The Brass Ring Ch. 08-09

I leaned back in the chair and took a sip of the coffee. What now? What was I going to do now?

"There's something else you should know, Dieter. I didn't sit around saying 'woe is me' afterwards. I spend some time with a psychologist who has been working with my brother Calvin. I needed to know why I did what I did."

"Did it help?" I asked, wondering what she might have learned.

She nodded. "Yes. I guess to take all the mumbo-jumbo out of it, I was trying to rebel, just like Calvin did. We were brought up in this perfect family. We weren't always rich, but we never had to work for anything. We just had to behave. So ... when Harley came along, he opened me up to being a bad girl for a change. Just like Calvin, I couldn't handle it. He was the most daring, naughty thing I had ever done. The Jenkins perfect daughter wasn't perfect any more."

I hadn't said anything or interrupted for a reason. I wanted to listen to what she was saying, what she was trying to get me to understand. It wasn't easy. I couldn't relate to a perfect family ... at least not when I was young. I always had to work for anything I wanted. Pop made sure of that. So, from my looking at it, Merilee was admitting to being spoiled. It was a simple as that.

We sat there, just looking at each other. I didn't know quite how to say what I wanted to say, but I knew I had made up my mind.

"Merilee, I want us to start over again. Just like the past didn't happen. I forgive you for that. I've probably made more out of it than I should have. I think everyone has told me to forgive and forget at some time or another. I guess I have to take their advice. If you want to, that is?"

She had tears in her eyes, ready to spill down her cheeks.

"Yes ... yes, Dieter. I want to. Thank you for your understanding. I won't forget, and I will remember how important truth and trust are to you ... to both of us."

I stood up and held out my hands to her. She took them and rose. I pulled her into my arms and we hugged silently for a while. I felt like I'd taken a big weight off my back. It seemed like I could breathe easier. I didn't have any second thoughts about my decision. It was the right thing to do, and maybe I should have done it sooner.

Chapter 9 Catching the Brass Ring

When Gerry and Paulette came home that afternoon, they found Merilee and me lying on the sofa, watching TV, my arm around her shoulder, holding her close. Paulette broke out in a big smile, followed by Gerry. Having their approval meant a lot to me. Gerry wasn't just a customer, but a man I respected. Paulette was a fine lady with a classy way about her. Even if their "perfect family" wasn't perfect, they were good people.

Merilee and I started dating again, and I was glad I was able to put the past out of my mind. I would live in the present and not think about what happened before. We spent most weekends together, agreeing not to date during the week. Merilee took her job very seriously and was taking some extra courses at the community college to help her along. Gerry was very proud of her accomplishments and her ambition.

Merilee and I didn't have sex ... or I should say ... make love ... until May. She wasn't a virgin any more than I was, but we were being careful about our relationship. When it happened, Merilee was the one who decided it was time. She felt we were very serious about each other and she wanted to show how she really felt about me. I was just as sure I wanted to show her how I felt about her.

We had made ourselves supper in my apartment above the garage after being out all day scouring the countryside for auctions. We had talked about moving in together and if we did, what kind of furniture we wanted. It was fun because while we liked the same kinds of things, we didn't always like the exact same thing.

Something just clicked that evening as we cuddled together on my sofa. We started kissing, then some stroking, then fondling, and then ... it was like a switch was turned on. We got up and went to the bedroom. We were in bed in a heartbeat. It was the first time I had ever seen Merilee naked, and she was even more beautiful than I expected.

I took it easy and made sure she was ready for me when the time came. Lots of kissing and nibbling and fingering as we got ready. Then she told me she wanted me in her, I moved over her and she guided me slowly in. I was being very careful ... maybe too careful ... but I wanted this to be perfect for her. From her reaction to our lovemaking, I think she was very happy.

We made love three times that night, not finally falling asleep until sometime after 1 am. I didn't think I would be able to get it up that last time, but Merilee proved me wrong with a great oral rescue. We didn't try anything special that first night. Just regular sex except for her being on top the second time. She liked that.

As the months progressed we both became more adventuresome in bed. She was a terrific lover, with lots of enthusiasm and happy to try new things. We were the perfect couple, but I hadn't had the nerve to talk about making us a permanent couple. I was sure that's what I wanted, and I was pretty sure it's what Merilee wanted, but I just hadn't sucked it up and asked the question.

I got a surprise invitation from Pattie Peppar to her wedding, and I thought I should attend. It was for me and a guest, so I immediately invited Merilee. To tell the truth, I wanted to show her off. Who wouldn't? She was a prize beauty and I was the lucky guy.

The wedding was on a beautiful, warm Saturday and I felt good for Pattie. The guy she was marrying looked like a stand-up guy and she was obviously in love with him if the look on her face was any indication. As we stood in the gardens of the church while the pictures were being taking, Merilee was holding my arm, leaning on me. I looked at her a couple of times, and I could see she was dreaming about something. I could guess what it was. It was then that I knew it was time.

I went to the same jewelers where Pop bought Marla's ring and took a picture of Merilee with me. The manager looked at the photo and complimented me on my choice of a future bride. He mentioned that she had slim, elegant hands, so the ring shouldn't be too big or bold. That made a lot of sense. He showed me several that he thought she would like and I chose one after he said I could exchange it if she didn't like it. He would size it afterwards, but the one we picked he thought might be close to the right size.

I wanted to talk to Marla and get a suggestion on how to ask Merilee to be my wife. This was all new to me, and yeah ... I'd seen it done on TV or in the movies, but this was real life. I wanted to do it right.

"Oh, Dieter, I'm so happy for you," Marla gushed and hugged me when I told her.

"Nice goin', kid," Pop said, shaking my hand. A kid I wasn't, but I knew he approved, so that's what mattered.

I wouldn't see Merilee until Friday evening. We had a dinner date at Luciano's, the first place I ever took Joanna to. I wasn't going to boycott the place just because of that, plus Joanna was gone and forgotten. Yeah, that's right ... forgotten.

We were given a nice table off to one corner of one of the rooms and it gave us about as much privacy as I could expect. It was busy, but not like a Saturday, so the noise wasn't a problem.

We had a nice meal and shared a dessert. All the while, I was getting more and more nervous. But the time had come, and I knew it was now or never.

"Merilee, I think it's time for me to tell you a couple of very important things."

She looked at me, and I could see some worry in her expression.

"The first thing I want to tell you is that I love you. I love you with all my heart." I stopped as her eyes blinked, and that glistening that came before tears appeared.

"The second thing I want to tell you is that I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

She gasped a little, but still said nothing.

"The third thing is a question." I took the little ring box from my pocket and opened. Her eyes were as wide open as they could possibly be.

"Will you marry me, Merilee?" I held the ring, hoping I could slip it on her finger. I was looking at her hand and not her face, so at first I didn't notice her head bobbing up and down.

"Yes!" she finally gasped. "Yes, Dieter, I will. I love you too. I want to be with you always."

The tears had begun, and I took her left hand gently and hoped that the ring would slide on. It did. She looked at it as I stood and came around to her and bent to kiss her. I suppose I could have got down on one knee and done it that way, but I didn't. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me tight as she kissed me. In the background I could hear the applause from some of the diners, so I guess my proposal had been noticed.

She insisted that I take her home to make the announcement to her parents and that's exactly what I did.

"Oh, Merilee, I'm so happy for you," Paulette said, near tears herself. "I know this is what you really wanted."

Gerry slapped me on the shoulder and shook my hand in congratulations.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to get around to this," he said with a laugh.

"To tell the truth, I was thinking the same thing," I admitted.

Paulette hugged me and told me how happy she was that their daughter was marrying the man of her dreams. Nothing could have made me feel any better than that.

As far as Merilee was concerned, the ring was perfect; no adjustment needed. She loved the appearance of it, so now we could go back to the store to pick out suitable wedding bands. The one thing we hadn't discussed was when the wedding would be held. It was too late for a summer wedding, and I didn't want to wait until next year, so it would take some planning with the Jenkins and the Hunsingers to work something out.

It was Gerry and Paulette who came up with a suggestion. They had already made it plain that they intended to pay for the wedding. That was traditional, but Pop, Marla, and I all said we wouldn't be happy unless we contributed something as well. We worked out a compromise. We would look after half the cost of the reception ... no arguments please! Well, there were arguments, but they were friendly ones and at last the Jenkins gave in. What the hell, between Pop and me, we could easily afford it.

We talked about a honeymoon in Florida, but Gerry and Paulette then sideswiped us by giving Merilee and me two tickets for a Caribbean cruise in early December. They were all bought and paid for, so it wasn't like we could turn them down. I guess there could be worse problems than a competition to see who would pay for what. I just thanked the gods for having my future bride come from a great family like she did. You can't buy that kind of luck.

It was decided between Marla and Paulette that the wedding would be at the end of October. No problem getting a church with an attached hall for the reception. Brains would be my best man, and T-man would be an usher. Merilee's brothers would also act as ushers and help with the parking. One of her friends from college would be her matron of honor despite the fact that she would be about seven months pregnant by then.

We went house-hunting on the weekends. It took a while before we knew we would have to build what we wanted. Nothing too big or fancy, just a house that would give us space for growth. We both wanted children, and the sooner the better for me. We found a great piece of property about five miles south of town and I put a deposit on it.

Merilee went to work looking for a plan that would give us what we wanted and I started contacting people who would be willing to build the house for us. In the end, we found a plan, but wanted a couple of modifications to make it just right for us. I called in three contractors to give us estimates, and by late May, we had chosen the builder and given him the go-ahead.

I let Merilee work out the financing details. After all, that was her specialty, and she was pretty aggressive in getting us a low rate over twenty-five years. That was as far out as I wanted to look. I would be fifty-six and she would be fifty by then, and hopefully our children would be grown and almost out of the house. If the family business kept doing as well as it had, I could see an early retirement maybe.

As I stood in the church waiting for Merilee to be escorted down the aisle on her father's arm, I thought about the way things had worked out. It was only a year ago that I was moaning about whether I would ever find happiness and a family that I could call my own. It took some coaxing from Paulette, Marla, and even Norm Spagnoli to get me to see the light. She was there all along. All I had to do was to know the truth ... and like Marla said, take a chance on grabbing the brass ring.

END

Editing by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks for their thoroughness and helpful suggestions. Any errors are mine.