[avm] 1.1.A. - moment {thirteen years old}
NOTE: Translation: Ti kanis = how are you
“Did you finish your homework?”
“Yes, Mom.” Two more feet and he was safe, he just had to get to the doorknob. She couldn’t get to him inside his dad’s office, she didn’t dare disturb them when Pop told her that Friday nights were their quality time.
“Well, if you finished your homework and your chores, why don’t you go to the movies with Manny and Bert? I know they invited you, I could hear through the open front door.”
Thirteen year old Tommy Karras took one more step away from his mother, Agatha, forcing himself not to look at the door. Just a little closer and he could bolt. Hopefully, anyway.
“Why don’t you want to go out with your friends, Tommy?”
“It’s just a hassle, ya know? I’m tired, it’s my night to hang with Dad…and I’m gonna see ‘em tomorrow anyway!” That, and Becky Sanders is gonna be there…
Not that he was going to say that out loud to his mother, she’d not only yell at him but she’d force him to go out on a night when he was absolutely guaranteed to make a fool of himself and ruin even his daydreams of being brave enough to actually ask her out.
He was saved from further interrogation when he heard the door open behind him. The click of the latch and the squeak of the hinge were like music to his ears.
“Aggie, lover, are you holding him up? Tommy, get your butt in here!”
“Sure thing, Pop!” he replied too quickly, gratefully rushing into the sanctity of the room. Outside, he could already hear the brief, heated conversation taking place the way it always did when Mom got to nagging and Pop didn’t like it. They spoke in hushed tones he couldn’t quite hear, but he didn’t worry too much. It wasn’t like the kind of fights Bert’s folks had before they split up, Tommy’s folks never yelled and they always came away from each other not angry.
He waited two minutes before Gregory Karras re-entered the room and shut the door. Flicking on the large antique lamp by the draft desk, he switched off the fluorescent overhead lights, transforming the room in a heartbeat. With the magic posters and framed architectural drawings that plastered the walls, the lighting gave the room a strange old-fashioned feel that Tommy loved.
It was claustrophobic and secret…it was magical.
“Ti kanis, Tom Tom?”
Grinning, Tommy flexed his fingers and took a deep breath. “I’m good, Pop.”
“Are you ready?”
Jittering with nerves, he managed only a nod.
“Show me.”
Taking another deep breath, his features knotted in concentration as he gathered himself and turned slightly in profile. Hands loose at his sides, he lifted one arm to display his empty hand, both front and back. He did it twice before stilling, taking a deep breath…
…and producing a playing card from thin air with a sharp, practiced flick of his fingers.
He turned instantly to his father. In the low, yellow light, he watched the familiar features melt into a grin.
“Little man, that gave me chills. Shades of the master himself, I’m not even kidding you.”
Elation exploded in his chest as he walked over and handed the card back to his father. “Really? I mean, I practiced just like you showed me, and I even choreographed that turn! It was like I’d done it my whole life, and the card wasn’t that hard to palm, I just--”
Gregory held up a hand to stop the rush of words from the otherwise quiet young man, grinning as he did. “You got it down pat, Tom Tom, and I’m glad…because I want to talk to you about maybe taking your mom’s advice tonight.”
His blood ran cold as his jaw fell open. “What? Pop, I can’t…I-I-I mean, Becky Masters is gonna be at the show and Bert keeps trying to make me talk to her and…and…”
He trailed off, feeling the familiar nausea rise up to threaten him. Wincing, he steadied himself with a few breaths as his dad took a seat in the armchair by the door, beckoning him over.
“Listen, I know you’re scared. We all are. Talking to people, especially pretty girls…it’s never easy. That’s why I showed you the palm and the force. Those two together can make any card trick work, any trick. And you know what kind of power a good magic trick has.”
“It can make gods out of mortals and good men out of bad.” He recited, all too familiar with the odd but well-known saying of his dad’s. “But I’m not…I’m not like Houdini or Blackstone or any of ‘em. I’m just…me.”
Gregory scooted forward in his seat and reached out to take Tommy’s face between his hands before placing a kiss against each cheek in a fatherly, European fashion.
“You’re a good boy that’s going to grow into a great man. You’re ready for this…you’re ready for real power. Now go out there and use it.”
Tommy watched his father draw back and press the playing card back into his palm. It was bent where he’d palmed it, the king of diamonds. Pop spent a lot of time toying with that card in particular, especially when he was working.
He loved magic just as much as his dad, and as much of a little kid as it made him, Tommy believed every word his father said with absolute conviction. Pop talked about magic like a sacred trust, like it was a real thing…and Tommy believed it. He knew how magic tricks made him feel, and he knew now how it felt to execute one. He knew that blowing someone’s mind with a decent effect was a special thing, it was a kind of power that he’d never have.
…but he wanted to. It wasn’t wrong to hope, was it? That maybe…maybe…
Stepping back, he curled his fingers around the card and lifted it into view, then made it vanish with the same sharp movement as before, displaying his hand as empty before he let it fall and took a deep breath.
“I’m gonna go call Bert and Manny, see if they left for the theater yet…maybe I’ll show Becky that trick.” He declared as bravely as he could. He didn’t feel very brave, or sound it to his own ears.
Still, his dad was grinning and nodding. “I think that’s a good idea, Tom Tom. Just remember…believe.”
Tommy nodded, then forced himself to walk out of the office and down the hall to the kitchen so he could use the phone. Mom was washing dishes and heard the whole thing…but shockingly, she didn’t gloat. She didn’t even look up from the sink.
Believe, man. Believe.
Maybe it was a sign…if his mom could get off his case for a night, then maybe he could win Becky over with a card trick.
There was nothing wrong with having a little hope.
Muse: Tommy Karras
Fandom: Original Character
Words: 1,176
“Did you finish your homework?”
“Yes, Mom.” Two more feet and he was safe, he just had to get to the doorknob. She couldn’t get to him inside his dad’s office, she didn’t dare disturb them when Pop told her that Friday nights were their quality time.
“Well, if you finished your homework and your chores, why don’t you go to the movies with Manny and Bert? I know they invited you, I could hear through the open front door.”
Thirteen year old Tommy Karras took one more step away from his mother, Agatha, forcing himself not to look at the door. Just a little closer and he could bolt. Hopefully, anyway.
“Why don’t you want to go out with your friends, Tommy?”
“It’s just a hassle, ya know? I’m tired, it’s my night to hang with Dad…and I’m gonna see ‘em tomorrow anyway!” That, and Becky Sanders is gonna be there…
Not that he was going to say that out loud to his mother, she’d not only yell at him but she’d force him to go out on a night when he was absolutely guaranteed to make a fool of himself and ruin even his daydreams of being brave enough to actually ask her out.
He was saved from further interrogation when he heard the door open behind him. The click of the latch and the squeak of the hinge were like music to his ears.
“Aggie, lover, are you holding him up? Tommy, get your butt in here!”
“Sure thing, Pop!” he replied too quickly, gratefully rushing into the sanctity of the room. Outside, he could already hear the brief, heated conversation taking place the way it always did when Mom got to nagging and Pop didn’t like it. They spoke in hushed tones he couldn’t quite hear, but he didn’t worry too much. It wasn’t like the kind of fights Bert’s folks had before they split up, Tommy’s folks never yelled and they always came away from each other not angry.
He waited two minutes before Gregory Karras re-entered the room and shut the door. Flicking on the large antique lamp by the draft desk, he switched off the fluorescent overhead lights, transforming the room in a heartbeat. With the magic posters and framed architectural drawings that plastered the walls, the lighting gave the room a strange old-fashioned feel that Tommy loved.
It was claustrophobic and secret…it was magical.
“Ti kanis, Tom Tom?”
Grinning, Tommy flexed his fingers and took a deep breath. “I’m good, Pop.”
“Are you ready?”
Jittering with nerves, he managed only a nod.
“Show me.”
Taking another deep breath, his features knotted in concentration as he gathered himself and turned slightly in profile. Hands loose at his sides, he lifted one arm to display his empty hand, both front and back. He did it twice before stilling, taking a deep breath…
…and producing a playing card from thin air with a sharp, practiced flick of his fingers.
He turned instantly to his father. In the low, yellow light, he watched the familiar features melt into a grin.
“Little man, that gave me chills. Shades of the master himself, I’m not even kidding you.”
Elation exploded in his chest as he walked over and handed the card back to his father. “Really? I mean, I practiced just like you showed me, and I even choreographed that turn! It was like I’d done it my whole life, and the card wasn’t that hard to palm, I just--”
Gregory held up a hand to stop the rush of words from the otherwise quiet young man, grinning as he did. “You got it down pat, Tom Tom, and I’m glad…because I want to talk to you about maybe taking your mom’s advice tonight.”
His blood ran cold as his jaw fell open. “What? Pop, I can’t…I-I-I mean, Becky Masters is gonna be at the show and Bert keeps trying to make me talk to her and…and…”
He trailed off, feeling the familiar nausea rise up to threaten him. Wincing, he steadied himself with a few breaths as his dad took a seat in the armchair by the door, beckoning him over.
“Listen, I know you’re scared. We all are. Talking to people, especially pretty girls…it’s never easy. That’s why I showed you the palm and the force. Those two together can make any card trick work, any trick. And you know what kind of power a good magic trick has.”
“It can make gods out of mortals and good men out of bad.” He recited, all too familiar with the odd but well-known saying of his dad’s. “But I’m not…I’m not like Houdini or Blackstone or any of ‘em. I’m just…me.”
Gregory scooted forward in his seat and reached out to take Tommy’s face between his hands before placing a kiss against each cheek in a fatherly, European fashion.
“You’re a good boy that’s going to grow into a great man. You’re ready for this…you’re ready for real power. Now go out there and use it.”
Tommy watched his father draw back and press the playing card back into his palm. It was bent where he’d palmed it, the king of diamonds. Pop spent a lot of time toying with that card in particular, especially when he was working.
He loved magic just as much as his dad, and as much of a little kid as it made him, Tommy believed every word his father said with absolute conviction. Pop talked about magic like a sacred trust, like it was a real thing…and Tommy believed it. He knew how magic tricks made him feel, and he knew now how it felt to execute one. He knew that blowing someone’s mind with a decent effect was a special thing, it was a kind of power that he’d never have.
…but he wanted to. It wasn’t wrong to hope, was it? That maybe…maybe…
Stepping back, he curled his fingers around the card and lifted it into view, then made it vanish with the same sharp movement as before, displaying his hand as empty before he let it fall and took a deep breath.
“I’m gonna go call Bert and Manny, see if they left for the theater yet…maybe I’ll show Becky that trick.” He declared as bravely as he could. He didn’t feel very brave, or sound it to his own ears.
Still, his dad was grinning and nodding. “I think that’s a good idea, Tom Tom. Just remember…believe.”
Tommy nodded, then forced himself to walk out of the office and down the hall to the kitchen so he could use the phone. Mom was washing dishes and heard the whole thing…but shockingly, she didn’t gloat. She didn’t even look up from the sink.
Believe, man. Believe.
Maybe it was a sign…if his mom could get off his case for a night, then maybe he could win Becky over with a card trick.
There was nothing wrong with having a little hope.
Muse: Tommy Karras
Fandom: Original Character
Words: 1,176