August 2008. Las Vegas, Nevada
"Did everyone have a fun?" he asked with a big smile.
Without exception, every child hollered, "Yes!"
He bowed, thanked them for being such a good audience, then walked away.
The woman who'd hired him took him aside as he was leaving and said, "I was hoping the kids would enjoy the show, but I had no idea you were so good!"
"That's very kind," he said modestly.
"No. I'm serious. That was...amazing! I've always loved magic but never really seen a show up close. Even the basic stuff you did was great, but a couple of those tricks just blew me away."
"Again, I appreciate the kind words," he told her.
"Listen. I have a good friend who's daughter is very ill. I know you make money doing this, and it's worth every penny, by the way, but if you would even consider doing something to cheer her up, I'm sure..."
"I'll do it," he said before she could even finish her thought. "Just give me her mom's phone number, and I'll contact her. If she's interested I'll do it free of charge."
"You are so wonderful!" the older woman said as she grabbed him and hugged him.
The hug lasted far too long making him very uncomfortable, but she'd just tipped him fifty dollars which was the amount he charged for a one-hour show, so he wasn't about to complain.
Jakob Bennett was just 18 but had been doing magic since he was ten. He was also a very good looking kid, and this very plain, somewhat overweight, single mom was very much enjoying any excuse to hug—if only briefly—such a handsome young man.
In terms of looks, it was unusual to see anyone who was as blond as he was, but Jakob was as blond as blond could be almost to the point of his hair looking white. Together his unbelievably blue eyes, he looked almost...pretty. That was due to his having what women often called 'girly eyes' that would have been strikingly beautiful on a female but which made a man like him 'mysteriously sexy'.
That, coupled with a great smile, a very symmetrical face, and a pleasant disposition, and already being an even six feet tall, made Jakob Bennett a highly sought after commodity. It had been that way for as long as he could remember, and he no longer gave any thought to the looks he'd been blessed with and done nothing to earn. It was just one more fact of life for him, so whether or not this suburban housewife who'd just smothered him for nearly ten seconds of his life hugged him solely based on his external appearance, it wasn't at all surprising.
Because of those 'hard-won' looks, he regularly spent a lot of time with girls. But no matter how hard they pursued him, magic was his passion and first love.
Jakob spent many hours each week perfecting the basics while continuing to add new tricks to his repertoire. Unfortunately, getting access to almost anything beyond the basics cost money, so he'd worked part time and saved what he earned to allow him to continue to expand his craft while perfecting the parts of it he already knew.
His father was a huge Bob Dylan fan, and had named his son Jakob, with a 'k', after Dylan's son. That Jakob was the lead singer for a once-popular group called The Wallflowers, and in his younger years, Jakob Dylan had those same kind of amazing eyes only with very dark hair rather the striking blond color with which the younger Jakob had been blessed.
Jakob Bennett had also received another gift from his mother and father—the gift of giving.
His parents both worked making them a solidly middle-class family. They weren't rolling in money, but one of the things they had always done was give of their time, money, and other resources to those in need. So from a very early age, that quality had been inculcated in their only child for whom giving and giving back was now second nature.
On his way home, he called the number this matronly-looking woman had given him and waited for someone to pick up.
"Hello?" he heard.
"Yes, hello. My name is Jakob Bennett."
"The magician," the female voice said cheerfully.
Jakob smiled and told her that was him by saying, "Yes, this is he," which sounded bookish but was grammatically correct.
"I just got a call from my friend where you performed for her son's birthday party. I literally just hung up with her. She said you were fabulous."
"Oh, no. I'm hardly anything close to fabulous, but I did have a lot of fun doing the show. The children were all very well behaved, and that always helps," he told her.
"I know my friend asked you do a show for my daughter, Jenni, and she said you wouldn't charge me, but I couldn't let you do it for nothing. I hope you understand."
"I wouldn't be doing it for nothing," he told her.
"Oh. Um, well, the thing is, I'm not really in a position to pay you right now."
"That's okay. I wouldn't take money anyway."
"Then I'm confused," she told him.
Jakob smiled but didn't laugh before he explained.
"I get tremendous satisfaction in just making someone smile. So while I wouldn't be getting any money, I would definitely be getting something; something a lot more valuable, I might add."
"That's unbelievably kind of you, but...Jakob? My daughter is very ill. I know it would make her feel better, but please understand. If you haven't seen a child suffering from the worst aspects of leukemia and how they look, it may be a bit...unsettling."
"May I ask how old she is?"
"Jenni's four," the woman said quietly.
"Just tell me when and I'll be there," he replied without hesitation. He didn't tell her mother, but his first thought was that if this little girl could live with cancer and its side effects, he could stand to see them.
It was the summer after his senior year so other than a handful of previously-booked events, Jakob's schedule was free and clear. He was starting a full-time job in a week, but for now, time was something he had plenty of, and he was more than happy to try and bring some much-needed cheer to this little girl's life.
"Mornings are best. That's when she's the strongest," the girl's mother told him.
"Is tomorrow morning okay then?" he asked.
"Yes. That...that would be perfect," she told him, her voice soft and quiet.
"Great. Just tell me the exact time—and your address, of course—and I'll be there."
She didn't want him to know she was trying not to cry so she took a long, slow breath then, as she slowly exhaled, and as pleasantly as she could, said, "Thank you. Very much."
She then suggested 8am before taking another deep breath then said she'd text him her address.
"My pleasure," he told her. "I'll see you both at eight."
The woman hung up then started to cry. Again. There'd been precious good news in her life lately, and even something as simple as this touched her deeply.
Hollie Corbett had just turned 30, and had recently found herself single again after her husband walked away four months ago. He'd always been self-centered, but when Jenni was diagnosed and he realized how much the medical bills would be, and that he'd be unable to do anything he enjoyed that cost money, that was the proverbial straw that had broken the camel's back. Or perhaps in has case, the ass's back.
Too stunned and too hurt to try and convince him to stay, she already realized that letting him go had been the best thing she could have done. She'd tried updating him on his daughter's condition once, and he made it clear he had no interest in what he called his past life. His reply confirmed what she thought, and now she was wishing she'd asked him to leave two years ago. In fact, were it not for Jenni, she found herself wishing she'd never even met him let alone agreed to marry him.
So now she was on her own trying to cope with this vicious childhood illness her daughter was suffering with as well as the aftermath of a failed marriage, and medical bills so deep she couldn't see beyond the moment.
