As Luck Would Have it

A few witches finally applied to work at the factory. She set two to work for her father selling to the new potion. Henry came over to the factory. “Daniel, would you like to play cards with me one night?”

“We\'re going through a divorce,” Betsy said.

“You can see Cynthia. I miss our conversations.”

“You miss more than that.”

Henry followed Betsy through the small factory. “So. Daniel, I won’t deny that we had some good sex. I was jealous.”

“You’re jealous that I’m succeeding business. Billy, get one of the men to help you read the instructions.”

“Two day glamour potion?” Billy asked.

“On the first line, when the second line ends, start making our mildest love potion,” Betsy said.

“Will do,” Billy said. “Charlie, help me fill the vat with the necessary ingredients.”

“Sure Billy,” Charlie said.

“Henry, I have paperwork to do. I hired anr ofr office girl but I still have to check our production matches orderrders. Potions has a short shelf life when it isn’t touched by a witch before use,” Betsy said.

“I have my own factories to watch.”

“You have plant managers that you can trust. I haven’t found anyone able to do it. Mattie and Peter knows the business well enough, but I need them in sales.”

“I know that finding good help is hard. I’m happy for you. Let me take you out for a drink after you close.”

“Sure.”

“I’m having a party next Friday night. Come over.”

“I’ll join you for a drink. I’ll think about going to a party with you.”

“For old times sake. We’ll just have a few beers. Alex can come to the party.”

“She doesn’t drink. You know how she feels about alcohol.”

“Whatever.” Henry put his hand on Betsy’s face and briefly kissed her. A few of the men on the line hollered.

“Get back to work,” Betsy shouted. Betsy lowered her voice. “Henry, I can’t tand wnd work at the same time. I meet you by the bar by the auditorium at eight.”

“See you, then.” Henry left the factory.

Betsy counted the receipts and made the drop at the bank. Henry put his arms around Betsy as he greeted her at the bar. “This isn’t a queer bar.”

“I’m over six foot tall and strong as a bear. Nobody has ever messed with me.”

“Not when you were dating a prize fighter. James’s poster was everywhere. I rather go to a queer bar.”

“Picky, picky, picky.”

“You can sit on the carpet with me. You must know of one or two in the Boston area. No one has ever called the police claiming you were making a public disturbance.”

“In James’s hometown, are you out of your mind?”

“No one has loyalty to me.”

After the carpet took off, Henry asked, “Why did you build here?”

“The building was here and the right size. I transport my product by carpet. This location is more central anyway.”

“Only to Alex’s route,” Henry said.

“According to Claire’s calculations the route should take less than five hours, Alex takes more than eight.”

Henry put his arms around Betsy. “I missed you.”

“I miss you, too. I’m not calling off the divorce.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“I now know why not many people open factories making magical potions. You don’t have to worry about who touches your shoes and when. I have two magic users on the line. Billy is illiterate and more trouble than he\'s worth. My mother quit after two weeks and I have two new girls in the office. Hiring office girls was easy. The girl that does the accounting had more experience than I and Claire is fantastic answering the phone. My mother recommended her; she gets us more orders than we can handle. I’ll have to open a third line more often.”

“Welcome to business.”

“I feel like all my money goes to salaries, supplies, and building maintenance. I didn’t know how much it cost to light a factory and keep the machines going.”

“Daniel, you have come a long way.” Henry kissed her.

“I’m not some little man you can manipulate.” Betsy pulled away.

“I like that we’re equals. I had to always baby James. You’re as tough as I.”

“What happened? You ordered me out of your life.”

“I was jealous of you. Daniel, you’re very attractive man.”

“Henry, I always thought you were better looking than I. I couldn’t understand why you didn’t do better in the love department.”“I’m too busy with work. Go to the party at Richard Baker’s house. You might meet a nice girl there.”

“I have Alex.”

“Take her.”

“I might be late but I’ll go.”

“Annabel is having a party, too. You\'re invited. She has been asking about you.” Betsy put her head on Henry’s chest. Henry stroked her hair. “We’re coming up to Boston. Do want to go for that drink?”

“Why not? Go to a place that caters to woman, too. We can swap partners if the police should raid.”

“There’re always more men in those places.”

“I don’t want to spend the night in jail.”

“All they want is to lay a fine on us.”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“You pay the lousy fine and go home.”

“Next time, we’ll go to house Alex built. I need to help her decorate it.”

“You need to meet people outside of work. Relax.” Henry kissed her as they entered the bar. It was crowded and both men and women filled the spaces.

Betsy made her way to the bar. “Sir, I manufacture potions. This flyer explains the one that I sell at the house. I sell six others at any drugstore.”

“At the house?” the bartender asked. “I heard about your curse remover.”

“It isn’t shelf stable. I can’t mass-produce it. It even needs to be served by a witch or it loses its magic.”

“I understand. If it was easy to make a curse remover people would have done it ages ago.”

“If we weren’t making it for humanitarian reasons, we won’t have bothered. We make enough money with our six other potions.”

“I’ll let anyone know. Can I have more copies? I’ll give them to other bartenders. You’re doing good work healing people of curses.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Henry put his hand on Betsy’s shoulder. “Love, I brought you a beer. We’re here to socialize not to bore the bartender with talk about your business.”

“He’s helping people,” the bartender said.

Betsy pulled out ten more flyers from her jacket about the specialty potion. “Give them to other bartenders. Let everyone know that this potion makes permanent changes. My potion cures behavior and physical curses. I can’t help anyone that has a curse that affects his soul or anyone with a timed curse. My father is tired of sending people away.”

“Thank you. You’re doing good work.”

“pe tpe to prevent a lot of misery.” Betsy left the bar and walked to the table holding two beers.

A man came to Betsy’s table. “I heard you made potions. Are you the inventor of that curse removing potion?”

“Yes,” Betsy said weakly.

“It saved my niece’s life. I couldn’t be more grateful,” the man said.

Betsy drank down her beer. “Luv, dance with me.”

“I have never danced with a man before.”

“Put your arms around me and feel the music.”

“I rather not,” said the man.

“We can talk.” Betsy walked over to man’s table. “I’m sorry I was rude to you. I tend to make an ass out of myself around a handsome man.” Many times straight couples accidentally went to a bar that caters to homosexuals.

The woman sitting beside the man said, “I’m Ruth and this is Art.”

\"Daniel.” She looked at Art who looked more masculine than Henry. Betsy shook his hand and sat at their table.

“Is it Logan?” asked Art.

“Yes, Daniel Logan of Logan Products,” she said. “I just gave some flyers to the bartender.”

“People are talking about you and your potion.”

“I suppose that my father must have treated thousands with my curse removing potion.”

“The talk on the street is that it’s a real lifesaver. You should be proud of yourself.”

“I thought people would think that I was trying to get rich using other people’s problems.”

“It can’t be that expensive to make.”

“My father makes it in large vats. I have suggested that he increase the price to slow demand. We’ll lower the price once we have more product. This is my soon to be ex-husband, Henry.”

Henry extended his hand to Art then Ruth. “It’s always a pleasure.”

“You were a woman,” Art said.

“I still am,” Betsy said. “I’m working on a potion but it’s for my girlfriend. I have no desire to take it. I don’t need a dick to be a man.”

“Daniel is taking male hormone for a medical reason,” Henry said. “The physical changes are a side effect.”

Ruth complained that Art was abused at his current job for being a magic user.

“That has happened to me. I would never put you at odds with the other men,” Betsy explained as she started her second cigarette.

“About half of Dan’s employees are magic users. I have never heard one complain,” H sai said.

“I paid them very well.” Betsy gave Ruth a piece of paper with her home and work number on it. Betsy kissed her briefly. “Call me anytime.”

“I’ll keep your number. Thank for the advice.” Art hugged her briefly.

“Are goingoing to wear pants to our divorce?” Henry asked.

“Yes, after what was reported to your insurance, I need take my medication. If I did an illusion spell, someone could believe that I’m not taking my medication,” Betsy said. “It isn’t worth the risk.”

“We don’t have to get divorced.” Henry kissed her deeply and held her very close.

“Have your lawyer call my lawyer and we can put it on hold. Unless you are planning to remarry.”

“Not bloody likely.”

“There is nothing illegal about it. You were a woman when you married him?” Ruth asked.

“I started living as a man recently. I don’t want the men that work for me knowing I\'m a woman. It wouldn’t be good for my image. I usually pee in a stall although I do it standing up. With telekinesis, I aim better than men.”

“I don’t know why I married you.”

“Because I became pregnant and my parents would have killed you if you didn’t make an honest woman out of me.”

“I’m glad we had Cynthia.”

“So her aunt can raise her.”

“I have three sisters. What is the problem?” Henry asked. “Lots of children are raising by aunts.”

“Dear, there is a reason that you kicked me out.”

“I didn’t want you to have your own life. I was being selfish. Daniel, I’d like us to try again.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Who else could make you feel as good as I?”

“No one.” Betsy kissed him back. “We should go back to your house before the night is over.”

“I agree.”

“We won’t keep you.” Ruth giggled. “Talk to Art. Maybe you can convince him to quit working at the loading dock.”

“He has my number.” Betsy kissed Ruth’s hand. “Ruth, you can call me, too. I love talking to a beautiful woman.”

“I will.”

“Ruth, you don’t belong in a club like this. This is club where men dance with men and women dance with women.”

“Thank you,” Ruth said.

Henry watched Betsy put out her cigarette. “Do you need to smoke like that?”

“It relaxes me. You smoke cigars.”

“Only one or two a day. You must have smoked a pack of cigarettes while we were here.”

“I smoked less than ten. I rarely smoke more than a pack a day.”

Henry and Betsy went home. Henry’s eyes followed Betsy’s clothes onto the floor the bedroom floor. “What happened?”

“Mary Jane didn’t deny that she did this on purpose,” Betsy said. A little telekinesis made the clothing go into the laundry hamper piece by piece.

“You look fantastic.”

“Don’t mock me. Three months ago, I was a normal looking woman. I still think I’m imagining things when I see my reflection in the mirror.”

“I had to hang out at the gym when I managed James. I know a good looking man when I see one.”

“You managed James.”

“A few months until I could convince him to retire. He got tired off having his brains bashed in.”

“You have an interesting life.”

“It’s not over yet. Danny, I’m not laughing at you.”

“You’ll when I take off my pants.”

“I just imagine that you’ve one.”

“I’ll see an alchemist. I can’t continue like this. I need to be a man naked.”

“Danny.” Henry put his arms around her. “You’re beautiful the way you are.”

“I was so angry at Mary Jane.”

“Let me enjoy your gorgeous body.”

“She was right. I wasn’t angry about the end result. I was angry that she took upon herself to change my body. I knew what she did to me immediately.”

“And you kept it to yourself.”

“I would have never done this to myself.”

“I know.” Henry kissed her neck. “You have an Adam’s apple.”

“I noticed that when I started shaving.”

“Danny, just hold me.”

“Why must you say my name?”

“I like saying it.”

“I feel like such a scoundrel.” She kissed Henry’s hairy chest. She put her hand on his male organs.

“You can.”

“You can’t do the same for me.”

“I can imagine.”

“I promise you won’t have to imagine long. You deserve a real man in your bed.”

“I have one.”

“Why do I think about having sex with you as a man? I’m your wife. I should want my female organs to function again.”

“Danny, you see yourself as a man.”

Betsy put her hands on Henry’s organs and licked his cock. She pushed back the foreskin with her tongue and teeth. “I’m always fantasizing that I’m a man with another man.”

“Would you like me to fuck you like you’re a man?”

“I don’t have a prostate gland.”

“Sex is ninety-five percent mental. Have you ever had an orgasm from thinking about it?”

“It has been a long time since I was able to have an orgasm.”

“I could use my tongue and try.”

“It would be a waste of time.” Betsy continued to work on Henry’s enlarged organ. Henry put his hands on her bottom. “Don’t.”

“I’ll be gentle.”

“Not too gentle.” Betsy felt some pressure and a mild burning sensation. It was probably better with a prostate gland. Betsy just didn’t feel sexy the way she looked. Henry moaned in pleasure as she just lie there waiting for it to be over.

“Dan, maybe you should see an alchemist.”

“I’ll try to be more responsive. I feel like an empty shell.”

“Would talking dirty help?”

“I doubt it.” Betsy put her arms around him. “I feel like a freak.”

“Danny, sex isn’t everything.” Henry licked her ear and put his hand against her coarse cheek.

Betsy picked up Cynthia in the morning and took her to Annabel’s house. “I have to get to the factory early,” she said.

“Are you and Henry back together?”

“We’re talking.” Betsy removed Cynthia from her carpet.

“You’re doing more than talking from the grin on your face.”

“So your brother is good in bed. I must go.”

“Talk a minute. You don’t visit anymore,” Annabel pleaded.

“I’m teaching Alex trigonometry. I told her that it was flipping triangles around. It’s boring. We’re starting limits next weeke hae has all this empty space in her head that needs filling.”

“I don’t understand.”

“She had a genetic defect I helped heal. She went from having below normal intelligence to superior intelligence in a matter of seconds. I’m surprised that she can stay sane. She was mumbling something about sine and cosine in her sleep two nights ago. Her mind is an open book. I wish Henry would come over and teach her languages.”

“I’ll suggest it to him.”

Peter was setting up the other carpets for shipment. Most had the freight loaded the night before. “Charlie, Todd, Jerry, help me get the last boxes for Agnes’s route,” Peter shouted. “Charlie, I need ten cases of the love potion. Jerry, I need seven cases of the male stamina spell and Todd, four cases each of the two glamour potions. I’ll get the cases of aphrodisiac.”

“I’m sorry that I’m late,” Betsy said. “Peter, thanks for opening the factory and getting everything set up.”

“No problem, sir,” Peter said. “I have friends that are interested in making as much money as I.”

“Daniel, we’re on a first name basis around here. My father needs more salesmen for his new potion. Send them to the house,” Betsy said. “We have work to do. Agnes, are you ready to go?”

“I have everything,” Agnes said.

Betsy checked that the other carpets were load right as Dot and Alfred arrived. “I’m thinking about opening a third line. If your kids have magic please send them my way. As you know I pay well.”

“When Daniel opened the factory we had a hundred men apply for a job, three had usable magic and none of them worked out,” Peter said. “I have to go.”

“We’ll talk to our son and daughters,” Dot said.

“Potions need magic which makes this a lot more difficult than running a shoe factory,” Betsy said, “and if the magic isn’t mixed in well, we end up with useless slime.”

“Don’t Billy and Wayne do a good job?” asked Dot.

“They can’t manage three lines,” said Betsy. “I can manage the other one and help them stir, but the stirring stops if I leave the factory floor.”

“You don’t stir constantly,” Alfred said.

“No, but you have get the magic in all the bottles. Billy and Wayne do fine. Having two more stirrers is the top of my Christmas wish list. If we can find another telekinetic, I can leave the shop.”

Dot said, “I think Sam has telekinesis, but you can’t afford to pay him.”

“Billy complains that it is so boring that he wants to quit all the time. Wayne isn’t so bad. He helps me with load ingredients into kettles and helps me order supplies.” Betsy thought that Billy only did a good job stirring because Betsy frightened him. Billy wasn’t about to mess with someone that could move industrial-size kettles with her mind.

“I have a solution to your problem,” said Dot. “Why don’t you write an ad in all the major papers asking for a telekinetic? Explain that you will provide office space.”

“That’s a great idea,” said Betsy. “Thank you. I now know why big companies have vice presidents. Brainstorming works. If you have everything, you may go.”

“It seems like I have enough,” Dot said. “I could do more stores. I’ve to wait an hour for my husband.”

“I enjoy talking to the merchants,” Alfred said. “Dear, you don’t have to hurry through it.”

“I would like you to be done by five,” Dot said. “It would be nice to fly home together.”

“I’ll try to move a little faster,” Alfred said.

“It’s no race,” Betsy said. “We aim to be friendly to our distributors. Alex, you don’t have to be so friendly. Claire tells me that your route should take only five hours. You use eight or nine.”

“I like to talk,” Alex said. “Where were you last night?”

“I went out with a friend,” Betsy said. “We’ll talk when we get home tonight.”

After working on the floor a few hours, she checked with his secretary about messages. Art, the man from the bar, had called him. “Claire, I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”

“I’ll let your staff know.”

“Thank you, Claire.”

Betsy called Art; he left his work number. “Hello, did you mention that you needed an alchemist at your factory?”

“I didn’t but I’m thinking about letting one go. That would be great.” Betsy hoped she didn’t sound too excited on the phone. “I’ll give you directions to the factory. We can have lunch tomorrow and talk about the job. I would love to learn about alchemy. Do you mind if I call you Arthur?”

“Art. I’ll see you for lunch.”

“Art, can you get here for an interview?”

“No. I’m still working at my other job.”

“I’ll meet you in Boston on Fisherman’s wharf. I’ll be at the seafood restaurant near the big bakery. A week from today.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Alex returned later than the other salesmen and women to the factory.

“Darling, I went out with Henry. It was late so I slept his place. We aren’t going to get a divorce.”

“Are you going back to him?”

“I want us allbe fbe friends. We have a party this Friday if you want to go. If not, I’m going without you.”

“Dan, you seem so cold lately.”

“I have always been this way.”

“I want you to love me. Are you going to pretend to be a man all your life?”

“I don’t put socks in my drawers. You flattened my chest for me. It’s at the point that I could walk around in my drawers in a locker room and no one could see the difference. My legs are as hairy as any man’s and they have long lost their feminine shape. I’m building muscle mass like a man. I lost much fat and gained muscle all over my body. I would ask you to reshape my pelvis bones but plenty of men have hips wider than mine.”

“With your briefs on, you look like a man. Let’s go home and explore it a little closer.”

“I forward that motion. I’m going to talk to an alchemist tomorrow. He might be able to help me.”

Alex undressed as soon as she entered the bedroom. “The house will be finished next week. I can wait until we have our own place.”

“Me, either. I should be a man by then.”

“There is no hurry.” Alex watched Betsy undress. “Keep your briefs on. I want to see what you look like with them on.” Alex put her hand on Betsy’s flat chest. “You have nice muscles. You’re starting to grow a little chest hair.”

“That feels nice.”

“You’re a very attractive man.”

“Until I take off my briefs.” Betsy put her arms around Alex. “I want my body to be as perfect as yours.”

“It is.”

“I’m a man with a pussy.”

“Giving you a hysterectomy wouldn’t make any difference.”

“Could you make me a penis? It doesn’t have to function as long as it looked normal.”

“I’m not an alchemist. You said Arthur was.”

“I might just ask him.” Betsy mixed up the potion that she had written down. She feed it to two mice and they changed sex and didn’t die. She would need to test more mice and then bigger animals before giving it to people. Betsy extended her hand to Arthur.

Arthur shook her hand. “Would you rather talk over the bar or over lunch?”

“Lunch.”

The maitre d’ asked Betsy, “Do you have reservations?”

“No, is that a problem?”

“Not at all, sir. I’ll seat you and your friend right away.”

“Business associate.”

“Of course, sir.”

“I read a bit about alchemy. It’s more like an art than a science.”

“It’s a little of both.” Arthur ordered a drink at the bar as they waited to be seated.

“I would like you to make me into a man,” Betsy said.

“I have never done anything like that,” Arthur said.

“You must have repaired skin of burn victims and other kinds of accidents,” Betsy said.

“I have. I heal injures regularly on the dock. If I serious accident happens, I’m found while others are calling an ambulance. I never created new organs. I only repaired ones that existed.” Arthur finished his drink.

“I have faith in your ability,” Betsy said.

“I’ll pay for the drinks,” Art agreed.

Betsy looked at the strong muscular man of slightly over fifty years. His face had the character of a man his age. His dark brown hair was salted around the temples. His coarsely shaven face showed the graying on his beard. It was a handsome face of an older workingman. Something about his manner made Betsy feel like she could trust him.

“You’re drooling.” Arthur sat back in his seat.

“I don’t mean to. You’re a very handsome man.”

“Maybe we should order; I’m rather hungry.”

“Maybe we should go to another restaurant.” Betsy waved at the waiter for service.

“I need to get me a flying carpet. Ruth thinks they yell magic. She would rather take mundane transportation.”

“They come in handy. In a few days, Ruth will wonder how she managed without one.”

“Could you replace my female organs with male ones? My girlfriend is a healer; she said an alchemist could do it.” Betsy put her hand on Art’s arm and whispered into his ear.

“You weren’t lying to me.”

“I have repaired torn flesh and I healed a girl who had burns over half her body and was missing most of her face. Sex organs should be easy.”

“Have you ever repaired ones that were damaged?”

“Once.”

“I couldn’t do it in a restaurant with us both dressed. Would you mind going to a hotel with me?”

“Mind?” Betsy felt like her mind was going a thousand miles an hour; she could stop herself from having sexual thoughts.

“Mr. Logan, I’m not interested in you in that way.”

“I know that. It doesn’t mean that I can’t admire the handiwork.”

“Why do you want to be a man if you like men?”

“Because I’m a man. I’m a man that is attracted to both men and women like Henry is a man that is attracted to men and you’re a man that is attracted to women. That doesn’t make me less of a man.” After the meal, Betsy took Arthur’s hand as they walked out of the restaurant. “What do you do?”

Arthur pulled his hand from Betsy\'s hand. “I work on the loading dock. Thanks for treating me.”

“Company expense. I really could use another manager. Magic isn’t required but it helps. I do make potions.”

“I’ll keep it in minmind. Is there good fishing up there?”

“There are lots of rivers and streams, but I have never fished there myself.” Betsy fished in the river near her home and fished off piers many times. She recalled fishing with Frank when they were both children.

“I have been meaning to buy a fishing boat but you know the story. The days pass so slowly but the years just fly by.”

“I’m still a young man.”

“When you get to my age, the world will seem a little different. You’ll look back and wonder where did the years go. I look at Ruth and still see the beauty that I met twelve years ago.”

“The blossom hasn’t left her cheek, yet. She’s an incredible beautiful woman. A woman’s beauty only improves with age like a good wine. The lines on her face add character and make her more beautiful. A young woman could never compete with that. You don’t mind if I smoke.”

“Go right ahead.”

Betsy lit her cigarette. “I feel like I have no right to offer advice to people that lived so much more than I.” Betsy walked outside finding her carpet was still under the bench that she left it. Betsy told the carpet to take her to the closest hotel. Betsy paid for a room; Arthur followed her up. “I feel cheap getting an hotel room for less than an hour.”

“Have your girlfriend share it with you tonight. I was wondering how you manage a girlfriend and a husband.”

“Not well. My husband is no longer jealous, but my girlfriend is. I don’t want to tell her that I got a hotel room with another man. You know what she’ll think.”

“I can’t change your body,” Arthur said. “Do you trust me?”

“I would like to have sex with you.” Betsy removed her trousers.

“That isn’t going to happen.”

Arthur touched her with his fingers. “Your sex organs are in rather bad shape. You have the vagina and womb of a very old woman. They have withered beyond the repair of the best healer or alchemist.”

“I asked you to get rid of them.”

Arthur put his hand on her genital hair. Betsy didn’t feel anything unusual. “Done. Your womb and ovaries are gone. You should feel healthy, but I can’t do what you asked. I did more than I should by saving you from the surgeon’s knife.”

“That is it.”

“I need to be a man.”

“You’re another man’s woman. I removed the damaged tissues. Do not ask for more.”

“Thank you for your assistance.” Betsy dressed. “Alex could have done as much as you did. I thought you were an honest alchemist. I couldn’t trust the alchemists that my father knows with a dog.”

“I suppose she could.”

“I thought you could do more.”

“I would never mutilate a person’s body. What you ask for is sacrilege.”

“From a Jew that practices witchcraft.”

“I do only good with my magic and never use it for trifling matters. Daniel, I saved you from pain.”

“Thank you for that. Can I have your number?”

“Sure.” Arthur wrote it on the stationary provided by the hotel and left the hotel room.

As Betsy smoked a cigarette in the empty hotel room, she thought about Henry calling and having sex with him. Arthur said that he saved her from pain; lack of pain would be an improvement.

It was mid-afternoon and Henry was probably at a boring meeting. However, that didn’t stop her from thinking about romping in the sheets with the large bear of a man, but she had to dress and return to work. She hooked her trousers slowly; disappointed that Arthur only removed her damaged organs.

Betsy left the hotel room and returned to her factory; she asked Claire if she had any more messages. She was relieved to hear none and headed to the factory floor. She was jealous of Arthur’s maturity. Her mother’s vision told her that she would never reach the age that she could defer wisdom on the generation before her. She would never have the quiet sophistication that only comes with age.

Betsy called her mother. Father was selling the curse-removing potion to larger and larger crowds. He had five salesmen and had raised the price to three and half-dollars. Mom insisted that Pop not raise the price again. She insisted that demand would drop. He hoped to get salesmen from other cities to distribute as far as Florida or Kentucky. He told stores of people in his line coming from as far as Asia or Africa for healing from a curse.

“I would like to help him sell it on the weekend.”

“You have enough work with the factory.”

“It helps thousands of people.”

“The lines never seem to get shorter. People sleep on our doorstep to be the first in line. Pop sells to only five hundred people a day. He pays a neighbors boy to count people in the morning. When he has five hundred, he tells the rest to go home. Sometimes, we have five hundred before eight o’clock in the morning. The boy stands at the end of the line and tells everyone to try again the next day. It’s so sad to see so many people have to head home. A few days, we turn away many more than we can help. We need more salesmen and a larger vat of potion.”

“That many people need help,” Betsy said.

“It’s an amazing potion. I didn’t know this many people were cursed. People are coming out on train, by boat, and anyway the can.”

“Keep up the good work.”

“How is Claire working out?”

“She’s heaven sent. Thanks, Mum. What are you and Dad going to do with all that money?”

“We’re giving some of it to the Universalist church. We helped the library and sponsored the building of a concert hall. Pop loves being able to give back to the community. The boy that counts people tells the people in line that part of the money goes back to help the community.”

“I suspect it’s still making you two very rich.”

“It is. Daniel, if you ever need more capital for the factory, let us know.”

“I will. The factory is running very well.”

“I have no doubts of your ability to manage the place. I’m sorry I quit on such short notice but Pop needs someone to help him at home.”

“I understand.”

Betsy directed her carpet over to Alex’s little house. Betsy had a key. Alex had brought furniture the day before and had just moved her belongings into the house. Betsy walked into the bedroom to surprise Alex with her presence.

Betsy flipped on the electric light to see the pale green wall and the white and green afghan on the bed. Betsy looked at the small white oak dress witsmalsmall vanity mirror. Alex screamed as Betsy undressed throwing her clothing into the white hamper in the corner of the bedroom.

Betsy wrapped her arms around Alex. “The alchemist did nothing you couldn’t do. All he did what repair my vagina so sex shouldn’t hurt and removed more other female organs. He said they were rotting inside me and a surgeon would have brought me pain.”

“I could have done that.”

“I used my hand his afternoon.” Betsy put her hand on it. “It feels better. I had my first orgasm in many months.”

“Danny, I don’t know if I can handle this.”

“Alex, you should have relieved my pain, not a stranger.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I thought you would like it.” Betsy tried to undress Alex; Alex went into another room. Anything Betsy had with Alex was over; she couldn’t stop thinking about being with Henry. She wrapped her arms around a pillow and fell asleep.

“Alex,” Betsy said as she woke. “I want to love you. Alex, you’re very important to me. Would you like to study your math? I would like to look around the house and see what you done to it.”

“Can you teach me history or science?” Alex asked.

“Anything you want. Why don’t we go to the library together and pick out some books?”

Betsy went to the kitchen. She filled a teapot with the hot running water from the sin. She liked that there was hot and cold running water and a gas stove. She lit the pilot light and put the teapot on the burner. She opened the small white icebox and took out the dozen eggs and butter.

Betsy glanced at the white oak dinner room set and the pale yellowed flowered wallpaper in the kitchen and dining room. and wished she were consulted about decorating the house. Everything was pale and looked like it was faded when it was brand new. Betsy went into the kitchen cupboard and located a frying pan to fry the eggs.

“I want to learn British history, how we settled the colonies, about India, about Native American populations, about everything.” Alex entered the kitchen. “What do you think of my little house?”

“Is there a hot shower?” Betsy whined.

“Yes, pull the shower curtain around the bathtub and turn the knob until the water comes out of the top faucet. I’ll finish making breakfast. You enjoy the shower.”

Betsy looked at the white porcelain tub with the gold colored fau The The shower curtain was the same yellow and white that Alex seemed to be fond of. The whole house other than the kitchen, which was wallpapered, was painted the same horrible pale green. Betsy thought as she was showering that she should have made time to help her decorate.

After her shower, Betsy put on her robe and entered the small kitchen. “I’ll help you pick out twelve books. When you finish reading those I’ll help you pick out twelve more.”

Alex started massaging Betsy’s back. “You really think I can read twelve books a month?”

“Yes, you can read while you are flying your carpet to your retailers. You travel all over Vermont and Northern New Hampshire. You spend more time in the air than my other distributors.”

“Twelve books a month,” said Alex. Her hands were still on Betsy’s naked back. “I’ve only read children’s books before. Can we go to the library now?”

“Why don’t you do your morning deliveries and we’ll go to the library after lunch? I still have to get dressed for work and my clothes are still at my parents’ house.”

“Your clothes are at Henry’s house. I’m not stupid.”

“Most of my clothes are at my parents’ house. I do my research there. Henry doesn’t have a laboratory.” Betsy wasn’t in the mood to argue.

“You shouldn’t smoke,” Alex said.

“I know it’s a bad habit. I was going through a lot of stress. I had an attack of sporadic magic again. I smoked a cigarette to calm down after that. Before I knew it, it became a habit.”

“It isn’t good for you.”

“I know. It helps me relax and I’m going to die soon anyway.”