driving down the avenue

Disclaimer: This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. "Ready ka na ba?" My sister said, fixing my coat. We have reached the end of the road. Finally, after years of dedication and hard work, we have arrived at the point in our lives where we must tie the knot and publicly declare our love for one another. This event is something I've been looking forward to my entire life. I've been dreaming of the perfect marriage for years, and today I can finally say that it's going to happen. My heart continues to pound in my chest as if I had run a thousand miles. My body is bursting with a mixture of excitement and happiness as it tries to escape. I couldn't be more ecstatic about this day. "I am so ready for this!" I smiled widely, showing everyone how lucky I was to be marrying the girl of my dreams. "Great! Is everything set?" The coordinator asked, signaling that the event was about to start. I put my watch on my wrist and smiled while wearing it. The woman I'm marrying gave me this watch during our first anniversary. It holds great significance for me because I had been longing for a watch for a very long time. Before leaving the suite, I brushed my hair one last time to make it look presentable. The ground beneath my feet was trembling as I walked to the church. It's hard for me to believe that this is happening. My hands and feet were shaking because I was sweating so much. After all, it was so cold inside the church. When I walked into the church, I had tears in my eyes. "Congrats, bro!" Her brother said. He gave me a bro hug while I patted his back and thanked him for being there throughout. The coordinator started arranging us for the wedding entourage, and I couldn't help but cry already. This has been my dream ever since, and I can't blame my tears for sliding down too early. Good thing, I brought a handkerchief with me. Our song started playing. The coordinator gave me a cue that I had to walk down the aisle already. I prepared myself before I started walking. I can see lights and flashes from the photographer we hired for this special event. My eyes were beginning to water up, and I couldn't stop them. I was smiling throughout the walk while waiting for my parents to stand beside me. My best man started walking, followed by the groomsmen. I was so happy seeing my friends walk down the aisle while flashing a smile on me. The bridesmaid started walking, followed by the maid of honor, her best friend. This is it. It's time. My tears started falling as they held the door handle and started opening the door for us to see my lovely bride. s**t. I told myself I had prepared for this, but as I was staring at what was in front of me, I couldn't help but cry and tremble. At first, I saw the light, I wiped my eyes, and when I looked back, her head started showing up, making me cry even more. I am now seeing my bride slowly walking towards me. I can't think straight; all I feel is that I will be marrying the woman I would give everything up for. She is smiling. My heart feels like it's about to go outside of my body. I feel like if I were to speak, my voice would shake. My bride was walking until she reached her parents. They started walking all together while she was wiping her tears as well. I was astonished by how she looked today as I saw her closer than a while ago. I almost cursed by how beautiful she looked today. She was fast approaching; my hands and knees were shaking. Pakiramdam ko para akong binangungot. Naalala ko na naman. The dream has kept on haunting me up until now. The dream made me the happiest and broke me at the same time. "What was your dream about?" someone asked me, someone I didn't know. I have no idea how to answer his question. All along, I believe I dreamt of becoming a doctor, someone who will save thousands of lives by providing excellent quality care to patients. But I didn't know it was going to change eventually. My dream? "My dream is about her." I casually replied. "Siya lang ang pangarap ko." Suddenly, everything became gray, as if I had been blinded by the colors that I had seen just moments before. I'm unable to think clearly. I keep asking myself, "Why did this happen?" and "Where did I go wrong?" What appears to be the source of the problem? Is it just me? Is it her? I have the impression that I have been showered with a large number of massive rocks, and my heart sank as the intensity of the shower reached its peak. "Why didn't you end up together?" someone asked back. Since ten years ago, I've made it a point to avoid answering these types of questions. It didn't quite live up to my expectations that I'd be receiving these right now, right this second. This is something neither I nor my heart is prepared for. What happened to it when everything was going perfectly well? What made me feel like I needed to back out and not continue this thing. My mind's a complete mess right now, I can't see the problem, but I surely know there is. It took me a while to answer back. One thing is for sure; my answer came from my heart. "I suddenly woke up," I answered. They were murmuring like I was telling a joke. It's the truth, however. Nagising nalang ako. "I welcome the night and all her stars; she's the one who knows all my dreams. Sadly, I woke up, and suddenly, I was not part of her dream anymore. We don't mean to hurt each other, but we do. And perhaps no matter how right we are for each other, we'll always be a little too wrong." I said. It crashed my chest so hard. I smiled and showed them that it was okay. We all go through that phase. I couldn't move nor hold the microphone correctly. This was my decision, and I should be happy about it. Dapat panindigan ko 'to. Pero bakit ang sakit? Bakit ang sakit parin? It's been ten years since I last saw her and I didn't think this day would come. "Is there a chance pa po ba, Father?" one of the regular attendees said. I gave him a sad smile and shook my head. I wish there were still, but we already have our duties and responsibilities that we can't leave just for the sake of our love. We wanted this; we should be held accountable for this. This isn't what I wanted, but this is what I decided. "Nope," I answered back, looking straight at him. "She's getting married already."