Chapter 53
Il Divo Live


Urs stared in openmouthed astonishment as Annie Joy burst out laughing. “Mami? That was Mami on the phone? But you were…Mami?” he sputtered.

Annie Joy smiled and nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Now I’ve missed her. Did she say what she wanted?”

“To talk to me of course.” Annie Joy was the picture of wide-eyed innocence. “Something about making sure my intentions were honorable towards you!”

“Your intentions? What the hell…she’s never talked to any of my…” Then the penny dropped and the expression on Urs’ face changed from confused to cunning as he advanced at a prowl toward the bed.

Giggling, Annie Joy pulled her knees up and retreated farther back on the bed until her back was against the headboard. “Now Urs, don’t be a looli,” she cautioned.

Urs reached the edge of the bed and paused. “Looli? So I’m a fool am I? Where did you learn that?”

Annie Joy’s chin went up, “Your mother. She said I should call you that whenever you…you act like one,” she said with a nervous twitter as Urs slowly climbed on the bed and crawled toward her. “Urs, don’t you dare! Go away… you looli!” she warned between giggles as she put her head down, raised her shoulders and drew her chin in like a turtle to protect her ticklish spot. Urs found it anyway, that little place right under her chin, perfect for blowing raspberries and giving nibbling kisses guaranteed to drive her into fits of hysterical laughter.

She couldn’t escape his ravenous mouth. No matter how she wriggled and turned his mouth nuzzled and tickled and did other strange and wonderful things to her. Urs was grateful in more ways than one when she finally gave in with a breathless, “Uncle.” If she’d wriggled and wiggled very much longer he’d be the one begging for mercy. He hovered triumphantly over her on all fours, “Now Annie Joy what did she say?”

Annie Joy’s fingers mapped the hard contour of muscles across Urs’ shoulders and down his arms as she finally admitted; “She wants you to ring her back later. I told her you were in the shower.” She gave an impish grin and moved her fingers down to the edge of his towel. “Well would you look at that? Your towel seems to have come loose. Here let me help you.”

Urs breathed a sigh of relief as he arrived for the soundcheck mere seconds ahead of David. If Annie Joy had given him much more help he wouldn’t have made it to the soundcheck period. He’d have to remember that when she visited him on tour. He’d also have to remember to call Mami.

**********

Urs hurried Annie Joy into her coat. They weren’t late yet, but if he stared at her in that dress much longer he knew they would be. It was a simple long red dress of the softest wool, covering her demurely from wrist to neck but the way it managed simultaneously to skim and cling to every curve caused a hitch in his breath. Then as if the view from the front wasn’t distracting enough she turned around. Butterflies are free vaguely flashed through his mind…when he could think again.

Annie Joy heard his sharp intake of breath. She smiled and Urs could feel it in his trouser pockets.
While she buttoned her coat he shrugged into his. She inspected him for lint and seemed to find quite a bit of it where waves of dark curls caressed his collar. His knowing smile melted her insides.

**********

The New York Room in the Grand Hotel was small, holding perhaps 60 people for a stand-up reception. For the dinner tonight round tables for 40 guests had been arranged in cabaret seating. The room’s modern atmosphere done in a gold theme with a glass roof made an elegant contrast to the dignified Old World opulence of the hotel.





Urs left Annie Joy in the care of Per and David and joined David, Seb, and Carlos to check on preparations for their performance on the small stage at one end of the long room.

Per and David took their job seriously, staying close by and introducing her around. Nils and Katrinka, the guests of honor, were a lovely couple celebrating their 25th anniversary. They were warm and friendly and made Annie Joy feel very welcome. She may not have had Urs’ talent for remembering names, especially the difficult ones, but her enthusiasm more than made up for her boggled pronunciations.

Urs felt a pull in his stomach as he watched her mingle with the guests. They had no chance to escape the spell of her natural charm as she drew them in. He knew exactly how they felt. He was so proud of her; proud she was here with him. What would it be like to have her as his wife, to kiss and cuddle in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter’s day, to have children with, to grow old with?

Shock jolted through him as he realized the directions of his thoughts. He’d never contemplated any kind of formal commitment with a woman let alone children or the concept of forever. What the hell had Annie Joy done to him?

“Let’s get the show on the road,” grinned David as they jogged up the steps and took their places on stage.

Annie Joy snuck a peek at her watch. Would it ever start? Then Per was guiding her to a table near the front on Urs’ side of the stage, David was handing her champagne for the toast. The happy couple was introduced. “To Katrinka and Nils!” The lights dimmed as Il Divo was introduced and took the stage.

**********

Just look at them. They know how good they are. When they’re in full flow, arms outstretched, chest thrown out, so powerful, so secure and certain of themselves I feel in awe.

Annie Joy might have been the first one on her feet as they ended with ‘My Way’ but the entire room was only a fraction of a second behind her in giving them a standing ovation. She waved, as if Urs couldn’t see her, and blew him a kiss that he returned with an added blinky wink.




Lord love a duck, child! If you don’t look just like a drowned raccoon I surely don’t know what does. Best find something to wipe those eyes…and blow your nose while you’re at it.

Annie Joy continued her conversation in the ladies room as she repaired her only slightly smudged makeup. Great Minnie could be a bit of a drama queen at times.
Oh Great Minnie, this is the most glorious night of my life! Have you ever seen four handsomer men in your life?

Can’t say as I have. They do clean up nice and that’s a fact.

And those soaring high notes, and those heartbreakingly beautiful harmonies. And Carlos’ voice, majestic and commanding, so strong and steady. Then there’s David’s high notes floating and soaring up to the angels. And the expressive texture Seb adds, soft, sweet, rough, plaintive, is amazing. And did you hear Urs’ breath control? He’s usually the last one to put his mic down. Great Minnie, stop it right now. I can hear you snickering. I’m serious here. Don’t you love when he does those subtle harmonies? It’s like filling in the spaces between the other guys notes. And that echo in Caruso is so pure it gives me goosebumps.

Great Minnie didn’t want to shout to be heard over the hand dryer so she waited until Annie Joy was on the way back to her table.

Honey, you’re preachin’ to the choir here. I always knew they’d make it big. We have what you might call advance notice ‘bout some things up here you know. Still in all they kinda exceeded expectations, he he, after they got the kinks ironed out that is. In the beginning there were a few times I just wanted to slap them all up side the head, grown men acting like little boys but they got their act together now. Just goes to show what gifted singers can do with a little luck and a lot of hard word. Kinda leaves you breathless doesn’t it?

As if on cue the ‘Breathless Four’ as Annie Joy teasingly called them arrived at the table just in time for the first course. Over dinner Annie Joy waxed eloquent on their performance as they ate sparingly. Since they were to sing one more song for Katrinka and Nils first dance, they skipped dessert to go ‘walk off’ what dinner they had before they sang.

The song Katrinka and Nils chose was ‘Over the Rainbow’. Urs had forewarned Annie Joy. This time she was prepared, as if you can ever really be prepared for the emotional response their music pulls from you. A good chunk of Urs’ solo was sung with their eyes locked on each other as he sang about wishes coming true and as the song ended they nodded in mute testimony. Wishes do come true, they were living proof.

**********

“Ah, there’s your handsome man. Come to claim you for a dance I expect. It’s been lovely talking with you Annie Joy,” Katrinka smiled warmly and squeezed her arm.

Urs kissed Katrinka on the cheek, shook hands with Nils, and pulled Annie Joy close to him with one arm around her waist.

“And if we don’t see you before you leave, we wish you good luck with your new job,” added Nils.
“It’s been a pleasure meeting both of you. Thank you so much for inviting me. I’m very grateful to have shared in your special celebration.” She turned and shared a look with Urs, then turned back to her hosts. “This is the first time I’ve seen Il Divo perform live so it was a special night for me too,” she said softly as she blinked back tears and looked at Urs again.

Nils simply nodded and Katrinka smiled in acknowledgement as she and her husband moved off to mingle with their other guests. “What a charming couple they make!” Katrinka exclaimed as she linked her arm through her husband’s and leaned her head briefly on his shoulder as they walked away. “That was us twenty-five years ago, Nils,” she sighed.

“To me, älskling, you will always be the most charming woman in the room,” Nils whispered into her hair with a kiss.

Urs led Annie Joy to an opening on the small dance floor. He turned and she filled the space between them as if they’d done this since the beginning of time. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder as her fingers sought the curls at his nape. How soft and springy and alive they feel, she thought. He pressed the flat of his hand, fingers slightly open, around her back where the edge of the dress met her skin. The best of both worlds, he thought, soft smooth skin and the textured cloth hiding the promise beneath.

He sighed and pulled her a fraction closer. What perfect harmony I have in my life, he thought, and smiled at the unintentional pun.
I have a woman I love who loves me, the real me with or without all the trappings, freely and completely. I have a job that challenges and allows me to travel the world doing what I love. I am truly satisfied with my lot or should be. And yet from nowhere these thoughts of forever have been lobbed into my life like a hand grenade.

At that moment he realized he had to take the risk. Living without her would be worse than any possibility of losing her in the future. Now holding her in his arms, he knew he couldn’t lose her because this was right. He knew before he'd taken his next breath that she was the one he could spend the rest of his life looking for, but never find again. At long last he had learned that of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.