As Jeffrey and Tiffany reached the end of the aisle, Blythe's grandma, who was standing behind a desk, began to speak.
"Mr. Tan Huat. Are you willing to take Ms. Ang Huey as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do thee part?"
"Yes, I do," replied Jeffrey, taking the name of Ahuat, who was allegedly his identity in his former life.
Then, the old lady began to speak in her rusty Taiwanese Hokkien, which Blythe had scribbled down for her last minute, and her speech could be translated as: "Ms. Ang Huey. Are you willing to take Mr. Tan Huat as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do thee part?"
"Yes, I do," Tiffany's voice responded from under the wedding veil.
"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. Now, the groom may lift the veil and kiss the bride," continued Blythe's Grandma, switching back to English again.
"Mr. Tan Huat. Are you willing to take Ms. Ang Huey as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do thee part?"
"Yes, I do," replied Jeffrey, taking the name of Ahuat, who was allegedly his identity in his former life.
Then, the old lady began to speak in her rusty Taiwanese Hokkien, which Blythe had scribbled down for her last minute, and her speech could be translated as: "Ms. Ang Huey. Are you willing to take Mr. Tan Huat as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do thee part?"
"Yes, I do," Tiffany's voice responded from under the wedding veil.
"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. Now, the groom may lift the veil and kiss the bride," continued Blythe's Grandma, switching back to English again.
Jeffrey was awestricken by grandma's words, which she repeated again, "You may lift the veil and kiss the bride."
"Can I skip the kissing part?" enquired Jeffrey, horrified at the idea.
"No, otherwise, the wedding wouldn't be complete," replied Eliza.
Thus, Jeffrey slowly unveiled Tiffany, closed his eyes and reluctantly bent forward. The moment his lips touched the cracked and lifeless lips of Tiffany, which was caused by the long duration of her illness, he felt a sudden sensation of a powerful heartache as the souls of Ahuat and Ahuey have finally reunited. Momentarily, all the memories of Jeffrey's past life rushed back into his mind but were gone the next second.
Then, Jeffrey heard the high-pitched screaming of Eliza and Claire as they perceived Tiffany growing numb and fell onto the floor. Claire rushed to her side and exclaimed, "OMG, Tiffany! Are you okay?"
At that instant, they perceived a gentle ray of light projecting from the sky, shining upon the unconscious Tiffany, from which Ahuey's spirit slowly emerged.
Then, as light as feather, the Ahuey's spirit gradually rose into the air, as if taken by the holy light up to heaven. As she was slowly rising, she said with a soft and sweet voice in Taiwanese Hokkien, which could be translated as, "Thank you very much for fulfilling my wish! Ahuat, I wholeheartedly wish you happiness in your present life and I sincerely hope we will meet again in our next life. Farewell!"
~To be Continued~
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