Our Married Life

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Chapter 00

The Wedding

Lizette

"I, Hale Salcedo..."

"I, Lizette Chavez, take you, Hale Salcedo..."

"...take you, Lizette Chavez, to be my wife..."

"...to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward..."

"...for better for worse..."

"...for richer, for poorer..."

"...in sickness and in health..."

"...to love and cherish always."

"...always."

I wonder if God get mad at us for facing the altar today vowing to a love that isn't real at all...

I looked at Hale Salcedo's gorgeous face as I say my vow. Nakatingin din siya sa akin, sa mukha ko rin na may konting makeup para sa araw na ito ng kasal naming dalawa. He looked so fine in his wedding suit. While I was wearing a gown that's really expensive for something that is a fake.

Siguro nga totoo iyong may mga nagsasabi na mas okay daw ang simpleng kasalan lang. Kaysa sa mga bonggang kasal na nowadays ay nauuwi pa sa hiwalayan. It's only an opinion based on other's observation and it make sense to me somehow. Nga naman... O siguro ay talagang nagkakataon lang din.

I looked around. The place, the big church with its high ceilings. The expensive decorations and guests. Hindi ko pa rin alam kung bakit mas pinili ni Hale na ganito pa rin ang maging kasal namin. It's just a contracted marriage between us. Pwede nga namang pumunta nalang kami sa kilala niyang judge at magpakasal doon with his trusted friend or secretary as our witness. At hindi na kailangang ganito pa talaga at gastos lang. Siya naman ang gumastos sa lahat at wala naman akong inambag at ano naman ang iaambag ko dahil wala naman akong pera at mahirap lang ako. Pero siguro ganoon talaga ang mga mayayaman na kagaya ni Hale. Hindi problema sa kaniya ang pero, or he definitely has a way or probably ways to earn his money at maliit na bagay lang ito para sa kaniya.

Ako nga lang siguro ang nanghihinayang sa lahat ng gastos niya para lang sa isang pekeng kasal. Technically hindi naman talaga ito peke. By the law it's real. But our marriage can only be real in papers dahil alam naming dalawa ni Hale sa mga sarili namin na hindi naman talaga namin mahal ang isa't isa. That what we are showing to other people like we are really in love with each other was all a fraud.

Para saan nga ba ang lahat ng ito?

Hale will benefit for his children. He thought his kids needed a mother to look after them after his wife died years ago. Dahil tingin niya ay hindi niya maaalagaan ang mga anak niya kung siya lang mag-isa. Especially that he was a busy businessman, too. Kaya simple lang naman ang gusto niya at iyon ay tumayo ako bilang ina sa mga anak niya. While I, I was poor and needed a powerful husband like Hale Salcedo. I needed him to save me. I needed the saving because reality tells me that I couldn't do anything with my past situation without Hale. Kailangan ko siya. At kailangan niya rin ako.

So we made the deal and sealed it today.

"Best wishes...!"

I kept my smile for our guests. There were smiles on their faces, too. I'm not sure if all of it were real or some were faking it. But it doesn't really matter. As long as it wouldn't really affect the agreement I had with Hale. Walang problema. I just needed to act and so was Hale. And I think we've been doing fine and good.

"Yaya, where are the twins?" Hale asked the twins' nanny.

Apologetic naman na ngumiti rin sa akin ang medyo may edad na at mabait naman pati sa akin na yaya ng mga bata. "Pinsamahan ko po muna kanila Inday, Sir. Nag washroom lang po ang kambal." ngiti nito sa amo niyang si Hale at sa akin na rin.