Behind Closed Doors

Norman's

Pov

"Norman, kumalma ka nga. Ilang minuto palang naman syang late sa kasal nyo. Malay mo natraffic lang." Kanina pa ako pinapakalma ni Kuya pero hindi ko sya magawang pakinggan.

Naghahalo kasi ang kaba at labis na kaligayahan sa puso ko ngayon. Pagkatapos ng isang taong paghihintay mangyayari na rin ang matagal ko ng pinapangarap. Nakakaramdam din ako ng takot na baka bigla nalang- "Dumating na si Eva!" Parang nanglambot ang mga tuhod ko nang marinig nandyan na sya.

"Sabi ko sa'yo eh." Tinapik-tapik ni Kuya ang balikat ko. Napailing nalang ako na natatawa.

Not sure if you know this

But when we first met

I got so nervous I couldn't speak

In that very moment

I found the one and

My life had found its missing piece

Nagsimula ng maglakad si Eva palapit sa altar.

So as long as I live I love you

Will have and hold you

You look so beautiful in white

And from now 'til my very last breath

This day I'll cherish

You look so beautiful in white

Tonight

Para syang isang dyosang iniluluwa ng matingkad na liwanag. Hindi ko alam kung ako lang ba pero parang mas naging enchanting ng dating ni Eva dahil sa matingkad na sikat ng araw.

Naalala ko tuloy noong beses ko syang makita. Nang mga panahon na 'yon sariwa pa ang sakit na idinulot ng pangloloko sa akin ng dati kong asawa. Eva was a guest on my welcome party. Pilit kong itinago ang pagkamangha ko sa taglay nyang kagandahan noon.

What we have is timeless

My love is endless

And with this ring I

Say to the world

You're my every reason

You're all that I believe in

With all my heart I mean every word

Ipinangako ko sa aking sarili na hindi ko na muna hahayaan ang sarili kong mainvolve sa kahit sinong babae. Pero mapaglaro ang tadhana. I met Francheska. Ang pagkamatay nila ni Jared ang naging dahilan para magkalapit kaming dalawa. At first, i just wanted to help a grieving mother because i thought i caused the death of her child.

So as long as I live I love you

Will haven and hold you

You look so beautiful in white

And from now 'til my very last breath

This day I'll cherish

You look so beautiful in white

Tonight

Everything that happened after that, all the pain, the jealousy, those sleepless nights had led to this. The most important day of my life. This may be the second time i will marry but it feels more real than the first.

Hindi ko namalayang tumutulo na pala ang luha ko. Hindi dahil sa kalungkutan kung hindi dahil sa nag-uumapaw na kaligayahang nararamdaman ko. Looking at this wonderful woman walking down the isle towards me. It makes me think about the future. Of what tomorrow could bring. I have loved many girls in my life but i never loved anyone as much as i love Eva.

You look so beautiful in white, yeah yeah

Na na na na

So beautiful in white

Tonight

And if a daughter is what our future holds

I hope she has your eyes

Finds love like you and I did

Yeah, and if she falls in love, we'll let her go

I'll walk her down the aisle

She'll look so beautiful in white, yeah yeah

So beautiful in white

So as long as I live I love you

Will have and hold you

You look so beautiful in white

And from now 'til my very last breath

This day I'll cherish

You look so beautiful in white

Tonight

Na na na na

So beautiful in white

Tonight

"You are so beautiful." I whispered to her.

"And you are the most handsome i have ever seen" She smiled at me sweetly as she took my hand.

"Dearly Beloved, Norman and Eva have invited us here today to share in the celebration of their marriage - their wedding. We come together not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists. This marriage is one expression of the many varieties of love. Love is one, though its expressions are infinite. It is fitting to speak briefly about love. We live in a world of joy and fear and search for meaning and strength in seeming disorder. We discover the truest guidelines to our quest when we realize love in all its magnitudes. Love is the eternal force of life. Love is the force that allows us to face fear and uncertainty with courage. If you would have the foundation of your union be the love you have for each other, not just at this moment, but for all the days ahead, then cherish the hopes and dreams that you bring here today. Resolve that your love will never be blotted out by the commonplace nor obscured by the ordinary in life. Devotion, joy, and love can grown only if you nurture them together. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, believing in your shared future just as strongly as you believe in yourselves and in each other today. In this spirit, you can create a partnership that will strengthen and sustain you all the days of your lives.." The priest started.

"Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and to speak the truth in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly

care for one another, cherish and encourage each other, stand together, through sorrows and joys, hardships and triumphs for all

the days of your lives?" The priest asked us.

"We do." We both answered smiling.

"Do you pledge to share your love and the joys of your marriage with all those around you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives?" The priest asked again.

"We do." Both of us answered smiling.

"You may have your exchange of vows." The priest said.

"The night that i met you i was broken. Shattered into pieces by everything that happened to me in the past. Ayaw ko na munang magmahal ulit. Nakakapagod, masyadong masakit. But who could resist the presence of a goddess? When i saw you walking towards me, accompanied by my sister in law, wearing that knee length red cocktail dress, my heart didn't just skip a beat. It literally stopped beating. Your smokey eyes hypnotized me. Your luscious lips made me feel lost. But i have to fight it. My heart was too broken. Pero ang sabi nga nila, if it's meant to be it wilk be. I can't promise you forever Eva. But i will spend the remaining days of my life keeping that beautiful smile on your face. I loved you then, i love you now and i will keep on loving you until i take my last breath." Halos sumakit ang lalamunan ko sa pagpipigil ng mga luhang nagbabadyang umagos mula sa mga mata ko. Sobra-sobrang saya ang nararamdaman ko, walang sapat na salita ang makakapaglarawan ng nararamdaman ko ngayon.

"Nung una kitang makilala, sabi ko bwisit ka." Nagtawanan ang lahat ng mga mahal namin sa buhay na dumalo sa aming kasalan.

"Napakasungit mo. Wala naman akong ginawang masama sa'yo. Ni hindi pa nga tayo magkakilala noon pero sinungitan mo na agad ako. Tapos nakita kita sa may likod bahay noong hinahanap ko kung nasaan ang banyo. Umiiyak ka. Ramdam ko ang sakit sa bawat paghikbi mo. I know i was not suppose to be there. But i can't stop myself. Pakiramdam ko kailangan kitang lapitan at yakapin. Pero nung nakita mo ako, nagalit ka. Sinigawan at pinaalis mo ko. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, bwisit nga." Nagtawanan na naman kaming lahat. Everyone inside the church is smiling. Lahat sila masaya para sa aming dalawa.

"Hindi naman tayo close pero nung sinigawan mo ako nawalan na ako ng ganang bumalik sa party. Malungkot akong umalis. Then my daughter died. I was so mad at you. Buong-buo ang paniniwala kong ikaw ang may kasalanan ng lahat ng paghihirap ko. Turned out, naging casualty ka rin pala sa gulong nangyayari sa buhay ko. Dahil doon nagkakilala tayo ng husto." Eva's best friend is crying out of so much happiness for her.

"Naging magkaibigan. You were there for me all the way. Ang akala ko hanggang doon nalang tayo. Ang hindi ko alam unti-unti na palang nahuhulog ang loob ko sa'yo. Norman, i am broken. And i don't know if i can ever be fixed. At alam mo 'yon. Pero kahit kailan hindi mo pinaramdam sa akin na may kulang sa pagkatao ko. Simula pagkabata isa lang ang pinangarap ko. Ang isang buo at masayang pamilya. Pero ngayon may nadagdag na sa pangarap kong 'yon. Ang magkaroon ng buo at masayang pamilya.... Kasama ka." Mas humigpit ang pagkakahawak nya sa kamay ko.

"Mahal na mahal kita Norman. Higit sa pa sa kahit anong materyal na bagay dito sa mundo. Higit pa sa buhay ko. Hindi ko ring kayang mangako sa'yo. Pero gagawin ko ang lahat para mapagsilbihan, maalagaan at mapasaya ka sa abot ng makakaya ko. I love you." Tuluyan ng kumawala ang mga luhang kanina ko pa pinipigilan.

"This is a moment of celebration. Let it also be a moment of dedication. The world does a good job of reminding us of how fragile we are. Individuals are fragile; relationships are fragile, too. Every marriage needs the love, nurture, and support of a network of friends and family. On this wedding day, I ask you not only to be friends of Norman or Eva but friends of Norman and Eva together, friends of the relationship. May the love you have found grow in meaning and strength until its beauty is shown in a common devotion to all that is compassionate and life-giving. May the flow of your love help brighten the fate of the earth. May the source of all love touch and bless us and grace our lives with color and courage." "May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as either of you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of

this moment, but also of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other. Norman, please repeat after me. I Norman Rosebush, promise to love and support you Eva and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I thee wed." Parang gusto ng tumalon palabas ng puso ko sa sobrang tuwa.

"I Norman Rosebush, promise to love and support you Eva and live each day

with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I thee wed." I happily stated as i placed the ring on Eva's ring finger.

"Eva, please repeat after me ... I Eva Vergara, promise to love and support you Norman and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I thee wed." Eva's smiling at me and i know in heart, i am marrying the woman i will spend the rest of my life with.

"I Eva Vergara, promise to love and support you Norman and live each day with kindness, understanding, truth, humor, and passion. With this ring I thee wed." She stated happily as placed the ring on my ring finger. "The vows you have just taken, pledging love,

mean far more than mere words ever can. May their gentle spirit move in you. May your years fulfill the beauty of the feelings expressed today. And may you always put these vows above the things that make life smaller. Now you will feel no rain, for

each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but

there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth. I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

As i lift Eva's viel it's like my future is unvieling before me too. A future full of love and happiness. A life full of laughter and blessings. I know that after this, our lives will be the happiest we both could have ever been.