My Kind of Perfect (30 page)

As if to answer my query, a very familiar voice said from
behind, “I knew you would come tonight.”

Turning around, I caught a glimpse of someone approaching
from the dark. Raising one of my brows, I asked, “What's going on? Why are you
avoiding my calls?”

“I told you I got you a surprise tomorrow but I also heard
that you were asking for me all around the resort. My bad. So I changed the
plan,” he said to me.

“Plan?” I asked.

Walking to me, he held my eyes in his. All kinds of emotions
flooded his face. I wondered what was going on with him. Then as he was in
front of me, he asked, “Do you have anything to do tomorrow?”

“Well, aside from meeting your grandma and such... none,” I
answered.

“Will you marry me?” he said out of nowhere.

“Huh?” I blinked.

“Marry me?” he asked again.

“When?” I asked him instead.

“You haven't even answered,” he complained.

I wildly smiled. “Maybe because you’re not kneeling, nerd.”

He exhaled. It was totally obvious that he was tense. He got
down on his knees, getting a velvet box from his pocket and opening it in front
of me. And then he repeated the words, “Will you do the honor of making me the
happiest nerd in the world?”

“Hmm...” I paused, looking at his bewildered expression.
Letting out a suppressed grin, I added, “Of course, I'll do that.”

I saw him exhaled. I actually did. And it was funny. But at
the same time, I found it sweet. Then he got up and I threw my arms around him.
Carrying me and spinning me around, I repeated the word yes over and over again
to him. As he was holding me tight, I had no idea how this night could be even
better than this.

Putting me down, he smiled at me and planted a kiss on my forehead.
“Thank you for saying yes.”

“What took you so long? A week of not hearing those words
was torture,” I complained. It had been a week since we were officially
together. I was not being overly demanding to be asking for a proposal within a
week but I got this feeling that we had waited long enough for this moment to
happen.

“Sorry for the long wait. It had been a crazy week for me,”
he said, resting his forehead on mine.

“What's bothering you?” I worriedly asked.

“A lot of things. Do you mind getting married tomorrow?” he
asked me.

I knew I should be utterly surprised that he was asking me
to get married tomorrow but there was an edge in his voice that told me that he
had a good reason why. “Did something happen? Why tomorrow?”

He looked straight into my eyes and told me, “My grandmother
asked me to let her see our real wedding. I'm afraid time is already running out.
I want her to see our wedding, even if...”

I grabbed his face and steadied it. He was shaking badly
that I suddenly became scared of what he was about to say. Caressing his face I
asked him, “John, can you tell me what happened to Dorothy?”

Tears started streaming down his cheeks. With trembling
eyes, he tried to find his voice. Stuttering with the words, he told me,
“Kaye... she's...”

“What happened?” I feared what he was about to say. I had
this feeling that I knew what he was trying to keep from me. I felt it all and
I hated every single thing that had told me I was right. For a moment, I wished
that he wouldn't say a word about it. In fact, no words were needed. The
scrutiny in his face told it all.

Closing my eyes and preventing the tears that were welling
up from coming down, his voice confirmed what I had feared. “...gone.”

You'll never know what you're searching for all your life, not
until you find it.

I held back the tears as I stared at the lady behind the
casket's glass. The lines on her face was more evident now that she was lying
down as still as a rock. Beauty was still apparent on her face. And the years
that she had gone through made it even better.

She was a remarkable woman. That one person that was hard to
forget, especially in my case. After all, she was the one who made this day
happen. If it wasn't for her insistence, we wouldn't end up like this today.
And I was certain that if this day never happened, both of us would be losing
more than half of our lives.

You'll never know what you’ve been missing all this while. The
things you leave to regret. The moments that you have taken for granted. And
the person you left behind but wished to meet again. Until that moment that
he's finally back and he's finally here beside you once more.

We always thought that the perfect guy was the guy in our
dreams—one perfect man who had no flaws, no weakness, and undeniably perfect.
However, when you fell in love, you would realize that there were certain
things that wouldn't matter anymore. There were certain rules you would
eventually break. Standards would go as low as possible just so you could bend
to who he was. You would soon forget everything that you wanted to have ever
since you saw Cinderella in the television screen.

Love comes and it will do things that you can't imagine
possible, things that you rather not do. And at times, it will bring you to
places that you rather not be. Change you. One by one, the expectations fall
off and you'll eventually learn how to accept. Little by little, the new
definition of perfect suddenly becomes him.

Never in my twenty-eight years of existence had I ever
imagined being wed in a funeral. But for the sake of Dorothy being physically
present in our real wedding, I had agreed to this kind of arrangement. I
realized that I didn't really need the perfect setting to marry the one I
loved. All I needed was the perfect person to say that I do with. That by
perfect, it meant that everyone who mattered to you was happy.

In a single, unexpected moment, you'll realize that maybe he's
the one. And that he's right there beside you all along.

And he was here, right in this chapel and standing in front
of the altar. I smiled feverishly as I saw the sight of him in his usual
attire—the ever present tuxedo and tie. But today was somewhat special. He was
extraordinarily handsome in my eyes. Taking one last peek through the white
curtain that secluded the wedding from the funeral, I smiled as I realized the
beauty of this moment.

I said farewell to Dorothy as I walked towards the red
carpet, tracing the cold glass that held her inside once more. Although I
wanted to hug her for the last time before the burial, Nate told us that she
specifically ordered not to let anyone open her coffin at all cost. The reason
for which, I hadn't got a clue. But she was insane enough through all the times
we had spent together and adding another craziness to her last moments wasn't
anything new.

My Dad stood beside me. After our explanation last night, no
questions had been asked. My mom and dad were already aware that there was
something wrong with the previous wedding. But it was Dorothy who told them
that she had a plan. And the reason why they hadn't bothered me much after the
wedding was because of that. Dorothy had a plan. She had that one brilliant
plan in mind. In the end, her plan had succeeded. I felt sad that she wasn't
here to see the end of it all.

Sometimes, you end up being so blind that you miss the one
that is already in front of you. Taking one glance at the man and shaking your
head before turning to the other.

I took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. Today would
be the start of another phase of my life. Start the new me. I placed my
trembling hands on my dad's arm and he gave me a light squeeze. I lifted my
face to look at him. He smiled reassuringly. “Dad, thanks for everything.”

He leaned to me and whispered, “I really thought that you
wouldn't be married at all. I'm more than happy about this day.”

“Right,” I replied, letting out a laugh. He was really
bothered by the fact that none of my boyfriends stood true to their words.

He laughed with me and said, “Let's go now, princess. Your
groom is waiting for you.”

I took another mouthful of air and nodded.

Smiling at me from up front, Sandy said, “I can't believe
you're really marrying him.”

“I can't believe it either.”

“True. But from the start, I know that you guys have
something.” She winked and added, “I'm happy for you, Kayla. And don't forget
that you look beautiful today.”

“Thanks,” I muttered under my breath.

You become too preoccupied to realize that maybe he's the one
that you've been frantically searching for all your life, the one that you have
regarded as the least possible option.

The wedding march began and Sandy started walking down the
aisle, holding the bundle of flowers in her hands. Dressed in a pastel gown
with fitted bodice, she walked confidently as she announced with her presence
the bride that would soon follow after.

Seeing that she was already near the altar, I lifted the
skirt of my gown. Closing my eyes and savoring my last moment as Kayla Wilson,
I exhaled once more. Dad motioned for us to get moving and I walked alongside
him.

Dorothy's men-in-black opened the curtain and I was then
revealed. I smiled at the sight of the congregation. The people who had
attended could now be numbered with mine and John's fingers together. They were
only a few compared to our wedding before, but they were definitely more
significant.

There were no businessmen, no paparazzi, and not even
prominent people in this place. All of them were people we know. Those whom we
had shared a fair amount of time with. The ones who broke our hearts. Who once
mended it to break again. Who said that we would never be fitted with each
other.

They were all here.

They were here to witness the said rules about dating and
relationships were nothing but a bunch of lies. There were no rules to start
with. In love, two people were equal from the start. None of them outshined the
other.

You may never see the moment coming. But who knows what fate
has in store for you? There will always be those few twists and several turns
that will eventually lead you back to him.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Smith knew how to play the piano and he
was the one putting the rhythm for the bride's march. On the other hand, the
janitor whom I had offended before in the mall turned out to have a floral
business. She was here and said her wishes to both of us. And she also added
that she had already forgiven me even if she had scrubbed the dye on the sink
all day long. Even the fortune teller was here. John brought all of them here.
He brought everyone who had done a part in making us this way now.

It was surprise and I was really surprised. And even now, I
was still surprised. The wedding invitations were passed out a week ago and the
bride's name was the only one that had been missing. Well, last night, that
part was already named.

Looking at the crowd, I said my thanks to them. The
not-so-nice girls from high school all grew up to be somewhat better, almost.
They gave me their fake smiles but I flashed a sincere one for them. After all,
without their help, our story wouldn't be as beautiful as it was today. I
learned a lot from them. That it wasn’t all about perfection and being as
shining as those stars in those magazines. It was more of being yourself and
finding people who would accept you as you were.

And being a little bit kinder if necessary and if it would
make the world a better place.

It was as if destiny played its part by making you go through
a few wrong corners before showing you the way back home. Teaching you lessons.
Making you grow up. So when the time is right, you'll never have doubts
anymore.

All my brothers were here and the youngest of them let out a
wolf whistle when I passed. I looked at them intently and they all laughed.
Yup, they were still my brothers and the fact that they all had been married
and starting a family didn't mean that they would stop on teasing their one and
only favorite sister.

My mom was crying beside them. I stopped from walking and
held her in my arms. “Thanks, Mom, for everything.”

“I know you're in good hands now, dear,” she said back to
me.

I couldn’t possibly disagree with that.

We continued walking and I then fixated my eyes on John.
From this moment on, he would be my only one. He smiled as soon as our eyes
met. But there was a hint of regret in his eyes and I was certain that I had
that same look in mine. We both lost someone special. Grandma wasn't here to
share this bliss with us.

In life, you won't appreciate a thing if you don't know its
value. And sometimes, losing it will make you realize the worth that it has.

My dad gave out my hand to him. “Take care of her. She will
be a pain to handle but she is worth it.”

“I will take care of her from this day on.”

As we turned to face the altar, I stared at his eyes and
felt the world disappearing altogether. The tenderness in his gaze surely made
my face as crimson as it could possibly be. He gently squeezed my hand and eyed
me to say that we were still in the ceremony and the reverend was already
waiting for us.

Flashing an apologetic smile, I shrugged off my shoulders.

He mouthed,
‘I know.’

We stood in front of the reverend as he opened the Bible in
front of us. He read the words and the stillness of the gathering made his
voice echoed across the room. Closing my eyes, I took it all in. Today, it was
different. It was the overly romantics and also the bride and groom who were
listening to every word.

When the reverend's words ended, John was handed the
microphone. His voice then echoed across the hall as he began his vow, “I never
loved you...”

The crowd gasp and I felt myself choke on my breath.

After seeing everyone's reaction, with a smirk, he continued,
“Anymore than I love you now. And every day, I want to love you even more. The
day that you appeared years ago, you changed everything, including my heart. I
will never forget a second that we’ve spent together and every moment with you
will be forever in my heart.”