From High-School Sweethearts to Happy Ever After There are few things in my life that I believe with the utmost conviction – the most important of those being that Jody Emlyn Daniels was meant to fully occupy my heart, mind and soul since I first beat him at a board game, that fateful night we first ever met, almost 6 years ago. You see, I’m a complete, self-confessed hopeless romantic. I always have been. But it also meant that the bar was set quite high for any guy to be able to whisk me off my feet, as I expected nothing less than a long stroll on the beach, star-shining, sparksflying, glitter-strewn romance. Never one to give up, I believed whole-heartedly that I was destined for my fairytale, so I patiently waited on God to bless me with my real-life Prince Charming. And wait, I did. And wait some more... until the ripe, youthful age of 17, when I was pre-occupied with the stresses and drama of my Matric year. Matric, 2008, the year that I met and fell head-over-heels in love with my fiancé – the first ever boy to ever hold my heart the moment he held my hand. The 23rd of December 2013 was like any other year – Jo and I woke up early, eager to see each other and scramble for some last-minute Christmas shopping before the crowds set in. We spent the day browsing market stalls (my favourite pastime) in the glorious summer sunshine. I’m a beach-bum, so wanting to take advantage of the weather, I begged Jo to go to the beach. Surprisingly, he said he wasn’t up for it, but promised we would go soon. This should have served as my first sign – Jo never refuses to take me for a stroll on the beach, it’s our weekly activity, come rain or shine. Feeling somewhat confused, but too tired from the morning’s shopping to question his decision, I retreated for a refreshing afternoon nap. My nap was disturbed by Jo asking me to go out to Col Cacchio on Camps Bay beachfront later that evening to satisfy his pizza craving. Naturally, I said yes (who would give up a chance for pizza?!). Sign number 2 rolled around, but again, I was blissfully unaware. Jo had asked my twin sister if she would like to take a drive with us to Camps Bay to meet her friends for supper, to which she happily agreed. And so the three of us set about getting ready
for a night out. And when Joey came to pick us up, I have never seen him look so dashing and handsome! Yes, after almost 6 years of dating, I still struggle to take my eyes off him! Once we arrived in Camps Bay, Jo insisted on dropping me at Col Cacchio so I could get a table, while he takes Stacey to Primi Piatti to meet her friends. Not wanting to wait longer than necessary for my pizza, I gladly obliged. Supper went on as normal once Jo returned (30 minutes later!) – jokes and giggles among a lot of chit chat. Jo was a little more subdued than usual, but I attributed this to tiredness. Little did I know it was his nerves creeping up on him, although his inability to eat his pizza should again have been a warning sign for me. Also, throughout our supper, he would regularly check in with my twin sister to inform her of our whereabouts, “in case she finished before us”. Again, aloof me was unable to recognise the signs! Once supper was finished, we drove around Camps Bay, before parking our car outside Primi Piatti. I thought we were there to pick up my twin sister, but Jo asked if I’d like to take a stroll on the beach, to make up for the one missed earlier that morning. So on this rather windy, but cloudless, star-shining night, we set about on a stroll. The beach was empty and still, the only sounds that of waves crashing gently along the shore. Hand in hand, with our toes in the sand, waves washing up against our bare feet, we spoke of our love for each other and how beautifully God had created this earth, as we shared sea-salted kisses. Around 23h30 that night, we started walking back to the car. Joey points to, what looks like from afar, coal from a fire that is dying down on the sand. Always curious, we make our way to the “fire”. But low and behold, written in the sand with pink glowsticks were the words “will you marry me”, surrounded by 30cm high sparklers. In absolute disbelief, I turned around, and Jo was on his one knee, holding the most exquisite, shiny diamond ring in his hand, declaring his love for me and asking me to be his wife. Now ladies, yes is the only answer when a guy as genuine, handsome, smart and breathtaking as Jo asks you be his wife. So somewhere in between my elated screams of disbelief and tears of overwhelming joy, I managed to answer a very resounding yes. The best moment of my life encompassed everything I wanted from a romance – a long stroll on the beach, the stars were shining, sparks were flying and the glowsticks were glittering! The beauty of our relationship lies in the waiting. I waited for God to give me my Prince Charming. He gave me my best friend, and soulmate – Jody, the prince of my heart. I waited 17 years to have my first kiss and I can assure you, there is no way to adequately describe the intensity of sharing your first kiss with the only guy you’ve ever loved. I waited 6 years for him to propose to me, even though we knew from the start that we were destined to be together. And now, we wait for our blessed union, in hopeful anticipation of everything that God has in store for us as we venture on this new journey. We are proof that “it’s worth the wait”. I had waited 17 years for Jo, but the truth is, I would have waited a million more if it meant having him as my forever.