KNOWN BY MY HEART (3 page)

Marco attempts to escape every time he senses Venus leaving his room. Unfortunately, none are successful. With only less than two hours before the wedding ceremony, Marco still has one more chance to escape. This time he should be successful.

Believing that Venus has connived with all the hospital security personnel, Marco’s only choice to exit the hospital through the back door. As he slowly creeps towards the back door, he keeps his eyes on the security and medical personnel who catch sight of him along the way. At that same time, Venus has arrived at the hospital and is about to enter the building through the back door as she always does. She sees Marco,  whose back is turned to her. Immediately, Venus clings to Marco’s torso to prevent him from leaving. "Leave me alone!' Marco emphasizes to Venus as he struggles away from her. Venus, in her attempt to win Marco back, holds him all the more closely with her luring touch and kiss. Venus subtly moves Marco into a more private supply room and locks the door. She takes off her clothes, facing Marco as she screams in rage, "What else, Marco? What else?" Marco is taken aback as he is cautious with Venus, who forcefully draws her body closer to him.

Marco finally escapes from Venus' arms and forces the door open. He was is about to get out when Venus once again grabs onto his arm. In the commotion, Venus suddenly grabs hold of a small bottle nearby and splashes its contents into Marco’s face, making him scream out in pain and hold his face.

The next time Marco wakes up is in a private hospital room again, but this time his head is wrapped in gauze and bandages. Worse, he keeps saying it is dark until he hears a male doctor’s voice informing him that he has lost his vision, at least for the present time. Venus is, of course, by his side, giving instructions to the doctor who quickly leaves them alone again. When Marco felt feels he is alone with Venus, he turns away from her voice to show how disgusted he is with her. Venus, on the other hand, is also becoming angry as she tells Marco in a commanding voice, "This is all your fault! Now, I am setting another wedding tomorrow night, and you can’t escape this time!"

Although unable to see, Marco’s mind is fully awake early the next morning. He is bothered by the thought he is getting married to a woman he does not love at all. Refusing to start his day though, he is surprised to hear a familiar voice speak in his mother tongue. "Como você está, amigo?" It is Daniel Rubio, Marco’s closest cousin from Brazil. Marco smiles for the first time since leaving the beach with Venus. Daniel is accompanied by several Brazilian embassy officials who, upon Daniel’s instructions, gives them privacy. The two Brazilian bachelors hold a quiet conversation, obviously speaking on serious matters.

After a thorough discussion, the two have arrived at a plan to save Marco from getting married to Venus: Marco is to get married to someone else of his choice and then fly together with her back to Brazil. They put together a rough idea of Marco’s wedding entourage.

That same afternoon, the Brazilian embassy makes arrangements with the hospital to take Marco back to Brazil.

Venus flies into a rage when she enters the room to find Marco no longer there. In the midst of her rampage, she finds a piece of paper which momentarily pacifies her tantrum. On it, Marco and Daniel have drafted plans for Marco’s upcoming wedding in Brazil. The entourage list is complete with full names, except for the name of the bride, where it is written "Monica/Jasmine."

Venus' rage is reignited as she crumples the piece of paper and says to herself in anger.. "Now, Monica and Jasmine! Aarghh!"

After lengthy arrangements with the Brazilian embassy and some local businesses, Marco sets up a wedding ceremony on the beach. It was a secret wedding set in a private resort secluded in the mangroves of South Carolina. Daniel, too, has already spoken with the local population as he searches for Monica and Jasmine.

When Marco arrives still assisted by the embassy personnel, he spends time deciding on who among the dozens of women named Monica and Jasmine are the ones he is looking for. As requested by the groom to be, Marco is seated on the beach near the seashore as one by one, each woman presents herself to be assessed by Marco’s senses of hearing and touching.

To satisfy his desire to apologize to Monica, Marco begins by trying to identify her. He does this by asking the women present about past conversations from their time online. The first dozen prove to be the wrong Monica, as their answers do not match the words Monica shared with him in the hours they spent together online.

Monica is almost out of touch from the town’s circulating news since she has been with Jasmine, who has been confined in a small local clinic near the boundary of North and South Carolina. It has been a peaceful confinement for Jasmine until Venus comes out of nowhere and slaps Jasmine’s face and pulling her hair. Monica’s self-defence skills take over, but unfortunately, Venus also knows self defence, and the meeting of the two results into a huge commotion.

Looking pained and hurt, Jasmine is trying to get up and to run away on Monica's command, who is still struggling with Venus. Her instinct to run leads Jasmine to a remote place in the woody mountains.

The fight between Monica and Venus has already reached the local police who quickly arrive. Once the commotion has been pacified, reports and further interrogations are conducted. When Monica gives her name, she gets news that there is a foreigner in their town looking for two ladies named "Monica and Jasmine." When asked why and who the foreigner is, the local official cannot answer well enough to convince her. Monica suspects she is the person they are looking for, but never has inkling that it is Jasmine, her best friend, to whom they are referring. After being released by the police, Monica immediately proceeds to the beach where the search for the "two wanted ladies" is being held by the foreigners.

The line of the aspiring "Monicas" is  long, and the wedding is about to start in four hours. Monica would have been disappointed and discouraged had she not seen the man she calls "Sunset" looking ill and weak with bandages in his head and unable to see.

Moved with pity, Monica falls into the long line. When it is her turn, she answers all questions correctly, and Marco easily identifies her to be the right one, finishing his search for Monica. As Marco requests privacy for them, the two waste no time in catching up in each other’s stories just as they did online. Eventually, Marco is holding Monica’s hand and tearfully asking for her forgiveness. He is sorry he did not reveal his real name, and is even more regretful that he had to entertain another potential date while she waited for him all along. Monica holds Marco's hand as she too, asks for his forgiveness. "Monica, I need to marry you now," cries Marco. Surprised, Monica holds Marco close to her as she pacifies him. After a minute, Monica she asks him, "Why?"

Marco finally admits, "It's you, Monica: it's your smile, your face I could never forget. It's you I see in every woman I meet. It's how we valued our friendship back then. It is how you respected me as a person and how you stayed that make me want to have you as my wife." Monica also nearly cries when she witnesses how Marco’s tears fall from his bandaged face. Marco’s hand on Monica’s cheeks can feel the tears that roll down her face as she shakes her head in response to Marco’s words. Marco knows knew the response is a was a refusal, which makes him wonder what's wrong.

"No, Marco, I'm not the right girl for you. I'm not the girl you really loved even before. Forgive me for failing you." Bursting into tears, Monica finally admits that the woman in the profile picture is not her but from  her friend, Jasmine. "Jasmine? Let's find her..." As easily as Monica has forgiven Marco, so does he forgive her.

Monica volunteers to help Marco find Jasmine at that very moment. Together with Daniel, Marco and Monica are set on finding Jasmine.

Jasmine, out of fear of Venus' raging attack, instinctively runs away  from the clinic until she finds herself lost in the nearby mountain forest. Gasping for breath, Jasmine takes a while to rest until she finds blood dripping down her thighs. She feels dizzy, but holds on to her stomach until she finally faints and falls down on the grass.

Monica is certain that Jasmine is in the vicinity of the clinic. It is already getting dark, and the chance of marrying Jasmine that day is getting slimmer. Now assisted by the local authorities, everyone is looking for Jasmine in the area of the clinic to the mountain woods.

Hearing the forest animals’ sounds, Marco becomes so impatient that he can no longer just sit and wait for news. While everybody is searching for Jasmine elsewhere, Marco takes his cane and blindly tries to find Jasmine as guided by the beat of his heart.

It takes Marco some time and distance to look for Jasmine. With big tree roots, twigs, and a myriad of plants around him, Marco already expects that he will would be facing numerous stumbles, falls, bumps, and wounds. Though each step for him is uncertain, he bravely walks the forest shouting Jasmine’s name. Marco’s first few stumbles cause him to be scraped on his arms and legs. Soon, each stumble is wounding his spirit and emotions, as more and more fear creeps into him. It isn't the darkness that discourages Marco from moving further, but the threat of a strong rain introduced by the sounds of lightning and thunder. He thinks to himself, "One more trip off, and maybe it will be time to entrust the search to those who can see..."

Marco continues to follow his heart as he feels his way along. With his heart beating loudly, he stumbles yet again, completely losing his balance and falling face down on something that makes him smile rather than cry.

Marco falls onto a cushion that makes him feel like he’s in heaven once again. With an inexplicable feeling, he forgets his panicked search and loses himself in space until he hears an angelic soft voice whispering to him, "Marco?"

Suddenly, Marco’s strength is renewed, and his hands immediately go feeling the soft object on which he has fallen. Marco identifies the familiar shape of  a woman whom he desired at first sight. Reaching her face and lips, Marco instantly kisses her. Despite the thunder, lightning, and heavy rain, Marco  kisses Jasmine passionately, whispering her name over and over. she responds by calling his name in a weak voice.

After several passionate kisses, Marco notices Jasmine’s trembling. Despite his blindness, he lifts her up into his arms and shouts to make himself heard above the roaring din of the tropical storm.

Marco's masculine voice finally reaches some people’s ears, causing them to hurry towards the frantic calls in the middle of the forest. At once, medics take Jasmine from Marco’s arms and carry her to the waiting ambulance which quickly leaves the area.

Monica is also coming out of the woods as the patient is loaded into the ambulance. She knows it is Jasmine, but worry consumes her as she realizes the ambulance is heading in the direction of the hospital which Venus' family partially owns. Monica’s suspicion make her move faster. As the ambulance hurriedly veers away from the scene, Monica, Marco, and Daniel follow in hot pursuit.

In the hospital, Marco stumbles through the hallway blindly, but bravely ignores the pain as he tries to catch up with Daniel and Monica who are following Jasmine and her team of medics. They reach the operating room where the doctors have given strict orders that only the father of the child can follow.

Seeing his cousin troubled and helpless of what’s going on, Daniel tries to volunteer himself. But Marco blurts out that he is the father and should be with his wife.

Marco, assisted by a nurse, is permitted to enter the operating room where two female patients lay on their respective hospital beds. The nurse first leads him to a woman with a quite muscular build. Marco is permitted to feel her face. Venus offers her hips and abdomen to touch, as though proving she is the right choice being the sexier lady. After several touches of Venus' face to her torso, Marco seems to disagree with that notion.

Shortly, Daniel was allowed  to go inside and help Marco identify the other patient. Venus stands up and moves ahead of Marco, taking his hand and putting it on Jasmine’s stomach, which is quite distended due to a possible terminated pregnancy. Marco does not expect Jasmine to have a bloated tummy which almost discourages him from going further. However, Jasmine starts to wake up from the anaesthesia. Upon opening her eyes, her blurred vision shows a blurry image of Marco. Forcing herself to wake up she calls, "Marco?" He immediately recognizes her voice and touches her further until he gets to her inner thighs. Marco feels the scar left by the jellyfish sting, and hurriedly draws himself close to Jasmine, calling her name repeatedly as he embraces her tightly. Jasmine finally sits up and responds with an equally passionate embrace that Marco knows and loves so well. Moments later, more and more Brazilian officials enter the room and assist Marco and Jasmine leave the hospital.

A few weeks later, Marco’s bandages have been removed, and he is done with the medications and treatment that have helped him regain his eyesight somewhat. He smiles at seeing the sunset for the first time since his accident and Jasmine's smiling face looking back at him, making his heart beat the loudest and the fastest he can ever remember.

With Marco and Jasmine finally together and safe, the two confirm their desire to be married. This time Marco insists on holding their wedding in his home town of São Paulo, Brazil. That day is to be Marco and Jasmine's most relieving and freeing day they have ever had as a couple; or so they thought...