Of How They Met
He looked a picture of subdued nonchalance as he sat on the steps of the wedding dias. Dressed sharply in a cute little black suit, he had a bright red rose pinned onto his left breast pocket, but the petals were criminally missing from its bud. His hair, fashionably glossed and combed to the side, made him looked like an under aged lady-killer. Admist the riot of people running up and about to prepare for the wedding, there he was, the most dashing looking page boy, on the wedding dias, in utter boredom, plucking the flowers that painted the place a dazzling hue of colours.
She on the other hand, as eloquent and fluid as a Russian ballerina, walked graciously around the wedding reception area, melting the hearts of the adults who were extra early for the occasion. Her baby fats seemed apparent underneath that cherubic smile, with a hint of chocolate stains on the sides of her lips. Her English basket was full to the brim with roses the colour of blood and angels. Clasping the handle tightly under her arms, there she was, the most amiable flower girl, fretting here and about, as she awaited her eldest sister to walk the aisle.
The chattering ceased as the music flowed from the organ. All heads turned to the back as the page boy held his flower girl's hands tightly, like a prince from a well loved fairy tale. As they took as small a step their little legs could muster, they warmed everyone's hearts with an element of innocent childlike charm.
The flower girl, suddenly queasy from the stares and tension, for a moment, allowed her concentration to lapse, tripping on the velvet carpet, face first. The crowd gasp, some in shock, but mostly in a light hearted mannerism. She shot up almost immediately, coming out of her daze. The page boy bent down to rub the rose petals off her knees, and planting a kiss on her cheek, that made the flower girl blush, redder than the flowers in the clasp of her tiny hands.
The wedding went on smoothly, and before long, the place went silent again as throngs of people rushed out to see off the bride and groom into their newlywed car. Page boy and Flower girl stood in the background, obscured to the joys and feverish delight of the adults at present. As the sun began to set, everyone went their separate ways, including the page boy and flower girl, who all this while, never spoke a word to each other.
Seasons came and went. The city landscapes changed ever so often, giving way to the newer taller buildings. Gardens became smaller and roads became wider and and it didn't take long before the old monuments became long forgotten, buried in the shadows of the modern city facade.
For Alice and Akiel, their homecoming to this small island brought back many fond memories. Though they didn't know each other previously, it was the fact that they both came from the same island, that brought their dainty hearts close to each other whilst studying abroad.
And after years of courting and romantic arguments, finally, it was time to tie the knot. Alice, dreaming of this day ever since she was 12, was living it now, only better. Blessed with a good career and a successful partner, Alice's smiled reeked a dollar short of a million.
Like all weddings, smiles and well wishes came from all angles as they drank and sang and participated in friendly bickering, adding to the colourful and joyous atmosphere. Playing onto the large projector on stage, was a short video, which showed many pictures and clips of how Akiel and Alice met while they were students, the dates they had, the places they've been, and the friends that were there to see a love so perfect form from nothingness.
But alas, not many people knew the truth, not even the wedding couple. It wasn't always true, the mesages these pictures and videos try to convey. This wasn't the true story of how Akiel and Alice met.
For a long time ago, when the city was still charming with its old world flavour, in that very same hall, two beautiful souls met for the very first time. One was a dashing page boy, and the other, his beautiful flower girl.
