Ramon parked the car at the parking area of the Hall of Justice, Makati City. Grace and Catherine exited the car and they walked inside the Hall of Justice building followed by Ramon.They sauntered towards the judge courtroom where the wedding ceremony will take place. Outside the courtroom were rows of wooden benches. John, Romeo, Sandra, and the two bodyguards were already waiting for them inside.
As soon as they entered inside, all eyes were glued to the glowing bride, Catherine smiled from ear to ear upon seeing John in his black tuxedo.
He stood up and walked towards Catherine in big steps and enveloped her in a tight loving hug. "My gorgeous wife!" he murmured.
They stared at each other"s eyes for a few seconds. They both find it hard to believe that they are finally getting married!
John looked at his beautiful bride glowing radiantly with happiness. This got to be the happiest day of his life, he will finally be able to wed the woman he loves so much!
They walked towards the bench near the center of the courtroom holding each other"s hands.
The Judge"s a.s.sistant told them to wait for a few minutes because the Judge was still in his office.
John and Catherine sit beside each other on the bench, both wearing a happy smile on their faces.
"You okay?" asked John at her blus.h.i.+ng bride.
"Yes am okay. Just feeling a little bit nervous," said Catherine.
"Me too!" said John.
Sandra and Romeo were sitting just behind the couple.
Ramon, Allan, and George were sitting near the entrance of the courtroom.
Catherine turned around to find Grace, she was sitting right behind Romeo and Sandra. She saw her cousin"s brow"s furrowed together while reading something on her mobile phone. A few seconds later, Grace stood up and exited the door quietly.
Catherine sensed that something was wrong with her cousin"s reaction while reading something on her phone. She rose to her feet and followed Grace outside. She found her sitting on the bench outside the courtroom, a distressed look on her face.
"Grace, what"s wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," answered Grace trying to hide her mobile device behind her back. "Go back inside...," she said.
Catherine didn"t move. "I will only go back inside if you tell me what is going on!" she"s getting worried now.
"I don"t know if I should tell you about this..."
"What is it?...hurry up tell me!"
"Auntie Thelma was...."
...
...
"What happens to my mother---!?"
Catherine was getting impatient. She s.n.a.t.c.hed her cousin"s mobile phone and scrolled at the recent messages. She read the recent one coming from Grace"s housemaid telling her that her mother was found lying unconscious outside their home by one of their neighbors while cleaning the s.p.a.ce in front of their house. Her mother was taken into the nearest hospital accompanied by Caroline. While the kids were taken care of by Grace"s housemaid.
Her body trembled in fear and worry while reading the text message. Her mother Thelma collapsed! she had a hard time processing the sad news. She sat down on the bench beside Grace looking miserable.
The door to the courtroom opened, John walked to their side.
He saw Catherine"s face drained of color. "What"s wrong Catherine?" he asked in a worried voice.
"John I need to go to the hospital right now! My mother collapsed in front of our house. I"m so sorry I can"t marry you today. Can you tell the judge we have to postpone our wedding?" tears were now streaming down on her face.
"But Catherine...were..." John protested.
Catherine pulled Grace"s hands and they hurriedly went outside the Hall of Justice, leaving John rooted on the spot.
John released a terrible sigh while watching his bride walk out on him helplessly...this is so painfully sad!
He walked back inside the courtroom like a zombie and called Ramon.
"Ramon, bring Catherine and her cousin back into Cavite City. Her mother was in the hospital. Go right now!"
Ramon walked out of the courtroom in a hurry to catch up with the ladies.
Both Romeo and Sandra as well as Roger and Allan were dumbfounded upon hearing the sudden news.
"John, you mean to say there will be no wedding happening today?" asked Sandra.
He sighed deeply and sat down on the bench, feeling down, beaten and frustrated.
The Judge finally walks in...smiling at all of them.
"Where are the bride and groom? Come into the front, please. We shall start the wedding ceremony!" he said enthusiastically.
After a few seconds of waiting...n.o.body comes forward.
Everyone is silent.
The judge looks at the people in front of him...puzzled why everyone was staring at him as if he was some kind of a ghost. "Well----?"
John walked forward and talked to the Judge.
"I"m sorry Sir but my bride"s mother was found unconscious outside their home and was being rushed into the hospital. My bride just left ago to rush to the hospital. I have to postpone our wedding, Sir," he said in a sad voice.
"Ah, I see. Okay. Go to my a.s.sistant over there and re-schedule the wedding. I"m sorry Mr. Fuentes...," he said and patted John"s shoulder trying to sympathize with him.
"Thank you, Sir."
When the judge left the courtroom, they were still not able to accept the chain of events leading to the postponement of the wedding.
John was still reeling from the impact of Catherine walking out on their wedding day...
Sandra and Romeo were whispering at one another.
"Poor John!" said Sandra.
Romeo shook her head a few times. This was supposed to be a happy day. Now it becomes so terribly sad for his best friend John. It"s like Dahlia episode once again, just a bit different.
"What will happen to the reception and the foods?" asked Sandra.
Romeo stood up and sat down beside John.
"I"m so sorry bro," said Romeo.
"I guess I will never be married in this lifetime. First Dahlia, and now Catherine is gone!" he said with bitterness in his voice.
Romeo patted his best friend"s shoulder. "Come on. Let"s get out of here. I know of a place to pa.s.s our time. We will drink "till we drop. I will accompany you in your sorrow tonight."
"Where---?"
"In the wedding reception, we can"t let the food go to waste, right?"
Then John remembered the wedding venue and the preparation.
"Okay, let"s proceed there now!" said John.
They all went out of the courtroom, John didn"t bother to re-schedule the wedding, he simply had forgotten about it since he was totally immersed into his pain and disappointment that his perfect wedding day was ruined by the recent incident.
As they poured into their respective vehicle, they were all visibly shaken by the unforeseen event.
One hour and fifteen minutes later they arrived at the reception"s area.
They were simply blown away by the magical fantasy atmosphere inside the venue. John roamed his eyes around the area, his bride would simply love this place if she was here. He smiled a bittersweet smile.