Wedding, Interrupted (Published under Pop Fiction)

1: Sigourney

Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin ako makapaniwalang ikakasal na ako kay Atty. Jaron Silvera.

Bata pa lang ako – eight, to be exact – ay sinimulan ko nang iplano ang dream wedding ko. Matapos maging flower girl sa kasal ng tita ko, I watched a lot of wedding-themed shows and movies, much to my mother's amusement. Wala naman akong pakialam sa ibang scenes; nire-request ko lang kay Mama na i-fast-forward na ang palabas sa eksena ng kasal.

By the time I was twelve, I'd already decided on the type of wedding I want (church), the style of wedding gown I prefer (princess), and even the motif I desire (vintage). When I turned fifteen, I made a list of the songs I want to be played during the reception (including "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain, and "Amazed" by Lonestar). Nang mag-sixteen naman ako ay sinimulan kong ilista ang aking future wedding guests (including my best friend, Minnie).

Ten years after – on my twenty-sixth birthday – I got engaged to the man of my dreams.

Jaron was the best fiancé any woman could possibly hope for. A lawyer who's on the way to becoming the youngest partner in one of the leading law firms in the city, I met him two years ago, when a common friend introduced us. We instantly clicked, and after three months of courting, sinagot ko siya. Everyone says that Jaron's a James Dean look-alike, and I couldn't agree more. Pero hindi lang naman ang kagwapuhan niya ang rason kung bakit ako na-in love sa kanya – he's got a smart sense of humor and is a true gentleman. Kaya naman nang mag-propose siya sa akin last month, kasabay ng surprise birthday dinner na inihanda niya para sa akin, walang pag-aalangan akong nag-yes, kahit dalawang taon pa lang naman kaming magkasintahan. In my heart, I knew Jaron was the one.

Everyone was happy for us, at tanging si Minnie lang ang may hindi magandang nasasabi tungkol sa engagement namin ni Jaron.

"Hoy, Sigourney Lascano... Sigurado ka bang kilala mo na nang lubusan 'yang si Jaron?" nakasimangot na tanong ng best friend ko nang ikwento ko sa kanya na engaged na kami ng boyfriend ko. She was unfortunately absent from my birthday dinner because her baby – my goddaughter Yasmin – was sick.

"Oo naman!" Tumawa ako. "Dalawang taon na rin naman kami."

"Dalawang taon pa lang," Minnie pointed out.

"Sus, e bakit kayo ni Nick?" I asked, referring to her husband. "'Di ba, kaka-first year anniversary niyo pa lang nang magyaya na siyang magpakasal?"

"Kasi, ipinagbubuntis ko na si Yasmin!" She slapped my arm. "Alam mo namang unplanned 'yon. Ah, basta. May something talaga kay Jaron kaya hindi ako pabor sa kanya para sa'yo."

I rolled my eyes. "E 'di hindi ka pupunta sa kasal namin? Magsisimula na akong maghanap ng ibang matron of honor."

"Sira!" Muli akong hinampas ng mapanakit kong best friend. "Siyempre, a-attend pa rin ako, 'no? Susugurin kita sa office mo kapag hindi ako nakatanggap ng wedding invitation!"

****

The wedding invitation wasn't the only thing I was stressing about. Two months after getting engaged to Jaron, I was neck-deep into the wedding preparations. Although my fiancé suggested that we hire a wedding planner, mas pinili kong ako mismo ang mag-asikaso ng mga detalye ng aming kasal. How could I not, when I've been planning for the best day of my life since I was a little girl?

Mabuti na lang dahil kaagad kong sinimulan ang pag-aasikaso para sa aming kasal. I only had a couple of months to prepare, dahil gusto ni Jaron na makasal kami as soon as possible. Gayon pa man, halos solo flight lang ako sa paghahanda, dahil busy si Jaron sa kanyang trabaho, at paminsan-minsan lang ako natutulungan ni Minnie. Hindi naman pwedeng unahin niya pa akong asikasuhin kesa kay Yasmin.

"Ms. Sig?"

I looked up from my wedding preps list to see Nomel, one of my accounting staff, peering through the slightly ajar door of my office. Planning for my wedding while working as an accounting manager wasn't really ideal, and I knew that technically, I shouldn't be planning for my wedding during office hours, but I had no choice.

"Hi, Nomel." I beamed at him. "Are those for my signature?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Sige, pakilagay na lang sa in-tray ko."

Moments after Nomel left, my mobile phone rang. Napangiti ako nang makita ko kung sino ang tumatawag.

"Hi, babe." Jaron's voice was sexy as hell. "Kumusta?"

"Eto, stressed." I sighed. "Nagsabay ang monthly financial reports at ang problema sa napili nating caterer. Nagkamali pala sila ng scheduling. Turns out na booked na pala sila sa wedding day natin."

"Oh. That's a bummer," my fiancé responded, sharing my sentiment. "Have you tried contacting our second choice?"

"I was about to do that before you called." Bahagya akong tumawa. "Bakit ka nga pala napatawag? May problema ba, babe?"

It was Jaron's turn to sigh. "I'm really sorry about this, Sig, but I just found out that Jesse won't be able to come home for our wedding." Jesse, his brother, works for an engineering company abroad. "Which means I have to choose another best man."

"May idea ka na ba kung sino ang pwede mong ipalit kay Jesse?" tanong ko habang kino-cross out ang pangalan ng kapatid niya sa listahan ng aming wedding guests.

"Well, as I am short of another brother..." Jaron paused as I laughed at his sly reminder that Jesse is his only sibling. "... I'm thinking of asking my cousin Seb instead."

"Seb?" I echoed. I had attended the last two family gatherings of the Silveras here in Manila, and I couldn't remember any cousin named Seb. O baka naman pinsan siya ni Jaron sa maternal side?

"You haven't met him yet. He lives in Catalona," Jaron explained, referring to the Silveras' home province. "But among my cousins, sa kanya ako pinakamalapit."

"Okay. Can I have his full name, babe? Para alam ko kung ano ang ilalagay sa wedding invitation."

"It's Sebastian Onyx Silvera. We used to call him 'SOS'." Jaron chuckled. "I'll call him later and let you know if he says yes."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Don't worry – Seb and I go back a long way. Alam kong hindi niya ako matatanggihan."

When Jaron ended the call, I scribbled his cousin's name at the very end of our wedding guest list. "Looks like I'll be meeting you soon, Sebastian Onyx Silvera," I said, staring at the name while putting down my pen.