May's POV
"Hey Drew, remember what your Grandpa said last night?" I asked out of the blue, slowly piling up sand beneath my feet. It was already late afternoon and once again, I'm with Drew playing sand castles within the sand box of our local playground.
"Last night?" My nine year old playmate slowly turned to me. He was also molding a pile of sand underneath him in between his legs, his face speckled with dirt. And mine was as well. We are like those pigeons we see here every morning dust-bathing. It's not exactly the happiest thing we've ever seen but it is something worthy of a special spot in our memory.
"Stupid! Are you trying to breathe in all of the sand here?" I came over to his side and tried to dust-off his face. "It won't be long now that you'll turn into a human glass hour, and we won't have any more sand here to play with!"
Much to my surprise, he held both of my hands which were on his face. He let it fall and returned the favor of dusting off my face. "You're one to talk, aren't you May." He chuckled.
"I just thought that if you're gonna gobble up all of the sand here then I guess a little help won't hurt." I joked back. Our laughter rang throughout the playground making the venue itself alive despite that it was just the two of us present here.
"Grandpa said that if we get older we'll be married right?" He paused and scratched his head, trying to remove the sand from his scalp. "Is that what you meant?"
"Well, uhm, yeah." I looked down as to hide my embarrassment, fiddling with my nails as they were also invaded by the sand.
"Ah that, uhm, come here for a sec." He suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the top-right corner of the sandbox. I saw a big blue bucket turned upside down, he pulled it out. "What do you think of this?" He grinned and showed me a simple sand castle he made.
"Woah!" I answered in awe. "Since when did you build this?" I asked and leaned closer to his sand castle. It was simply beautiful. And the thought that he got his face speckled all over with sand just for this got me admiring for it even more. He sure worked hard for this.
"Earlier before I called you out here to play." He answered gleefully. "I remembered what Grandpa said last night so I decided to make this." He looked at me. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a castle like this as a house?"
"You know, as our house."
"I agree!" I happily responded despite feeling embarrassed. "Yes, that would really be amazing Drew!"
"And I'll be your personal knight ready to protect you from any dragons!" He bragged. He stood up and posed like some noble fairytale character.
"Nah, I'd like you rather as my prince." I answered and stood right beside him.
"A prince?" He contemplated.
"Yep! If we're gonna live in a castle then you might as well be my prince." I said sweetly. "You can't stay by my side if you won't be my prince you know."
He paused and thought for a while.
"Yeah, a prince." He nodded. "I'll stay by your side as your prince."
"And as your prince, we might as well get our snack at my house!" He dragged me again out of the sand box. "Come my princess! Your prince won't be able to protect you from dragons if he's hungry!" He shouted as we made our run out of the playground coupled with both of our laughter.
Our shadows raced us as the setting sun was halfway into setting on the horizon behind. The late afternoon breeze swept our dirt-stained clothes as we passed by some people on our way to Drew's house.
A castle would be truly wonderful.
I thought happily.
....
Most of the time, waking up from bed is hell crazy. Especially on weekdays.
Why do I always sleep like a dead tree?
But preparing for school is even crazier. It's like an action-packed comedy movie starring Caroline Maple as my mom which is really my mom, me as the ditsy and (eherm) beautiful protagonist, my alarm clock as my not-so-supportive supporting actor and the bed and its ultimate ability of intensifying gravity as the antagonist.
As what my physics teacher would like to say. A body at rest will tend to stay at rest. Newton's first Law of Motion. Screw you bed and your laws of Newton!
So back to what I was saying, waking up this time wasn't as crazy as the usual. I just slowly opened my eyes and realized that today's Sunday. Everything around me is still quite dark so I guess it is still early, 5AM perhaps?
I slowly sat up and blinked twice as I tried to clarify my head of that dream I just had.
A castle would be truly wonderful.
"Eeeeeeiiiikkkk!"
I screeched like a maniac and covered my face with both of my hands.
Is it just me or my face felt like it gained a hundred degrees Celsius?
And my heart, oh sweet god, my heart's beating like crazy!
And am I, oh my sweet god indeed...blushing?!
And, and..
All I could mutter was..
"Drew.."
"My prince."
"Eeeeeeiiiikkkk!"
I paused as realization crashed on me like some colossal destructive avalanche.
Ahh, yeah.
"I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!" I screamed with an emotion so incomprehensible that I'm highly positive not even Newton and his laws could explain.
So in order not to disturb more neighbors since a few lights were starting to flicker from the houses visible from my windows, I decided to screech again with a pillow against my face this time.
.....
"Awe Maybelle! You look so pretty!" Solidad, pretty sure it was all out of pity, exclaimed in a voice glued with envy, or at least that was what she wanted me to think and believe. I sat in front of a huge wall mirror in a white frilly wedding gown with Solidad braiding my hair. Ha! Like she could hide that tinge of pity in her voice from me.
I'm not that stupid.
And me? Pretty? She should take a better look at herself. You could never wonder why she was voted as the prettiest faculty in school, not to mention in two consecutive months ever since she got hired.
I somehow hate the way she react sometimes when some random stranger compliments her. She just goes 'Oh stop it you, I ain't pretty.' Heck! Then what does that make me? Foul spawn from the underworld?!
I released the tantrums battling to get out of me. I scratched my head in a way how a dog scratches itself violently. I jumped up and down like a loony. If you think I haven't gone crazy, then maybe you should think harder.
I also unintentionally ruined the braids she just made on my chestnut hair.
"Awe look at what you did May." She sighed and clipped her hips. "That was an hour-worth of braiding you know." She exasperated.
"Why do I have to get married?!" I scowled at her.
A castle would be truly wonderful.
As soon as I remembered a glimpse of what I dreamed this morning, I released my tantrums for another round jumping up and down again forcefully on the poor wooden floor. I was hiding my blush from Solidad but I knew it failed, failed horribly as I saw her just giggle at my stupid attempt.
Damn Grandpa! Damn him and his evil schemes!
...
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa!" I frantically cried out when I saw him lying lifelessly on one of the hospital beds. "Please wake up." My eyes were bursting with tears as if it was the very first time I cried in ages. Drew followed closely behind me with our parents. He asked what had happened earlier. Panic was starting to get a very good grip on us, haunting us with utter dominance.
"I was out of myself again." Grandpa gently said as he slowly opened his eyes, giving us sudden radiance of hope. He really did save us from the panic that almost suffocated us.
"Oh Grandpa! Thank goodness you're awake!" Both Drew and I heaved a sigh of relief. We hugged him together from both of his sides.
"You shouldn't scare us like that Pa." My father Norman added, trying to lighten up the mood. I wiped the tears that have spil around my cheeks and took a peep at Drew who was still bawling.
"You know it's way past Halloween right?" Drew jested.
"And you won't be receiving any treats definitely with this." I added. And when both of us looked up, Grandpa smiled.
"Please leave us alone for a while." Grandpa looked at our parents, and everyone including me perked up in question. "I'd like to have a word with the kids." He continued. And after a few words from our own parents, Drew and I were already alone with Grandpa in the room.
"Carlos was more than just any friend. He was a comrade, a family." Grandpa started. "I suppose you should know that by now." Drew and I went closer for his own comfort sake. Drew handed me his handkerchief when he noticed that I was still crying a bit. I thought of giving him my mirror so he would see for himself that he needed the hanky more than I did, but I dismissed it and instead gladly took his handkerchief.
He sure have grown mature now.
Wait, what?
"I really treasure both of our families." Grandpa continued as I wiped a few tears. "Keeping this family together and tied had always been the wealth I'm protecting."
"Seeing this treasure passed down by your generation would make me the happiest dying man." He smiled. And soon right after he coughed continuously and showed great difficulty in breathing. He wheezed and looked like there was an invisible rope around his neck.
"Grandpa!" Drew panicked, wiping his tears with the back of his right hand. Just when I thought the whole situation couldn't get any worse, it did. The moving line on the electrocardiograph ran straightly.
Everything around me swirled in multiple dimensions. My life and everything else flashed right before my very eyes. I could barely hear Drew screaming as the whole family immediately rushed in. And then everything went in slow motion, like a crucial part of some sort of video game or movie.
How can I save Grandpa?
How?
And...
Do I really need to get married?
Are there no other choices?
With not much time to lose, tears once again exploded as I clung to Grandpa.
"Grandpa! Wake up! Please! You'll see that treasure passed down." I begged as even more tears came jumping out from my weary eyes. "I swear."
"I promise I'll get married." I whimpered. "Just wake up please.." I then felt Mom and Dad's hug surround me as I dug my face on the bed sheet near Grandpa's arm.
"Tomorrow?"
I looked up, I heard a very faint yet distinct voice from Grandpa. But when I did, he was still lying lifelessly and the line on the ECG still ran straightly.
Am I just hearing things now?
"Yes! I'll get married by tomorrow if that's what you want!" I dug my face again on the same spot on the bed sheet. "Don't leave us yet Grandpa.."
Then just like how any magician would utter a spell to create any magic, so did I as the line on the ECG went moving up and down again simultaneously after what I have just said. Mine was more than magic, it was a miracle.
A miracle.
A miracle?
.....
"You okay May?" Solidad, to my surprise, was already right in front of me. I just noticed that she was snapping her fingers the whole time. According to her, I have been in that state for a while, weirdly spacing out while murmuring some kind of unknown, evil perhaps, incantations.
I composed myself in a snap of a finger, breathed in some air, and shook away some thoughts before saying a brilliant response.
"Huh?"
"May, May, May, Mrs. Maybelle Hayden." Solidad slowly backed off as she made a tch-sound a couple of times. "Whether your Grandpa set you up like what you just murmured, you can't back down now." She stated as she started walking to the door.
"Your grandfather might really get it this time if you'll play the run-away bride."
No matter how appealing the idea of a run-away bride is, Solidad is right.
All I did was hang my head low, searching for that lost ingredient that would help me survive this day, breathe comfortably at least. But then, dying could be a good thing right? It was surely a scam, I heard Mom and Dad talked something about Grandpa last night and I heard the words 'flawless' and 'celebration'. I sighed, basically the only humanly possible thing I could do right now to express my desperation.
"Aren't you one lucky girl?" She winked before closing the door. "Mrs. Hayden." And the door clicked close.
I puffed my cheeks as to conceal my blush. Why would I be lucky? I mean, he's a jerk, annoying, and worst of all a pervert! Maybe she was just being sarcastic? Yeah I agree that she was. I sighed again for the umpteenth time and turned around to examine the mess I made to myself back to the mirror.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a castle like this as a house?"
"You know, as our house."
"Stupid face! Why do you keep on being red this whole time?! A different color would be nice!" I screamed to myself.
I suddenly heard a knock on the door.
For a mere second, I thought it was some sort of fairy tale prince on a white horse, ready to take me away from all these worries. Is it because I'm getting married already or is it because I'm unsure of my feelings towards Drew. Ugh headache.
Unfortunately though, it was just Mom.
"What a cutie!" She squealed and rubbed my face.
"Mom, this ain't playing pretend. I'm actually getting married. It's not cute." I chewed on my words for she was still doing the face-rubbing thing. "Please stop it."
"I was afraid at first Dear that you would insist." She stopped and looked at me. "I'm so proud of you." She smiled as she hugged me.
Excuse her, but I would definitely had insisted. And I would always have insisted. I just failed to foresee that they would even go that far just for me to agree.
"The love you both share will become something you both can't live without."
I choked on the air I breathed in.
I was taken aback by her words. What is my mom talking about? Love? Doesn't she mean food? If she did say 'love' then she should really stop watching those horrible Asian housewife dramas. God, they're awful!
"Love?"
"Yes Dear, love." She nodded. "A couple is married because the love they both shared became something they wanted the most." She added as she slowly started to work on my hair.
"Uhh, Mom? If it has not dawned on you yet, we were separated for like seven years. And now we're getting married a day after we just met from such a long period of time apart. I don't think that 'love' you're talking about is really there for us to want so badly."
"And I'm not even considering our age yet, nor the absurdity of this entire shenanigan."
"You're saying something Dear?"
"Yeah, a prince. I'll stay by your side as your prince."
"Nevermind."
Why do I even try?
The marriage hall was very nice and neat. A huge glass chandelier hung from the ceiling at the center. Flowers of multiple shapes and colors hung from every white-painted wall. Even the little arch where I have to pass was crawling with them. Angelic figures and structures, which kinda freaked me out, were standing on each corner having jewelled eyes with cold pale cement skin.
Though the hall wasn't so huge, there were still plenty of visitors, family friends, business friends, old-time friends, name it all. Oh yeah and our relatives. I got to admit, they sure have outdone themselves, as if this was already arranged since last week. I definitely knew it.
Fun-freaking-tastic!
As the wedding started, I passed through the aisle with my father. And ahead of us is Drew in his black coat matched with a red tie. His black slacks seemed to radiate lux. His appearance made him look taller. It's almost perfect, his emerald eyes beautifully outstood his black suit, intriguing and drawing me in.
As I visually inspected him from his shiny black shoes up to his slacks, his coat, up to his tie and finally to his eyes, I saw a hint of discomfort. But he did smug as soon as he noticed me eyeing him.
"My oh so lovely and light-hearted prince."
I spat to myself sarcastically.
As the music continued to play, so did my senses started to get a bit faint.
I started to grip Dad's arm tightly.
But wait, this could be a good thing. I wanted to faint, take all my jumbled mumbled emotions with me and this marriage down in a slumber, and then maybe not able to wake up. Just like Sleeping Beauty, to be asleep forever waiting for that kiss of a lifetime.
In fact, just a normal kiss would do. I'm not saying that it must be from a certain someone.
From someone with green hair maybe? I don't know.
A kiss that will prove of my feelings being true and for that I could wait forever, to be asleep eternally. Because for me?
I'd rather die than be forced to be with someone I'm not even sure of my feelings with.
All I need is just an assurance. Something that I know and I'm sure of so I wouldn't have to be so lost.
But let's all face it. Fairy tales don't exist. They only exist just to fill us with meaningless hope. Happy endings? Pft, fake as Solidad's envy. We don't live in pages in books and let someone write our story for us.
Though that might not be exactly true in my case.
I never thought Grandpa can be this cruel, deciding who I get to be married with and when I get to be married.
But in a blink of an eye, I am able to accept that. That's why right now I want to faint, faint oh so badly. But just like Grandpa, reality is just as cruel.
I wasn't able to faint throughout the wedding.
"Nah, I'd like you rather as my prince." I answered as I joined him standing up.
"A prince?" He pondered as he dropped his pose.
"Yep! If were gonna live in a castle then you might as well be my prince." I said sweetly. "You can't stay by my side if you won't be my prince you know."
"Yeah, a prince. I'll stay by your side as your prince."
Stupid, perverted, arrogant, conceited prince.
MY stupid, perverted, arrogant, conceited prince.
My life being a married seventeen years old starts from now on.
Great, just really great.
I wonder if I could eventually get used to this.
Probably I won't.
A civil wedding that went against my civil right.
How ironic.
End
Chapter Four: Yes I do?