Love Letter to a Friend on Her Wedding Day

“So, what do you think about her husband?” a friend asked me.

Bandung, July 14th 2012. We were sitting on abandoned chairs, sipping delish beer from one glass, and some, smoked skinny cigs. It was almost the end of the depressingly beautiful wedding of my friend. It was so beautiful, it’s depressing. In a good way.

“I don’t know her ex-es much, but all I know since she was with this one, her blog’s background color turned white, from black. Less drama, more footprints in life.”

I am not her best friend, I am not her casual friend. All I know, she’s always been there. She encouraged me to blog (my first blog was born in FISIP internet café when we skipped a class), we pulled all nighter for Children Literature essays, she’s a deadliner because she was very good at it she didn’t need much time. We had on-the-bed conversations in college, and after-work conversations when we started working, until one day she decided to move to another country. But every time she’s here, she’s there for me. She was my emergency contact when things got rough with my ex, and she was there waiting for me on the stairs to my place just to make sure that I was alright.

Her mind is so whimsical, small part of it you can see on her Alice in the Wonderland left upperarm tattoo. I had always thought that this chirpy happy go lucky gal with some dark twist would have a DIY-type of wedding. I was wrong, the whole occasion and the bride were so poised. She’s no longer that girl who needed my ears, sometime my advice, for wrong turn of events. She’s no longer a person who didn’t know what she wanted, or let bad things happen to her. She was in control, content, and wise. I wondered where this came from. Just kidding, Sisie. When I saw her standing waiting for Yann with Chrisye’s “Untukku” background song, I saw a lady whom was not carried away by haphazard of options, instead, steadfastly chose what her heart wants. “Le coeur veut ce que le coeur veut”.

Sisie, when I saw your first dance to John Lennon’s “Real Love”, it's breathtaking to see that you’ve come this far. I was so happy for you that the bruises from the past and wisdom among the way sharpened the way you stand in life. You looked so beautiful in that red kebaya with la belle epoque hairdo. You deserved every second of it, Sisie. And I pray, every second in years you will be with Yann will be even more than that.

Congratulations Sisie and Yann, bisous.

   from this (post-on-bed-convo, college year)

   to this!

   (photos by Andrei Widen a.k.a @gonetotimbuktu)

    Sisie, waiting for Yann. "Untukku" on the background

   
    First Dance: "Real Love"

    we've come a long way ;)