Congratulations Q!

I just called a friend. I hesitate to call her my best friend or my good friend, even though my heart leans towards doing so. Partly because "best" means I can only have one, partly because we have not talked in ages except for a few facebook wall post exchanges, and partly because I would be embarrassed if the feeling is not mutual. She just got married last week and I am just so thrilled when I heard that she was going to have a wedding. Firstly it came as a disbelief because I did not expect it. But after a day or so, the reality of the news started to sink in, and I can't exactly describe the happiness I felt. I questioned myself, why am I this ecstatic? We very rarely exchange news; I don't know what's happening in her life, and she doesn't know what's happening in mine. The last time we met and talked was maybe 4 years ago (according to her) or 6 years ago (according to me). Yet, my excitement stubbornly held its ground.

As I try to rationalize, I think that it's because she's the first person other than a family member, who is "close" to me who got married. But after I got off the phone with her, I knew exactly why I can't shake off my happiness: because she is my soul mate. OK, wait! Don't cast your stones yet! I can explain!!! You know what they say about soul mates, right? That there is one person who you are meant to be with, who has been destined for you, whose fingers interlocked perfectly with yours and whose heart beats in sync only with yours (Excuse me while I throw up a little)? Well, I believe that God scatters many of these "soul mates" for us to discover, in the form of family members, friends, and of course our other halves. And when you meet them, you may not know straight away that you are "soul mates". But through distance, time, experiences, fights, you will finally realize it. This time I realize it through a simple call, a 45 minute call in which miraculously no air got stunk with awkwardness and though we've matured in some way, it brought us back to years before, to the giggles, to the daily updates, the sharings, and approvals of each other's thoughts. We've moved on far beyond comprehension, but when we talked, I felt like we haven't moved at all. It felt like just another weekly call. It felt like home. I felt like I did not have the explain what had happened all this years and neither did she, because we somehow already understood. That's when I realize that she's one of my soul mates. I can't explain it another way.

It was a good talk. She told me how the wedding went, how in the end more than expected came and she did not even get any food because of that. About being the first grandchild to marry so everybody in the family was excited and wanted a celebration. About how she met her husband (and I childishly giggled at hearing the word husband) and the plans for them in the near future. About weddings in Indonesia where they are primarily a celebration of the parents who have successfully raised great children. She told me about the decision to get married and how fast it all went, and I agree that you just can't factor in every single thing in the decision. At one point you just have to trust and take that leap of faith that you've picked the right person for your forever, all the important basis have been covered, and if you've missed any it can and will be worked out.

In the movie "A Little Romance", the 13 years old lead girl wonders, "I used to think, maybe a long time ago, like... like in the time of the pharaohs or Louis the 13th that, there was somebody, made just perfect for me. I mean, when you think about it and consider that your feelings of love, begin when you're about ten and if you live to say 70, well that's pretty limiting because, what chances there that he'll be alive at the same time you are? You know?" The boy echoes her thoughts, "I feel the same things. I mean, even if she lived in my lifetime. What if my perfect woman lived in India or California or Brazil? What chance is there that I'd meet her when I live in La Garenne?" The girl asks, "It's incredible isn't it?" To that, the boy answers,"Absolutely... incredible."

It is incredible, that interlocking and synchronized beating, that intertwined roads that lead you to each other. Like the two kids said, "What are the chances?" Pretty slim, I suppose. So, I'm glad that there's not just that "perfect one" for us and I'm glad that they are always uncovered at the right time. So, once again, congratulations Q for having another soul mate, this time in the form of a husband. I am sure that it is incredible.