It’s been a while since I met with my friends. We’ve known each other for decades and now one of us is about to get married soon. We’re a group of seven, five of us in attendance including the groom to be, in this farewell-to-singleness party.
We first met at Henry’s house – the groom-to-be. After preparing our things and food for the whole weekend, we booked a Grab to Urban Deca Homes in Pasig. Because of the health protocols, we have to book two separate cars, which means paying extra. This pandemic is a nuisance.
The building is relatively new. They don’t have that many neighbors yet so at least we would not bother any adjacent units in case our voice went a little louder. We rested for a while, had a few laughs, then we decided to have a walk in the nearest mall to buy pizza and some extras. It would be a long night, we thought.
We devoted the whole afternoon practicing our special number for Henry's wedding reception. We're no dancers but we chose Always by Erasure because somehow we're already familiar with the dance steps. It was once a craze in the 80s. As we shake off our bodies, we have to swallow every bit of shyness for the sake of this performance.
Come night time, we cooled off by playing the "Apples to Apples" card game. We had a fun night trying to outwit each other. To make the game more challenging, we betted for the winner to choose the position he prefers in the actual performance. I lost, so they positioned me in front. Phew!
The following day, Sunday, we gathered to watch our church's online service. These friends of mine are my peers from church and we grew up doing ministries together. We had experiences teaching children in the communities when we were younger. Henry and I even spent a full month in Zambales for mission work when we were in college. This explains why our friendship sticks closer than real brothers.
After watching and reflecting on the message, we gave tribute to the groom-to-be. We declared our well-wishes and prayers, and I shared the video greetings I gathered from some older, already married friends. It was a heartwarming moment. We reminisced our childhood and acknowledged that we're ready to enter marriage and family life.
If not for the pandemic, we could have given him a better bachelor's party, but thankfully, even with the limitations of the New Normal, we pulled this activity through.
And come next week, we'll grace Henry and his wife to be to their most-awaited wedding celebration.
