AGAPI

8. Marriage

7:00 a.m

I wake up to some screams and find my grandma yelling at me to wake up soon.

"Austin! Why the hell are you still sleeping? Are you even aware that it's your wedding today? And why on Earth is your phone turned off? Are you seriously kidding on a day like this?!" I, still half asleep, listen to her shouting but couldn't process her words completely yet.

"Do I have to wake up to hear you screaming, first thing in the morning?" I say, struggling to come out of sleep. Maybe, I took a large dosage of sleeping pills, because I couldn't open my eyes completely yet.

"Are you playing right now? Didn't I tell you to set an alarm to wake up early? Why is your phone turned off Austin? Did I have to come all the way up to your house to wake you up?!" She raises her voice, with utmost annoyance.

"I'm sorry. I guess my phone ran out of battery." And so am I already.

"Did you drink yesterday?!"

"No, grandma. Stop shouting, now that I'm awake."

"Get ready soon and go to the salon. If I don't find you in the wedding hall on time, I swear I don't know what actions I'll have to take."

"Fine! I'm getting ready and stop shouting at me. I'm already tired for the day." I speak with a tired tone being upset that the day already started off badly.

2:55 p.m

There were only five minutes left for me to walk down the aisle and I was getting tensed. My friends did hype me up helping me to not get tensed but it was momentary until I started to get nervous again. I tried to calm myself down by telling myself that this wedding is just for the name's sake and it wouldn't hold any meaning to me in my life but that thought made me even more tensed and nervous.

The door starts to open and I take a deep breath. I hear lots of cherishes, laughs, claps and mostly noise because everything annoyed me today.

As I walk down the aisle, I go blank. I couldn't bring myself to look at anyone specifically. So, I just look at the Jesus in the front and just walk down with a fake smile plastered on my face. I, finally, muster up my courage and look at my grandma at the front and find her smiling which makes my smile bigger, this time genuine.

After few minutes, Iris walks down the aisle with her father and I have to admit that she really looks beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Surely there wasn't anything between us but admiring beauty isn't a sin and I just went with it.

After all the traditions, the priest speaks up to me.

"Austin, do you take Iris to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to her, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Iris, do you take Austin to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health and forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

After a few minutes, we exchange the rings, not even glancing at each other, when the priest tells us to.

"You may now kiss the bride." The priest tells me, after the rings exchange.

I look at Iris, her head still hung low like it was from the starting. I did think that she would cry today but she didn't show any emotions which is even more understandable. We couldn't yet make eye contact with each other. I was honestly prepared for this. And I'm sure that she would've been prepared for this too. We couldn't help and had to kiss each other.