CHAPTER 44
Guess what?!
RYAN replied with...
I LOVE YOU, EVE… SAYA SAYANG KAU, TIDAK SIKIT PUN SAYANG SAYA PERNAH HILANG UNTUK KAU…
Yuck! BERENSEK!! Sayang kepalamu!
***
Danny’s black Honda SUV yang digunakan for the wedding…. As black as my heart right now…. Mummy made sure saya masuk dalam kereta before they drive off…
Kalau boleh saya mau melompat keluar dari ni kereta, biarlah saya mati dilanggar lorry…
Damn betul…. Kenapa juga cepat betul mau sampai sudah church ni…. Memanglah kalau Tanjung Aru to Sacred Heart saja … haih!
Makin berdegup kencang jantung saya… I’m scared, macam susah saya mau telan liur saya… my hands are getting cold…
If it was more than one year ago, and I had to walk down the aisle like now, maybe i would feel happy sebab masa tu Ryan belum curang lagi and Branden belum muncul balik dalam hidup saya….
How I wish I can turn back time…. But mau rewind time start dari mana? Not start dari the moment I met Ryan… not the moment when Branden changed for the worst…. I guess I made a wrong wish… I shouldn’t wish to rewind the time, I should wish that I never met Ryan!
The driver tekan brake, saya termaju sikit ke depan terus terhenti lamunan kesedihan saya sementara… I looked out from the car window, dari dalam kereta saya nampak flower girls and bridesmaids saya, Amanda Angel and Ally, the triple As, saya tersenyum sikit… Abby is my Maid of Honour….
Saya telan liur saya, terasa pahit and pedih…. Itu baru tekak, bayangkan di hati….
I looked at the church, the arch is beautiful… ya, sanalah Ryan down the altar, I can see from afar… Boleh ka time Father’s verse menanya if there is any bantahan, saya sendiri yang membantah? Terus saya larilah keluar dari church dengan wedding dress yang panjang, mengembang… buat-buat macam movie orang putih konon….
“Ermm... miss... sampai sudah kita...” the driver bersuara…. Ya, saya tau bah… ingat saya buta ka?
“Oh... kalau saya tidak mau keluar boleh ka?” saya tanya sambil saya senyum tawar…
“isshh jangan gitu bah, miss…” the driver memujuk saya… “Excited bakal hubby miss... balik-balik dia call saya suruh make sure saya hantar miss sampai church... nah, daddy miss ka tu?”
Cisss excited konon Ryan gila tu... Saya tengok daddy walked up and membuka pintu kereta….
HELP!!
“Daddy…” hampir saya tidak boleh bersuara, bergegar lutut saya... “Saya tidak mau kahwin Ryan... please… please daddy….” Menitis sudah air mata saya… 😢
Daddy senyum saja and kiss dahi saya…
“Ready, girl…” lembut suara daddy, seakan cuba menenangkan saya….
Senyuman daddy when he gave me his right arm, membuatkan saya berpaut dengan lebih erat di lengan daddy… sempat saya menoleh belakang manatau tiba-tiba Branden muncul di belakang and whisked me out of here….
Daddy tugged at my arm, signal to walk down the aisle sudah… slowly daddy mengiring saya to the church entrance...
my hands so icy cold, my knees are melting… betul-betul kuat saya bergegar, kalau bukan daddy giving me support, saya rasa saya tersungkur sudah on the church floor…
PIANO INTRO STARTS 🎹
Not 🎵Ave Maria🎵 like what was planned…. Good, maybe it should be 🎵Amazing Grace🎵 because I feel like dying right now…. It feels like a funeral more than a wedding to me….
Saya nampak Ryan membelakang, berdiri at the end of the aisle menghadap Father….
Tertinggi beii Ryan saya berbisik dalam hati, sempat dia minum susu untuk meninggikan diri dia ka tu? Cisss… 🙄
Wait, yes, for sure it’s not 🎵Ave Maria🎵… tapi saya tau ni lagu…
Favourite lagu mendiang datuk saya…. I closed my eyes, menghayati the melodic piano tune…. Grandpa, you are here for me…. Menitis lagi air mata saya….
Daddy bawa saya walk down the aisle when the choir mau start the first verse of the song…
When I opened my eyes, masi saya nampak my damn future husband berdiri membelakang… start the first verse of the song, saya dengar suara lelaki menyanyi!
Aik… bukan choir… solo, beii!
Saya sangat kenal ni suara!!
BRANDEN! OH MY GOD BRANDEN! Singing our church wedding anthem…. 🎵Betapa Hatiku🎵, version of Rendy Aprillio...
** Branden dengan alunan suara dia yang mencairkan saya, masi lagi dia menyanyi membelakangi saya **
🎶Betapa hatiku
Berterima kasih Tuhan
Kau mengasihiku
Kau memilikiku🎶
** Then Branden pusing… kami bertentang mata, halfway sudah saya mau sampai tempat dia sedang berdiri sambil menyanyi… merah mata Branden… dia menangis pula sambil menyanyi… **
🎶Hanya ini Tuhan persembahanku
Segenap hidupku, jiwa dan ragaku
S'bab tak kumiliki harta kekayaan
Yang cukup berarti tuk kupersembahkan🎶
** Sampai sudah saya and daddy di depan dia, Branden melutut sambil daddy gave away my hand to him… Daddy giving Branden my hands in marriage… then daddy kiss dahi saya dan smiled at me dengan penuh kasih sayang... daddy turned back to Branden yang masih melutut, and daddy menyentuh Branden’s head, giving his blessings… I can hear suara Branden tersedak that last 4 verses yang dia nyanyi sebelum the choir takeover **
🎶Hanya ini Tuhan permohonanku
Terimalah Tuhan persembahanku
Pakailah hidupku sebagai alatMu
Seumur hidupku🎶
And my future husband in just a few minutes, berdiri di hadapan saya….
Inilah hari paling handsome saya nampak Branden berdiri di depan saya… my husband-to-be….his black tuxedo fit di badan dia, rambut gel tepi because he knows I like it, anting-anting diamond di kedua-dua telinga dia…. 😍
AUMMM! He looks so handsome and sexy! 😍 Oh, forgive me, God… saya di church pula ni…. Terlupa saya sementara waktu, distracted by the man that I love so much standing in front of me….
Branden grip tangan saya, and walked me to the altar berdepan dengan Father….
Okay... memang the both of us menangis… maybe hampir everyone in church cried… Berpeluh tangan Branden, sejuk gila tangan saya…. Lutut saya masi bergegar lagi, tapi disebabkan terlampau gembira…
And the Father started his sermon….
“Dear brothers and sisters... we are gathered here today to celebrate the solemnization of Branden Marc M** and Eve Evangelista S** ”
Seterusnya skip to the part yang paling penting saja lah…
Branden: I’m impressed dengan his confidence and steady saja dia menghabiskan scripts dia…
“I, Branden Marc M**, take you, Eve Evangelista S**, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part..”
Eve: Erk, saya nervous, bergegar suara saya… hampir saya script… macamana juga, I’m not prepared for this… lain yang saya sangka, lain yang jadi… a happy turn!
“I, Eve Evangelista S**, take you, Branden Marc M**,to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part”
Father lagi punya turn:-
“Branden, do you take Eve to be your lawful wedded wife, Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her all the days of your life?”
“I do” Branden tersenyum berdimples, menatap wajah saya sambil dia menyarungkan a gold wedding band on my finger…
“Eve, do you take Branden to be your lawful wedded husband, Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and to honor him all the days of your life?”
“I do” I closed my eyes, saya menarik nafas dan menghembuskan nafas, then I opened my eyes dan menyarungkan a gold wedding band di jari Branden…
And the Father memberikan his final speech…
“I now pronounce you husband and wife... you may kiss the bride, son…”
Branden membuka wedding veil saya dan smiled down at me so sweetly…. Saya menyentuh muka dia with both of my hands…
Inilah lelaki yang paling saya cinta dalam hidup saya... betul apa Branden cakap, saya tidak akan sayang lelaki lain lebih dari saya sayang dia….
“I love you... Mrs. Branden Marc…” DUBS DUBS DUBS jantung saya berclubbing kegembiraan...
Mrs. Branden Marc... Nice…
“I love you more... Mr. Husband…” I whispered... yes, inilah cinta hati saya… si bulu mata unta, si pipi berdimples… hahaha!
Branden will always be my first love, and I pray to God he is my last… 🙏🏾❤️