Magic

Allison suddenly dropped her fork and knife which got everyone looking her way wondering why she dropped them. She sat up straight and covered her cheeks with her hands then turned to her mom and like a little kid scared about something said, "MOOOMM?

"What dear."

She then stuttered a bit as she anxiously exclaimed, "MA... MA... MAGIC"...It's back, I can feel him... Oh god he's sad and afraid of something. Where is he?"

Hearing her voice and the pain in it, I just had to take the last few steps to stand behind her chair. The room was suddenly dead quiet except for a few gasps when everyone saw me suddenly appear out of nowhere and approach her. I put my hands on Allison's shoulders and she jerked to attention. I softly said "I'm here Allison my sweet dear, Happy Easter."

Her whole body started to shake and she started to hyperventilate. I thought she was going to faint so I then bent down beside her ear and softly whispered, "Allison dear. Calm down please. Take a deep breath." I massaged her shoulders reassuring her and when she was breathing normal I again softly asked her, "Can you come with me please."

She sat there rigidly and started to say something. "Oh... I'm so sor." Was all she got out before I stopped her. "No talking yet please, just come with me."

I had to take her hand to get her to stand up, and when she turned to face me I saw a terrified look on her face. Again she was going to try and say something but I again told her. "No talking right now this is not the place." A big smile from me seemed to ease her fear somewhat, and after a pause she moved. Holding her hand I led her through the kitchen to the basement steps. She was desperately squeezing my hand and holding back as I led her along. She reminded me of a small child being reluctantly led into a dentist's office. Down we went to that recreation room we spent so much time in before.

Talk about a lot of excited murmuring going on in the dining room.

We got to the bottom of the stairs and she tried to talk again but I just put a finger on her lips and gently shushed her as I told her, "Talking right now won't be productive, and we will probably say something that we shouldn't."

I added, "Dear, could we just sit and reconnect a bit before we do the heavy stuff?" Looking confused and scared about what was happening she nodded her head in agreement. I led her to the loveseat we used to cuddle up on and sat her down. As I joined her I reminded her. "There is to be no talking yet. Right now we'll just close our eyes and let the "MAGIC" say everything for us."

We sat holding hands facing each other and we closed our eyes. For a while all I felt from her was fear, nervousness, and anxiety. I don't know what she felt from me but at least she didn't run away. It took fifteen minutes for all those feelings to dissipate to be replaced by first relief, then hope, and then finally followed by a calmness, with just a bit of anxiety. The "MAGIC" was sure working overtime. What a roller coaster ride of emotions. I was drained from just that.

We both opened our eyes at the same time and as our eyes locked I could see out of the corner of my eye Jack was silently standing there at the bottom of the stairs checking that his daughter was OK. He smiled and went back up the stairs.

I don't know when it happened but we found ourselves cuddling like we used to. My arm was around her with her head on my shoulder and her hands were holding my other hand in her lap. I could hear her sigh and we both felt a sense of well being. After so many years we were back to feeling connected to each other even if everything was feeling a bit shaky.

I squeezed her hand and said, "Ok, let's talk a bit. Nothing heavy... Just general stuff." To set the guide lines I said, "Have you heard about the latest Apollo mission?" We talked about that for a while. When it was her turn, she caught on to the idea and said. "Have you heard the new Rolling Stones record?"

We talked like that for about a half hour relaxing more and more with each other. We never once mentioning anything even remotely close to the topic that was weighing so heavily on our minds. We were still cuddled on the loveseat talking about what had happened in world events when Nancy came downstairs and with the biggest smile I have ever seen asked, "Do you two need more time? If not could you join us upstairs? Your meals are getting cold and there are two empty chairs up there that need someone to sit in them."

We started to go but at the bottom of the stairs Allison turned and desperately grabbed me in a fierce hug that seemed to last forever. I found myself with my arms around her too, and became conscious of just how much I had missed feeling those arms of hers wrapped around me. We eventually went upstairs agreeing to talk more later. When we entered the dining room everyone was having desert and again the conversation stopped, turning the room silent again.

Nancy jumped up and to break the tension told us, "Allison I put your dinner in the oven to stay warm." She looked at me and said, "There's still lots on the counter, help yourself, come, come, you must be hungry."

Allison and I got our meals and she went back to her chair. I stood behind my dad who was sitting directly across from Allison and asked him, "Dad, could I take this chair please and you move to the empty one by Jack."

I explained, "Allison is getting the sparkle back in those steel grey eyes of hers and I want to watch it come back fully. I also want to see that little smile she used to have.

I'm sure my dad had never moved faster in his life getting out of a chair. Allison was looking in my eyes and she giggled at my dads antics. Conversation slowly resumed but Allison and I never participated. We ate slowly never taking our eyes off each other. We let the "MAGIC" do that for us.

As my mom helped Nancy getting the coffee ready, I took Allison's and my dirty plates into the kitchen. Nancy hugged me and softly said. "Thanks so much for coming. How's things between you two?"

I replied by saying, "The thanks for being here should be mine to you, it's been an eye opening day for me, confirming I would like her in my life. As for how's things between us, we are just getting to know each other again, and all the serious stuff will come soon though. It's so nice to have the "MAGIC" back full force between her and me. I should have done this years ago."

As my mother smacked me on the back of the head, Nancy then admonished me "Yes you should have, and if you hadn't run away you could have." Just like a mother to point out the obvious. "Now take some of that apple pie you used to like for Allison and you. I'm sure you missed it."

Allison and I had our desert, again not speaking but also never losing eye contact. I couldn't believe the eyes could say so much. As time passed the both of us could feel us relaxing more. Again with that "MAGIC" stuff.

The pie was good, like Nancy's pies had always been, and I took our empty plates in the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher like I always used to do and went back in the dinning room. Instead of returning to my chair, I again stood behind Allison and put my hands on her shoulders. "Again I bent down and softy spoke to her. "Thanks dear Allison this was a perfect day, but I have to go now.

She spun around in her chair and with a look of panic on her face she pleaded, "No! No don't leave me again, please don't." It sounded like she was panicking and thought I was going to be walking out of her life again.

"Hush dear, I just have to spend some time sorting out this day. I'm completely burned out, and you are probably feeling the same way. This "MAGIC" gets hard on a guy when there are so many emotions running wild." She was nodding her head agreeing with me when I pulled out a card I had made with my phone number on it and put it in her hands. "Wait a couple of weeks and then call me. The "MAGIC" is back and will let you know when the time is right. Then we will start talking about everything that needs to be talked about."

I gave her a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek which caused her to catch her breath and I turned and slowly left. As I opened the door I looked back and had a long look at her. I could feel love in the "MAGIC" and because I hadn't felt that for a long time, that comforted me. I was hoping she felt mine for her. She was still sitting sideways in her chair staring at me and she had her fingers caressing where I gave her the kiss. I noticed that little smile she used to have was back, so I smiled back at her then left.

I was no sooner out the door when Sarah cut me off. She hooked her arm in mine and walked along with me to my car. "The window blinds were open and I watched the whole thing," she informed me. "From what I saw I think you and her are on the road to patching things up, or I hope so anyway. You two didn't even have to talk. I guess that's that "MAGIC" thing you guys have. I've got to say thanks for doing that for her, after all she is still my best friend and I want her back the way she was." We were at my car then and just before I got in she grabbed me and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and told me, "You're a pretty nice guy when you get your head out of your ass, I hope things work out between you two."

I don't remember one thing about driving to Dad's place. My mind was to busy remembering Allison and I at our best, and wondering if we could ever get even close to that again. I may have been uncertain that morning, but I knew I was going to try, and try darn hard to accomplish that.

It took an hour after they got home for my dad to tell me all the details of the day. I missed it all because Allison and I we connecting at the time, and for us nothing else mattered. Everything that was going on around us was inconsequential.

Until they sat down to eat Allison was on pins and needles in anticipation of seeing me again. I guess she was as nervous as I was. When they sat down at the table she became sullen and remote from everyone. I guess me magically showing up like I did when everyone thought I wasn't coming was a shock to everyone. Nobody knew how to act.

When Jack checked on us downstairs and went back and told everyone, "They are just sitting in the loveseat with their eyes closed holding hands and not saying a word." That surprised everyone because they expected us to be talking or yelling at each other, or something. They forgot Alison and I had the "MAGIC and didn't need to talk to each other about feelings. Jack added, "Those two always had a weird way of connecting. I think that is what they are doing now."

Dad then told me when Nancy had gone to get us to return upstairs and we were talking about world affairs she didn't know what to think. Normal people would have been yelling at each other or something. Everyone was happy when we came upstairs and most of them understood us not talking and just staring into each others eyes.

Dad said after I left, it was somewhat like a replay of the old days. When I closed the door Allison sat there for a minute staring at the door not moving a muscle. Then she suddenly jumped up and screamed and ran to her old bedroom and threw herself on the bed crying. Nancy and Jack fully expecting the worst, went to console her but no consoling was needed, because her tears, were tears of joy. She grabbed her mom and the first thing she loudly exclaimed was, "He called me dear... Did you hear him, he called me dear." She then slumped down and in a defeated voice said, "He was here and like the dummy I am, I never apologized, I so need to do that."

Jack then said, "I think he is feeling the same way you are right now, but today wasn't the day for that. From the sounds of it there is going to be many chances to say everything you want to each other, so just look to the future." With there being no panic, Jack and Nancy left her there by herself to rejoin their company.

Allison stayed in her old room and didn't come out. There was nobody in there with her, but every now and then everyone could hear her say, "Thank you. I'm so happy he's is going to talk to me." Who she was talking to nobody knew.

Dad gave me a rare hug and told me, "Jack and Nancy told me to say thanks again. It looks like they might get their daughter back. It was a nice thing what you did. I think you treated her just the right way to make her feel good about herself again and I think the two of you are over the hump and on the right track to straightening out your lives. Just remember when you two talk, let your heart do most of the talking. Be truthful and let her know how much she hurt you and listen to her when she tells you what it was like when you ran out like that. You two have that "MAGIC" thing you do, so listen to it."

Like dad always does he had to end it with a question, "So son what happens next?"

I took some time and then told him, "I've got to get my head around this first. I've realized how stupid I've been reacting like I did. It was not very adult of me was it? I never understood how much I'd missed her." After a pause I said, "This whole thing of reconnecting is going to be a hell of a lot more complicated than I imagined... I guess Allison and I will just have to take it day by day."

After three weeks Allison still hadn't called and I wondered if she was going to call at all. One day I had no sooner got home from work and as soon as I opened the door to my apartment she pushed me out of the way and walked right by me into the middle of the room. Where the hell she had been I don't know but here she was taking off her coat and sitting on the sofa like she owned the place. She turned to me, "You're not getting away this time until I get to at least talk a bit more. I never got to say hardly anything to you at Easter. Mind you I think you were right, if we would have talked about the things we wanted to talk about we wouldn't be here, and she emphasized, and I do want to be here... She admitted, "The "MAGIC" told me to call yesterday, but I thought me surprising you would be better, after all you surprised me at Easter."

8)Aftermath

To start things that day we ordered some pizza and after that we sat at the table and started to talk. We did things a bit different. That first evening was just spent apologizing to each other for our actions and then asking each other a bunch of questions. We stopped at that not getting the answers. That would come the next night and a lot of nights following that one.

It took more than a few months to get all the answers with a lot of added questions, loads of tears, and heartaches. Believe me there were a lot of pauses just thinking about what was said and what we wanted to say. We met and talked every day. Our parents thought we had disappeared off the face of the earth and checked up on us every now and then. Mind you they sure helped a lot by listening to us and offering non Judgemental solutions.

Why did it take us so long to get back on an even keel? I'm sure if we would have rushed into it, things would have been missed, which would have festered and came up later and cause more problems. Plus if any emotions were misinterpreted or anything like that it would have been unproductive. There was also a lot of time just sitting on a sofa cuddling while one of us thought about an answer to one of those hard questions. Yeah I know, we had hurt each other so bad, but we were still sitting around cuddling trying to work things out. If that isn't weird I don't know what is.

Once we were back to earth in our relationship, we dated for a year and a half, then got a bigger apartment when we decided to move in together. There were still some rocky days and I think the worst one was when we got carried away one night and we were going to make love. Memories for both of us came back and ruined that night but we kept fighting for us.

Did we win the fight to reconnect? Did we win the sex question? Are we stable? I would like to think we are, after all here we are, and ten years have gone down the road since that Easter meal. Yes we did get married and are very happy. About the only argument around our place now is trying to get our daughter back from our parents. Gezz you would think she was their kid. What's her name you ask? Well it's Wanda. Both of our grand-mothers names were Wanda so that was it. We were going to call her Magic but that was our thing and we weren't going to share our thing with anyone, not even our daughter.

I'll wrap things up now. I hear the key in the door signalling my little whirlwind is back from the shopping trip with her mother.

"Daddy I'm back." She rushed to me expecting to get lifted up like always. "I got a pretty blue dress and mommy says we have to go and get some shoes that look good with it."

I hugged her and she pulled back and said to me, "You feel sad. Why are you sad?"

"I was just writing about something that happened in the past that made me sad. But with you here everything's peachy now."

Allison joined us and sat beside me. "You know you spoil her almost as much as our parents." But the big thing is what are you planning to get me for my birthday?"

Oh boy birthday. Do you know how hard it is to buy a present for your wife when you know when you give it to her, you will be able to feel whether she likes it or not. If she likes it ok, but if not, will she tell you she does like it when she doesn't, and then will you be disappointed in yourself for getting something she doen't want?

End.

9)Shane

Oh yeah, about Shane.

We were at the mall one day about two years after we got back together. I wanted to get some toffee for mom that she really liked. This one candy store near the end of the mall was the only place in town that sold this particular toffee and she loved it. It was hand folded, which for some reason mom said made it better, and there was also a slight taste of raspberry in it to make it special. While I was in there Allison went to the shop next door to look for a new purse to add to her collection. She had purses up the ying yang, but she couldn't resist looking for more.

I had just paid for the package of toffee when there was what I thought a riot in the hallway of the mall. I could hear Allison's voice screaming and yelling at someone. I rushed out to see what was going on and had to pull her off someone rolled into a ball protecting himself on the floor. She was flailing away on this guy like there was no tomorrow. I pulled her off and got her to stand back and gave her the package to hold. I then turned to help this guy up.

I helped him up and was shocked when it was Shane. Now I knew why she was battering away on someone. He saw who was helping him up and he smirked at me. Big mistake on his part. As a result of the smirk, I had an adrenalin rush and went absolutely ape shit on him.

Mall security showed up and then the regular cops with an ambulance for Shane. There were lots of witnesses that saw what happened and as a result I happily spent six months behind bars for assault and battery. Allison only spent four months there.

We thought it was worth every minute of it. After he spent three weeks in the hospital, he moved to wherever. I think he knows how we feel about him.

On one of her visits to the cells to visit me, she told me she was just standing there waiting for me, when someone said her name and grabbed her arm and turned her to him. Shawn excitedly exclaimed, "Allison nice seeing you. You're so hot in the sack we've got to hook up again." He was going to say something else but he suddenly found himself having to deal with a screaming wildcat. I admit the sight her being all of a hundred and ten pounds, beating the crap out of a two hundred pound guy was pretty neat. Something like that let's a guy know not to get her too pissed off, so I do my best not to.