Drugs, Treasons and Other Demons

76. UNHOLY MATRIMONY

I'd only just managed to patch up the pieces of my broken heart when Juan and Manée walked back into the reception area. He held her hand tight and high, like a champion brandishing his trophy.

I bet their hearts were beating to the rhythm of the crowd's thundering applause. Their smiles were bright and large, their laughter loud and light as he picked her up and spun her around as if she was just as weightless as the big feathers on her train.

Even I, with all the things I'd seen and heard from Juan himself and everyone else, couldn't tell if this was true love or if it was all fake. Manée's makeup was smeared beneath her lashes, and her foundation was wiped off where she tried to fix it. Was it because of the pouring rain or had she been crying again? Juan had a red mark, like a small rash on his well-shaven cheek. Had his bride slapped him in a heated argument, or was it just a hickey?

I finished my first drink before the toast even began, and I didn't even know if the champagne was too dry or if I was the one who was bitter. Hernan greeted the couple with a warm hug, all the guests save for me seemed to be smiling, and still, I couldn't tell if they were genuinely happy for the newlyweds or just glad that shitshow of a ceremony was finally over.

The couple sat down at the table beside us, but Manée quickly made her husband switch places, probably so he'd be turning his back to me. Hernan gently hit his crystal glass with a silver knife, and as the guest repeated the move and clinking sounds filled the air, the cheers quieted down.

"Juan, my dear son," Hernan began after taking a deep breath. "I cannot begin to tell you how much joy I feel today. I know you've struggled to trace your path through life, but with tough love and harsh lessons, I finally feel you've found your reason. I wish the rest of our family were still here to celebrate with us as you begin this new chapter in life, but I'm confident that from here on out, things will only get better."

The silence around us grew louder, as the atmosphere hung in a balance halfway between hope and nostalgia. I pressed a hand on my stomach to hush my gargling gut. The guests' eyes shimmered, feelings catching in their throats, and solitary tears traced down a few cheeks, like raindrops from the gutters.

Even Pablo seemed emotional, caught in a distant memory, and kept his lips shut and tight as he stared down at the bottom of his glass, nodding lightly.

"I couldn't think of a better bride for you than Manée," Hernan continued. "Manée, you are a beautiful woman, intelligent and kind-hearted, and I trust your future children will bring honor back to the Sandoval name. And to my son, I just want to say, I'm proud of you, of the sacrifices you've made, and the man you've finally become. To the new couple. May you live a long and happy life."

With a timid cheer and a few claps, we all took a sip from our drinks. Pablo gently patted his godson on the shoulder, a gesture as heavy as a deep sigh. When Juan turned around to thank him, his face was stuck in a half-stunned expression, and his eyes streaked with red veins. He cleared his throat and stood up.

"Thanks, Dad," Juan said with a quivering grin before he turned to his bride. "Manée, thank you for putting up with me for the past year, and I hope you'll keep on doing so for many more. I love you, Manée. I've loved you for a while and will do so forever, until Death do us part or until you get fed up with me. To us."

People raised their glasses again, and a few discreet wishes of 'Salud' echoed like distant murmurs.

"And this one is for my brother, his wife, and the nephew I never met," Juan's voice choked as he raised his glass, and spilled a few drops on the ground beneath him. "I hope I make them all proud as well."

Some of the guests poured the bottom of their drinks on the floor, and I mimicked them all. The longing and sorrow in my heart pulled back my traits and flushed my cheeks, but thankfully fit in well with the bittersweet frowns on the faces around me.