It's Magic, You Know

"I'm in no position to judge how good you are relative to anyone else, but you amazed me. For whatever that's worth."

She smiled then said, "And you made my daughter smile and laugh, and right now, that's worth everything."

He saw the tears welling up in her eyes again and wanted to change the subject.

"So...I'll see you again tomorrow then?"

"Oh. Yes. Definitely."

"Eight o'clock again?"

"Sure. Eight is perfect."

He wished her a good day then turned and headed to his car.

Hollie knew she was on emotional overload, but as he walked away she thought to herself, "Why can't I find someone like that only say...ten years older?"

Las Vegas, Nevada, ten years later

Hollie heard her phone and thought twice about answering it. She'd recently gotten a nasty reminder from her boss about phone calls at work, but when she saw it was Jenni, she stepped into the ladies room and answered.

"What is it, honey? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm at home. Watching TV."

"You know I can't take personal calls at work. We need this job."

"I know and I'm sorry, but I'm watching David Copperfield's new act."

"I know you love magic, but couldn't this wait until I get home?" her mom asked, nearly pleading with her 14-year old daughter.

"It could, except there's something I want you to see. Turn on video chat, okay?"

"Right now?" her mom said as she checked over her shoulder every other second.

"Yes. Right now. Just for a minute. Please?"

"Okay, just please make this quick!"

Hollie saw her beautiful daughter's face for a quick moment and she smiled and said, "Okay. Now watch."

The phone turned around and focused on the television.

"I don't see what's so..."

Hollie stopped talking when she saw him.

"Oh, my...goodness. That...that looks just like..."

"It's him! Mom. It's Jakob! He's opening for David Copperfield. Can you believe that?"

Jakob Bennett had stopped by her house every single day for seven months when Jenni was ill. To this day she was convinced her daughter was alive in large part to his daily visits. He never missed a day, and Jenni looked forward to seeing him more than anything else in her painful life.

Once she recovered, Jakob came by a time or two the following year just to check up on his favorite fan, but neither of them had seen him since.

"That's...incredible," her mother said. "Can you record that?"

"I already am, Mom. I'll let you go, I just wanted you to see this for yourself. It's just so awesome!"

"Yes. Yes, it is, honey."

"Okay, go back to work. Make money. Buy food!"

Her daughter been in remission for five years before being declared cancer free. She'd also grown up to become her mother's best friend, and as risky as it was to take her call, Hollie was very glad she'd done so.

She only caught a short glimpse of Jakob, but he was still as handsome as she'd remembered and because he'd matured, possibly even more so. Just seeing him stirred up so many fond memories and a ton of gratitude. He'd never taken a dime from her and wouldn't have had she tried to pay him. So seeing him on his way to making his dream come true was incredibly satisfying to her, and now she desperately wanted to see him to thank him again and offer her congratulations.

Hollie rode public transportation as often as possible, and on her way home from work she found out where Copperfield was performing so she could check on ticket prices. They were almost certainly outside her comfort zone in terms of price, but she had to see for herself.

He was at Cirque du Soleil so no surprise there. What did surprise her was the $65 price for a six o'clock show. It was a very reasonable price for such a quality act, but it was incredibly steep for Hollie.

However, Jenni had been asking to see his show for years, and this seemed like the perfect time so she bought two tickets for the following evening and smiled when the credit card charge went through.

"Yes!" she said even though she had to be very, very close to maxing out her last card.

Just the reaction from her daughter made the cost of the tickets worth it. Jenni hugged her mom then danced around in a circle, her arms up in the air, saying, "Gonna go see Coppuh-field, oh yeah, oh yeah!"

She smiled at her mom then did another round using Jakob's name, and Hollie gave in and laughed then even joined her daughter for a third round where they went around the living room doing a two-person version of Soul Train. Woot-woot!

"Do I look okay?" Jenni asked before they got ready to leave for the 6pm show.

"You look wonderful, honey," her mom told her.

She knew her daughter would be pretty, she just had no idea she'd be this beautiful so early on. Hollie had never had the money to buy her daughter nice things, but every now and then they found something pretty at a second-hand store or a yard sale, and Jenni was wearing a very cute top they'd picked up a couple of weeks ago for less than five dollars. She'd only recently been allowed to wear makeup, and she was always very responsible with it, and this night was no exception. Because it was so expensive, makeup was a luxury neither of them indulged in very often, but tonight both of them went all out.

"Thanks, Mom. And you look...amazing!"

Hollie thanked her daughter and trusted she was right. Having just turned 40, she didn't feel very beautiful, and that made her appreciate her daughter's kind words even more.

"Okay? You ready?" Hollie asked.

"Oh, I am SO ready!" Jenni told her.

As they drove along they chatted away about what little Jenni remember of the handsome, young boy who'd stopped by every day for months just to make her smile while her mom thought back on how mature he was even then. She knew it had to be nothing more than feelings of gratitude for his unending willingness to give of his time and talent, yet when she was honest she had to admit she'd had feelings of some kind for him. Over time, those feelings became very real to her, although she never once considered even hinting around about it with Jakob. It was too embarrassing to ever admit to anyone, let alone her daughter, but Hollie had fantasized about 'being with him' more than a few times.

Those romantic daydreams that happened mostly before she fell asleep, rarely went beyond them revealing their secretly-held feelings for each other followed by a long, romantic, passionate kiss, but she'd used that fantasy numerous times to help fill the void in her life. In all those years, she'd never remarried and only had one semi-serious relationship.

Jakob would be 28 years old now, and the odds were he was either married, engaged, or in a serious relationship with some younger, beautiful woman. Hollie had no expectations of any kind, but she was nevertheless very excited to see this unbelievably kind, generous, and very attractive young man again.

Jenni still loved magic, but her interest in becoming a 'mujishun' herself had waned over the years, and Hollie had never tried to persuade her one way or the other. Her daughter loved school and was a straight-A student, and as long as she got the best possible education, her mother would be proud of her regardless of whatever she eventually chose for a profession.

There were a lot of people there by the time they arrived, but because they had assigned seats they'd already paid for, there was no real issue. And as it turned out, they were reasonably close to the middle and not too far back.

"These are perfect, Mom!" Jenni told her when she realized where they were sitting.

"I almost paid $25 extra for better seats, but we'd only be a few rows closer and we might have been way out on the side," her mom replied.

"I'm glad you didn't," Jenni told her as they settled in. "He might even be able to see us here!"

"Oh, I doubt that, honey. The lights are in his eyes, and he's not going to be able to look around all that much. Besides, he probably wouldn't even recognize us."

"Well, I know I've changed a lot, but you're just as pretty now as you were then, so if he sees you, he'll remember you."

Hollie looked at her daughter and said, "You are the sweetest daughter any mother could ever have."

She reached over to hug her then said, "And beautiful, too."

Just then an usher walked up to them and said, "Ladies? I've been asked to move you."

Petrified, Hollie reached for her ticket stubs to prove they were in the right seats when the man said, "No, ma'am. I'm taking you to our VIP seating."

"Wait? What?" Hollie asked.

"If you'll please follow me? We don't have much time before the show starts."

The man took them up to the front and showed them into a small, private area walled off from the rest of the seats.

"Please. Have a seat," he said.

"Mom? What's going on?" Jenni asked.

"I have no idea, honey."

When they sat down and looked up, they were so close to the stage it was almost scary.

"This is...insane!" Hollie said as she looked around.

They were now sitting in large, plush, leather chairs that reclined, and before she could figure out how to lean back, the same usher returned with a complimentary glass of champagne for her and orange juice in a champagne flute for Jenni.

"Compliments of Mr. Bennett," he said.

Before Hollie could ask what he meant, the man handed them their drinks then spun around and walked away.

"Mom? Did he just say..."

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" they heard the emcee say. "And welcome to this evening's performance by the world's greatest magician, Mr. David Copperfield!"

The entire room burst into applause as the man himself came out, waved to the audience, bowed, then left the stage after a brief personal introduction of his protege.

He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I've been watching this young man for a couple of years. I knew he was good, but I can now assure you he is an absolutely amazing, first-class magician. He's been with us for a couple of weeks now, and I promise you you will be as impressed with him as I am. So without further adieu, it is my privilege to introduce to you The Amazing Jakob Bennet!"

The applause was loud but not thunderous as it had been for the star of the show, but Hollie and Jenni were so mesmerized by what the usher had said and having just seen David Copperfield himself just several feet in front of them they didn't even applaud. Both of them sat there wide-eyed, staring and waiting and barely even breathing.

The entire room got dark, and then a spotlight illuminated a large, blue curtain in front of them. The suspense built for a few seconds before the curtain opened and the handsome young man they both had known so well ran out, bowed, and immediately went into his routine; a routine involving a stunningly-beautiful assistant in a glittering sequined costume, dark stockings, and five-inch spiked heels.

"She's gorgeous," Jenni said to her mom.

Hollie heard her daughter speak, but didn't understand a word. Her eyes were fixated on 'The Amazing Jacob' who was now so handsome it took her breath away.

As the act progressed, Hollie was able to largely forget about his handsome face and focus on his stunts and tricks and sleight of hand. Each time he performed a trick she thought it couldn't get any better until the next one.

"Oh, my..." she heard herself saying out loud time and time again.

She and her daughter were so focused on the routine it took them a few seconds to realize he was talking to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen. There are two people in the audience tonight who, I'm sure, had no idea I knew they were here."

He smiled at them then continued.

"These two beautiful ladies hold a very special place in my heart for reasons I won't go into. However, I would like them to stand up and take a bow."

"What? What did he say?" Hollie said, her body shaking as her brain deciphered Jakob's words.

"Stand up, Mom! That's what he said."

Jenni was on her feet and pulling her mom to hers. They both looked up at Jakob who indicated they needed to turn around.

Hollie slowly did so and only then noticed the unbelievably bright spotlight shining in their faces.

"Smile. And wave!" Jenni said.

Hollie did both but only thanks to some kind of almost-involuntarily control that seemed to take over, as the audience applauded even though they didn't know either of them.

As they sat back down, Jakob said, "Wait a minute. I need a new assistant for this next trick."

He walked down off stage, stood in front of Hollie and Jenni, then said, "Hello. Long time no see."

There was laughter from the crowd as he held a hand out to Jenni who was wide-eyed.

"Come on. You always wanted to be a...what was it? A...mujishun?"

Jenni's heart was pounding out of her chest as she held Jakob's hand who then helped her up on stage.

He turned his mic off for a second then asked if he could explain how they knew one another.

"Okay," Jenni managed to say before he turned it back on.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I present to you The Amazing Jenni Corbett!"

The audience exploded in applause, led by her mother, who grabbed her phone and starting videoing her daughter.

"I first met this beautiful girl when she was very sick. I did a magic show for someone who told me about her friend's four-year old daughter who had leukemia. When this young lady's mother called me I was thrilled to be able to do my magic act for her. And to my very pleasant surprise, her mom was willing to let me come back."

He paused for the laughter then told the crowd he went back every day for quite some time, and hoped that he may have somehow played some small part in her recovery.

"I heard you're in full remission," Jakob said.

"Yes," was all Jenni could say.

More laughter followed before Jakob said, "And what did you always tell me you wanted to be when you grew up?"

"Oh. A...magician."

"Okay. You couldn't quite say the word back then, but yes. A magician. And I distinctly remember you saying you wouldn't mind being the pretty girl on stage helping a magician. Do you remember that?"

"Kind of," she said drawing more laughter.

"Well. Here you are on stage and definitely very pretty. So...are you ready?"

"I guess?" she squeaked.

"Okay. Then it's time. Jenni. I need you to come over here with me, please."

He took her hand then showed her a huge box. He opened the door, stepped inside, stretched his arm all around to show the audience nothing else was in there.

"Now, all you need to do is step inside."

She looked in and looked around, too, then stepped in.

Jakob turned around then said, "She was such a sweet kid who's been through so much. And for what?"

Just as he said that he shut the door so fast it caught people by surprise. He waved a wand over the box then opened the door, and as the crowd expected, she was gone.

The 'oohs' and 'ahhs' were minimal until a spotlight shone on the booth where she'd been sitting. When Jenni stepped out and waved just a few seconds later the crowd went wild.

"The Amazing Jenni Corbett, ladies and gentlemen!"

Jenni scared the life out of her mother when she suddenly appeared behind her, and when she sat back down she asked, "How did you do that?"

Too excited to talk, it took her daughter a couple of tries to explain.

"Okay. So as soon as he shut the door, the back opened up and the girl—his beautiful assistant—was right there. She told me to step aside so I did. The floor opened up and she told me to go ahead and go in then follow the arrows and I'd end up here. There was a huge, soft cushion thing right below me so I sat down, rolled over, and followed the arrows that led to a trap door right behind us."

"Oh, my gosh! That's all there was to it?" her mom said.

When Jenni didn't answer, her mom was confused. Until she looked up and saw Jakob standing there again with his hand out calling her name.

"No. Oh, no! Not me!" she said even as Jakob grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

He turned his mic off again, and as they walked back up on stage, he said, "Wow. You're even more beautiful than I remembered."

The mic came back on just as she said, "Yeah, right!"

Hollie heard herself then heard the laughter and didn't know what to do.

"And this, ladies and gentlemen, is my former assistant's beautiful mother, Ms. Hollie Corbett!"

There was more loud applause before Jakob said, "She's not only beautiful, she's the most devoted and dedicated mom I've ever met. Well, with the possible exception of my own mother, of course."

He paused, smiled then waved to the audiences and said, "Hi, Mom!" drawing another round of laughter.

While looking at Hollie he then said to the audience, "And she also happens to be the very first woman on whom I ever had a crush!"

There was more loud laughter and applause, and Hollie simultaneously wanted to melt into the floor and hug him.

The trick Jakob performed with her help was no less amazing to the audience, and when it was over, even she couldn't explain how it worked.

"I...I don't know," she told Jenni after taking her seat when her daughter asked how her trick was done. "I was in this tank and then I wasn't and then I was."

"This is SO cool!" her daughter said as they sat back to watch the rest of his act before David Copperfield himself wowed them for another hour.

When Jakob finished his last part of the act, he bowed and thanked the audience for being so great. His beautiful assistant held up a black cloak in front of him then pulled it away with Jakob nowhere to be found.

"What? No way!" Jenni said. "How did he do that?"

"I have NO idea!" her mom said over the applause.

"It's not all that hard," they heard a male voice say from between their heads.

Both of them shrieked, but no one heard.

"Mind if I join you?" Jakob said.

"Oh! I'm so going to kill you!" Hollie said after her heart stopped racing.

"Sorry. I didn't meant to scare you," he told them both.

There were six seats in the booth, so Hollie moved over and let Jakob in between them.

"Are you enjoying yourselves so far?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? This is the most fun we've had in..."

"Since I was sick and you came to our house," Jenni told him, finishing her mom's sentence.

"Good. But as they say, you ain't seen nothin' yet," Jakob replied just as the place erupted—literally—as a 'volcano' on stage blew its top. Out of the 'ashes' David Copperfield appeared and bowed before waving to the crowd.

"I've seen his act a hundred times, and I still find myself in awe every single time," Jakob told them as the main attraction welcomed everyone.

By the time the performance ended, the ladies had been wowed, too. Jakob's act was very good, but it paled in scope to the one they'd just seen.

"Come on. I'll introduce you," Jakob said after his mentor left the stage.

"Seriously?" Hollie said, not sure she heard correctly.

"Yes. Seriously. Come on," he said.

Jakob stood up, offered each of them a hand, then offered an arm to each after turning around.

"How did you know we were here?" Hollie asked as Jakob led them to the side of the auditorium then back though a door that looked like no one ever used.

"Hey, I'm a 'mujishun', remember?" he said with a laugh.

"I can't believe you still remember that," Jenni said.

Jakob laughed and told her, "The Amazing Jakob sees all, hears all, and knows all."

Both she and her mother laughed as they walked into the main area.

"Wow. This is...incredible!" Hollie said as she looked around.

"Wait until you see David's dressing room," he told her.

"And you're on a first-name basis with the world's greatest magician. I'm impressed," Hollie told him.

"He's one of the nicest, most approachable people you could ever meet. If you can approach him. Being that famous makes going anywhere a real challenge, and there are a lot of kooks out there so security is a real concern. But if you're someone he knows isn't a threat, he's as kind as the day is long."