He’s a Magic Man #amwriting

I wrote a little story last week using a name, place, object prompt and some of you asked for me to continue on with Sylvia’s story. So, that’s what I’m going to do. Once again, I’m joining the weekly prompt challenge over at Studio30 Plus.  The prompt for this week are the words legerdemain or sleight of hand, ‘n’, meaning artful trick or deception. I thought this word would tie in perfectly with Sylvia’s story.

Sylvia sat at the kitchen table, her hands crossed neatly in front of her as she waited for Jim to come home from work. Glancing at the digital clock on the oven, she raised her brow. He was late. Again. He had promised her he would be home by 6:30 so they could have a nice dinner together. It was almost 8. Sylvia hadn’t realized she had been sitting at the table, watching the food grow cold, for over an hour.

She picked up her cellphone which was silently laying next to her plate and dialed Jim’s number. The call went right to voicemail, either Jim’s battery had died or he hit the ignore button. Sylvia was starting to think that he was always hitting the ignore button when it came to her. Stifling a sob, Sylvia stood up and started clearing off the table. She threw out the gravy, which had already started getting that layer of fat covering it. She tossed the roast and potatoes into a tupperware container and threw foil over the top because she couldn’t find a matching lid. Where did all those lids disappear to, she wondered. They were like magicians. One minute they were there and the next, like a magic man’s sleight of hand, they were gone.

Like Jim. A magic man who used a type of legerdemain to get what he wanted, both in the bedroom and out.

When the food was put away and the kitchen was clean, Sylvia tried to call Jim again. And again, it went directly to voicemail. She didn’t bother leaving a message, she never did. What good did it ever do, anyway. He never called her back. He’d show up when he’d show up. Usually, he’d wake her up from a sound sleep and make love to her, begging him to forgive him for working late. After they were done making love, she always forgave him. She couldn’t help herself, she loved him and she loved how he made her feel when his body was melted into hers.

Jim really did provide a wonderful life for her. His business allowed her to stay at home, he wanted a wife not a business woman. He wanted someone who would stay home and raise their children, even though they didn’t have any yet. But, they hadn’t started trying, even though they had been married now for five years and she wasn’t getting any younger. She knew that women pushing 40 had children all the time. But, she had really wanted to be done by now. Jim just kept telling her that it wasn’t the right time. As she brushed her teeth, she wondered if he really thought there would ever be the right time.

She could hear her phone ringing Magic Man from the bedroom, it was Jim’s ringtone. She spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth, not in a hurry to answer the phone. She knew Jim. She was starting to wake up to him and his ways. She just didn’t feel like listening to his excuses. Not tonight.

Tonight marked five years. Their ‘wooden’ anniversary. She had used a piece of wood and wrote a message into it as a card. She had bought him a sapphire colored silk tie from Burberry. It was the one he had been eyeing at Nordstrom’s. She also bought him sapphire studded cufflinks because the gemstone was for the five year mark. She had been excited to give him his gifts, she had even used her own money from her inheritance which was dwindling due to a couple bad business deals Jim got into. Sylvia never held those against him though. Her money became his once they said their “I do’s”. She still had plenty of money invested, her statement had just arrived and there was over 10 million left. Although, in the last five years, Jim had gone through almost half her money.

Magic Man blared from her phone again. Surprised at herself, she ignored it again. Good, she thought, let him know what it feels like to be unsure. She paced the wood floors of her large bedroom. Even though she was already showered, she stopped and did fifty squats. Exercise was becoming an addiction ever since she noticed the subtle changes in her body. And, a side effect of exercising was clarity of mind. Sylvia was starting to recognize things for what they were, especially when it came to her husband. She wasn’t sure she was liking what she saw, even though she loved the man she was married to. Or perhaps, she loved the illusion of him, the man he pretended to be.

Her phone alerted her again, this time she laughed as she pressed the ‘remind me’ button. Magic Man, of course. she let out a sad sigh as she realized what her subconsciousness had obviously already known. How appropriate.

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