I’m very selective and have only been to three weddings in my life and two of them are my brother and sister’s, respectively.

In the hopes of protecting my siblings’ privacy, there’s only one left for me to write and tell.

Disculpe Papi:)

 

The stopover

We journeyed from Shanghai to London on a November day. By the time we stepped out of Victoria station, the early fall morning thin fog have hugged me like a blanket.

I love London, I will always come back to London.

A day was well spent in the city, revisiting all our favourites and meeting up with friends. Tate Modern, Hyde Park, a pup dinner, the classics. I remember when I post a picture of River Thames, the groom- to- be commented, how come your London is always so sunny? Well I guess we are just agreeing with each other.

To walk on the street of where John Keats once walked pass, knowing profoundly, we’d be admiring the same golden leaves.

Ah a thing of beauty is indeed, a joy for ever. 

 

The Destination 

The next day, we went back to Gatwick and headed to our even sunnier destination.

Canary Islands is such a mixed wonder. 7 islands, of which is beautiful and unique to each its own. Tenerife South is where we landed, and where the wedding is. Blessed with the African sun, the place is hot and dry 360 days year round.

If you take a car and drive one hour up north (we certainly did), you will reach Puerto de la Cruz, a place, to my Chinese audiences, that we’ve heard long ago before we can ever come here. Echo Chen is a writer loved by many of us. To me she’s like the first travel and lifestyle influencer in the 70s and 80s. She married her Spanish husband in Western Sahara, and fleeted to the Canary Islands after the war broke out.

They lived in gran canary but for a period of time, Jose worked in Puerto de la Cuz port. And my Papi, knowing all of the stories, and knowing me too well, took us to a restaurant where we can see the Puerto, listening to the crushing waves, the sun is slowly setting, everything Echo ever wrote, are playing in front of my eyes, as if, they never left, I can almost see them, sitting at the dock, playfully throwing nuts at each other.

Jose died in a diving accident in 1979 and Echo ended her own life in 1991. But they live forever, in the books on my shelves, in our hearts.

The Wedding 

If I wasn’t clear before, I will say it again, I only go to weddings under the condition that it’s blood, or something close to that. And maybe my own wedding, let’s see.

I was the best (wo)man of the groom. Whenever people ask me that age old question of whether if it’s possible a man and a woman can just be friends, I always thinking about us and confirm oh so strongly.

I’ve known my papi for over a decade now and he would still only accept the fact that I’m forever 23. Where did the time go? like really. Yesterday we’re just a bunch of kids. He and Firat drove pass my apartment on 重庆北路 the first day I moved in and that was it, we talked until 6 in the morning. Now I’m here, walking down the aisle on his wedding, witness him marrying the best woman we know, his media naranja and signing on their marriage certificate as witness in the holy church, yes I said holy. All of these, are very very adulting and surreal. More than once, I thought I was in a Spanish movie.

During dinner, we had our special table, everybody on the table has once lived in Shanghai. Over the candle light and champagne glasses, we celebrated love and reminisced the youth and knowing evidently, a part of us is gone, luckily, we have memories, and we will always, always, have Shanghai Summer 2014.

Media naranja 

Let’s unwind to a year back, I came here to the island to visit my papi and his newly engaged fiancé over Christmas after a long 3 years wait. The moment I saw her, I knew she’s the right one for Papi. They picked me up from the airport, she sat on the back of the car and offering me the shotgun seat. Girls, we all know shotgun is for girlfriend and wife, this is an universal language, the reason, she says of course you and your Papi must have so much to catch up and it’s better view from there. “ Marry her, marry her fast”. That was my comment.

While I’m so incredibly happy for them, they still sensed my vulnerability. It was tough a couple of years for everyone, and it was a tough half a decade for me.  I, for a very long time, stuck in the past and can’t seem to move on. I was preparing myself to be alone and I’m okay with that. But one day,  they sat me down and said, let’s manifest it, you will continue your love for writing, and you are going to bring someone wonderful to the wedding! And you will only buy grocery that you need 🙂

To be honest, I wasn’t so sure and was not fully bought in, but Papi has been supportive since day one, he believes in me before I ever did myself. And now her, the sweet wonderful her. Speaking of power couple!

I continued the journey and flew to my promised land for New Years after bid adieu to the loving couple. Desert safari, beach days and two visits to Zaroob in Sheikh Zayed Road later( singing :memory~), at the last day of the year, I took out my laptop and started the process of making a vision board. By the time I came back to Shanghai I was buried in work and forgot I even did that. Until Valentine’s day, I printed out and put on my fridge.

I won’t go into details of what I have created on that board, but there is a specific picture of someone of certain place,  and two days later, I got asked out.

And that boy attended the wedding with me.

He’s now sleeping right next to me while I’m typing all these, in our house.

Media naranja, this Spanish term keeps come up in my head when I was in canary islands. It was what I can think of when I see Papi and his love, It was me and min alskling.

Media naranja literally means half an orange, and to its extent, better half, soulmate.

May we all find our half an orange, in whichever form, at any given time.

Con Amore,

Juliette