When you were little you thought that the shape of a real heart was actually the shape of a heart. You thought that fairy tales were real, you believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy too. But then you grow up and all these things disappear.
On a day like today, these fairy tales are brought to life, everything you are and feel is symbolized in that little shape of a heart. Today all your dreams come true.
Today is my wedding day.
I feel I am going to die. I can hear the pounding of my heart in my ears and feel my heels wear out as I keep pacing up and down the carpet.
Damon ~”Please get me a whiskey, I think I am going to faint.”
Brody ~”You are fine bro, just breath.”
Damon ~”I am not delivering a baby, I am getting married.”
Mason ~”If you don’t relax, then you going to pass out.”
Damon ~”That is what I just said, now give me that damn whiskey.”
Brody ~”Skye will have my head.”
Damon ~”Skye won’t know.”
Mason ~”You not even married and you already hiding shit from your wife.”
Damon ~”Give me that fucking whiskey, she will have your head if you let me pass out.”
To say that I am nervous, well that is an understatement. The possibility that I am going to pass out is very real. My body is shaking like a damn leaf and now I feel like I can’t breathe. I am so busy falling apart. I need Skye, she is the only one that can make me feel better.
Damon ~”What is the deal with girls and guys getting dressed separately anyway?”
Brody ~”It is some stupid person’s idea that the guy can’t see the girl’s dress.”
Damon ~”A dress is a dress, I mean what the hell is the real difference.”
Mason ~”You have no romantic bone in your body.”
Damon ~”If it was not for my romantic bone, we would not stand here. At least I had the balls to ask her.”
Brody ~”Your ass, I plan on asking Tasja this weekend.”
Damon ~”You got to be shitting me.”
Brody ~”Just focus on your our wedding and get your shit in that shower.”
Mason ~”I am sure Skye does not want to marry your beach bum.”
Even washing down in the shower is lonely. We hardly ever shower apart these days. I mean what has happened to me, I cannot do anything without this woman. She consumes my life. Why do we need rings on our fingers to say that we are together? I guess that is more important for a woman than a man. Then again it is important to me too.
We had our tuxes tailored here, so we are patiently waiting for them to be delivered. Hopefully they have her dress, maybe I can sneak a quick look at it, it is not like she is going to know. What’s the deal with her being able to see my tux, this whole wedding ritual is a bit skew if you ask me.
Damon ~”Is this damn guy making this tux?”
Brody ~”Well, uhm, sort of yes.”
Damon ~”Don’t get yourself clever with me.”
Brody ~”Skye said no slapping or smacking.”
Mason ~”She does not want someone with marks on their faces in her photos.”
Damon ~”Has she ever heard of concealer?”
Brody ~”What do you know about concealer?”
Damon ~”I just put some on for the bags under my eyes, can’t you see it?”
Brody ~”No I can’t see anything, are you serious about that shit?”
Damon ~”Do I look like a fucking woman to you?”
Mason ~”Hey I use it sometimes.”
Damon ~”Yes because you are not normal.”
Then there is a knock on the door.
Damon ~”Ah finally. Is that her dress?”
Delivery man ~”Yes sir it is all the ladies’ dresses.”
Damon ~”Can I see it?”
Delivery man ~”I am afraid not sir.”
Damon ~”I will give you a hundred if I can see it.”
Delivery man ~”I am sorry sir I can’t.”
Damon ~”Five hundred?”
Delivery man ~”No sir.”
Damon ~”Thousand?”
Delivery man ~”Sorry sir.”
Damon ~”Three thousand?”
Delivery man ~”Still can’t sir.”
Damon ~”Five thousand?”
Delivery man ~”Sorry I must go sir.”
Damn tradition.
We all get dressed.
It feels like this tux is suffocating me. It sits so damn tight, I can’t breathe, I am feeling light headed now, my world is spinning, I am going to crash down on this floor.
Brody ~”Take this.”
He hands me a whiskey.
Brody ~”You look like you are about to crash.”
Damon ~”Fuck, can’t we just get this thing over. How much longer?”
Brody ~”Another half hour bro.”
The half your goes by in no time at all.
Brody ~”Are you ready?”
Damon ~”Don’t you think that is a stupid question? Do I look ready?”
Mason ~”No.”
Brody ~”I agree, no.”
Damon ~”Can we just wait another ten minutes?”
Brody ~”You are going to be late.”
Damon ~”Well what is new, I am always late.”
I sit down on the chair, I don’t know if I can do this.
Damon ~”I need to speak to her.”
Brody ~”Bro, it is a little bit too late. They must be all dress by now.”
Damon ~”I don’t care. I have to speak to her.”
We leave the room, Brody and Mason short on my tail. We make the five minute walk tothe bridal room.
I knock on the door.
Jo ~”Who is that?”
Damon ~”It’s me.”
Jo ~”It’s me you can’t be here.”
Damon ~”I need to speak to Skye.”
Jo ~”It is a bad time now.”
Damon ~”I don’t care, it isn’t quite a good time for me either.”
Tasja ~”What is the problem here?”
Damon ~”I need to speak to Skye.”
Tasja ~”She is busy getting dressed.”
Damon ~”Please stop her. It is important that I speak to her before she puts that dress on.”
She comes walking outside in nothing but a gown on
Skye ~”What is wrong Damon?”
Damon ~”Can we talk please?”
Skye ~”Baby the wedding starts in twenty minutes, I am not even dressed yet.”
Damon ~”Please, can we just talk?”
I take her tiny hand in my sweaty palm and lead her to a nearby bench.
Skye ~”What is wrong baby?”
Damon ~”Bunny are we making the right decision?”
Skye ~”Baby how can you ask me that? We are twenty minutes away from being married.”
I hear Jo scream on over to us.
Jo ~”IF YOU MESS HER MAKE-UP, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU.”
I squeeze her hands in mine.
Damon ~”I am scared.”
Skye ~”Baby I am too but if you can’t do this then we should not. I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
Damon ~”Bunny I, I…”
Jo interrupts again.
Jo ~”YOU ONLY HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES LEFT.”
Skye ~”Damon?”
Damon ~”I love you my bunny.”
Skye ~”But?”
Damon ~”This is a big step for both of us, I am scared we are not ready for it.”
Skye ~”Baby I don’t know if we ready for it either. But will you really ever be whether it is now or next year.”
Damon ~”I guess but…”
Jo screams again.
Jo ~”OK IT IS TEN NOW, PLEASE CAN SKYE GET HER ASSHERE AND GET DRESSED.”
Skye ~”What do you want to do?”
Damon ~”I will see you at the alter.”
Skye ~”But I thought you not ready?”
Damon ~”I think I just had to see you.”
Skye ~”Wait before you go. I think there is something urgent we need to talk about.”
Jo comes walking over.
Jo ~”COME! YOU ARE LATE.”
Damon ~”We can speak later. I will see you just now.”
Skye ~”Ok see you just now.”
I nearly ended my wedding there. I was not sure. It feels everything is crashing in next to me. I just want for this awful feeling to go. Damon Chase is not a man that feels nervous, he never hesitates, he knows what he wants and he is never but never unsure of anything. A little thing such as wedding jitters aren’t getting him down.
The moment has arrived, this has now all become very real as we walk down to the glass deck to the altar.
The colourful fish are swimming right underneath my feet. The satin curtains of the wooden gazebo is blowing in the wind. I can smell the sea and feel the cool breeze on my skin. It is beautiful, if ever I had any doubts it has gone all away.
I am fidgeting with my cufflinks as I am patiently waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive. As they come one by one, I let a sigh of relief but it is only short-lived. I pull at my tie and tuck my belt.
Damon ~”Do I look okay?”
Brody ~”Yes bro, now stop stressing.”
I do not even listen to him.
It is hot, when did it get so damn hot. My hands are sweating. I pull at my cufflinks again and it falls to the floor.
Maggie picks it up.
Maggie ~”Hey my boy, relax. Let me put this back on.”
Damon ~”Thank you Maggie.”
Then the islanders come and play the music. It is about to start, my wedding is about to begin.
The girls come walking up first.
Then I see her.
She looks absolutely breath taking. She is wearing the brightest smile, her face is glowing in the morning sun. Her long veil is playing in the wind as her body almost floats up the rose path.
Her dress hugs her waist perfectly with a beautiful band of pearls. The satin wraps around her body in soft layers. She looks like a delicate butterfly wrapped in skin of chiffon.
After what is almost the longest thirty second walk, she joins me by my side.
Damon ~”Bunny you look amazing.”
The Tahua starts the ceremony.
He takes us through the ceremony.
Tahua ~”I believe you have written your vows, will the lady go first.”
Skye ~”Damon, I choose you for life. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future. I promise to be faithful to you. I promise to love you, to commit to you and support you. I know that our love is heaven sent and I promise to be here forever and always. My heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home. As I have given you my hands to hold, I give you my life to keep.”
I can barely breathe when it comes to my vows. I found myself with a lack of words as I am stuttering. My heart is racing, it feels that it is going to break.
Damon ~”Skye, I believe in destiny, but also believe in fate, but I believe we are only fated to do things that we choose anyway, and I choose you. I choose you to fall in love with. I choose you to be the sunrise in my morning and my darkness at night. With you I will walk every day and night in every way through the highs and lows of my life. With you through my happiness and my tears. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I will find you and I would still choose you.”
Skye is crying and my own eyes are filled with tears. I know the most difficult part is about to come.
Tahua ~”Damon Chase, do you take this woman to be your wife.”
I think I am busy dying.
Damon ~”Y… ye… yes, yes I do.”
Tahua ~”Skye Davis, do you take this man to be your husband?”
Skye ~”Yes I do.”
Tahua ~By the powers that are invested to me, I pronounce you husband and wife.”
Tahua ~”You can kiss the bride.”
Damon Chase is officially dead. I am still Damon Chase but the billionaire playboy, the man whore and breaker of hearts, is dead. I have a beautiful wife now, what more can Iman ask for in life.
Damon ~”Hey Mrs Chase.”
Skye ~”Yes Mr Chase.”
Damon ~”You are mine now.”
Skye ~”But I thought I already was.”
Damon ~”Yes but you are really mine now.”
I take her by the hand and lead her away from the altar.
Damon ~”You know there is one tradition that we have to follow.”
Skye ~”And what is that?”
Damon ~”Come with me.”
I take her to the edge of the deck.
Damon ~”Jump!”
I grab her by the hand and we jump over the edge into the cool refreshing water with my tux and her wedding dress on.
We stay floating for a while, just staring up at the blue sky. Holding hands like two giddy teenagers. It feels absolutely perfect.
We sit down on the beach for a while we are busy drying off. Drawing little hearts in the sand, feeling completely in love, just like the first time we met.
Skye ~”Do you want to go for a walk before we meet up with the others?”
I take her by the hand.
And we walk down on the beach, with our feet catching the waves in the sand. I listen to her giggle as it tickles her feet.
This is pure bliss, I cannot be anymore happier than I am in this moment in time.
My life has been a series of moments, some good and some bad. Everything I have done and that I dreamed of has lead me here. Some of it was easy and some of it was hard. But for the bigger part of it, it was fun. Life have given me pleasure and pain. Showed me how to care and how to forgive. The biggest and the best part was showing me love. For what is a man if he does not have love. What more does a man want that has everything need.
Skye ~”My baby.”
Damon ~”Yes my bunny?”
Skye ~”I love you.”
Damon ~”I love you too.”
I hold her hand tight as we walk down the beach into the sunset.