CHAPTER 007 - Rushed Wedding

“You are what?” Her mother stopped watering the plants, startled by what she just heard.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm orange hue across the yard. As usual, her parents were in the small front garden of their house, her mother tending to her beloved plants and flowers, while her father sat comfortably on the garden set, reading a book.

Now, both parents were looking directly at her, waiting for her to repeat what she had just said.

She grimaced, clearly anxious. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to break the news. She should have waited for Van to return from the conference meeting at his company’s Hong Kong branch before talking to them.

Her mother furrowed her brows and faced her fully. “Did I hear that right, Demani?”

She swallowed hard and nodded, shifting her gaze between the two of them. 

“You heard me right, Mom, Dad. Van proposed to me, and I accepted.” She lifted her left hand and held it up for them to see the princess-cut diamond engagement ring, which sparkled as the light hit it.

She noticed the deepening frown on her father’s forehead. He slowly placed the book down on the rattan table beside him and spoke in a confused tone.

“Don’t get me wrong, sweetheart. Your mother and I like Van. He’s a nice guy and it’s obvious he truly cares about you. But you’ve only been together for two months. You only told us recently about your relationship, and now you’re getting married already?”

“We-We both love each other, and—”

“Oh, there’s no doubt about that, honey. We can all see the strong attraction between you two. Van loves you. We can see it in his eyes every time you’re together during family gatherings. But are you absolutely sure about this? Is this really what you want? Isn’t it a little too soon to get married? Why not take more time to really get to know each other?”

She sat beside her father and gently held his hands. “We want to start a family, Dad. Van has always dreamed of having a family of his own, and I’m willing to give that to him. So why should we delay it, now that we’re both ready?” She looked over at her mother, who was still standing silently. Demani offered her a smile before turning back to her father. “We both believe we’re meant to be together. We know from the beginning that this relationship would end in marriage. So why wait?”

Her father did not immediately reply. He stared at her quietly, as if weighing her words and carefully thinking about how to respond.

She didn’t want her parents to say anything that might shake her decision, so before either of them could protest, she spoke again.

“Dad, please give us your blessing. I want to be a wife. I want to be his wife. I want to build a family with him. And I’m absolutely sure that he’s the only man I want to spend the rest of my life with. So please. I just want to be with him.”

Her father turned to her mother, and the two exchanged a long look—wordless but filled with understanding. Then her father let out a deep sigh and faced her again. He also held her hands in return, his voice now soft and gentle.

“You are our only daughter, Demani, and we want nothing but the best for you. We want you to be happy with your choice, but we also want you to be one hundred percent sure about it. Your mother and I only want to make sure that you’ll never have any regrets.”

He smiled, and she finally exhaled the breath she had been holding in.

“But if you’ve made your decision, and you’re truly certain this is what you want, then we will support you. Your happiness is our happiness, too. So yes, we are giving you our blessing. Tell Van to come and meet us; we have a lot to discuss.”

“Oh!” She stood up quickly and hugged her father tightly. “Thank you, Daddy!”

She was so overjoyed she nearly cried. Her life finally felt complete. 

Now that Van would officially become a part of it.

*

*

*

“Only two months into the relationship and you’re already getting married? Are you in a rush to go somewhere? Is someone dying and that’s why you’re suddenly in a hurry?” Mau said in disbelief when Demani met up with her cousins that same evening at a well-known coffee shop. She couldn’t wait to tell them about Van’s proposal and how her parents had given their blessing.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Coreen asked, eyebrows raised suspiciously.

Demani couldn’t help but laugh; she was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling or giggling. 

“What are you saying? No, I’m not! I’m going to be a virgin bride, so calm down.”

The two both grimaced at her reply.

“Virgin bride,” Coreen muttered while rolling her eyes. “Won’t Van have an issue with your lack of sexual experience?”

Maureen snorted with laughter at her twin’s bluntness, but Demani just shook her head. “You should start watching p**n now, Demani, so at least you’ll have an idea how to please a man,” Maureen added.

Coreen also laughed. “Exactly, especially with the kind of man you’re marrying. Come on, Van is probably surrounded by women willing to fulfill his needs the moment you fall short. So you better step up, cuz, and learn a thing or two. That way, you won’t lose your husband.”

“Oh my God! Your minds are in the gutter! Stop it!” she scolded, though the wide grin remained on her face.

Maureen elbowed her twin. “Who knows, maybe Van will be the one to teach her.”

“And if he’s really good, maybe she’ll learn fast,” Coreen added. The two of them burst into another round of laughter.

Demani chuckled and shook her head. “You two are insane.”

“So are you,” Coreen said through her giggles. “You’ve been smiling like a crazy person since we got here.”

Maureen laughed. “Let’s just leave her be. We’ve both been in her shoes. We got giddy too when our husbands proposed.” She leaned across the table, voice excited. “So, tell us. How did he do it? And why?”

Coreen roared with laughter at her twin’s teasing question.

They were clearly having fun messing with her, as if daring her to get annoyed. Maybe because both of them were more experienced than her in relationships before they got married, they were enjoying the moment.

Her cousins weren’t promiscuous, but they weren’t saints either. They had both been through love stories and heartbreaks before settling down. Times had changed. Premarital sex was no longer taboo. But in her case, Van had never even asked her to go that far. If he had, she would’ve gladly jumped into bed with him, no hesitation. But in the two months they’d been dating, they had never gone beyond kisses.

Of course, there were times she felt him almost lose control, especially in the car or in dark parking lots. But Van was a gentleman. He respected her and her parents.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Mau pointed out, pulling her back to the present.

She took a sip of her cappuccino first, gently placed the cup back down, then answered.

“He proposed during dinner. It was totally unexpected. I didn’t see it coming. I was so happy, I cried.” She smiled, looking down at her coffee cup, her finger gently tracing the rim. “It felt magical, like I was a Disney princess who ended up with her Prince Charming and was ready to start her Happily Ever After.”

“Ugh, there is no such thing, Demani, darling,” Coreen said, rolling her eyes again. “All married couples face struggles. It’s not rainbows and sunshine every day. That ‘happily ever after’ stuff is fiction.”

“Hey,” Maureen nudged her sister. “Not every relationship is like yours and your husband’s, okay?”

Coreen just pouted, while Maureen turned back to Demani.

“While I do agree with Cori that marriage has its challenges, I also believe that every couple defines their own version of happily ever after. Jimmy and I have our share of struggles, too, but we overcome them because we both love each other and are committed to making our marriage work. Every challenge we survive brings us closer. We learn more about respect and love. And that, for us, is what happily ever after means. Don’t be afraid to create your own version, Demani.” She reached out and gently squeezed Demani’s hand. “I’m really happy for you and Van.”

“Thank you, Mau...”

Coreen leaned her chin on the table, smiling as she stared at the diamond ring on Demani’s finger. “Oh... I wish the stone on my engagement ring was that big. I could’ve pawned it by now and made some cash.”

Demani and Mau both burst into laughter at that. Coreen always had money problems and complained about her husband constantly. She was all complaints when he wasn’t around, but played the perfect wife when he was.

Thank goodness her Van wasn’t anything like Coreen’s husband.