Chapter 28: Proposal Number One

"Say 'yes'," James whispered back. "Please, please, please say 'yes'."

Amidst the swell of organ music, Brin scaled the narrow staircase leading to the church's second tier of seats. Once at the top she looked around and saw James sitting at the controls of St. Stephen's giant pipe organ. He was playing Bach, one of his pieces in the major key, and the warmth of the music seemed to match the soft glow coming from the stained glass. Brin sat down and waited for James to finish.

"Kurt said I would find you up here." She said when James had played the last notes with a trill and a flourish. He turned around.

"Yeah. Isn't this old pipe organ amazing? That was the best part of sitting up here." James said.

Brin looked around quizzically. "Why did you sit up here for mass last night?" She asked.

"I felt bad for Kurt, having to sit up here all alone. It wasn't so bad really."

"You just liked sitting next to that organ." Brin said with a knowing grin.

James smiled sheepishly, caught. "That too," he said. "That looks nice on you." He gestured to the sweater that Amanda had given Brin for Christmas that morning. Brin glanced down at it and smiled.

"I like it," she said. "And I like these new rules for Christmas."

Kurt had told them that Father Dietrich abhorred Christmas as the secular gift giving holiday it was becoming; that the spirit of the celebration of the birth of the savior was being lost in the great flood of materialism that accompanied it. And so Christmas morning had been a simple affair – with only one or two presents for each of them, preferably made by the giver. Wolfgang had had the most difficulty complying, as he loved giving extravagant gifts. But he kept himself in check, presenting each one of them with a leather bound sketchbook in which he had adorned the first page with drawings and a message about what their friendship meant to him.

Brin had gotten the sweater Amanda had knitted herself and in her pocket was a slip of paper that was an IOU from Kurt for trapeze lessons, something she had been hounding him about ever since their rehearsal together.

"I like that scarf Amanda made you. Did you notice they matched?" Brin asked. She sat down on the organ bench besides James and held the scarf he was wearing, despite being indoors, up to her sweater.

"That's perfect." James said. "Now I'm wearing a little bit of you."

Brin laughed at the corny line and pretended to punch him on the shoulder.

James started playing again, but this time instead of Bach he played "When a man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, belting out the lyrics with as much soul as his voice could carry. Then he switched to "Alison" by the Pixies, which sounded very funny on an organ instead of the distorted electric guitar in the original. Brin giggled.

"Have you ever seen the pipe room for a big organ like this?" James asked.

Brin shook her head.

"Come, I'll show you." James led Brin over to a narrow wooden door and turned the latch. "It's kind of crowded in here." He said as they squeezed their way in.

The center of the room had a little more space to it and James pointed out the various "choirs" of pipes, each with their precise lengths and thicknesses.

"Do you want to hear what it sounds like in here with the organ playing?" James asked.

"Yes, I bet it's amazing. It won't hurt my ears will it?" Brin asked.

"I'll keep the stops as quiet as possible." James left the room and a moment later Brin was engulfed in a flood of sound. She could feel it in her bones, in her heart, and each time she inhaled it seemed that her lungs were a resonating chamber; filling with music before releasing it back into the world.

She could tell James was changing the stops as he played because beside the differences in timbres the volume changed. Finally, he played a few chords in thunderous conclusion.

"So, what did you think?" James asked when he returned.

"It was wonderful. Like getting massaged by music, especially the end" Brin said.

James looked thoughtful for a moment, "What a wonderful way to describe it. And for the end, I had no choice but to pull out all the stops."

Brin giggled. "Is that were that saying comes from?" She asked.

James nodded. "That it did. So, now I'm really going to pull out all the stops."

Brin looked confused, but didn't say anything as James withdrew a small velvet box from behind him. He knelt down on one knee and offered it to Brin who stood speechless before him.

"It would be my honor to be your husband." James said.

Her eyes already wet, Brin took the box in trembling hands and opened it. It wasn't an extravagant ring at all. It looked antique and the burnished silver offset the tiny sparking diamond at its center.

"I don't know what to say." Her voice was hardly a whisper.

"Say 'yes'," James whispered back. "Please, please, please say 'yes'."

The tears that had been threatening to break from the bonds of her eyes, rolled down Brin's cheeks. "Yes." She said; such a tiny quivering sounds, but then getting louder each time she said it, "yes. Yes. Yes!" She slid to the floor and had her lips on his in a single movement. Then they were lost in the warmth of each other's bodies; exploring the fit of every limb and curve.

"I love you Brin." James said.

"I love you…" But Brin's response was cut short by the sound of clapping from outside. She pushed open the door and saw the faces of Kurt, Wolfgang, Maria, Amanda, Stephani, and Father Dietrich beaming them. Brin quickly re-buttoned her blouse, hoping that maybe no one would notice the how hard she was blushing. She had been caught making out in a church once before, again with James only this time in Manhattan's landmark St. Patrick's cathedral, but never dreamed she would ever get caught with her blouse halfway of by a priest.

"Father Dietrich! Ummm. I'm so very sorry Father." She said getting to her feet.

Father Dietrich laughed. "How about we pretend I have only just arrived? Brin, you look fine to me." Then he smiled conspiratorially at James, "But I don't think that lipstick is your color."

"Why you!" Brin gave James a playful swat while he tried to rub the lipstick off his face with the corner of his shirt. "We're you guys listening the whole time?" Brin asked.

"Kurt, you were supposed to be my look out." James said accusatorily.

"I did look out." He said. "But they have powerful methods of persuasion. And I wanted to share the good news as soon as possible."

James smiled and rolled his eyes and they emerged from the crowded pipe room and to join their friends. "I spoke to Father Dietrich and he said he could marry us this summer, when the circus plays Hamburg. Depending on you saying 'yes' or course."

"If that's enough time for you to prepare." Father Dietrich added.

"Time!" Brin cried. "Why can't we just do it right now?"

"Unfortunately because the van is packed and it's time for us to leave." Wolfgang said. He put a comforting hand on Kurt's shoulder, knowing how badly he wanted to stay.

"Next Summer then. I'll make the necessary arrangements." Said Father Dietrich. "I'll keep in touch while you," he pointed at Brin and James," travel of course."

The group exchanged hugs and congratulations, but Kurt had moved off to the side. Brin walked over.

"What is it?" She asked.

Kurt sighed. "I don't want to be jealous." He said. "but I must admit I do desire for what you have. But how can I when I look like this? Like a monster?" He paused to look at his hands, a trio or overly large digits, ones that many would call hideously deformed. He clasped Brin's slender hands in his. "I guess it's hard for someone like you to understand." He said, slowly letting go as he backed away.

"I don't think you look like a monster, Kurt. I think you're beautiful." Brin said to him, matching his pace to keep up. "Someone with as kind a heart as yours couldn't look any other way. Have faith that there is someone out there who is meant for you and you won't spend you're life alone."

"Faith." Kurt repeated with a small laugh.

"Think about what a wonderful friend you've been to James and to Wolfgang and even to me after I screamed at you all those times. Have faith that that kindness will be returned to you."

Smiling, Brin held Kurt's face in her hands and kissed him one on each cheek. "You introduced us to the priest who will join my hand with James' in marriage. I'll always love you for that." He could feel his cheeks blushing a deep violet and for the third time in his life, Kurt was speechless.