The mascara would smear, I told myself and so I held my breath, the edges of my smile shaking, and kept back the tears struggling to run down my cheeks.
That was the inner battle I fought as I watched one of my closest friends walk down the aisle. Cathy was my playmate and our neighbor back in my elementary days. She had gone through a mitral valve problem last December and she needs heart surgery to get her heart back in shape. I guess all the minuses and pluses in life finally do add up and here we were on such a happy and lovely day, her wedding.
I looked around. The best man was crying and so was the maid of honor. The tears of joy were contagious. And for that very reason, I had refused to cry. Baka mahawa sa pag-iyak. True enough, as Cathy walked down the aisle and looked at me, I held my smile in place and gave her the signal to smile herself. I will never know the exact feeling she had at that very moment but she looked like she was in a trance - afloat, with her shear, white veil and long, white gown. Then, she smiled.
It was a moment I would never forget. If there was a wedding that would've really made me cry, this was the first one. As the moment finally passed, the ceremony dragging by, I remained overwhelmed about how much beauty there still could be in something so personal.
I tag Cathy's wedding as one of the most meaningful weddings I have attended. There was no wedding organizer. She decorated the tiny oil lamps herself, these as tokens the couple gave away. Not to mention, it was the first time I saw myself in a Grade 6 graduation picture in one of the slideshows. It was like a walk down memory lane and watch where people have come and gone. It was like watching a new beginning unfold. It was truly beautiful.
Kidding aside, it was a new beginning for me as well. I had worked on a diet for 3 weeks, eating 4 small meals each day with less carbo loading. I t all started during the first fitting. The gown was a bit too tight. It was the type that created a "cleavage" on my back. Just imagine. Haha! The beginning for me was that, finally, I could stop dieting. A double celebration!
*Batchmates in the picture...
