MAINe Event: Part 1

Will you marry me? Is it a perfect interrogative statement? Or is it just an inquiry? A simple question and yet it is over-rated, over-used, and over-valued. Well, what do you expect? We live in a world where one's personal achievement in life is weighed by relationship and its uphill-downhill sequels. We live in a world where some people still believe in fairytales just to avert the painful reality of the cruel one. We live in a world where some girls would make-believe that they are princesses waiting for their knights in shining armor ready to be swept off their feet. We live in a world where a lot of people hope to live happily... ever... after. And we live in a world where fantasy is so much better than reality. I lived there too. I believed in fairy tale. I believed that I was once a princess waiting all my life for my knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet. I still believe in the perceived happy-ever-after kind of ending. And I lived in fantasy longer than I can remember.

Everything is perfect. Life goes on in fairyland vis-à-vis reality-show world. The balance between the two kept everything in perfect synchronized harmony that makes earth a nearly perfect planet in the universe. And I was caught in between. I was caught 10,000 miles half across the world. And I was caught between high heavens and deep blue seas. I was out of the Philippines and transported here in Maine. It is summertime, the air is crisp... the flowers are in bloom... the fruits are ready for the picking ... and I am still dreamy.

Summer in Maine is short, chilly and unpredictable. Honestly, Maine is the last place in the planet where I would ever be. That’s what I thought. But you cannot contradict your destiny. Your destiny will bring you where you belong, as we all grown to believe and you cannot contest that. And for me, here, is where it should happen... here, is where I should be... here, is where my destiny. This is Maine. And this is my love story. Ehemmmm!

It was one of those early cold summer dawns in Maine. The sky was still gloomy but I could vividly see the awesome silhouette of the colossal maple tree in the backyard from the window. And as the maple leaves danced in the gentle blow of the cold mid-summer breeze I stretched my aching joints as I would always do every waking morning of my life. I was already awake but I couldn't get my body to function right away that early morning. Or maybe I never really did get a sleep at all. Maybe I was just there lain down on the bed the whole night long trying to get some warmth under the pastel quilted-design comforter and from my [then] fiancé’s body heat. The day was no ordinary day. It was cold at 54 degrees and I got “cold feet” quite literally and figuratively. I'm not used to that kind of temperature. Coming from a tropical country where there are only two kinds of weather... wet and dry... and where temperature never goes lower than 80 degrees, I was freezing right out here, literally. And figuratively, I was nervous and having some thoughts about what was about to happen that day.

"Am I dreaming?", I recalled asking myself. "Aren't things happening too fast? Don't I need more time?”, I thought. Yes, maybe I needed more time. I needed time to think and ponder about what was about to happen in a matter of few hours from that early July morning. I needed a lot of time for adjustment in my new home, the new weather, and the new acquaintances. I needed more time to stay in bed. I wanted to stay longer in bed [since the alarm clock said it was only 4 am]. But I can't. And I was no longer dreaming. I hurriedly got up almost knocking myself off the floor when I suddenly remembered I needed to do something very important that day.

As I climbed the stairs up still half dreamy, half sleepy, I said to myself… "This is the day! This is the day that the Lord has made. Halleluiah! This is the day I have been waiting for all my life. This is the day I will have a closure. This is the day I will finally exchange vow. This is the day I will marry my Knight in shining armor who swept me off my feet. This is indeed the D day. The big day is today. Today is July the 7th, year 2007. Today is my wedding day. Today is the first day of my happy-ever-after." And today, I will cook chicken adobo, pork Hamonado and steamed rice... yes, rice!

My Gosh, I was already frantic because I was totally awake and panicking. Time was running out. I was on a countdown and I still had to do my nails, take a shower, style my hair, put on my make-up and slip into that beautifully embellished wedding dress that I worked hard on since the day I came to the U.S. of A. Good thing my multi-tasking ability saved the day. At 30 minutes passed nine, my knight and his princess [a.k.a. ME] trekked Route 77 heading north to Cape Elizabeth with Uncle Doug and Aunt Sally to Fort Williams Park.

Well, the "over-rated, over-used, over-valued question" was actually popped up a year back. It was one of those ordinary hot, sweaty and humid nights of August, 2006 and a couple of days before Liliw Town Fiesta. I was getting ready to sleep when out of the blue he popped the question. It's not that I was surprised. God, no! I've been expecting and praying for it… as a matter-of-fact. It's not that I was caught off-guard. Hell, no! I’ve been wishing hard for it since the time I met him early on that year in the internet. It's not that I was playing innocent. Goodness' sake, no! I've been prepared for it a long time ago and thought it's just about time. But when it actually happened... when I was finally asked... when I finally heard it... my mind went on a ferry’s wheel spin and sent my tummy to a rollercoaster ride... it was simply remarkable! Err… no, this is an over-dramatic detail of the feeling I really felt that night. Oh by the way, I forgot to mention, aside from being a princess I was a drama queen too.

Honestly, it wasn't that romantic. It was memorable but not sentimental enough to make me fly to the moon. The truth is, it wasn't how I actually day-dreamt it would come out to be, it wasn't that staggering and it didn't have that utopian feel about it [the way I often imagined it]. But I was stunned, I was tongue-tied, I was dumb-folded. He was trembling, he was teary-eyed, and he was mushy. The world stopped… time stood still... moment suspended. He looked into my eyes... searching. He popped the question again but this time... no words were uttered, only our minds were the ones talking... communicating... connecting. And we both understood deeply, strongly and firmly. He took out the ring, slipped it into my left ring finger and I said yes!

(NOTE: Continued to the next post.)