p class="MsoNormal"ONCE UPON A TIME, as many happy stories go, the smooth itinerant gangster Sky Masterson married prissy Save-A-Soul Sgt. Sarah Brown, in a fabulous open-air double-wedding ceremony; span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwith their friends, the span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spangambling don Nathan Detroit and exquisite burlesque queen, Miss style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOn Broadway, in Times Square, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanamidst a throng larger than any New Year's eve crowd you'd ever see./p
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p class="MsoNormal"Newspaper reports called it "the unlikeliest of Manhattan pairings:" span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spana high-rolling gambler and a puritanical missionary; span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spana sexy showgirl dreaming of the straight-and-narrow and an illegal span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spancrap game manager who is anything but. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was a near-perfect romance-comedy of two couples coming together in tandem, a staple Shakespearean structure, the fable of Broadway./p
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p class="MsoNormal"Wait, let me catch my breath style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was the stuff of fables not just because the Masterson couple has known span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spaneach other only for a total of five days. including the wedding,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwhereas the Detroit couple had been engaged for 14 style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanStill, there was no denying that the struggles were real, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthe frustrations were human, the feelings sincere./p
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p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was fabulous that in a rare moment of clarity, the illegal gambling operator saw how precarious life has been, to be suspended in a span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanlimbo between the constant fear span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanof span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanpolice apprehension and the threats of the murderous mobs span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanfrom out-of-town span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanChicago and elsewhere, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthat he neededspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spana stabilizing factor, which he finally realized to be marriage. Each love story was a picture postcard of Broadway's underbelly and is set, as the new Mrs. Masterson would say, "in the devil'sspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanown city on the devil'sspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanown street."/p
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p class="MsoNormal"It was fabulous to see underground gamblers proudly marching as groomsmen while the span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanpolice span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanmanned the area, vigilant that no violence would erupt between them and the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was fabulous to see burlesque and exotic dancers as bridesmaids, sashaying span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwithin smiling distance of the bright-red uniformed virtuous span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwomen of Save-A-Soul mission. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
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p class="MsoNormal"And goodness, gracious, was that the chief of the vice squad, Police Lt. Johnny Brannigan himself, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwho gave away the once-frustrated span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanbride that is span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spannow Mrs. Detroit?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" Just goes to show that w/spanhen police and criminals and religious people got together in the open, New Yorkers by the hundreds, by the thousands, would come to see if hell would indeed freeze style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
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p class="MsoNormal"It was no surprise then, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthat when the Masterson couple got into their "getaway car" provided – of all people - by the police,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthat took them to the airport for their honeymoon trip to Havana, they laughed like children getting away with something style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou'd think that after the wedding, two very attractive individuals would be romantic and gooey once left alone inside a police style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthe light kisses on cheeks and noses notwithstanding, all they did was mostly laughed, and laughed all the way./p
p class="MsoNormal"THE TRIP TO HAVANA lasted three very short hours, with the bridal couple feasting on a special honeymoon dinner and rum daiquiris, courtesy of the airlines, after which they kissed and dozed off in each other's arms – the first time they slept style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
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p class="MsoNormal"At the grand hotel, after registering as Mr. and Mrs., Sky ordered in Spanish what Sarah guessed to be a "welcome honeymoon whatever." In no time at all, they were met at their suite's doorspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanby a waiter pushing a cart with white table linens, real silverware, a bottle of champagne chilling in a silver bucket of ice, Russian caviar and crackers, cheesecake garnished with wedges of tropical fruits, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanand span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spana bouquet of congratulatory red style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSarah laughed and covered her face with her hands for she has never seen such opulence before. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHer husband watching her with amusement, turned on the piped hotel music, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanpoured champagne into elegant tulip glasses and offered a toast, "To us, my darling bride," he said, "emDulce de leche/em tomorrow, but tonight, it's champagne."/p
p class="MsoNormal"They laughed, danced, and drank the champagne. They tasted the caviar and crackers, and had a few bites of the span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spancake and that was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSuddenly, hot passionate kisses were shared and exchanged, and when they came up for air, Sky swept his bride off her feet and joyously threw her on the bed, " Shadrach, Meshach, and to bed we go!"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Sarah laughed as she kicked off span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanher shoes and tumbled on the bed, closely followed by her husband, who bent over her with a kiss,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Don't you think we're a bit overdressed for the occasion?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI've never been in bed before with a sergeant in uniform," he teased./p
p class="MsoNormal"Sarah took off her jacket, revealing bare slender arms and a wider neckline. She then stretched out her left hand, admired her engagement ring and said, "Gosh, I think we forgot style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe forgot the wedding rings!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Nope, I did not forget, my darling," Sky said, lightly kissing her arm, "I have them right here in my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust had enough time this morning to drop by Tiffany's span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanand picked out something off the rack before going to the mission to pick up your style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut Uncle Arvide thought we should skip the ring part in the ceremony because we were not sure if Nathan and Adelaide had theirs ready, and span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwe wouldn't span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanwant to be the couple with the rings and them without."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Uncle Arvide has a word of wisdom for every occasion," Sarah said, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanplayfully mussing up her husband's hair./p
p class="MsoNormal"Sky continued, "Anyway, Uncle span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanArvide assured me that rings are not prerequisite in a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe bride and the groom are the real ministers ministering to each other, with the presider only acting as the representative witness of God and the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSo he said we could exchange rings at any time, even after the wedding, because we are the proper ministers of the marriage ceremony. "/p
p class="MsoNormal""And?" Sarah listened quietly, as her fingers playfully traced her husband'sspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spaneyebrows and ears span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanand down to his cheeks, as if to catch the dimples that appear and disappear when he speaks./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"And you know what?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanUncle Arvide took the rings anyway, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanand ran over to the Church of the Holy Innocents and had his friend,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthe pastor,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanbless them."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Crazy, a Catholic priest blessed our wedding rings?" smiled Sarah as if in a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why not?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey're in the blessings style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey bless everything span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span– animals and houses, trees and bicycles, guns and crosses and such."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"So happy to know," Sarah smiled, "Your late daddy and his Church have a small part in of our extended wedding ceremony."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"Sky nodded, took out the small velvet box from his pocket and opened it for Sarah to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"They're plain gold bands engraved with our names and wedding date. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI hope you approve."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Oh, darling, you thought of everything!" she said as she gazed admiringly at the rings inside the box. Then, turning back to her left hand, said, "The engagement ring was your marker, and since you've made good on it, I give it back to you," she took her husband's hand and placed the lapis lazuli ring back on his pinky./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, now, let's do the wedding rings properly, shall we?" he said./p
p class="MsoNormal""In bed?" Sarah laughed./p
p class="MsoNormal""No place more appropriate." span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSky took out the ring for Sarah and reading from a small card that came with it, he ceremoniously placed it on her finger, "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow," he smiled at her, then tenderly kissed the palm of her hand./p
p class="MsoNormal"Sarah sat up and repeated the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe placedspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthe ring on his finger, and read, "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship…" then she abruptly style="mso-spacerun: yes;" Laughing, she/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthrew away the card and in rapid succession, stripped off Sky's span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanjacket, took off his straight black span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spantie, ripped span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanoff the tiny mother-of-pearl buttons on his white pleated shirt, andspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanloosened the braces that held up his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal""With my body, I thee worship...with my body, I thee worship," whispered Sarah over and over like a prayer, softly laughing and kissing her husband's span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanlips, chin, neck, and half-exposed shoulders, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanas span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanshe inserted her arms under his shirt, touching and caressing the warm skin of his sides and back, "With my body, I thee worship…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Sky laughed with delight, responded to her kisses to start with, then reached for the switch to dim the light./p
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