We first met at SCI Chester where we both are employed. He was my Lieutenant and I was just a correctional officer with a little over a year of employment. My first thoughts of him were, he was stuck up and mean and also he didn't take no shit ! lol Even though we had been working together, we very seldomly conversed if it wasn't about work. As I worked more and more in the control center a post in SCI Chester we started to converse more and not just about work. He was the shift Lieutenant in the control center and I would ask him personal questions just to see how far the conversations would go. Answering some questions but still maintaining his professionalism I began to become interested in him but I couldn't be the first to bust a move. We started to follow each other on social media and would like each other's pictures as well as post. One day I made a post about wanting to eat out at a restaurant and he DM'd me stating "We out!" I replied back with laughing emoji's because I didn't know if he was serious or not. Eventually overtime we began texting and talking on the phone, and while on a date at the movies oneday he had asked me to be his girlfriend and I said YES! Since then we've been inseparable and he's truly a blessing from GOD. -Kalihia

I first saw Kalihia at SCI Chester during her orientation. I remember thinking she was beautiful, but I kept it moving. I’ve never been the type to be in someone’s face, and at the time, we barely spoke—just a few words here and there in passing. I had heard she had a little attitude, and being the no-nonsense person that I am, I kept my distance. What I didn’t realize then was that God was quietly writing a story neither of us saw coming. When I became the 2–10 shift Lieutenant in the RHU, our paths started crossing more often. She would say she belonged in the RHU, and I made sure she got a proper introduction to what that meant. Over time, our conversations grew. I’ll admit—I slid into her DMs first—but she didn’t take me seriously, so I stepped back. Still, something about her stayed on my mind. Then she started working in the control center with me. That’s when things shifted. She began asking questions, trying to figure me out, complimenting me, telling me I smelled good. I noticed the flirting, but I stayed cautious. I wasn’t looking for just anything—I wanted something real. Then one day we ended up at the same event, and I saw her in a completely different light. In that moment, I didn’t just see the confident woman from work—I saw her heart. She finally shot her shot, and from that day forward, we’ve been inseparable. What started as distance, caution, and curiosity turned into partnership, friendship, and love. And standing here now, I know that the woman I once kept my distance from is the woman I can’t imagine my life without. -Cordero