Chapter Sixty-Five: The Wedding Plans (And Chaos Ensues)
The morning after the office incident, Jay woke to approximately seventeen missed calls and forty-three text messages.
All from Tita Gemma.
Tita Gemma: APO! WEDDING PLANNING STARTS TODAY!
Tita Gemma: I HAVE IDEAS! SO MANY IDEAS!
Tita Gemma: WAKE UP! WE HAVE COLORS TO CHOOSE!
Tita Gemma: I INVITED THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO DISCUSS!
Tita Gemma: THAT'S LIKE FIFTY PEOPLE!
Tita Gemma: MAYBE SIXTY!
Tita Gemma: OKAY EIGHTY!
Tita Gemma: JAY PLEASE WAKE UP!
Jay showed Keifer the phone.
He stared at it. Then at her. Then back at the phone.
"We're doomed."
"Completely."
"Eighty people?"
"At least."
He pulled her close. "Want to elope?"
"Tita Gemma would hunt us down and kill us."
"Worth it?"
"Not worth it."
---
They arrived at Tita Gemma's house at noon.
The scene was chaos.
The living room had been transformed into what looked like a wedding planning war room. Charts on every wall. Fabric samples covering every surface. A whiteboard with "JAY AND KEIFER'S WEDDING" written in sparkly letters, surrounded by question marks.
Tita Gemma rushed at them. "APO! FUTURE APO! You're HERE!"
Jay was engulfed in a hug. Keifer received one too, looking slightly terrified.
"Tita, what is all this?"
"PLANNING! We have SO much to discuss!"
Tito Rachel sat in his usual chair, newspaper in hand, watching the chaos with amusement. "She's been at this since 5 AM."
"FIVE AM?"
"I'm ENTHUSIASTIC!"
---
The "family discussion" turned out to be approximately thirty people.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, neighbors who might as well be family, and several people Jay had never seen before.
All with opinions.
All talking at once.
Jay sat on the couch, Keifer beside her, Keiran on her lap. They held hands like survivors of a shipwreck.
Tita Gemma stood at the whiteboard. "OKAY! First! COLORS!"
"PINK!" someone yelled.
"BLUE!"
"GOLD!"
"RAINBOW!"
"Rainbow?" Keifer whispered.
"Don't ask."
---
Percy arrived halfway through, Honey in tow. "WEDDING PLANNING! I'M HERE! LET'S GO!"
He grabbed a marker and added to the whiteboard. "DISCO BALL! CONFETTI CANNONS! A PYROTECHNICS DISPLAY!"
"Percy, no."
"PERCY YES!"
Honey pulled him back. "Babe, let the adults plan."
"I AM an adult!"
"Debatable."
---
C.N. appeared via video call, Rakii beside him. "Mother. I hear there's wedding chaos."
"Genius boy. Help."
"I'm just here to observe. And bet."
"Bet on WHAT?"
"How long until you two run away to elope."
Rakii laughed. "I give it three more planning sessions."
---
The color debate raged for two hours.
Finally, Jay stood up. "EVERYONE STOP."
Silence.
"We're doing ivory and gold. That's final."
Tita Gemma's face lit up. "IVORY AND GOLD! PERFECT! WHY DIDN'T WE THINK OF THAT?"
"Because there were thirty people yelling."
"Fair point."
---
Next: VENUE.
"BEACH!" Percy yelled.
"GARDEN!" someone countered.
"THE MANSION!" Keigan suggested from the corner.
Everyone turned to look at him.
He shrugged. "It's big. It's beautiful. They live there. Makes sense."
Tita Gemma considered. "The mansion... outdoor ceremony... indoor reception..."
Jay looked at Keifer. "What do you think?"
He squeezed her hand. "I think anywhere with you is perfect. But the mansion... that's where we became us."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Yeah. It is."
"MANSION IT IS!" Tita Gemma declared. "NEXT!"
---
GUEST LIST.
This was chaos of the highest order.
Names were called out. Added. Debated. Removed. Added again.
Tita Gemma had a master list that seemed to grow by the minute.
"What about your third cousin twice removed?"
"She's not invited."
"But she'll be OFFENDED!"
"She lives in Canada. She won't come anyway."
"BUT SHE'LL BE OFFENDED!"
The debate continued.
Keifer leaned close to Jay. "How many people are we at now?"
"Last count? Two hundred."
"Two HUNDRED?"
"Give or take."
---
C.N. piped up from the video call. "Don't forget us. All of us. From India."
Tita Gemma's eyes lit up. "INDIA! The sisters! The friends! They're COMING?"
Jay nodded. "They're family now. They have to be there."
"WRITE THEM DOWN! SHREYA! AKSHI! MITHUN! CHETHAN! ALL OF THEM!"
Percy cheered. "THE INDIA CREW IS COMING! THIS IS THE BEST WEDDING EVER!"
---
FOOD.
Another two-hour debate.
Traditional Filipino? Fusion? Indian options for the India crew? Percy's demands for a chocolate fountain?
"WE NEED A CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!"
"Percy, no."
"PERCY YES!"
Honey patted his arm. "Babe, chocolate fountains are messy."
"MESSY IS FUN!"
"We'll discuss later."
---
DRESS.
Jay's turn to be terrified.
Tita Gemma pulled out catalogs. Fabric samples. Photos of every bride who'd ever lived.
"I have IDEAS! Ball gown! Mermaid! A-line! With lace! Without lace! Long train! Short train! NO train! Veil! Tiara! Flowers in hair!"
Jay's head spun. "I... don't know."
"WE'LL FIND THE PERFECT ONE! DON'T WORRY!"
Keifer squeezed her hand. "You'll look beautiful in anything."
"That's not helpful."
"True though."
---
Keiran, who'd been playing quietly with Rex and Ganesha, suddenly spoke up.
"Mamma, can I be in the wedding?"
Jay knelt beside him. "Of course, baby. You're going to be the ring bearer."
"WHAT'S RING BEARER?"
"You carry the rings down the aisle. Very important job."
Keiran's eyes went wide. "RINGS? Like the sparkly ones?"
"The sparkly ones."
"Rex can help!"
"Rex can walk with you."
"GANESHA TOO?"
"Ganesha too."
Keiran turned to his dinosaurs. "Rex! Ganesha! We have IMPORTANT JOB!"
Rex and Ganesha seemed honored.
---
Keigan, from his corner, asked quietly, "What about me?"
Jay looked at him. "You want to be in the wedding?"
He shrugged, trying to look casual. "I mean, if you need someone. No pressure."
She crossed to him, pulling him into a hug. "We'd love you to be part of it. Whatever you want."
He hugged back briefly, then pulled away. "Cool. Maybe... I don't know... read something? Or stand somewhere?"
Aries spoke up. "You could be a groomsman. If you want."
Keigan considered. "Yeah. Okay. That works."
Percy grabbed him. "GROOMSMAN! WE'RE GROOMSMEN TOGETHER! THIS IS GONNA BE AMAZING!"
Keigan endured the hug with teenage dignity.
---
By evening, Jay's brain was mush.
They'd decided on colors, venue (mostly), food options (still debating), and had a preliminary guest list of approximately three hundred people.
THREE HUNDRED.
Jay collapsed onto the couch. "I can't. I literally can't."
Keifer sat beside her. "One day at a time."
"We have three months."
"Plenty of time."
"THREE MONTHS IS NOT PLENTY!"
He kissed her forehead. "We'll survive."
"Will we?"
"Together."
---
Her phone buzzed.
Shreya: Heard you're planning! Need help?
Akshi: WE HAVE OPINIONS! SO MANY OPINIONS!
Chethan: I'm researching Filipino wedding traditions. This is fascinating.
Mithun: Let me know if you need anything organized.
Jay smiled through her exhaustion.
Jay: You're all coming, right?
Akshi: WE WOULDN'T MISS IT!
Shreya: Already booking flights.
Chethan: I'm your honorary brother now. I HAVE to be there.
Mithun: Wouldn't miss it.
---
That night, at home, Jay and Keifer sat on their balcony.
"Three hundred people," she said.
"Three hundred people."
"Our families. Our friends. India crew. Everyone."
He pulled her close. "And at the end of it, I get to marry you."
"That's the important part."
"The only important part."
She kissed him softly. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now let's survive the next three months."
"Together."
"Together."
---
End of Chapter Sixty-Five