I felt the sting of tears as I took in my mom’s curtains. I wasn’t mad, not at all. She’d have been so happy that someone was using them, especially if it was for something fun. Blinking away the tears, I saw two chairs facing the stage. Jace held out his hand, directing me to my seats. Totes Baa-goats sat on one seat while the other seat was empty except for a glittery paper complete with ribbon curls and stickers. In the center, bubble letters spelled:Welcome to the First Annual Alberton Magic Show. Tipping encouraged.
I laughed, taking a seat and Jace leaned down, whispering low and silky in my ear, “Ve have a very special show planned zis evening. Oh yes, only ze best for you.”
My inner thighs trembled. Was he trying to kill me?
Jace suddenly jogged to the middle of the makeshift stage and faced me, stretching his arms out wide.
“Madam and TotesBaaa-goats! Velcome to our show! It is my esteemed privilege to announce our first act. Ze great, and Ze powerful, Master Magician, Max-a-million!”
With that, Jace flung both arms toward the playroom door. It opened to reveal Max dressed in a black top hat, red bowtie, with a black T-shirt and pants. Max grinned shyly as he spotted me, and Jace and I hooted and clapped as he walked onto the stage.
“For ze first trick of the night, I present to you, Max-a-million, with”—Jace paused with dramatic effect, looking at my son, with nothing but sheer determination in his eyes— “ze Mad Hatter.”
Pride filled me as I watched Max pick up a hat from the table in front of him, take a deep breath, begin.
“Good evening. My first trick is the Mad Hatter. This may look like an ordinary top hat.” Max waved the top hat around, showing it to me and then glanced over to Jace, who was standing off to the side. Jace held up his thumbs in encouragement, mouthing some words, and Max immediately stood up straighter, throwing his shoulder’s back.
“But it’s not a normal top hat. It’s amagictop hat.” Steadily, Max placed the hat upside down on the table and waved his wand over it. “You can see that this hat is now filled with . . .” Max reached inside and started to pull out a green ribbon. “Ribbons!” He continued pulling, the ribbon turned first red, then blue, then yellow. He held the ribbons up when it was done, triumphant smile on his face as I clapped along with Jace. For the next five minutes, I sat stunned as Max continued to pull things out of the hat: a paper airplane, a yo-yo, and then, a bouquet of silk flowers which he presented to me.
At the end of Max’s act, Jace and I gave him a standing ovation. Jace walked back to center stage and clapped Max on the back. “Sank you, Max-a-million, for zose phenomenal tricks!”
Max waved as he walked out of the playroom. I clapped and whooped until he was gone.
Riveted, I turned my eyes back to Jace, who was now preparing the stage by placing a glass cup upside down over a quarter on the table.
Jace rubbed his hands together. “Next up, ve have another special act. Here, ees Lady Ryla?—"
“Enraged Bacon!” came a whispered shout from the darkness beyond the door.
Jace paused briefly, taking a moment to absorb what Ryla had just whispered. But being the consummate professional he was, went right on with the show.
“Excusez-moi, ve have another special act. Here es,Enraged Bacon,” Jace said this with gusto in his French accent, making me press my lips together, trying not to laugh, “with Show Me Zee Money!” Jace again held his hand out with a flourish toward the door.
Ryla burst in wearing a Batman mask, a feather boa, and her dress-up Elsa gown. Walking toward the stage as if to a sold-out crowd in a major arena, she waved and blew kisses to everyone and no one.
“Thank you, thank you!” Ryla announced, continuing to wave at her “audience”, making me laugh and clap all the harder until she held up her hands in a stop gesture. “Stop, geez. You’re embarrassing yourselves.”
I heard a squeak from Jace but kept my eyes on my daughter who was gesturing to the table in front of her.
“You will be amazed to see I can make this quarter disappear!” Ryla waved her hand over the quarter, her face alight with joy. Cupping her hands around the glass she slowly slid it to the side. Sure enough, the quarter vanished. I’d just been completely fooled, having no idea how she just did that.
“Ta-da!” Ryla cried to my and Jace’s wild applause.
“And if I do this,” Ryla cupped her hands around the glass again, “you will be amazed to see that I can make the quarter come back!” Ryla slid the glass back to its original spot and the quarter reappeared.
For the next twenty minutes, the kids took turns doing a few more tricks. Max came back to do a dollar folding trick, then Ryla with a disappearing crayon trick. Jace and I cheered wildly for each trick. I ate up their performances, my mother’s curtains flowing around the stage as if her spirit was alive and watching with us. My heart was dancing. The only time I’d felt more joy were the days my children came into this world.
As Max and Ryla took their final bows, I stood, giving them one last standing ovation, shouting, “Bravo!” over and over. Jace was also grinning and clapping over his head, pride shining out of each pore.
Once the bows were over, I rushed up to my kids, getting to my knees and gathering them up into hugs.
“Max-a-million! You were wonderful!” Max’s face was joyful, a big goofy grin on his face. I’d become so used to seeing him weighed down, that seeing him so light and happy took my breath away.
“Ahem,” I heard from beside me and turned to see the indomitable Enraged Bacon herself.
“And you!” I gathered up Ryla into a hug. “How did you do that quarter trick? You had me so fooled!”
Looking pleased as punch, Ryla peered up at Jace who had come up beside us. “A magician doesn’t reveal secrets, right Jace?”
