My Dad's Bestfriend

Jacob

"Why are you yawning so much?" Samuel asked, a curious look in his eyes as he glanced at me. The designers were busy checking the fit of his suit.

Even though Evelyn and I were official, it didn't mean I could tell him the truth. If I did, he might forget about his impending wedding and beat me to a pulp, and it dawned on me, I had forgotten to mention - his punches hurt like hell. But, I had a feeling my punches had left their own mark, given that I could see the girl doing his makeup trying to hide the red mark on his jaw.

"Nothing, I just didn't get enough sleep," I shrugged it off with a forced laugh, straightening my own suit.

"You better not be caught yawning in the videos. I don't need a boring shitty groomsman," Samuel warned, scoffing.

God, he and his antics.

"Don't worry, I won't ruin it for you," I rolled my eyes as one of the dressers approached to fix my tie.

A few moments passed in silence, and I noticed Samuel's expression shifting through a spectrum of colors - red, blue, and even a shade of purple. That was how I came to understand his emotions. Was he getting cold feet already? No fucking way!

He turned to me ever so slightly, just before he could open his mouth, I beat him to it.

"Don't start with the 'I'm nervous' act shit because I won't buy it, Samuel."

"Hey, I'm not doing that," he replied, sounding offended. "I told you, I love her and I'd do anything to make her happy. This wedding isn't just for her; it's for both of us. We want this."

"Then why are you giving me that 'I'm about to fuck everything up' look? Look, Samuel, you can't back off. This wedding will take place at any cost."

"First of all, I didn't give you that look. I was just..." He hesitated, and I couldn't quite comprehend his emotions as the hairdresser began fixing his hair and spraying it with some unfamiliar product-don't blame me, I didn't know shit about this stuff, all I knew was my three-in-one body, face and hair wash, "I was...just about to ask you something."

"Ask what?" I cocked an eyebrow, my suspicion growing. Evelyn and I had a plan: if Samuel got cold feet, we'd drag him to the wedding. So, the wedding not taking place was the least of my worries. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" He blurted out.

Well, I couldn't quite say that I didn't totally see it coming.

I opened my mouth to respond, but he interrupted, "You know, things can go wrong in so many ways. After the wedding, nothing remains the same, and there's a chance it could all go south, right?"

Truth be told, I wanted to curse at him, but I understood where he was coming from. After the rollercoaster experience, he and Danica had been through, from the most beautiful relationship to a complete disaster, I couldn't deny that he had reason to worry.

I walked over to Samuel and put my arm around his shoulder, excusing him from the group of hairdressers and designers.

"Listen, Samuel," I began, "I've

explained this to you before, and I'm

willing to explain it to you for as long as it takes for you to believe that one bad experience doesn't mean all your other relationships will end the same way You and Danica were young, and you made decisions based on sudden bursts of emotion and got worse outcomes. It was your hormones and all that shit, but your situation with Clara is different. She knows you for who you truly are, and you're no longer that same college guy. You're in the best place now, and you've both seen each other's worst phases. Don't treat this wedding like a knife to your throat-take it lightly because I can assure you everything will be the same even after this. You've always been willing to make commitments to her, haven't you?"

"Of course, I have," he said with determination. "You know I'd give her my life if she asked."

"I know, man. I know you love her," I

assured him. "So, throw away your doubts. This wedding is just another one of those commitments. One you'll fulfill for a lifetime. I won't guarantee that you won't make mistakes because you will. You two will have arguments, you might even have catfights, or at times, you might hate each other's faces for a while. But all of that is part of the wonderful experience of being together. So, without hesitation, just do it, okay?" I flashed him a reassuring smile. "Make her happy, share your happiness, and we know women, right? They're the best gifts ever, blessings in disguise, always doubling everything we give them. As long as you love her right, there's nothing to fear."

Samuel remained silent for a few moments, and then he let out a sigh. "If anything goes wrong, I swear to God I will make your life hell."

I chuckled. "Sure, I'd let you do that. But first, get ready to stand there on the stage. Your heaven will be walking down the aisle very soon."

A smile spread across his lips. "You know what? I know you can be a jerk, a shithole at times, but you're a good friend sometimes."

"Correction, please," I replied, snapping my fingers, taking pride, "It's all the time!"

"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes before returning to the dressing table. He adjusted his tie and sprayed some perfume. Meanwhile, I stood there, imagining how Evelyn would look in that emerald dress. When she'd shown it to me in the morning-I just wanted to make it wear it right then just to slide it off of her beautiful body again and devour her. Fuck! She would look like an angel-she was an angel. Breaking the silence, Samuel's voice cut through the chaos in my mind, "Jacob?"

"Yeah?"

"You were wrong that day."

"What do you mean-" I started to ask, but he cut me off.

"Sometimes, it's beautiful to spend a whole life picking up pieces that we never broke in the first place. It's not about us being selfish-sometimes, healing the one you love is the greatest form of love you can experience. My daughter loves you in that way, and if you were to ask her, I'm sure she'd say it's a privilege texcollect those pieces and rebuild them, making you whole in her own way, a way that no one else could. She loves you more than anyone in this world ever could, Jacob," he said, a soft smile breaking across his face. "You'll keep her happy, just as I did, won't you?"

It was then that I realized I had been wrong to think I knew Evelyn better than anyone in the world, because I didn't. Her father did. He knew her better than anyone else, and I hated to admit it, but maybe he would always remain a few steps higher on the scale of loving her.

I had loved her since she was twenty, but Samuel had loved her since the day she was born. That's maybe how good-fathers were they might not always show it, but they would always love you in their way, a way that surpassed anyone else's love.

"I will, Samuel," I replied, a genuine smile breaking across my face. "I will."