
“It makes sense? What are you talking about? None of it makes sense.”
“Donavin may or may not be gay. He might be—”
“He’s gay, Chloe. Trust me.”
“He might be bisexual. No guy could be with Maberly for three years and not be a little straight. I mean, she’s beautiful. God, she's so beautiful.” She turned her head and stared off into space.
I grabbed another book about L.A. and wedged it under my armpit. “Jeez. You’re more in love with Maberly than I am with Donavin. It’s pathetic, you and me. We’re in love with people we can’t have.”
She dramatically blinked and faced me again. “I know. Now she’s knocked up with his kid, and they’re getting married. But remember, Henry. If he’s truly gay like you say he is, you and me are not pathetic, my friend. They are.” She got down on her knees and pointed to the small label taped to the bottom shelf. “Well, lookee here.”
I leaned down. “The gay and lesbian section,” I said. “The section just for us.”
She pulled a book farthest from the right. “Check this out! Tricks to Filming a Wedding for a Gay Groom and a Knocked Up Bride!”
I snatched it from her. “It doesn’t say that.” It didn’t. It was a book about gay bars in San Francisco.
“You sure you don’t want to film their wedding?” Chloe asked. “It'll be fun! Evelyn’ll be Maberly’s maid of honor, she can boss you around all day. You’ll be able to play back Donavin’s vows over and over and—”
I threw the book at her feet. “I wouldn’t film their wedding if Maberly’s dad paid me a million dollars. Her mom forced me to say yes, even after I threw up in front of everyone and didn’t bother cleaning it up. But I already talked to Maberly about it. They’ll get someone else. Me being there would be… well…” I tried to find an articulate way to put it. “It’d make no goddamn sense.”
Chloe narrowed her eyes. “Why? Just because you love Donavin? What if they did pay you a shitload of money? You'd really turn them down?”
“Oh yeah, like the hundred dollars they gave me last time? No, thanks.”
“Yeah, but they’ll see how good of a job you did on Evelyn’s video. They’ll know they can’t get anyone better than you.”
I shook my head. Chloe still thought I rushed out of her house on Sunday to talk to Donavin. She had no idea about my drama with Maberly, no idea the pain being at their wedding would bring me.
“I just can’t,” I said. “And that’s final.”
“Fair enough.” She grabbed three books from the bottom shelf and turned toward the front counter. “I’m gonna get these. They’re one dollar each!”
I glanced at the book on top. “Lesbian Revenge Tales?”
She nodded in awkward excitement. “Oh yeah. Hours of entertainment!”
I perused the last of the gay titles but didn’t see anything special. I followed Chloe to the front of the bookstore.
“Oh, whoa,” she said, pointing to the entrance. “Look at the line of people your dad’s getting!”
At least sixty people were lined out the door and around the building. Three or four times a year my dad re-entered civilization for a couple of hours and interacted with his fans of both his books and his legendary magic show, and today was one of those special days. I loved seeing my dad outside the house, chatting and mingling with people who adored him. Sometimes I forgot how much of a celebrity he still was.
