The day of Maine's funeral came. Till this day, I still cannot recall what occurred that day. It all happened too quickly and it was all too blurry for me. I remember wanting to be buried with Maine , though I knew I could not do that. Because it's not just me now. Someone else depends on me.
I reminded myself that Charmaine needed me.
After the funeral, there was a small gathering at the Mendoza's house in Bulacan, everyone was all in black. There was no one singing in the karaoke machine nor dancing. It was a completely different scene from when I first went there. This time, she was gone. Maine was gone.
Coleen, one of Maine's sisters, approached me, handed me a white envelope and said, Thank you dahil pinasaya mo yung kapatid ko habang nabubuhay pa siya. I have never seen her as happy as she was nung dumating ka. You completed her. Wag na wag mong kakalimutan na mahal na mahal ka niya.
I went home that night and opened the envelope that Coleen gave me. It broke my heart and yet completed me at the same time.
The letter was from Maine, it was a copy of her wedding vows.
Hi Richard, Chard, Babe, Love of my life! Today is the day I have been dreaming of since I was a little girl. I dreamt of the perfect wedding, with the beautiful church, a princess gown, white flowers everywhere and my prince-charming. I must have done something right in my life for God to have blessed me with someone like you. Sometimes I still ask myself, do I deserve you?
I'm not going to stand here and say that from the very first moment that I saw you, I knew I was going to marry you, because to be quite frank I didn't. But look where we are now, I'm minutes away from being Mrs. Nicomaine Dei Capilli Faulkerson. Ooh that sounds like music to my ears. I don't remember exactly when I realized that I'm in love with you. I just woke up one morning and I realized how much I wanted to be with you.
I'd like to thank you for everything. You became my best-friend before you became my fiancé. I feel like the luckiest woman on earth because I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Thank you for your patience. I know that we didn't plan to get married nor have a family this early, but you still stayed by my side. You came at a time when I least expected someone to come along. You waited for me patiently, thank you. I will run out of time if I thanked you for every single thing you've done. Just know that I'm forever grateful.
After today, it will no longer be just me, or just you, it will be us two. I promise to never leave your side even when times get rough. I will be with you in good times or bad. I will be the one to assure you during times of doubt. I will celebrate your triumphs and mourn your losses. I will take care of you when you are sick. I will love you unconditionally. I promise to support and understand all your endeavors. I will love you even during the times that I hate you. I will spend the rest of my life and the after-life loving you.
You are my Amour Èternel.
I will love you forever, no matter what, Richard. In this life and the next. I cannot wait to begin our lives together.
Maine.
I screamed. I kicked the wall. I slammed my fist on the mirror. My fist began to bleed, but I did not feel any pain. I was numb.
The pain that my heart was experiencing was incomparable to anything. It felt like someone took my heart, broke it in half, shred it to pieces and then stepped on it repeatedly. I was left broken once again. Maine might not have been the first woman I ever loved, but she was the last. I knew that I will never love another the same way again.
I promised to become strong for our beautiful baby girl, Charmaine. I will shower her with so much love that she will never look for anything more. She is a beautiful gift from God and a wonderful remembrance of the love that Maine and I shared.
