(did you miss part 2? it's right here.)

Dinner was supposed to start at 7:30 but I arrived about 45 minutes too soon so I decided to drive around a bit and park on the far side of their village. For the next thirty or so minutes I would walk to and fro by the side of the road, practicing my speech inside my head. I sent SMS to two of my friends telling them what I’m about to go through. One wished for the Force to be with me while the other told me that, should I accidentally fart during dinner, to just exclaim about how good the food was. They both wished me well and offered a short prayer on my behalf.

When I arrived at their house, there was Tina’s father, relaxing a bit. He had just finished preparing the food. I was touched to learn that he had gone to the wet market earlier that day knowing that I would be having dinner there. Soon after Tina’s mother arrived. There they were, happy that Tina and I were around for dinner, not knowing what was about to come. We both tried our best to be normal, chatting with her parents, mentioning the rising cost of things, etc. The rest of the conversation we had during dinner is a blur now. All I remember is the tasty soup and the delicious chicken and pork adobo. It’s probably amazing that I could still eat that night, but I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime.

Just after dessert (I bought chocolate mousse cake from Red Ribbon earlier. I’d learned that her dad loves chocolate), I told Tina’s father that we had something important to say. His smiling face turned ashen in a split second.

“Oh...Let’s the four of us talk outside, Mark.”

Outside we seated ourselves. Her mother sat with us first.

“Is this a common story we’re about to hear?” she said.

I’m not sure what she meant by that but I think it has something to do with pregnancy. Mothers are amazing, aren’t they?

So there we were. I held Tina’s hand and we told them the news and of our plans (Yes, I remembered all of it). They said a few things and we said a few more but they were all good. I saw her parents’ eyes well up a couple of times. They wished us well and asked that I take good care of their baby girl. It ended with her father shaking my hand, and me trying to hug her mother ever so awkwardly. The night went well, my testicles were still intact, and we were finally getting married.

Tina and I hugged for a long time just before I left. I saw our reflection on the car window and there she was in my arms, so fragile and helpless. I knew then that this was the woman I was going to love and take care of for the rest of my life. She was about to become my wife, and the mother of my children. It was all so overwhelming.

In a few months we will be exchanging vows at the end of that aisle. A few more months and we will be parents. From here on, we will experience all that life has to offer together, standing beside each other pretty much like those two little stripes that started it all.