Color me unsurprised when Sigourney refused to believe that marrying Jaron would be a huge mistake.
Hindi ko naman talaga inasahan na paniniwalaan niya ako, lalo na at unang beses pa lamang naming magkita at ganoon na agad ang sinabi ko sa kanya. But I did hope that my words would be enough to at least make her suspicious of Jaron.
Alas, it seemed that she was head over heels for my cousin. I had half a mind to tell her the reason why I warned her against marrying Jaron, but something stopped me – probably the fact that no matter how huge of an asshat Jaron was, he is still as good as my brother.
Now what, Seb?
Mukhang tuloy na tuloy pa rin ang kasal nina Jaron at Sigourney. Hahayaan ko na lang bang lokohin ng pinsan ko ang magiging asawa niya? Should I just tell him off privately? Kapag ginawa ko 'yon, malamang ay tawanan lang ako ni Jaron at sabihang 'wag ko nang pakialaman ang buhay niya. I could just imagine him saying, "St. Sebastian, stop being a party pooper."
Fuck. Bakit ba kasi idinawit ko pa ang sarili ko sa problema nilang dalawa?
Ilang araw na lang, magkakatipon-tipon na ang mga Silvera. Those who are still in Catalona would be arriving, except for my parents. Dad wasn't in speaking terms with Jaron's father, kaya naman suntok sa buwan ang pagdalo nila ni Mom sa kasal ni Jaron. Precisely why I agreed to be my cousin's best man – I could use some time away from my nagging governor of a father.
Do I dare reveal to our relatives how big of a jerk Jaron actually is?
As I mulled over the situation, Sigourney's delicate face kept on haunting my thoughts. More than anything, I was angry at my cousin for having the guts to two-time that lady. Mukhang mahal na mahal naman siya ng fiancée niya, kaya hindi ko lubos maisip kung paano nagagawa ni Jaron na lokohin ito. Kung ako ang nasa lugar niya, hindi ko magagawang saktan ang babaeng halata namang itinuturing ako bilang sentro ng mundo niya.
****
That evening, I resolved myself to the fact that there was nothing else I could do. I tried warning Sigourney, but since she obviously refused to believe me, I would just forget about that phone call I overheard at the yacht. At tutal, lagi naman akong binibiro ng mga pinsan ko na magdasal, ipagdarasal ko na lang na magbago na si Jaron. O kaya naman, kung hindi man magbago ang gago, na mahuli ni Sigourney ang mga kabalbalan niya. Only then, I thought, would she realize that my warning was worth listening to – and that I wasn't just stirring shit up for the sake of it, as she probably suspected.
My conscience was screaming how foolish my decision was, but I was done meddling.
****
Three days before the wedding, Jaron took me to the same haberdashery where he got his suit for the wedding. He got me one with a similar style, saying that the other guests were free to dress as they please, but I, as his best man, should at least coordinate with him – as per Sigourney, of course. I doubt it that Jaron cared enough about the wedding to come up with the idea by himself.
My decision to quit meddling was put to a test when I noticed that he barely lifted his eyes from his phone screen while we were at the shop. Sino kaya ang ka-text ng loko – si Sigourney, o ang babae niya?
"Seb, are you alright? Bakit ang sama mo makatingin?"
"What?" I was shaken out of my reverie by Jaron's voice.
"You're frowning and looking like you want to kill me." My cousin chuckled. "What did I do to you, bro?"
"Sorry." I forced myself to wipe the anger off my face. "May naalala lang akong nakakabwisit."
Jaron clapped me on the shoulder. "Relax ka lang, Seb. If it's your dad you're stressing about, remember that he can't force you to run for a position kung ayaw mo naman talaga."
"Right. Thanks." I grinned at him, albeit halfheartedly. "Hey, Jaron."
"Yeah?"
"Mahal mo ba talaga si Sigourney?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. "How did you know that she's the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?"
He gave me lopsided smile. "Sig's hopelessly in love with me. That's enough reason for me to marry her."
My insides twisted sickeningly at Jaron's words, but I managed to maintain a composed expression. "I see. You're very lucky, then."
"Maswerte rin naman si Sig sa'kin, Seb. Have I told you that she's got no family left?"
"Nope." I frowned thoughtfully. "Wala na siyang mga magulang?"
Tumango naman ang pinsan ko. "Both of them died in an accident when she and her older sister were really young. They were raised by a relative instead. At kamamatay lang din ng kapatid niya dahil sa sakit. Now that we're getting married, ako na ang magiging pamilya ni Sig."
"That explains a lot," I muttered. Kaya pala mukhang ibinubuhos ni Sigourney kay Jaron ang lahat ng pagmamahal niya – it's because she's got no one but her boyfriend. At dahil dito ay lalo lamang akong nakaramdam ng inis sa pinsan ko. He was obviously taking advantage of Sigourney's devotion to him; alam niyang sa tindi ng pagmamahal nito sa kanya, tatanggapin siya nito kahit ano pang kalokohan ang gawin niya.
Is this the same Jaron I grew up with – the same guy I consider my brother?
Fortunately, Jaron's attention was back to his phone, so he did not see the disgusted look I threw at him.
You're done meddling, Seb, aren't you? What Jaron does is none of your business.
But Sigourney –
"She won't even listen to you, so cut it out, Seb," I chastised myself in a low voice. My cousin, still deep in conversation with whoever in hell he was texting, noticed nothing.
Jaron paid for the suit – I told him I had no problem shelling out money since I would be the one wearing it, anyway, but he insisted.
"See you in a few days, Seb." My cousin clapped me yet again on the shoulder, grinning, before we parted ways. I wanted to smack his hand away but fortunately had enough sense to restrain myself. "Sabihin mo sa tropa, gumising nang maaga sa araw ng kasal. Sig will go crazy if anybody turns up late."
"Of course. We don't want the bride to be stressed out on her big day, do we?" I smiled back at him, even though I was seething with anger inside. I couldn't fathom how Jaron could be so two-faced. One minute he's acting like Sigourney is the most precious to him, and the next minute, he's calling some other woman and assuring her that his upcoming wedding to Sigourney meant nothing.
What a jackass.
****
When I got back to the hotel, I headed straight to my bed, ignoring Kaden's invitation to "check out the hotel bar and get some drinks." I fished out my phone from my pocket and decided to check my Facebook feed, something I hadn't done in a while.
As I was scrolling down past the selfies, memes, and vacation photos shared by my friends, I saw someone on the "Suggested Friends" section that brought my scrolling to a halt – Sigourney. Her profile photo was the same as what Jaron showed us back at the yacht.
My thumb jammed on the "Add Friend" button even before I could fully think about it.
"Shit," I whispered, realizing what I'd done. Ayokong isipin ng fiancée ni Jaron na sinadya kong hanapin ang social media account niya.
After a couple of minutes, during which I agonized over the decision of whether I should cancel the friend request or not, I decided to just let it be. Chances are, Sigourney would decline it straightaway. That woman surely started to hate my guts right after our brief conversation at the restaurant.
"It doesn't matter, Seb," I said, talking to myself like a doofus while tossing aside my phone unceremoniously. "After the wedding, you'd probably never talk to Sigourney again."
The thought of seeing Sigourney every now and then – Jaron would probably bring her with him to Catalona for the occasional vacation to his hometown – gave me a foreboding feeling, knowing that I tried to stop her from marrying my cousin. Although I doubted it that she would tell her fiancé about our conversation, as she didn't strike me as the type to deliberately stir an issue, I know that to her, I would forever be Jaron's interfering cousin.
"It doesn't matter," I repeated firmly, more to convince myself than anything. "Stop thinking about her, you idiot."
Besides, why did I even care about what Sigourney thought of me?