A piece of the past...

As their graduation day neared, everyone at school was aware that Dannie had been adopted by the sisters. She didn't want to burden Jackie's parents though they offered to keep her. She didn't have any relatives to go to. So when the sisters offered their doors to her, she accepted.

What circulated around was that her parents were imprisoned for drugs and abuse. None knew other than Jackie and George about the real story.

Dannie managed to continue on with her scholarship for college and right after graduation she made plans for her future. She promised she'd try her best to recover from everything that happened to her. She vowed to forget everything except Tessa.

Her sister will always be a part of her life wherever she might be now. Every night, she prayed that her sister was well and happy. Living under the same sky was enough reassurance for Dannie.

PRESENT DAY

Things started to move fast three days before the wedding.

The bride and groom were rushed by Troy to different locations of their childhood to have their pre-nuptial shoot.

Dannie baby also became too busy to even think about what she'd do after the wedding. She'd have to go back to the convent soon and the question that ran at the back of everybody's mind, including my metallic one, was: WILL SHE GO BACK?

No one dared talk about it. No one really had the time.

I was even busy getting pampered as well to even really and deeply think about it. The men, after what they did to me, tried their best to make up.

Like I will ever forgive you! I shouted at them when they all looked at me with their hands on their waists. They planned on taking me to a professional car wash but their faces told me that they would rather drive me back to the farm and leave me there to rust.

One hour later, we were buddies again. They took me to this AMAZING place where I got a proper shower, experienced the smoothest sponge, got waxed and wiped squeaky clean. And oh, yes, of course I was vacuumed until all remnants of any human dead skin cells were gone.

Did I tell you guys how much I love you? You all deserve my boys! I howled at the top of my engine, wishing Dean, Jordan and Troy could hear me.

They did not talk about Troy and Dannie either. They just talked about married life and their plans for the future, especially the groom who seemed eager to start a family.

Please, I am not ready to deal with kids yet. My poor leather seats! They would be full of baby vomit! And let's not talk about the tiny shoeprints! And how UN-cool would I look like to have a baby seat at the backseat? No vic would throw me a second glance!

After a bottle of beer each, they delivered me back to the apartment as PROMISED. The groom had to go home early because their families insisted that he had to NOT see the bride before the wedding.

My boys then took me to the usual spot, the abandoned and unfinished mall, before we went to the hotel where they would stay before the wedding.

"The day after tomorrow is going to be a big change," Jackie girl said her voice mournful and excited at the same time.

"It's not going to be the same, I guess," Dannie baby whispered against the wind.

"It's not like we are all going away, you know," Georgie contradicted. "It's just like when Dannie went away for a year to the convent. And those months when you went on a vacation after the Brian incident," she said to Jackie.

"Exactly. Things had changed since then, right?" Jackie said. "A lot has happened. We made a lot of changes."

"We cannot possibly live together forever, can we?" Dannie baby asked. "We cannot just expect to be together like we have been doing for years. But even though there are changes, I just hope that they are for the better."

Jackie girl was the first to shed tears. "I just hope that we don't lose each other. I don't think I can live without the two of you. I just can't picture my life without you." I feared that she'd start wailing but that did not happen. Dannie baby's tears came next and then Georgie, though she rarely cried, started sobbing as well.

Why does it seem like you guys are saying goodbye? It's not like you are all going away for good, right?!

They wrapped their arms around each other and sniffed and cried under the night sky, the wind blowing their hair around.

My engine ached for them. The times they spent together flashed across my mind. I had been a witness to the most normal and crazy things they did together; from shopping for groceries to drunk driving and even falling in love; from crazy stalkers to love-crazed men; from safe to dangerous road trips;

There were a lot of things with them together and most of the time I was part of it. Right now, despite my fear of being left forgotten, I wanted my boys more to have the best changes in life. I wanted them to have the best because they deserved it. And if possible, I wanted them to experience those changes together most of the time. They didn't have to be with each other 24-7, they just had to be there whenever they could.

In that moment, as the three of them cried in sadness and happiness that tomorrow would bring, I didn't care about my fate. In the future, wherever I may be, I would be happy knowing that the three women I loved the most were happy.

We all went to the hotel to rest. The wedding tomorrow would be bittersweet for my boys, but no one was going to it from happening.

*****

The small church was packed. That was what the bride wanted in the first place, Dannie thought.

Her friend didn't want to have a wedding with half part of the church empty. She wanted an intimate one with just very close friends and family. No other guests who were never a witness to how she and the groom got together.

As one of the bridesmaids, Dannie lined up outside of the church. Lining up beside her was Troy. Of course, he would be her partner. Who else, right? He was not the official wedding photographer. He was part of the entourage and he wouldn't want to miss a big deal of the wedding for it. He had recommended a good friend and a few others to do that task.

Though his features were not fully Filipino, he looked good in barong. Dannie secretly thought he looked better than the groom himself. As for her, her dress had been altered to the one Troy had suggested and she felt a bit uncomfortable wearing it because it completely exposed one shoulder and she had never dressed like it before.

"You okay?" Troy asked when he noticed her fidgeting in her heels.

She smiled at him and nodded. "I'm good. It's just the heels and the dress, I guess."

He looked at her with tenderness in his eyes. "You are the most beautiful one today. And I am not joking, Danica. You really are."

Miguel and Lee who were standing before him snorted and shook their heads.

The doors of the church opened before she could say anything in response and the march of the entourage started. The guests were already seated in their respective seats and eagerly watched as the music started and the line started moving.

The groom was the first to walk down the aisle with his parents and best man.

Dannie felt Troy's hand take hers as their turn neared. He clasped their fingers together and they started walking. It was unconventional to walk hand in hand—it was always with the woman hooking her hand through the man's arm—but she didn't care and Troy surely didn't as well. At that moment, it felt more natural to do it.

A strange feeling came over her as she walked with Troy near the altar. The holy cross that represented Christ was just right in front of her and as she stared at it, she didn't feel burdened. She felt like she could do anything she desired because it was allowing her to—it was giving her the freedom she wanted.

Before she knew it, they had reached the end of the march and Troy let go of her hand to walk to the right. For a few seconds, she felt lost. Her feet almost dragged her to follow behind Troy but reality struck and she had to follow the order. She turned to her left to sit on the designated pew for the women. Before she sat down, she looked over to where Troy was and caught him already looking at her. He winked, sat down and turned his attention to the rest of the entourage.

The bride was coming and everybody was anticipating it.

Dannie had seen her earlier and she was beautiful.

The music changed as her friend and her parents walked down the aisle together. Dannie started crying because, finally, one of her best friends was taking one big step and it was a brave move for any woman in her opinion. But then, that kind of big step would have to be made with a man that you loved and Dannie thought that he friend was doing something right. With the man she's marrying, nothing really mattered. No one could love her more than him. No one could understand her more than him.

*****

The reception was at The Ruins, a place considered the Taj Mahal of Negros because of its history. The sun was about to set when they arrived from the church. The yellow lights illuminated the place, giving it a majestic look of both ancient and modern.

Dannie and Troy sat with their friends as they waited for the Toto, the bridal car driven by the groom himself.

The round tables were arranged all over the grounds of The Ruins. The guests from the wedding joined the ones who were invited only to the reception. Everyone seemed busy chattering and catching up.

The moment the bridal car honked its way into the place though, everyone returned to their seats with their wine glasses and started cheering.

The bride was smiling as she climbed off Toto with bouquet in one hand and her veil flying behind her. The groom helped her with her dress and they started toward the reception area.

"They said she's the one who proposed," Lee whispered around their table.

"Well, I can definitely see that happening," Miguel nodded.

Dannie just smiled. She knew the whole story and her two friends were pretty close to it.

"Yeah, she was the one who proposed."

The eyes around the table turned to Jackie.

Her friend raised her brows and looked at everyone with an incredulous look. "What? She said it herself."

The guys' jaws dropped open.

"So it's true?" Miguel asked in shock, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Jackie said like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Okay, since the truth is out, I have to say something," Lee said, planting his palm flat on the table. "George is actually the last woman on my mind to get married. Because, guys, let's face it...she loves her freedom too much, right? And you wouldn't believe how shocked I was when the news came out that she's getting married."

Miguel was vigorously nodding his head as well. "I actually thought Jackie and Dean would tie the knot first."

"What?" Jackie and Dean asked in unison.

"Well, it's more likely, right?"

"Well, you're wrong. George surprised the hell out of us all," Jackie told them.

"How did she propose anyway?"

Jackie and Dannie shared an amused look. "In the car while they were driving home to the apartment?" Jackie uttered.

Dean laughed. "And we were in the apartment when they arrived and they just spilled the news like it's nothing."

"They just called me up one night and Jordan said, 'Hey, will you shoot my pre-nuptial?'" Troy shared, adding, "And then George called the next day and demanded the shoot to be free."

Everyone around the table laughed and turned their heads to watch the bride and groom take their seats in front of everyone. The best man, none other than Jordan's own father, sat beside his wife and George's parents. Vivienne, George's only sister was happily entertaining everyone in the table she shared with Chester, their eldest and his wife.

Dannie was happy to see the big change in George's relationship with her family after she met Jordan. The two of them had brought so more to each other's lives than they were willing to admit.

*****

There was no formal sequence to the reception. Of course, you would have to expect it from the bride. She hated formal events and it was even a miracle that she wore the wedding dress today. I had to listen to her complain about how restricting it was on our way to The Ruins. Good thing Jordan was in a very good mood!

And oh, yeah, I wasn't decorated in any way. I came just the way I was. I had had enough of flower petals. My engines cringe at the thought of Brian, that crazy stalker, and his flowers!

Once dinner began, Dean and the rest of Anon stood up and prepared their instruments. Who else did you expect to entertain the guests?

There was a great deal of laughter all around. The different colors in the sky as the sun began to set gave everyone a more carefree feeling as they began to stand up and dance with the music. Georgie's sister, Viv, had been dancing with different partners all night including her brother and father.

Jordan's friends came and their laughter rang around as they enjoyed the party with jokes and funny stories. Georgie and Jordan's Red Cross buddies were present as well, of course, and they had been eating like crazy.

The lively music stopped and Phil took to the mic and invited the bride and her father, Anton Lacson, for the father and daughter dance. My dear Georgie looked shy as her father came up to her and offered her his hand. She stood up and let the man guide her to the center of the reception that served as the dance floor.

As the intro to the music, I Loved Her First started, Georgie bent down and to the amazement of everyone, took off her high heels and went barefoot. Her father laughed, also an unexpected reaction considering what he was like before, with everyone. Jackie baby quickly grabbed the shoes like a good bridesmaid that she was and returned to her seat with them. Georgie's father led the dance to the end and by the time they were over, Mariana Lacson was in tears and so was his husband who gave his daughter a peck before she turned her over to her husband of a few hours.

Then the music started once more and Apo Hiking Society's song, When I Met You started playing, making the older audiences excited as Jordan started dancing with Georgie, looking at her with all the love in the world.

There I was, an empty piece of a shell,
Just minding my own world;
Without even knowin' what love and life were all about
Then you came,
You brought me out of the shell;
You gave the world to me
And before I knew, there I was so in love with you

You gave me a reason for my being
And I love what I'm feelin'
You gave me a meaning to my life
Yes, I've gone beyond existing
And it all began when I met you

I love the touch of your hair
And when I look in your eyes
I just know, I know I'm on to something good
And I'm sure, my love for you will endure
Your love will light up my world;
And take all my cares away
With the aching part of me

You gave me a reason for my being
And I love what I'm feelin
You gave me a meaning to my life
Yes, I've gone beyond existing
And it all began when I met you

You taught me how to love
You showed me how tomorrow and today
My love is diff'rent from the yesterday
I knew, you taught me to love
And darling I will always cherish you today
Tomorrow and forever...

As the song went on, the different things Jordan and Georgie went through flashed across my mechanical mind. That night they met and agreed to play along with their parents' plans, those days they spent in each other's place to pretend to know each other better, the crazy push-and-pull they went through to get to this moment. I was proud to be a witness to most of them, really, including the unconventional proposal of Georgie.

They were driving home that night and she just asked the question out of nowhere. "Do you think we should get married?" she had asked.

Jordan my boy looked like his eyes would jump out of his eyes. He almost choked on nothing at all because he could barely give a reply. What he asked was, "Are you freaking serious?"

Georgie shrugged her shoulders and gave him a quick glance. "It's bound to happen anyway. And I want it to happen before our parents can plan it for themselves."

"George, are you serious?" Jordan asked again.

"Yes, I am freaking serious!"

"Why?" he had asked.

"Why what?" she snapped at him.

"Why are you suggesting a wedding at this very moment?"

Georgie had rolled her eyes. "Just because. Aren't you reason enough? You want more?"

"Okay," he had said.

"Okay what?"

"Okay, let's get married."

"Okay."

"You can't take it back."

"Okay!"

And things just went on as planned. No special or romantic proposal, really. Actually, most of us thought that Georgie only decided to propose because she was avoiding a romantic proposal from Jordan.

As the dancing continued and the party began, the bride and groom roamed around the place to check on their guests.

My metallic heart leaped when my boys started walking toward me, led by Georgie in her gown. Well, well, well...see who finally remembered the car! I cried out as they neared.

A photographer was walking behind them, ready to take shots. And I was so damned happy when my boys posed with me. They laughed at the funny poses they made and I was their subject, their platform. They sat on my hood, leaned on my sides and everywhere else.

I think that was the happiest day of my life—that very moment.

They were later joined by their friends and the groom and it was a crowd, I tell you! They were so all over me, making me groan with their weight. But I loved it. I loved every shot we made.

When the pictorial was over, the boys stayed behind as Georgie had one last thing to say.

The guys went back to the reception area, leaving them alone.

"I guess it's finally time to say goodbye to Toto," Georgie told them.

What?! I cried out.

She took the keys still inside me and played with them. "This is it, girls. I'm a wife now and I think I can't share him with the two of you anymore. So I am letting him go." She took Jackie's hand and dropped my keys.

Jackie girl and Dannie baby were dumbfounded. "But," Jackie started, looking at Georgie with round eyes. "Why are you doing this now? Aren't you gonna use Toto after this?"

George smiled. "We're going to our honeymoon tomorrow morning. We decided you can drive us to the hotel after this and take Toto home with you."

"But George, we have our own keys. These are YOUR keys. You can always borrow Toto from us and—"

Georgie was already shaking her head. "No. Toto is all yours. I've decided, after our talk last night about changes, that I have to let go of Toto. He's a great part of our lives and I hate to let him go, but I can no longer share him you now that I am married. I will no longer be going home to our apartment. I will share most of my life with Jordan and..." she trailed off, giving her friends a bittersweet smile. "You can do whatever you want with him. I'm stepping back."

Jackie was already crying but she nodded her head anyway.

"Okay, okay. Gosh, I need a moment. I need a retouch," Jackie girl said, walking away with Georgie's keys in hand.

Dannie baby looked on with a smile. "So this is really happening, huh?" she asked with disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess so. Can you believe it? I actually got married. I don't feel any different though," Georgie admitted, looking at her husband as he took pictures with his friends.

"I have one last question before we go back and join the party," Dannie baby said.

"Shoot."

"Why did you decide to propose to Jordan? Earlier, we were talking about how it was such a shock to know that you proposed to Jordan."

Georgie took a deep breath and wrapped one arm over her friend's shoulders. "I don't know too, you know. It just popped in my head one night while we were driving that I can never find another man who could show me what I cannot see. I've been in this world long enough, been to many places and met hundreds of people from different walks of life. None of them opened my eyes to things I never or refused to see before. So why drag the time when I knew it was him, right?" She started leading Dannie baby away from me to go back to the reception. "And I saved him from the trouble of preparing for a romantic proposal which I really hate," she added with a laugh.

*****

Dannie enjoyed the reception with her friends. They talked and laughed at the different memories they shared in the past. They mostly talked about George who had always been difficult when it came to relationships.

She only wished that Jackie would forget about her and Troy because her friend wouldn't stop whispering in her ears, asking questions about the kiss she shared with the man.

Jackie only stopped her questions when Dannie turned to her and said, "Correction, Jackie, it's not just one kiss. They're kisses." Jackie was left shocked and Dannie took that opportunity to transfer to another seat beside Lee and Miguel. Jackie then made herself busy by dragging Troy around the place to take pictures of her stating that the lights and the shadows were great factors in getting a good shot for her next profile picture on her social networking sites.

When he was finally relieved of that difficult task by Dean, Troy became busy catching up with friends they hadn't met for years. And when it was time to go home, he went to her and asked, "Do you need a ride?"

Dannie shook her head and said, "Jackie and I are driving the newlyweds to their hotel. We have to drive Toto back home."

His face fell for a second before he smiled and stepped closer. "Well, then, good night, Danica," he said before he hastily planted a kiss on her forehead, his hand at the back of her neck. And then he stepped back as fast as he came and added, "Drive safe, okay?" He then walked off to where their other friends were. Dannie felt a sense of satisfaction. The simple action Troy did was so normal and it was the kind that she liked. It was as if it was not a big deal at all. It was the kind of thing that Dean would do with Jackie or Jordan with George. If he did that months or even weeks ago, she would have made a big fuss over it, but now Dannie didn't mind because it felt natural, like she expected it to happen.

Jackie was standing just a few feet away, gaping at her. Luckily, no one else saw the exchange. Dannie turned to her friend and pretended nothing happened. "Let's get Toto ready."