Van-freaking-Raven strolled next to me on our way to Cheers. Free of makeup, the magician looked so normal. His features were less pronounced. His eyes were hazel, not green. I figured that he wore contact lenses to create his stage alter ego. His black hair lay calmly on his head instead of twirling around like in a windstorm. With his green Celtics baseball cap and Patriots shirt, he blended right into the crowd. Just a regular guy exploring downtown Boston. He smiled patiently while I freaked out. He experienced that reaction often from fans, I imagined.
“What are you doing here?”
“A little bird told me to come see you.”
“Sam Litmen?”
“No,” responded Van Raven quickly. “d**k Good.”
“I thought you weren’t on speaking terms.”
“We weren’t, but he called me up out of the blue and prom
