Before I knew it, the roll of tickets, which I had just managed to grab, disappeared. I just felt them just vanish, no longer there.
Was it that simple? Just wish them to disappear and they will? There was one way to test my theory out, but then I’d be damning Merry or somebody else with their possession. If Camille and Debbie were any indication, then I’d not be able to help my sister and who knows how she’d be tempted with them? Then another, darker thought came to me.
“Get off Oogie,” Tiny said, pulling Tim up by his left hand.
I felt Tim’s weight suddenly leave mine, and I pulled myself up. Tim’s attention was riveted to where I fell on the tickets, which were no longer there.
Tim saw the tickets vanish into thin air. “He stole them!” Tim cried.
“Stole what?” Tiny demanded.
Tim found that he couldn’t say what I stole. “Um… my things. They disappeared into thin air!”
“If it was a weapon, then I’d feel safer with it being disappeared forever, you little twerp.”
“No… I mean it…”
“I’ve already told you. You’re French for ‘get out of here.’”
Tiny had an interesting way with words.
Tim Hawking got the message and left slowly, his eyes constantly looking on the ground where he last saw his precious roll of tickets.
Disaster had been averted. I’m not sure how many people Tim Hawking destroyed, but his ability to magically do so was now significantly reduced.
A few minutes after Tim left, I excused myself from the party to take a quick jog to Kristen’s Camaro. The doors were unlocked, and I opened the door and looked underneath the passenger seat. I was afraid that I would find nothing there, and my heart hung quite heavy.
I found the purple roll of tickets underneath the seat, right where I had stashed them before leaving for the party. I had found out soon after I moved in with Kristen that she was never able to pick up my ticket roll. I had never discussed this oddity with Camille, since she claimed that she never had them, but I figured that storing them in Kristen’s Camaro would allow me quick access to them if I needed them, and was a relatively safe place when I didn’t have my attaché case with me.
For a few minutes after I saw Tim’s tickets disappear, I had the awful feeling that my wish to make his tickets disappear might have the side effect of making mine go away as well. As I have mentioned, I was not exactly sure how they worked, and in the moment that I had seen his tickets vanish, I was even willing to give mine up in order to save other potential victims from Tim. The fact that my tickets were still safe where I left them made me feel better.
I came back inside Jackie’s house and smiled at Kristen.
“I saw what happened outside,” Kristen said when we had a moment alone together.
“What?”
“Tim lost his tickets. You touched them and they disappeared. How come it doesn’t happen when you hand me the roll?”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know.”
“I’m glad he’s rid of them. It’s bad enough that you have them. I mean… I mean that in a nice way, Jim…”
I nodded. “I know, but if I make mine disappear, somebody else will find them. Kristen, I keep hoping that there is a way to fix what I have done to you!”
Camille walked over to the two of us. “Are you talking about what I think you are talking about?”
I nodded, sadly.
“You did a good thing outside. I hope the next person is more like you and less like that asshole.”
We ended up in a three way hug.
It was an enjoyable party. Even Tiny had fun.
Tiny had to leave early. Kristen, Camille, and I went outside with him when June pulled up.
“Hey, June!” Camille said, cheerily.
“Was my Teddy Bear a good bodyguard?” June asked.
“He was perfect,” I assured June.
“The creep that they thought would crash the party actually showed up. I managed to show him the error of his ways.”
“I hope this doesn’t become a habit,” June said.
“It won’t,” I said with some assurance.
June and Tiny looked at me strangely.
Before Tiny could get into June’s car, both Kristen and Camille gave Tiny a kiss on his cheek.
I offered my hand to June, and after a moment, she shook it.
As Tiny got into the passenger side, June said, “Did you know that Tiny plays the trumpet?”
“Really?” I asked. I never saw Tiny play an instrument before.
“His Uncle Jake was a jazz musician in Chicago.”
I hadn’t known this. “You play?” I asked Tiny.
“A bit,” Tiny admitted.
That was interesting. And then, suddenly, I made a shocking realization. “Jake Jonas? The legendary blues musician?”
“Yeah,” Tiny said, smiling slightly. “You’ve heard of him?”
“My… um… dad… once took me to see him in Chicago.”
I was always uncomfortable about talking about my real father. Also, despite the fact that I truly enjoyed watching the blues musicians play, my father got drunk and rowdy and we were asked to leave the pub where we listened to him play. He also beat me up when we were outside, and then begged forgiveness. I really hate my father.
“He died of a heart attack two years ago,” Tiny said, a bit sadly.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I felt a bit awkward. Then, I realized that if Jake Jonas taught Tiny to play the trumpet, Tiny might have some talent. “Would you be interested in the jazz band? We have a Spring Concert coming up…”
Tiny looked at June, who smiled at Tiny. “You practice on Thursdays, right?” Tiny asked.
“Yeah…”
Tiny said, “I’m free on Thursdays. I’m usually hanging around doing homework in the library while June practices with the cheerleaders. I’ll show up for your next rehearsal and you can give me an audition.”
The next Thursday, the entire music room became quiet when Tiny Jonas entered the room with an instrument case.
There were a few fingers pointing, and I motioned for Tiny to sit at the seat next to Toby.
Toby saw Tiny open his case and pull out an old trumpet. Tiny oiled the valves and ran his fingers over them. His eyes opened wide as he realized that Tiny’s trumpet looked nearly identical to the one that I presented to Toby, although it wasn’t as polished as Toby’s was. (For that matter, when I had that trumpet, it was never as polished as it was after I gave it to Toby. He really seemed to cherish that gift.)
After hearing Tiny practice with a chromatic scale that ran two octaves in an equal number of seconds, I realized that Tiny’s playing “a bit” was an understatement.
I told Tiny earlier that if he could just play the arrangements, that would be enough of an audition for me, since none of the other musicians had actually auditioned for the jazz band.
I noticed Tiny was hesitant during the first run through of a song, but on his next attempt he played his part nearly perfect.
During this particular rehearsal, I handed out some new music that I had written myself. I told Tiny to take the first eight bar solo to see how he’d do.
When Tiny took his solo, he floored me with the soulful notes he could get from the simple chord progression that I set up.
At the end of the rehearsal, Tiny graduated from being a curiosity, as it was very clear to everybody that he was a much better player than Toby. People called me a virtuoso, and I could actually say that his playing was as good as mine. I was lucky to have a bunch of other instruments in my repertoire, just in case I was underestimating his talent!