Kendall's Proposal from Sophie's POV...

On a Saturday night, Kendall Barnum Kress took me to spots in the city where we knew we were falling in love but hadn’t said it yet… We were being “realistic.”

On his second or third visit to see me in the city I took him on a Christmas lights walk. We started playing this game where I would create absurd scenarios that he would act out in public. (For example, there was a fake light up cab and I told him to go get in an argument with the fake light up cab driver over the fare.) There were some pretty brilliant performances, I must say.

We joked that his frequent trips to New York were business trips. “The Business of Pleasure,” we called it. I would host “evaluations” for his progress in his new, unnamed position. We continued our games all the way to the Rockefeller ice rink. After we mercilessly made fun of kids fumbling and crashing on the ice, he flipped on the camera and asked for feedback from the business. As you’ll see in the video, I turned into a wide-eyed bumbling fool as I stared into the crystal eyes of the human I was madly falling for.

I completely ruined the engagement surprise because I almost took a gig. I don’t usually check in with Kendall before taking gigs, but I'd gotten my manicure and knew something might be coming. We both had jittery first date energy- and we laughed about it the whole time. He jabbered “nothing special or different going on HERE!” while I grinned stupidly.

The final stop was the window at Skinny Dennis, where years before we’d ended a night of dancing, laughing, and receiving way-too-many-to-be-normal questions from strangers about who the f*** we were to each other. Groups of girls had screamed “NOOOOO” when I told them we weren’t really together, he lived in Virginia. Bartenders bought us drinks because of the love in the air. A barely over the drinking age kid actually kicked Kendall in the back of the leg saying “dude, you better get down on one knee, this love is CRAZY!”

And that glorious sweaty night, years ago, the band packed up their instruments, and Kendall propped me up in the window. He wanted to tell me something, but didn’t want me to feel pressure, or freak out…

And as the last of the honky tonk’s patrons trickled out he told me “Okay. This doesn’t have to mean anything… if you don’t want it to…”

“Just say it!” I blurted.

“ I think you are who I’ve been waiting for.”

So on a Saturday night in March, on the OTHER side of that window (the band was playing and it was packed… logistics) he told me again. And we both like… gurgled and cried and hid our faces from people walking by as he slid the ring on my shaky finger.

We used a traffic cone to prop up my phone and take pictures on the sidewalk. We jammed our way through a very young 20s crowd- ha!- to get our celebratory Tito’s and lemonade. I fell asleep on his shoulder on the train home. And we woke up to face life together again, the way we plan to do for the rest of the days we have.

Sophie's Proposal from Kendall's POV

Long crazy day of work. Madness abounds. Gloomy and sleepy and sullen, our protagonist, Kendall (me), begins his journey back to the domicile of his and his love (Sophie).

While in transit, maybe while wrapping up work, that lasted longer than usual, Sophie inquires about timing. 8pm ish he says.

Music plays in Air Pods while sitting on the train of the newly discovered Quirktronica genre. Because quirky, but cool… but mostly cool.

30th Ave Stop. Kendall descends the stairs of the train. We all know them. Quirktronica continues in the ears.

Kendall arrives at the apartment building. Enters. Starts climbing the stairs. Tells himself that a bad day at the work does not mean it must be a bad day for the night. Takes a breath before getting to the last flight before the apartment door.

Sign: In Here, Life is Beautiful

Kendall smiles, his love has made a sign to cheer him up from a crazy day!

He enters, lights off, candles lit. Puts bag down walks by obvious table with obvious card to go greet his love, Sophie.

Sophie, Sally, greets him, tells him to go read the card. He goes for a kiss. Sally demands that he goes and reads the card. He does.

Card: (paraphrasing) take off work clothes and put on robe in the bathroom.

Kendall takes off clothes, puts on robe, reads obvious card.

Card: leave your troubles outside.

He smiles. And feels a rush of love and gratitude for Sophie, Sally, Sophie…

Kendall walks to the living room and is greeted with a gin and tonic and a greeting full of love from Sally and a request to sit on the couch.

Sally dances to the music in her nightgown like she has done on stage so many nights before. This time a solo act for a solo audience member.

He feels the warmth of gin and pure wonderment of Sally while watching her dance and sing along to the music playing.

Sally stops the music and says she feels inspired. Starts another track.

Hush up. Don’t tell mama, she sings.(Sorry Sally, I’m telling mama).

She’s a star. Breathtaking. Captivating. Just like she was the first time Kendall saw her perform for the first time.

She finishes the song. He claps.

Sally stars singing “Maybe This Time.” He is mesmerized. She is so beautiful and so incredible and so wonderful and so giving of her love and her art and her craft.

What a human he thinks. How lucky he is. How fortunate to have met such a person.

She finishes. He is speechless.

She says words that he catches only part of in the moment.

…”Kendall Barnum Kress, will you marry me” he finally hears while she gets on one knee and presents the most beautiful ring.

Crying joyfully he says “yes, yes, yes!” She puts the ring on his finger and they kiss and hug and cry and he keeps saying “yes” while sighing sighs of love and contentment for the moment and excitement for next chapters ahead.

They sit and dance together and sip gin and eat the carcass of a chicken (rotisserie) all night and revel in their love and matching rings until they fall asleep, ready to continue this wonderful journey of love when they wake up to the new day.