Two weeks ago, the Philippines was hit by an outpour of monsoon rains that ran for two days, causing flash floods in different parts of the country. Some towns were devastated as the flood level rose to almost six feet, destroying houses and forcing people to relocate. Most of the flooded areas were in a state of calamity as panic buyers ransacked groceries, in particular eggs, when they had the chance.
Although this is no Ondoy (at least not in our area), the unfortunate events left another wound in the spirits of Filipinos who must once again scrubs their homes of the mud - if not the memory of the flood - and mourn the death of loved ones who passed away during the rainy days.
And then there's a little wedding that simply could.
A college classmate of my girlfriend was set to get married during on August 8. No one can foresee the state of the weather when scheduling for his or her wedding date in advance, but the couple happened to be one of the those whose wedding took place during the height of the flood.
Their wedding and reception was set in Antipolo at 8AM. To get there, people should pass to either Marcos Highway (the shorter route) or Floodway in Cainta. However, both routes were flooded that only garbage trucks can pass through the street. Of course, you also have to actually convince and plead to the driver of the garbage truck to take you to the wedding .
When the soon-to-be-married couple moved the ceremony to 5PM on that same day, the rain poured harder, which even caused one roadside in Antipolo to erode due to unstable land, aside from the flood to rise even higher.
As a result, the wedding came and went, and all of the bride's friends, which included me, were unable to attend.
(For those thinking that the couple should have rescheduled their wedding, it's definitely easier said than done, which is why they decide to go along with it regardless of the conditions.)
They made it up for her the very next week by holding a dinner party and performing songs they were meant to play during the reception. It ended up as a very intimate moment, as the newlyweds were kind enough to replicate scenes and show pictures from their wedding.
What really made me write this entry were the striking accounts given by both bride and groom on how they coped through the days leading to the day of the wedding. I cannot help but feel their disappointment and anger towards the people who were unable to attend because they told the horrific events leading up to the actually wedding with such painful detail.
Despite their reservations, I feel that their stories were beautiful accounts of the human spirit and serve as a testament to their relationship. I made this known to everybody in the room when all of the guests were asked to say their well-wishes to the couple.
I felt envious of them. Not because I don't a strong and enduring relationship that with my awesome girlfriend, but it's one of those events that, after all ill feelings have passed, they can truly be proud to have been part of. The way they persevered during the hardships of setting up the wedding down to actually pulling it off against all odds is something for the ages. If they endure natural disasters, they should endure almost anything. Alien invasion, zombie apocalypse, another Nickleback album - you name it.
Congratulations to them.
Comments
Post a Comment