Wedding Parable

So a little more than a year ago my brother and Mara had a joint birthday party. They were doing Karioke downtown on 2nd avenue where they had rented out a private room. I came by with a friend to watch my brother, Mara, and all their friends drunkenly sing. I even sung some songs. It was fun, everyone was jovial and drunk, just as birthdays should be. But when the song "Single Ladies" by Beyonce came on Sam, who had previously been singing, laughing and being especially silly, suddenly sat down. His expression changed to one of defeat and a tinge of sadness (perhaps this is the kind of thing only sisters really notice). I came and sat down next to him, I also needed a breather. When the refrain came on ("If ya liked it then ya would've put a ring on it") he turned to me and said in a hushed way, "I hate this song. It's terrible. It's so... angry." Now, I'd never really thought of "Single Ladies" as an angry song; most people can't deny that it's actually pretty catchy and good. I just looked at Sam and nodded. Within a minute or less though he was up dancing and singing again, having fully recovered from his momentary withdrawal.

Jump forward a year to my brothers wedding. All the younger folk are at the after party. The ceremony is done with, all the tears of happiness have been dried, and everyone is getting drunk in a basement where there is a bar set up and a pool table, a ping pong table and a mini dance floor. My brother, taking a break from dancing, is standing next to me watching me play pool against his old college roommate. He is glowing that kind of post wedding glow that brides and grooms have, you know, when they're ecstatic, filled with love and adrenaline, happily running from friend to friend, sweating and dancing. The song "Single Ladies" comes on. My brother starts laughing, holds out his hand and starts doing the "Single Ladies" dance, waving his hand, flashing his ring. Then he says: "Look she put a ring on it! Chris, Soph, look! Where's Mara? I have to find her! We put rings on it! Mara!" He runs off to the dance floor and starts laughing and dancing with his bride. Later I see his Facebook status is a picture of his hand, adorned with the gold wedding ring. The caption is "She put a ring on it... And I'm so happy." I smiled. Needless to say, he no longer hates the song.