The Totally Amazing Theodore

THE TOTALLY AWESOME THEODORE

When Becky suggested Andrea’s brother could do magic tricks at our wedding reception, well, of course, I didn’t think much of that idea. A magic act at our wedding? Just how crazy is that?

I know it sounds odd now saying it out loud, but back then I couldn’t tell her what I really thought. In a couple of weeks, Becky was going to become my wife. She was stubbornly seized upon this guy’s magic act so what was I supposed to do? Me saying no, I mean, telling her it was a crazy stupid idea. It just didn’t seem to be the best way to start off our marriage. So, I kept quiet.

“Ok, Beck. What’s this guy’s name? You know anything about his act? What’s he do that’s so special?”

“I’ve known Teddie practically all my life. He calls himself The Totally Awesome Theodore. A nice guy. Besides, Andrea says he’s become an excellent magician. Apparently, doing card tricks is one of his specialties. When we were growing up, Teddie always pestered me to watch his latest trick. One of his favourites was with the nine of hearts. There was also that old reliable one, the one every magician has, you know it – the disappearing quarter. He always pulled it out of my ear or so it seemed to me. I remember once he put a kitchen dish towel over his pet rabbit, touched the towel twice with a long twig of white birch from the backyard and turned Bugs into a real live dove. I kid you not. A dove, for god’s sake. Well, that bird, it took off, perched on top of the living room drapes. Wouldn’t come back down for days.”

Becky giggled at the memory. “I’m sure Teddie’ll do a great job.”

Looking back at it now, it was just a plain lousy idea, and I should’ve come square with her then. But I didn’t. I regret that.

So at our wedding, after the usual speeches and before the DJ started up with the dancing, The Totally Awesome Theodore stepped into the middle of the dance floor. He was all duded up in a fancy long tail tux with a top hat made of red silk.

At first, our guests didn’t know what to make of him. I mean, who’d ever seen a magician doing card tricks at a wedding reception? Anyway, Theodore really started getting into it, pumping up the audience with promises of fantastic magic tricks yet to come and what he called mind-blowing illusions.

So after the initial ‘what the…?’ reaction from our guests, including the head table, everybody seemed to cautiously settle in for the promised show. Well, that’s not quite right. Not everybody settled in. Becky’s Dad looked pissed, but like me, when he’d heard about Teddie a couple of weeks ago, he went along with it. After all, it was his only daughter’s wedding, and he was going to do nothing to put a damper on it.

So anyway, The Totally Awesome Theodore began his act.