As Luck Would Have it

As Daniel watching the snowfall outside the factory, a woman landed a flying carpet in front of his office. Daniel walked to his office wondering what woman would have business at his office in a blizzard. Claire directed the woman to Daniel’s private office. Daniel had moved much of his lab equipment and notebooks to his office so he wouldn’t need to go to his father’s house to do as much of his research. However, as this time, he was at a stand still with his potion. He couldn’t figure out why it was weakening the test animals. If he ever administered itpeoppeople, they would have to stay in bed for several days after taking it.

“I’m Emily, Alex’s sister.” She removed her snow-covered coat.

“Daniel Logan.” He lit a cigarette. “Smoke?” He offered her the box.

“Nasty habit,” she said.

“I agree.” Daniel took a puff of his cigarette. “How can I help you? Prese, we, we have all the saleswomen we need but my father is still looking for a few more saleswomen.”

“I’m not looking for a job.”

“You came here in a blizzard on a carpet. I figured that you must being looking for employment. No one travels all this way for my potions when you can buy them a drug store or mail order.”

“It wasn’t snowing when I took off on my carpet this morning. The sky is still probably clear near the Lake Placid,” said Emily. “I wouldn’t have left if I knew the weather was like this.”

“Now that you’re here you’ll probably have to stay the night,” said Daniel. “Alex is safe and sound at home. All my sales personnel had the good sense not to fly in.”

“Does your sister work here?” Emily asked.

“I don’t have a sister. My only brother died this year.” Daniel looked her in the eye. “I have many cousins and second cousins that work for my father. Maybe I can help you locate one of them. May I ask who are you looking for?”

“Betsy Newcastle.”

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. “Please, sit down.”

“She has been filling my sister’s head full of rubbish.”

“What kind of rubbish?” said Daniel, enjoying his cigarette. “As far as I know they have only studied algebra and some of the higher maths. You can’t have anything against arithmetic. You don’t look Amish.”

“She’s doing more than teaching arithmetic. I didn’t come all this way to speak to you. I need to speak to Betsy personally. Please, tell her I’m here.”

“None of my salesladies came in today. Half of my factory workers had the good sense not to show up.”

“So is she here today?”

“You’re speaking to her.” Daniel scratched his beard, realizing he forget to shave this morning. “Him.”

“You could tell me that she no longer works for you.”

“I haven’t gone by the name Betsy since I opened the factory. I guess Alex didn’t tell you that in the letters.”

“There is no way.”

“With magic stranger things have happened. My present appearance is my healer’s idea of a joke.”

“Why don’t you take something to fix it?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“You have a beard and an Adam’s apple. Alex writes Betsy this, Betsy that. She never mentioned any Daniel. I thought Betsy was a dyke corrupting my sister.” Emily continued to stand, holding a thick pile of letters.

“I’m not corrupting your sister; I’mcaticating her.”

“Are you educating her in the bedroom?”

“Have you read the letters from the past month? You would know that I have moved back with my husband. What rubbish am I teaching her?”

“She writes me about prison and mental asylum reform. She tells me that colored folks should have equal opportunity at the workplace. She never saw a colored person before you educated her.”

“I don’t choose the books she reads.”

“She wrote in her letters that Betsy helped her pick out the books.”

“The first time we went to the library. I had to teach her about the Dewey Decimal System and how to use a card catalog. After that one time, she was picking out her own books; she’s an adult. If anyone is influencing her choices, it’s Mattie. Every since I reconciled with my husband, we don’t talk very much.”

“Your husband?”

“Alex has a house in Kettlepot, Maine. The address should be on the letters. Good day, Ma’am.”

Daniel told Wayne that he was heading home and to tell the men to call it a day. Daniel went into Claire’s office. “Claire, lock up after the men are gone; I’m getting hotel for the night.”

“Sure, Danny.”

Emily walked to the front door behind Daniel.

“Can I help you, Miss?” Claire said as she finished her work for the day.

“I can see my way out.”

“I wouldn’t advise you traveling by carpet in that weather,” Claired.
d.

Daniel walked a few blocks down the road to a large hotel and stopped Emily behind him. “If you continue to follow me, I’ll call the police.”

“I’m not following you. It looks like I’ll need a place to stay the night.”

“I hope you have the money.” Daniel went up to the desk. “I need a room for the night.”

“For you and the Misses.”

“She isn’t with me. I work at the factory down the road. It’s no weather to be traveling in.”

After Daniel received a key, he walked over to use the lobby pay phone. This was the hotel that hosted their company anniversary party. He called Henry person to person. “I’m trapped at a hotel during a blizzard with a crazy woman.”

“It’s your fault for inviting her.”

“Henry, that isn’t funny. She invited herself. I miss you so much.”

“I miss you to. Darling, stay safe and warm.”

“Kiss Cynthia for me.”

“Will do.”

“I love you.”

“I’ll take the train up.”

“It won’t be go anywhere in the snow. Henry, I’ll be fine one night without you. I’ll think about you when I’m taking a cold shower.” Daniel spied Emily looking over his shoulder as he hung up the phone. “You don’t have money for an hotel room.”

“Not here,” Emily said.

“I don’t think you should bunk with me. I sleep nude.”

“And you’re a man under your clothes.”

“Bunk with me and you’ll find out. If you learned anything from your sister’s letters, you would know I like both men and women.” Daniel lit another cigarette. His nerves were shot with the snow and tannoannoying woman.

“You’re more crass than my sister implied. I’ll go to a cheaper hotel.” Emily picked up her pile of letters and left the hotel.

Daniel walked to his hotel room. He turned on the shower, undressed waiting for the hot water and took a long hot shower glad that Cynthia and Henry were safe at home. After he put on the robe provided by the hotel, he called downstairs and asked if they could sell him a razor.

The hotel said that they didn’t sell any razors but there was a barber a few doors down that would be there in the morning. Daniel felt the two days’ growth on his face. He looked out the window at the falling snow and hoped that it would stop before morning.

He looked at the first year calculus book and opened it. That book had been sitting on his desk for six months untouched. All right, he used it as a paperweight. He took a pen out of the nightstand drawer and scribbled down an equation then crossed it out. After doing math with Alex, doing math alone was no fun. He put on his dirty damp clothes and went downstairs to get some food and, maybe, a beer.

Daniel went to the hotel restaurant. Emily was at the bar. “You might as well join me for dinner. I’ll try to act like a gentleman.” Daniel seemed to have a cigarette in his hand constantly.

“What are you?”

“I’m Daniel Logan of Logan Products, ng png president and owner. My company makes six potions.”

“I didn’t ask what you do for a living,” Emily said. “Let’s get a table.”

“My treat.” Daniel put out her cigarette and took her hand. “I suppose you didn’t get very far.”

“Not in that snow. I walked a few feet. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face and turned back.”

“I’m sure that there are no more rooms. You can bunk with me.”

“You aren’t going to sleep nude.”

“I’ll keep my clothes on. I was just saying that to frighten you away. I’m a married man.”

“You’re serious.”

“About being married or being a man?”

“Either or both?”

Daniel showed his ring finger. “Alex knew I was married when we met. I didn’t mean to hurt your sister. I never promised her anything. I want to make things right with my husband.”

The host took them to a table and handed them each a menu. “Your waiter will be with you in a moment.”

“Would you like some Chablis?” Daniel asked Emily as he pulled out her seat for her.

“I would love some.” Emily sat down and looked at her menu.

The waiter arrived and Daniel ordered a white wine of the wine list. “Very good choice, sir.”

“I feel a bit straggly unshaven,” Daniel said. “But I didn’t get time to shave this morning and the barber won’t be in until morning.”

“So how did Betsy become you?”

“It should be in the letters. I get shots every three months to control my magic. I\'m sure she wrote you about this. She was laughing for weeks.” Daniel put his hand letters. “May I see the letters? I promise not to read them.”

“Sure,” said Emily.

Daniel looked at the post-marks on the envelopes, shuffling through the pile. He didn’t realize Alex wrote her sister that much. Finally, he hit upon one written during the week after his appointment. He handed Emily the letter. “You read it.”

Emily looked he lhe letter. “What does unilaterally mean?”

“She decided on her own.”

“If I understand what she wrote, she gave you medicine to make you male without your consent.”

“Exactly.”

“I can’t read half the stuff she writes anymore. She writes me more than I can possibly keep up.”

“Get a phone,” Daniel suggested.

“I have to use a dictionary to understand many of the words.”

“Alex’s vocabulary is increasing from reading books. You should be glad that she’s using her mind.”

“A woman shouldn’t be reading books. She should be making her husband’s house a home.”

“Not all women get married and many married women have to work. Half the women that work for me are married. A woman needs an education as much as a man.”

“You really are Betsy.”

“Yes.”

“Did Alex laugh?”

“Yes, she said that I should have complained long before three months went by.”

“Have you received shots from her since?”

“Yes, but she has lowered the dosage.”

“What does your husband think about all this?”

“He doesn’t want to put me through the humiliation of getting a divorce. Since we both manage factories, we’re apart more than we are together. Tonight is a good example.”

“Why would your healer do that to you?”

“Because I was dressing as a man. My brother-in-law mistook me for a man when were we introduced. He insisted I was a man in a dress. Mary Jane probably thought it was apt punishment for taking something that made me look feminine without her consent.”

“My husband reacted the same way to you. After you left, he said that no woman acts the way you do. If you don’t mind me asking, how can medicine make a woman a man?”

“Woman and men make hormones, chemicals that flow in your bloodstream and cause your cells to do things. Women’s hormones cause all the things that happen to a girl when she hits puberty while men’s hormones cause a boy’s voice to change, his body and face to get hairy, etc. Once these things happen you can’t take them back through natural means. All the women’s hormone in the world won’t make my voice any higher. Female hormone also won’t remove my body hair or Adam’s apple.”

“I’ll glad the food hasn’t arrived, yet. Then, you are physically a man.”

“Yes, except that I can’t father children, no sperm.”

“I can’t share a room with a man.”

“I’ll sleep in the chair. You can have the bed.”

The waiter returned. “Sir, are you ready to order?”

“No, I haven’t looked at the menu.”

“Take you time.” The waiter left the table.

Emily looked at Daniel’s hand. “You have long thick fingers.”

“Not particularly feminine. Most people say that the hands and feet give one away. I have large feet and hands. I wear a size nine and half man’s shoe. No smaller than another man my height.”

“You have hair between the knuckles.”

“I never noticed that before. I feel like I’m aging before my eyes. I think I saw my first wrinkle last week. The chicken potpie sounds good.”

“Liver and onions,” Emily said.

“People actually eat that. I thought my mother made that torture us.”

“You’re crazy.”

“So I have been told. After eating, we can graph quadratic equations. Alex left her math book at the office.”

“You bought the textbook with you.”

“It was either that or the romance novel Francine left in the office and I’m not that bored.”

“I wish you bought the romance novel.”

“Why did you want to talk to me?”

“I thought you were responsible to the rubbish my sister writes in these letters. Alex has always been an innocent.”

“Alex is no innocent. He paid for whores’ services and was kept by an older man. When he came to my bed, he claimed it first time he had relations with a friend. I felt sad for him. Read those letters, really read them. You might learn something.”

“I’ll read the letters tonight, if you help me with words like unilaterally.”

“I’ll try my best. Alex probably has a larger vocabulary than me by now. Her route covers Vermont and Northern Hampshire. She has the fewest stores with the most travel time between them, giving her plenty of hours in the day to read and write letters.”

“I, sometimes, look at these letters and I can’t believe Alex had wrote them. I guess part of me wanted to believe you were telling Alex what to write. Before you worked your magic on him/her/Alex, he could barely spell and a long letter was three or four shsentsentences. The person writing these letters doesn’t seem like Alex. Her talk about the NAACP, mental health reform and social justice frightens me.”

“Then you shouldn’t hear Henry’s sisters speak, especially his youngest sister Kate. She’s a militant suffragist. She and Mattie were discussing reproductive rights. They got very silent when I entered the room. I’m now the evil enemy, a man.”

Emily and Daniel both laughed as the wine service arrived. Daniel toasted Emily’s health. After a long relaxing dinner, they went up to the room. Emily looked at her sister’s letters while Daniel worked out some of the problems in the math book and read about limits. He then curled up in the chair and fell asleep.

The sky had cleared and she trudged through the snow to the barbershop. “A shave, please,” said Daniel. “I got trapped in the snow without my razor. A lady is waiting for me at the hotel. I promised her breakfast.”

Daniel smiled to himself as the barber lotioned his face. He couldn’t believe she called Emily a lady. Why not? He was the perfect gentleman last night. Henry would be proud. Daniel didn’t once look at Alex’s letters; they were for Emily’s eyes only, no matter how much curiosity pulled on him. The snow had stopped, meaning his sales personnel would be in today.

Emily joined him at a bakery next door to the barbershop. “You look better clean shaven. More like Betsy.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“I’m sorry that I thought that you influenced my sister. I didn’t want to believe she was capable of thinking such radical ideas on her own.”

“Share a baguette with me as I walk to the office. Alex should be in. After your long trip here, I can give her the day off. I should hire someone to learn all the routes so my sales personnel can take a day off and not have to play catch up when they get back.”

“You could train me. The boys are grown and I can fly a magic carpet.”

“r alr all you said about women working.” Daniel took her arm as they walked through the foot and half of freshly fallen snow.

“I’m glad I put my carpet inside your factory. Will you hire me?”

“I’ll ask Alex if she\'s willing to train you. It’ll give you a chance to read all those letters.”

“Her route is that long.”

“Yes, I told you she has the least amount of stores but the most travel time between. She doesn’t mind. She likes having the time to read or write letters.”

Alex and a few other salesmen and women were at the door when Daniel opened the door. “Peter must be trapped in the snow. Mattie, remind me to make you a copy of the key.”

“Danny, loan me the key. I’ll make a copy during the day.”

“Fine.” Daniel handed Mattie his extra copy of the loading bay key. “Alex, will you train your sister?”

“Emily, you want to work for Daniel?”

“We talked at dinner last night. He’s an honorable man. I can see why you work for him.”

“Everyone inside. My heating bill is going to be high today,” Daniel said. “Everyone bundled up for the road. If you need a portal heater, let me know. I have two left.”

Alex asked if she could have one.

“Be careful with landing and takeoff. You don’t want to shake the heater and cause a fire.”

“I can hold the heater still,” Emily said.

“Take one.”

Emily picked up the large heater as Alex sat on her already loaded carpet. Betsy had Claire write down each route on paper. “Claire, I wouldn’t know where I would be without you.”

“Working out of your father’s basement.”

“You’re an angel.” Daniel took the papers from her.

After a long hard day, Wayne said, “Daniel, we have been in business over ar. ar. When we started, we had doubts we would make it a month. Don’t look so down.”

“Wayne, thanks for handling the plant.”

“That’s what you pay me for.”

“Dot, did Arthur count you out?” Daniel asked.

“I was waiting for you,” Dot said. “He said you were in the office.”

Daniel took the receipts, counted the money and checked his paperwork. “You’re good to go.” He put the money into his pocket.

Francine came up to Daniel. “I’m going to learn how to manage the floor.”

“As you wish,” Daniel said. “Don’t you feel uncomfortable being the only woman on the floor?”

“I can manage,” Francine said.

“Sure, Arthur will teach you,” Daniel said. “I’m sorry that I’m out of it today.”

“We all have a bad day occasionally, sir,” Francine said.

“Danny, you hired me as a manager,” Arthur said.

“Manage,” Daniel said. “I’m just used to shouting for Wayne to handle everything. Wayne is taking two days off next week for family business. You’ll have the floor to yourself.”

“Thank you. Even if you never had to run the floor alone, I’m paying you for your experience. Trust me. There will be times that I need it.”

“It must be overwhelming for a man your age.”

“I never supervised anyone before building this factory. This is all new to me. I’ll need help from you old timers when it comes time to expand. Have the men break down the line for clean up. Arthur, you and Wayne, make a schedule. I want one of you on the floor at all times that the plant is open.”

“Time to clean up and get ready to go home,” Arthur said. “Jerry, sweep. The rest of you clean the line.”

“What is this about?” Wayne asked.

“I wanted you and Arthur write up a schedule between yourselves. I need more time to do research. I want one of you here at all time to keep the plant running.”

“We’ll have a schedule written tomorrow morning,” Arthur said.

“I don’t want to see a schedule. I just want you to take care of the problem.” Daniel felt very tired; he needed to take time off from both the plant and research.

Agnes and Alfred arrived nearly at the same time. Daniel dismissed the factory staff after all his sales personnel had arrived in the open bay and he had closed the large door. “Emily, I have the routes written out. Claire spent the whole day writing down each store and the order of each delivery.”

Emily looked at the papers that Daniel handed her.

“You’ll need to copy them. How did your day go?”

“Alex and I talked. She introduced me to seven storeowners. It wasn’t bad. I can’t believe she makes that much moneom som such little work.”

“I’m in the air most of the day,” Alex said.

“I see why you write me such long letters. I’ll try to read all of them now that I know you wrote them.”

“I know that it’s hard to accept that I’m a different person.” Alex hugged her sister. “I’ll show you my house.”

“I better get home. We’ll save that for another day.”

Alex laughed. “One with a little less snow on the ground.”

Daniel counted the receipts for the day feeling proud of the gross receipts. Slightly slumped over, he made the walk for the daily drop at the bank through the deep snow. A man with a gun poked him in the ribs as he walked up to the bank. Daniel pretended to ignore the man holding the gun on him.

As Daniel felt the gun pulled back slightly, Daniel wiggled it out of the man’s hand with his telekinesis then focused on the gun to kick it with his mind making the gun fall deep into the snow.

“Drop your bag.” The man poked Daniel with his empty hand. Daniel dropped the bag into the deposit slot..

“Cocky aren’t you,” the unarmed man said.

“The money is gone.” Daniel flattened the gun with his mind. He was terrified by his own power as he mashed metal with his mind. “I could kill you for spite.”

“I don’t doubt it.” The man fled on foot.

Daniel felt a little better about himself as he flew his carpet home. Henry had greeted him at the door. “I made you dinner,” Henry said.

“You can’t cook,” Daniel said.

“I used a cookbook. Try it.”

“I will. A man tried to rob me when I dropped off my money. I didn’t even flinch when I disarmed him. I was feeling bad about myself all day and I realized I’m as not as naïve as I imagine.”

“Daniel, you handle yourself very well.”

“You call me cold and unfeeling.”

“You can be that way. I want my man to be sweet and loving.”

“I’m working on it.” Daniel tried to eat the overcooked steak but it was like chewing shoe leather. “I’ll just eat the potatoes.” Daniel skipped the lumpy greasy gravy.

“Maybe I should hire us a cook.”

“Maybe you should. I can’t get home earlier than eight.”

“I know you have to add up all the receipts and make a deposit at night.”

“I have to unpack.”

“I hope you aren’t too exhausted for a little loving.”

“I’m afraid that I am. Henry, I had an emotional trying day.”

“I can hold you awhile.”

“I woulve tve that.” Daniel took the sample from his pant’s pocket and took it. “The men tease me about never using my products. If this put me into the mood, it’s worth its weight in gold.”

“I doubt it will.”

Annabel and Kate arranged for their niece Cynthia to have grand second birthday party. Daniel laughed at all the food, drink and decoration for a toddler’s party. After a second hour of chasing an old two-year around Annabel’s house, Daniel dressed the child to go home.

“It’s Sunday. Have a good time,” Henry said.

“I feel out of place,” Daniel put Cynthia down. Cynthia wiggled her bonnet and booties off.

“The gun episode,” Henry said.

“I could have pulverized a person the way I pulverized that gun.” Daniel took another piece of cake.

“You didn’t; you never have,” Henry said.

Annabel sat with them. “Danny, have a good time.”

“I feel like I don’t know anybody here.”

“You know Kate, Henry and I. Will tolerates you,” Annabel said.

“I’m able to kill someone with a thought,” Daniel said.

“You were always able to do that,” Annabel said.

“I caused a metal gun to be pulverized with my mind,” Daniel said. “I’m stronger than I thought.”

“You have control,” Annabel said. “No one will get hurt again.”

“I can’t forget what happened to Helen,” Daniel said.

“You have control now.” Annabel put her hands around him. “Billy, the little drunk twerp, has never turned anyone into sand or rock. Magic must have its own safeties.”

“Billy must have wished people dead in a drunk rage,” Daniel said. “I’ll have to talk to Francine about it. Billy is such an insignificant person. I can’t imagine him harming anyone.”

“But he has that power,” Annabel said. “He commented about having that kind of power. It must have its own controls to prevent us from harming ourselves or others.”

“What about the adding machine?” Daniel asked.

“It flew off randomly. Helen got in the way. Your magic wasn’t directed against Helen.” Annabel patted his back. “She entered the room. None of the people that exited the room were seriously hurt. It couldn’t have prevented. You weren’t to blame.”

“We talked about this a hundred times,” Daniel said. “It doesn’t ease my heart. I feel cold inside like I have an open wound that will never heal.”