Next Step

It's a good sign that Inaki didn't come home early today. This means that the last hearing pushed through. He was happy with the doctor's testimony. The good doctor came off as very professional and not scripted, unlike the other psychiatrists who took the stand.

The court was very considerate this morning. They've decided to forego the wife's summons due to the two delays; and the fact that it's a no-contest case. (She was supposed to be subpoenaed to give her an opportunity to contest the case, but the plans were for her to stay put, not show up and effectively not contest.) This means that instead of waiting for her hearing to commence on February 2008, we will instead wait for the printing of the transcript. Once the transcript is printed and submitted, the 90 calendar day wait for the decision starts. (Stomach lurching at the anxiety.)

Rainy Morning

Today is the scheduled "last" hearing for the annulment. I'm not getting my hopes up today. There may be another delay.

It's a rainy and gloomy morning. Maybe it's a sign? *sigh*

Time

One month has passed again. It's been more than fourteen months since the annulment was filed. I hate our freaking justice system. If we are getting delayed, more so for the innocent people who are in jail because their hearings keep getting rescheduled by absent lawyers and busy judges.

If nothing goes wrong this week, the final hearing will push through.

Another Delay

Postponed to 6 December.

Reason the Judge went to a conference.

Another two weeks.

After this last hearing, then the summons for the unfaithful wife will be served. The earliest date for her hearing is on February 2008 (pa! Shet.)

Only after this date can the 90 calendar days start for the Judge to issue a ruling. (Hopefully, it's granted.)

This means the earliest time we can marry is 2009. Shet, shet, shet.

Three Things

Three things can happen tomorrow.

1. The hearing will be rescheduled (again) for whatever cockamimmy reason.
2. The annulment will be granted. (HOORAY!!! TIME TO PLAN A WEDDING.)
3. The annulment will not be granted. (Di ko na alam ang gagawin ko pag nangyari ito.)
   

Wedding Costs

I was going through a thread in a forum on everything about weddings. I went to the last page and the top most entry was of a girl asking if 300k was enough for a wedding. I nearly fell off my seat. In my book, it should be enough. (That money can buy me a decent second-hand but fairly new car, or two high-end laptops, or a high-end camera with several lenses, or 200-250 books, or 30 crumpler bags--you get how I always translate money.) But I found out later (after going through hundreds -- actual it was close to just maybe 50++ but it felt like hundreds--of websites) that 300k may just cover the basics.

Over breakfast, I told Inaki about this. (I remember him telling me his wedding cost around 250k with 200 guests and at very popular garden venue. And this was a few year ago, when costs were not as expensive as they are now. What I heard is that wedding vendors' prices skyrocket yearly.) And we had a grand time, trying to figure out what 300k would buy him: camera lenses+umpc(small, seriously small laptop)+travel out of the country, like a beach in Thailand, where we can use the new camera equipment+medium format film for the TLR+a vespa--for the guy who doesn't drive but pedals everywhere, and if there's change, he'll get a custom made bike from Ave Maldea. For me, if I had 300k, I'd buy: a 160GB ipod+a crumpler messenger/laptop bag+the complete Sims2 games+Nintendo Wii with all possible peripherals+silipat baking implements+my own DSLR with basic lenses, I'll just borrow from Inaki (ahehe)+spend a weekend at Nurture Spa or Sonya's spa+a kick-ass home theater and stereo system (with bluetooth so I can hear music EVERYWHERE in the house). Whew.

But I digress.

Going back to the wedding plans. I guess with 300k, we can have the beach wedding I've always wanted. Or if we have less, a few of our non-negotiables would be our wedding rings, a very good photographer (Mango Red, Mimi & Karl or Dino Lara), my wedding gown and a chocolate wedding cake (guess whose non-negotiable was that?).

Oh Lord, I hope the annulment is granted.

One Month

If nothing untoward occurs, the last hearing will happen in 30 days.

I'm feeling a mixture of fear and excitement: fear that the judge will not grant the annulment; and excitement that the judge will rule in our favor.

Lord, please let it be granted.

New Court Date

Texted by lawyer this morning:

November 22nd.

I hope everything goes well.

Delays

As if the anxiety couldn't get more intense, Inaki told me this morning that his lawyer will have to ask the court tomorrow to reset the last hearing. The psychiatrist, the last witness, had to conduct an emergency surgery tomorrow morning. This means, that the next hearing could be six or seven months away.

This is so not fair. In the last hearing last April, the next schedule was September 17. Bright and early last Monday, the psychiatrist, the lawyer and Inaki were there. Then the judge decided to move them on September 20.

And now this. The psychiatrist made himself available for Monday. Nobody expected the sudden and ridiculous change in schedule to tomorrow.

DAMMIT!!!!

I'm hormonal and angry and pissed. I'm so upset, that I want Inaki to file an adultery case against the adulterous wife, so she'll get disbarred. To give her a big enough stigma that will prevent her from landing her dream job at the UN, and may cause problems for her scholarships and other career endeavors.

I'm feeling petty today. Because I want her to feel a fraction of the frustration and heartache Inaki and I are going through. While she gets around with all sorts of guys, manages to get herself pregnant and get a son (and Inaki and I are so unable to have one yet until we're married), gets all the coveted scholarships and remains to have the prestige as the "perfect woman who has it all" in UPM and the rowing team.

Ok. Breathe. Breathe.

Now, that I've gotten that out of my system.

I'm sure that there's a good reason why there's a delay. All I can do at the moment is pray, and hope for the best. (Should I expect the worse?)

But I want to spend the rest of my life with him as his wife. (*sob!)

Uncertainty

I am uncertain whether I should start doing research about weddings.

I'm so excited. But it's marred by the fact that we're unsure whether there'll be a wedding at all; whether the annulment will be granted.

I was hurt when I heard Inaki say that he was scared whenever I brought up the subject of marriage. I was hurt even more when he snapped at me, when I asked how the text was at his wedding invitation.

It got to the point, where I decided we shouldn't get married anymore.

But. He asked me to marry him. And I said yes. I couldn't imagine our life together any other way.

And I'm on tenterhooks over the annulment. And I can't stop looking at wedding websites and browsing through gowns, invitation, cakes and favors.

I hope everything works out for us.

Last Hearing

I am anxiously waiting for September 20. Inaki will have his last hearing on that date on his pending annulment case. Early this year, he already attended a few hearings. He took the stand himself to testify about how his wife failed to fulfill her part of the marriage and how devastated he was of the whole sordid affair. I've also driven him to meetings with the psychiatrist, the administrative head of the infamous mental facility in Mandaluyong. The good doctor did find his wife incapable of fulfilling her marital obligations and should therefore be grounds for a ruling in Inaki's favor.

On the whole, it's been nerve-wracking for me. I was confident from the start that the annulment would be granted. I am speaking of course from the fact that our government is one that can be easily bribed. However, as time progressed and Inaki and I talked about it, there were a lot of complications that had to be dealt with like collusion, overloaded court dockets and embellished evidence. There were a few times in the beginning when his wife would call him and asked Ranma to do certain things for her like having something mailed to his house. But Ranma refused because it might be seen as collusion.

Blast her.

At the beginning, I thought we could get married this year, because annulment cases normally stretch for a year. But due to the judge's full court schedules, hearings were at least six months apart. Inaki says that the earliest possible time to get the ruling would be December of this year. Now, I'm thinking we can get married around the third quarter of next year. Hoping fiercely. With my fingers crossed. And my toes as well.