EVERYTHING SHE DOES IS MAGIC

Chapter 1

"Why aren't there more female magicians? Well, the last time women were accused of doing magic, they were burned at the stake. We don't have a great track record of doing magic and staying alive," Charlie tells the busy bartender as she sips water with a slice of lemon and looks to an employee sweeping up a small stage in front of a few tables.

William, in a slightly faded black suit with salt and pepper hair peeking out from underneath a black top hat, walks up to Charlie. "Why aren't you in costume? We're on in ten." Charlie opens her long black coat to reveal a glittery red corset and shorts. William grunts in satisfaction. "Fine, but can you do something with this?" as he gestures to her face and walks away. Charlie turns to the bartender, "Murder is still illegal in New York, right?" He glances to a wall calendar turned to July 1985. "Unless Reagan changed his mind, yeah, still illegal." She sighs and gets up, weaving between tables of happy couples sharing cocktails, and towards a neon sign reading "Backstage."

Charlie sits down in front of a mirror, opens her small, beaded purse, takes out a fiery red lipstick and applies. She teases her hair with her hands, clips in some red and white feathers, and sets it with a heaping spray of Aqua Net. She turns to a cage with a white rabbit and feeds him a carrot. "I know how you feel, Bunny. Same thing, different night. Doing it for the snacks." Two white doves coo from their cage nearby. "Sonny and Cher agree." She stands up and grabs their cages. "One day, the three of you are going to work for me" and walks out of the dressing room.

A deep voice over the speaker booms, "And for our next act, please welcome to the stage, William The Great, and his beautiful assistant!" Charlie rolls her eyes in the wings. No name, just eye candy. William proudly steps on stage, arms out, soaking up the applause from the audience. Charlie follows behind him, wheeling out a table and a few boxes, smiling through boredom. He'll start with the linking rings and a few rope tricks. Light applause. Then into sawing me in half, a classic crowd pleaser. Ooos and ahhhs. Moving into pulling Bunny from his hat and transitioning into making the doves appear in the pan with a flash. He bows. Applause all around. William steps forward as Charlie steps back into the shadows.

Back at the bar, Charlie decompresses with a sparkling water with lime. Matt runs his fingers through his soft brown hair and approaches the bar, buttoning his flannel and reaching into his jeans pocket for his wallet. He notices Charlie, "Good show tonight." She turns to him, "I wouldn't go that far. Your dad has been doing the same act for a decade and refuses to learn any new tricks." Matt quips, "He's an old dog," then leans over to the bartender, holds out cash and orders an Old Fashioned. Charlie sips, "Then he should let a new dog take over." Matt shakes his head and puts his hands up. "Don't look at me." Charlie, "I wasn't." He leans closer to her as he gets his change from the bartender and she gets a whiff of his cologne. He smells like an orange grove. She exhales and takes a sip of her water. "So what are you doing here? You rarely come to these," as she gestures around the room. Matt sighs. "Trying to impress a date." "Was she impressed?" "I just put her in a cab." "Ouch." He shrugs. "What are you still doing here? Waiting on a date yourself?" "Yeah, a date with Abraham Lincoln and Alexander Hamilton." Matt looks at her, utterly confused. Charlie takes another sip of her bubbling water. "Your dad schmoozes with the owner, gets the cash, and I have to wait here for my cut." "Ah, got it. I was going to say, maybe try dating a guy your own age. And alive." Charlie chuckles. "Appreciate the advice." They share a coy smile.

Matt accepts his Old Fashioned and is mid sip when William comes over with an envelope. "My boy!" He slaps him on the back. Matt nearly chokes. "He's going to big, if not bigger, than his old man." Charlie tries to hold back. "Oh really? Didn't seem like Matt here was all that interested in performing." William opens the envelop and gives Charlie a few bills, which she puts in her purse. He tucks the rest into his jacket pocket. "Like he has a choice! It's in his blood." Charlie looks to Matt, who seems to shrink just slightly in William's presence. "Maybe. I just haven't had much time to think about it." "This one, out chasing skirts, am I right?" Charlie gathers her belongings, she can't stand to be around this man if she's not being paid to be. "I don't think people use that term anymore." "Well I still do, so I guess people do."

William suggests to Matt, "For your debut show, I'll even loan you my girl." Charlie is speechless. Loan? Like I'm not a person, with feelings, standing right here. She gathers herself, trying to make the best of being treated like a stage prop, and proposes a business deal. "I'd be happy to assist Matt, with compensation for practice and stage time." It also doesn't hurt that he's got just the slightest dimple when he smiles, which unfortunately he doesn't do much of when he's around his dad. William contemplates. "As long as it doesn't interfere with our schedule." "Of course." "Matthew my boy, are you ready for the spotlight?" "Doesn't seem like I have much of a say in this." William howls. "And he's a joker! Maybe you can add that to your act." Matt turns to Charlie, "I'm free tomorrow afternoon." William cuts in. "Great. Charlie, you'll go over to Matt's apartment at 2PM, here's the address." William writes on the back of a bar napkin and hands it to her. "What if I have plans?" "Do you?" "Well, no." "I thought so. Teach him everything you know." Great.