I’ve known Kristine for almost 10 years now; we met in our freshman year of college and she became an adopted part of our already close-knit group. She is now my best friend and most trusted confidante. And I couldn’t be happier for the wonderful journey she is about to embark on with her second-best friend (Haha!).
I first met Brian on a trip to Boracay in March 2009 when he and Kristine weren’t even dating yet. They had been good friends in Dubai for some time and at that point Tin was still involved with someone else. To be quite frank, I already had an idea that there was a spark there, even though they hadn’t admitted it yet.
During what would otherwise have been a perfectly lovely holiday, Tin injured her left knee after an ill-fated spill from a FlyFish ride. She spent the next few days hobbling along the beach on crutches. Not to be deterred, she insisted on going to Juice Bar on our last night, dancing on her one good leg while leaning on her crutches and earning her my extremely insensitive line of mockery: “Where the party cripple at?”
It was a fun night, with lots of free drinks. And that night was when I suspected that Brian secretly loved Kristine, after all. For one thing, when some creep started hitting on us, he told the guy: “Hey man, these are my girls; go get your own.” I thought that was hilarious, especially since he had been a perfect gentleman the entire trip. But the most damning evidence of all was when, at the end of the night, Tin was slightly dizzy on top of being handicapped and could barely walk back to our hotel. Brian gallantly picked her up and carried her on his back.
This was all while being chased by some crazy guy (who caused Brian to drop Tin, who in turn threw sand in his face. The crazy guy’s, not Brian’s) and with Kristine yelling and complaining that her knee was hurting, and me yelling and complaining at Tin to stop yelling and complaining. And yet Brian managed to keep his cool and carried Tin almost all the way back until we found some help.
That’s the kind of love that strong partners are made of: someone who’s willing and able to carry the other person when they fall, who can offer help without expecting anything in return, and who remains a pillar of strength when their partner is totally losing it.
So when the two of them finally came to their senses and started dating months later, I couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t even surprising really; more like inevitable.
Brian, if you can carry Kristine for the rest of your lives the way you carried her that night, I know your marriage will be a long and happy one. And Kristine, if you vow to never get hysterical like you were that night, I know Brian will actually want a long marriage (Haha!). But seriously, you are both amazing individuals and you are blessed to have one another.
For that reason, I graciously accept my demotion to second-best friend and cheerfully usher Brian into the top spot. I pray that your wedding day, happy as it may be, will be the day when you least loved each other.
Photo by Itsoura
