The Good Luck Puffer Fish

This year on March 2nd, On this particular day I went for a evening walk on the beach. Due to the pandemic, I decided to visit my family back home in Hawai'i for a few months. Walking the beach early in the morning before the sunrise and sunset is a pretty normal routine for me.

It was just like any other day, I woke up and brewed some coffee. My older sister had the day off so we went to target to waste time you could say. I remember coming home and my uncle saying he wanted to walk the beach in the evening.

When evening rolled around we drove down to Kailua beach. It only takes us five minutes to get there from the house by car. At the time the beach is open for the public as long as you wear a mask.

The harsh sun was slowly starting to ease up on us. The water was as blue as ever, and we walked along the shore with the water every other step washing over our feet. During this time of the day all the wind surfers come out and do their thing. We talked about how nice it was to be outside and we just enjoyed walking the entire beach finding shells and sitting every once in a while.

I feel like I have to explain my relationship with my uncle. We are very close, and often times he likes to give life advice or "butt" into my business for the lack of a better word. So whenever we hang out I'm always prepared for an earful. But that evening we did not talk about such things as we usually would. At first I thought is was a bit strange but I wasn't complaining. I just went with the flow of things.

Once we walk all the way to the end of the 3 mile beach we sat for a bit and then headed back. We sauntered down the coast enjoying the breeze. The entire way back I believe I didn't look up once. My eyes we glued to the sand looking for purple shells. My older sister likes those kind of things so I would stop every time I found one and shoved them into my jacket pocket.

About 20 mins pass and I found a little pufferfish on the shoreline. He was still alive and before I picked him up to put him back in the ocean I snapped a quick picture. We proceeded to walk and then suddenly I realized my uncle had stopped and pulled his phone out.

As I turned back to him, I realized he was filming me and I was confused. But then he glances behind me and I look to where he was.

Then I saw him.

Emerging from a trail in the bushes was my boyfriend dressed up all in white holding a bright red rose. With my father and mother behind him along with my sisters and their other halves. At that moment I immediately knew why he was here. But I was so shocked my legs felt numb and my stomach turned over with an army of butterflies.

I looked back to my uncle saying, "Why is he here!? Right now!? Right here!?". I remember thinking "This isn't real".

I look up and see my boyfriend walking towards me. He then got down on one knew and pulled out a leather box with a tear drop shaped diamond ring.

To be honest I have no idea what he had said to me then, I just know he was asking me to marry him and of course I said "Yes" how could I not?

He's the man that I love.

He was suppose to be in Florida at the time, he often travels there for work. So we haven't spoken all day, but the thing is I was truly convinced he was in Florida not Hawaii, no way. Then to see him standing in front of me, coming all the way to Hawai'i it was beyond words.

My now fiancee, is actually from Egypt and I'm just a small island girl from Hawai'i. We met in college at a small private university in Iowa, of all places. We always joke at how crazy it is to think we fell in love with someone from the other side of the world. We grew up in different cultures, different beliefs and traditions but somehow found each other in the middle of cornfields.

We plan to get married in Egypt once COVID really slows down and the world somewhat goes back to normal.

Now every time I look through my camera roll and see that pufferfish, I think back to the moment right before I solidified a life with my best friend and...

lover.

My lucky pufferfish, whom became the symbol of one of the best days of my life.