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“Ah, excuse me- sorry! Pardon me...”
Charlie pushed her way through the tightly knit crowd of the restaurant, muttering to herself in the face of her nerves as she did. She was running late for her interview, having lost track of time once she’d left work, practically forgetting all about it until half an hour prior. Just her luck that she was supposed to have been here 15 minutes ago already. She knew that she was attracting quite the number of eyes on her as she pushed her way through the crowds, giving apologies as she did, but this meeting was much more important than appearances to strangers at the moment.
Of course she would be running late, why would the night turn out any differently for her? So much for making a good first impression. She’d be lucky if this ‘Mr. Carter’ was even still here by the time she found her seat. Just her luck that the most promising job opportunity she’d seen in years was the one that she would make a fool of herself trying out for.
The offer in itself was a rather curiously worded advertisement in the paper, and she couldn’t help but be drawn to the idea. It nearly seemed too good to be true, but she reasoned that she had to try for it anyhow. After all, she hadn’t had any luck getting her foot in the door of showbiz before. The only thing that she could do was keep at her attempts, and keep her eyes open for any opportunities like this one.
Maybe she’d have to go back to the drawing board after this night, seeing as she was still walking blindly through a crowd in an attempt to find the man she was looking for. She didn’t even know what he looked like- a detail she probably should have inquired on before the night arrived. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long to find a man sitting alone.
“Excuse me! Sorry, sorry, if I could just slip by you-” Really, why was the place so crowded on a Tuesday night, anyway? This was an absurd amount of people, even for a more ‘upscale’ establishment like this one. Maybe she could blame the crowd, or the line, if her interviewer was going to ask why she was so late. Maybe she still had a chance at this after all!
Charlie continued through the place, nudging past people as she looked over rows of tables, before stumbling into a man on accident, who in turn knocked her over as he corrected himself. She could hear an exclamation of ‘watch it!’ as she caught herself on a table behind her, glad she hadn’t fallen on her rear and made a complete fool of herself.
Or, so she thought. As she got herself back on her feet, she looked back at the table she’d grabbed hold of during her fall, and she felt the blood leaving her face at the sight.
The table was occupied by a rather tall and spindly man, who had raised his arms away from his sides in his surprise at her appearance, eyes wide after being startled. She’d seemingly knocked over a glass of red wine as she stumbled, which just so happened to land right on the man, staining his suit jacket and pants with red as he looked down at himself. Charlie’s hands raised to cover her mouth.
“Oh. My. Goodness.” Charlie stuttered the words out, looking at the man in horror and embarrassment. “I am so so sorry about that-” She was immediately fumbling to try and correct herself, reaching for a napkin and holding it out to him, fidgeting heavily with her hands. “I didn’t mean to bump into you like that! Oh dear-”
The man before her took the napkin, starting to blot at his clothing to little success. He sighed, his expression obviously peeved as he raised his head to get a look at her. Rather big glasses on this man- she found the look almost cute. He looked her in the eyes a moment, before waving his hand, shaking his head softly. “Oh- it will be fine. A bit of wine never hurt anyone.”
Charlie was surprised at his reaction, still fidgeting something awful, horribly embarrassed by her slip-up. “Goodness, sir, I ruined your coat- I’m so sorry! I’ll pay for the cleaning bill, whatever it is-” She was already fretting about her own dwindling finances, but the man before her waved that concern off again.
“This? It’s nothing, don’t worry yourself over it.” He smiled at her, forced as it was. “A little dry cleaning isn’t going to break the bank, I assure you.” He still blotted at the stains, and Charlie reached for a nearby glass of water, offering it up to him. He took it, wetting the cloth to try and clean himself up some more.
“If you’re sure about that..” Charlie worried at her lip. “Still, I’m awful sorry about this. Can’t I make it up to you somehow? I’d really be willing to cover the bill for you, it’s the least I could do!” She didn’t want to be giving herself a bad reputation around town, now. The man before her was surprisingly kind in the face of such an embarrassing accident, waving her off once again.
“I won’t ask that of you, madam. I’ve got it covered, honest.” He gave her another smile, before his attention was drawn elsewhere. “Now, what’s got you in such a tizzy? You seem like you’re in a rush for something.”
Charlie’s head shot up. In her fretting, she’d completely forgotten about her interview. “Ah! I’m running late-” She looked around the room- it didn’t seem like anyone was sitting alone. Perhaps she really had been too late, and he’d left in her absence. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen a Mr. Carter, would you?”
The man looked surprised for a moment, before he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, covering his mouth with a hand as he leaned forwards. Charlie felt her face grow red- just what was so funny to him? “I don’t know what I said that’s so funny, mister.”
The man laughed for another moment, waving his hand at her as he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. “Ahem- Ah, forgive me.” His shoulders bounced with the last of his chuckles, seeming a little flustered himself with his behavior. “I take it you must be Ms. Wu, then?”
Charlie felt her complexion quickly go pale at his words, the implications bringing in a dawning horror as she looked around. This man before her was sitting alone, knew her by name, and was very clearly waiting for someone when she’d stumbled into his table. Which meant-
She swallowed, her throat feeling rather dry as she held out her hand to shake. “You can- just call me Charlie.” She stumbled over her words, mentally processing the idea that she had just spilled wine all over her potential boss-to-be. She half considered just turning around and walking out right then and there.
Still surprising to her, he gestured for her to have a seat, pointing at the empty chair after giving her hand a light shake. She headed for the chair, apologizing yet again as she sat down. “I’m so sorry for being late, Mr. Carter, and for- you know.” Her hands folded over one another on the table, squeezing so hard the skin under her gloves was practically turning white.
“Oh, please, just call me William.” Charlie couldn’t understand why he was still being so amicable after how she’d just presented herself. “Don’t you worry yourself about that, the line’s practically down the street. I’m quite surprised I managed to get this reservation myself.” William’s hands gestured in a showman’s fashion as he spoke to her.
Charlie nodded, still tense and nervous as William kept on. “Quite the unorthodox introduction, wouldn’t you agree?” His tone was lighthearted, and it was slowly dawning on Charlie that he really didn’t mind her little accident much as she did. Even though she still found his demeanor over it rather odd. Most people in his position would be simply livid.
“I’ll say.” Charlie mumbled, reaching for the water before her to calm her nerves. The urge to apologize once again was nearly overwhelming, but she didn’t want to sound like a broken record at this point. “Funny coincidence, huh? And here I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to find you in this crowd.”
William chuckled, his glasses bouncing slightly with the movement of his face. “Life certainly finds a way.” He reached for the bottle in the middle of the table, his smile rather playful, if not a bit wobbly as he held it up. “Care for a bit of wine?”
Charlie scoffed, her nerves beginning to melt away as they spoke. “Oh, I simply couldn’t.” She pushed the bottle back, and he set it back in its holder with a chuckle. “I certainly hope your night’s been less eventful than mine so far.” She swirled her glass of water in her hand as she spoke.
“It was a bit of a predicament getting myself inside, but it’s otherwise been un-noteworthy.” William shrugged, touching the cloth to his suit a final time before setting the napkin down. Well, that wasn’t coming out without a proper cleaning. He’s seen worse, really. “And what of yourself? I hope it wasn’t too much trouble to find the place.” His demeanor seemed a touch shaky- it was somewhat obvious that he was anxious about their meeting in much the same fashion she was. Although, he seemed to compose himself somewhat better. Perhaps it was the wine, ha.
“Trouble? Nah.” Charlie scoffed, waving her hand at the idea. “I know this side of town like the back of my hand. The streets are easy- it’s the crowd that gives you a run for your money.” She looked around, noting how many people were around them, either walking around or having seats of their own. Who stands around like this at a restaurant..? It seemed like it would be a while before they’d be able to order, as the waiters looked rather preoccupied with other, more fussy guests.
“That it is.” William nodded along, leaning in a bit closer to the table. “Now then… I suppose we should get into the true nature of this meeting, hm?” He offered, folding his slightly-trembling hands in front of him. Charlie immediately nodded.
“Oh- of course! I’ve been eager to talk to you about this opportunity since I saw your ad. A magician’s assistant- goodness, it’s exciting.” She was unable to keep the wonder and excitement out of her voice, getting a lighthearted chuckle from William.
“I’m certain that it is. Tell me, have you seen one of my shows?” William tilted his head, and Charlie slowly shook hers.
“I can’t say that I have… I don’t recognize the name ‘William’ from the theater.”
“Ah.” William laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “That would be because of my stage name. Surely you’ve seen an advertisement for ‘Maxwell the Great’ around?”
Charlie’s eyes lit up at the realization. “Wait. That’s you? I’ve heard so much about your act!” Her hands cupped together once again. “I’ve been meaning to catch one of your shows, but those tickets get bought up before you can even blink!”
“That they do.” William seemed both prideful and bashful, straightening up his posture slightly as his face reddened. “Though I believe the show could be rightly improved with a bit of help up on stage. Tell me, if you don’t mind, what are you doing now?” His demeanor was curious as he scanned over Charlie.
“Me? Oh, I’m a waitress down at the Railroad Diner.” Her face grew slightly flush, worried that William wouldn’t be impressed by such a line of work, but he simply nodded, his eyebrows raising slightly.
“Now that you mention it- I do believe I’ve seen you there once or twice. The folks over there really take a liking to you, don’t they?”
“Ha, I’ll say.” Charlie scoffed. “I could do without the fellows getting handsy after a few drinks, though.” William’s lip raised in a grimace at the thought, though he seemed to brush it off soon.
“Well, you certainly seem to know your way around a crowd. What makes you interested in being an assistant, anyhow?” William took a drink from his water, only mildly missing the spilled wine now.
“Oh, that’s easy. It’s been my dream since I was a girl to be up on stage! It’s why I moved out West, after all. All the lights, and the crowds, the applause- well, it’s an exciting idea, to say the least.” Now it was Charlie’s turn to be curious, tilting her head as she looked over William. “What’s got you into showbiz yourself?”
William didn’t seem to expect that question, balking a little in surprise. “Me? Oh, well- I suppose you could say much of the same for myself. San Francisco seemed like the perfect spot to put my name out there.” His shoulders raised up a bit, and he smiled in Charlie’s direction. “Seems we’re on the same page, aren’t we?”
“Looks like we are.” Charlie smiled. This was going much better than she’d anticipated- especially taking everything into account. She nearly had the urge to pinch herself, just to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming.
William’s smile matched Charlie’s, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a little notebook before crossing something out in it. She was about to ask what he was doing, but he spoke before she could get a word out.
“Well, Charlie, was it? You’ve certainly got the right attitude, from what I’ve seen.” Charlie could hardly believe what she was hearing, her grin widening without her even realizing. William looked unsure for just a moment before he spoke. “If you’re still interested... Well, I’d be glad to give you a demonstration of the show. So you can see what you’re getting into, of course.” He gestured with his hands, and Charlie swore she felt her heart stop.
“Are you kidding?” She had to stop herself from getting out of her seat in excitement. “I’d love to! Goodness, I could start tonight if it were possible!” Her excitement was infectious, William’s smile spreading as he gestured for her to calm down.
“Settle down, let’s not get ahead of ourselves now.” William leaned his chin on his hands, smiling nearly as wide as her. “How’s about you meet me backstage tomorrow night, 6:30? I’m certain I can get you the best seat in the house for the show. Then you can really see what you’re in for.” His offer only excited Charlie more, and she had to stop herself from flailing her hands around in the air.
“Of course! I wouldn’t miss that for anything, Mr. William! You can count me-” Charlie’s excited ramblings were cut off with a gasp as she felt something cold splash against her lap. When the two of them would look up, they’d spot a rather flustered waiter, holding a bottle of wine that had gotten tipped on accident as they were walking by.
“Oh dear ma’am- I’m so sorry about that, let me fetch you a towel-” They were off before she could get a word out. William and Charlie met eyes for a few moments, before the both of them broke out in a fit of laughter.
“Perhaps this isn’t the best place for this sort of conversation…” William was starting to stand up from his chair. Charlie copied after him, coming up to his side soon after.
“I know a little place we could get some dinner instead? I’ve gotta give them my resignation, anyhow.” Charlie offered, nudging him with her elbow as she looked down at their matching stains. William looked surprised at her forwardness before he chuckled in response, offering for her to lead the way as he gestured towards the exit.
“Well, we’d best be off then, unless we’d like to have no clean garments at all.”
Charlie laughed rather sharply at his little quip, making her way out of the stuffy place with William in tow. Who knew that spilling wine all over someone could work out in her favor?