The Bridesmaid

 

The Bridesmaid

by: Mycah Dela Cura

Once upon a time, she walked down the aisle where her prince charming was waiting for his beautiful bride. 

With a smile on her face, she lifted up her chin as the roses in her hand─so pale, came in contrast to her snowdrop skin, with its petals shaded in a radiant sanguine color. Swaying by the west wind was her skirt that sweeps down to her feet, elegant and gracefully covering her ankles.

Then she crossed the other way around, wishing she was that girl in the white dress that he's been waiting for all this time. 

But hopes are just hopes and wishes remain unrequited. As the woman who shone brighter than anyone else that day while walking with her draping cream-like gown in the rubicund carpet, she could see his eyes sparkle in euphoria whereas hers started to glitter in droplets of water─ both looking at each other as if there were thousands of words hidden behind their gaze, which was seemingly filled with a couple's passionate longing.

Everybody else was happily applauding whilst in this special day, in the corner at the farthest seat inside the church, one woman kept her head down the floor, still unable to look properly at the two lovely newlyweds whom she could never sincerely hate nor greet "congratulations".

She comforted herself that no matter what happens the show must still go on. Fixing her gape unto the front of the altar, she silently wept drenched in heartache as the man she had once loved began to recite his vows of affection to the lady that left the crowd in awe. 

Tears rolled down her cheeks leisurely blurring her sight along with a broken girl's facade─ now slowly deceiving herself to smile, lying to her heart that the uncontrollable tears weren't that of pain but was actually just an expression for her immeasurable happiness for that man. She made excuses that she just got carried away by the heat of the moment. 

Wiping her face with her slightly smudged pink lipstick, the event was nearly reaching its end. With the priest ending the short wedding mass with the words "Groom, you may now kiss the bride... ", the people who were once loudly cheering turned quiet as the exhilarating scenario in a fairytale unfolded before them.

Preciously did he treat the bride's veil uncovering her face, revealing the unfathomable existence she was to his eyes. There was nothing else the disheartened lady could do but look away as she had already seen more than enough of this play, finally accepting that she was just an extra in this one hell of a failed rom-com movie written by her own stubborn fate. No matter how saddening it was, she knew nobody cared about the crestfallen pleas of a woman that committed herself into a man that belonged to somebody else.

Although she did give all of her affection to him without doing anything in the end, it'd be a lie to say that she never did dare to covet him who was already filled in a lifelong euphoria spending the rest of his eternity with another woman. It was quite ironic, as much as she didn't want to part with him, she thought his suffering would have wronged her more.

"Congratulations!" It was the last thing she didn't want to say and yet was also the only words that came out of her mouth before leaving the party. She was truly hurt yet was proud for she was carrying her best wishes to her beloved who chose somebody else. She felt pained. She had felt the melancholy of her own defeat. However, she was also happy to see a wide smile casted on his countenance. 

She was but only his friend. Still, she forgave him for choosing someone else even when it had always been her staying beside him all this time. Not until that day. 

True love can be nasty to a woman's heart indeed, as all that's left are the bitter aftertaste of the chocolate he once gave her and was slowly replaced with the sweetest of all the lonely valentines she dedicated to him─ in the name of a wallflower's bittersweet adoration.