News!

Finally some news!  We've been waiting for it!

A month ago Leiya's boyfriend, Tony, Facetimed me.  Well, well... this was a first as Leiya lives in Ohio and Tony lives in Michigan and the only times we get to talk with Tony is when Leiya is visiting him or vice versa.  In this case he was alone in Michigan.  He wanted to know if Tetsu was around.  Hmm...  This is leading up to something...  Unfortunately Tetsu was at work so I got to chat with Tony alone.  I asked him how his residency was going and how his mom was.  The conversation got around to plans for the future...  what he and Leiya talked about, the things they thought were important and not important...  Finances, lifestyles, God, weddings...  I let Tony know that Tetsu and I were completely happy about where things seemed to be headed and he said he'd call us again when Tetsu was home.

"If you want to be official, Tetsu will be home tomorrow morning our time."  I said with a grin and we signed off.

The next morning Tony Facetimed us again.

"Okay.  I'm nervous here...  Well, it's like this.  I'd like your permission to ask for Leiya's hand in marriage."

Formal!

"You've got it!  And we are both so happy!"

A few tears were even shed on the Japan side of the world.  Tetsu was surprised at Tony's request for our permission as in Japan the young couple might call on the parents together to make their announcement but I explained that this was the traditional custom in the States.  Tony laid everything out again for Tetsu, his future dreams, challenges to be worked through, priorities.  We repeated how happy we were at Tony and Leiya's match and that we've been hoping for this announcement for a long time (they've dated 7 years!)

We knew that Leiya was visiting Michigan that weekend and so Tetsu and I waited excitedly for the communication that Tony had proposed!...  No communication.  Not that day, not the next, nor the next and Tetsu kept pestering me.

"What could have gone wrong?  Did Tony propose or not?  Did she accept or not?"

Finally nearly 5 days later I Messaged Leiya with a blase,

"What's up?"

And Leiya wrote back,

"I heard Tony Facetimed you."

"Yes!  And what happened?  Give me details!"

So we Facetimed.  She said she knew by the expression on his face and his silly mood that something was up and she guessed right off the bat.

"You talked to my parents."

"Yep."

"So...  Are you proposing?"

 "Not yet.  I've got to get it right." (Or something along those lines)

So no proposal after-all...  And Leiya didn't understand why Tetsu and I were waiting with bated breath.

"You've always known Tony and I were planning to get married.  There's no reason to get so excited about it."

So a month has passed with no news.  Oh well, Leiya and Tony don't get to be together but once every couple of months anyway.  Tetsu and I put our excitement on hold...  Leiya and I talked about how they aren't planning to spend a lot of money on a wedding or an engagement ring.  As for an engagement ring, when Tetsu and I got engaged we didn't have any money either and I insisted I didn't need an engagement ring but at some point my mother sent us HER mother's engagement ring and told Tetsu to consider it Tani's engagement ring and that's what we did.  So I told Leiya I could send Tony the same ring for him to give to her.

"No.  That's too much responsibility."  (which I thought a funny comment.  The ring is responsibility?  Getting married is the responsibility!)  "I'd rather have Grandma's engagement ring."

One summer when Leiya was with me in California, Marcy, Leiya, Kiana and I went through Grandma's jewelry box seeing what anyone might want or use in the jumble of costume jewelry.  There was actually a pearl set I wanted and brooches of my grandmother's that I brought back to Japan but the engagement ring was set aside for Leiya or Kiana someday.  Kiana didn't really want it because she had Marcy's mother's rings coming to her so we agreed that Grandma's ring could someday be handed down to Leiya.

"I hate to be accused as being superstitious but you don't mind that Grandma and Papa-Dad (my father) got divorced at the end of their long marriage?"

"No.  I have memories of Papa-Dad.  You've always told me good stories about Grandma and Papa-Dad and the good times they did have.  I don't know YOUR grandmother.  I'd like to use Grandma's ring."

So this past week when Tony finally got his first vacation after becoming a resident, the two of them flew to California to relax, to be with my brother and Marcy, to visit with Takumi and Julieta, and to spend time with Grandma.  AND to get Grandma's engagement ring.

I gather that Tony proposed to Leiya at sunrise on the beach.  Tetsu and I were sitting under a tree at a park when we got dual text messages from them on our iPhones.

"We are engaged!  I know we're slow in making the announcement but I'm letting you two know first!

Tetsu jumped to his feet (he was on his phone when the message came in).

"What?  Did you get that?  Did you read that?!  Leiya says she and Tony are engaged!"

We texted back immediately and got the details of the beach proposal.

Finally!  The news we've been waiting for!