Friday the big day finally arrived, Sally my pally married Ron and is now Sally Soriano. A few highlights from the day in the pics above:
- Sally and Ron's wedding rehearsal on Wednesday
- our wedding day breakfast from George St. Diner
- Sally and my dresses, all nice and steamed
- the new happy couple, Mr and Mrs Soriano
- Gerwyn's place card :)
- some happy wedding guests
- my speech is below (this will complete my best friends' wedding speeches, Saadia, then Susie, now Sally, I think my wedding speech career is now over!)
I know Sally posted the story about how we met on her wedding website, but I've been waiting 27 years for an audience and I'm sure there's got to be at least one person in this room who doesn't have internet so to that one person, thank you for giving me this opportunity.
The year was 1982. Sally had just immigrated to Canada so she was new to our school. Since she didn't know anyone, every day at recess 7 year old Sally would stand by the wall and wait for the bell to ring until she could go back inside. One day, our teacher Mrs. Stewart came up to me while I was playing 4 squares and said, "Every day Sally stands by the wall, why don't you go ask her to play with you?". Being the nice girl that I am, I walked over to Sally and said "Do you want to play with us?" No response. So after a minute, I just walked away. When I got back to my friends, I realized that Sally was behind me. She had just followed me back to 4 squares that day and she's been following me ever since. Even today, her wedding day, I'm sure the people who attended the ceremony noticed that she was following me as we walked down the aisle.
Tired of always being my follower, Sally often tried to take the lead. In grade 4 we competed in a hula hoop contest with our entire class and Sally and I were the last two left standing. We hula'd our hearts out and to this day we still debate on who the winner was. In grade 7 again we competed, this time for the attention of a boy. He was the only Filipino boy in our school (who was coincedentally also named Ron.) We would compete for his attention every day and were both burned when he chose a Caucasian girl from grade 8 to be his girlfriend.
But we weren't always in competition. There were times where we combined forces and decided to work together for the greater good. From grade school science projects on photosynthesis, to university projects on recycled paper to dressing up as the Ambiguously Gay Duo for a Hallowe'en party, we worked together, almost ripped each other's heads off, but eventually emerged victorious with a top place ribbon, an A+ or a first prize.
Then there was our greatest and most challenging collaboration without which we might not be here. One I like to call "The Pursuit of Ron Soriano". I remember the exact day Sally spotted him. We were at the Ryerson gym running around the track which was above and open to the weight room down below. As we turned a corner, Sally said "hey that guy down there is hot!" and as I looked down, there was Ron on the chest press, showing off his muscles. Not one to be aggressive, Sally refused to take the easy road and just ask him out. She decided to lay low and wait for him to come to her. Unfortunately that was a bit difficult when he didn't even know she existed. And so began the days, months, and years of stalking Ron. We started going to the gym a lot more and doing a whole lot more running around the track. Occassionally she would be brave enough to go downstairs and use a machine next to his. She found out he was studying Business Management so she would go out of her way to walk by the Business building in case could catch a glimpse. Luckily he always wore the same red and black checkered jacket so he was easy to spot. This lasted for what seemed like forever. I can't count the number of times she said to me, "today's the day Di, I'm going to talk to him" and then would back out at the last second. Instead she continued her passive attack, she obtained his timetable by looking him up in the Student Directory and from there got his email address. (Of course, she refused to use it.) Then one miraculous day, she finally went up to him at the gym and managed to get one line before running off, "I think we have the same friends." Still the shy girl from grade 2, she didn't even introduce herself. Eventually they started dating and later decided to just be friends.
Then there was the interlude where Sally again tried to assert her independence from me by moving to Montreal. She managed to last 2 years before realizing she couldn't live so far away from me and had to return. It was coincedentally also the time when Ron had decided that Sally was the one and they started a long distance relationship. But I'm sure that nothing to do with her return to Toronto.
Then one day I got an email from Ron with the subject line, "Call me at work, I need to ask you something". My worst fears were realized as Ron asked me for Sally's ring size. My loyal follower would be my follower no more. It was time to pass the torch.
All kidding aside, Sally has been one of my best friends for 27 years and I am so happy to sharing this moment with her. You are one of a kind, my sister and I know we will always be there for each other.
Ron, when Sally first saw you, you managed to make her days brighter and always put a smile on her face and that was without even saying a word. Now, years later, you continue to bring so much happiness into her life and I still see that smile on my best friend's face and its even bigger than before. (Especially now without braces.) After 27 years of knowing this girl, my message to you is this: In the many years of marriage which lie ahead of you, your relationship will have its up and downs but you can be 100% sure that no matter what you say, where you go or what you do, Sally's heart will always follow you.
