We’re getting married!

A typical commute home on a November evening resulted in an unexpected encounter between two people who would soon become friends, partners, and lovers. After a long day at work, Stacey hurriedly exited the train in anticipation of arriving home and relaxing. If you know Stacey, she is not one to be bothered after a long day. She maneuvered her way through the crowd and began her lengthy walk to her car, which was several parking lots away. While walking, she noticed she fell in lockstep with a tall man who was talking loudly on his phone. She didn’t pay it any mind; however, she couldn’t help to overhear the conversation and “trash talk” between the man and, assumingly, a male friend (who she found out later was his friend, Vel). Due to the distance of where her car was parked, Stacey had quite the journey and time to listen in on this conversation. The man continued to rant in a competitive nature and yell into the phone about how he was going to crush the person in Madden. After several minutes and repetitions of this conversation, Stacey decided she had more than enough and felt the need to let him know. “I mean, is it that serious”, Stacey thought. After the last “I’m going to crush you,” Stacey boldly yelled out “You ain’t going to do nothing!”. Shocked, and a little intrigued, the man looked at Stacey and told his friend that he would call him back. And the exchange began… “Now what’s this craziness you’re talking?” he asked. Amused, Stacey replied “I’m saying, you are talking a lot of trash over there. You probably suck anyway.” Appalled and thoroughly disgusted that anyone would dare question his Madden skills, he replied “Girl, what? You better stop playing with me!” But he was very intrigued! He thought, "this girl is bold as hell!" However, he liked it and he wanted to get to know her better. Entertained by the brief conversation, Stacey smiled. He asked her name and shared his, Dwayne. After pleasantries, they exchanged numbers and went their separate ways. Apparently, the short conversation in the parking lot was stimulating enough that it resulted in a first date the next evening. They learned that they were both Dallas Cowboys’ fans and that they both had Island roots. Specifically, Dwayne’s family is from Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹 and Stacey’s family is from the Bahamas 🇧🇸. Stacey could immediately tell that Dwayne was someone who could maintain her interest. He had a fun personality, and she could tell they shared an affinity to experience life and everything it had to offer. His drive and ambition were evident and quite attractive. As time progressed, they established a friendship as a foundation. This friendship turned into partnership. This partnership turned into love, although that was always the underlying silver lining that tied everything together and allowed the relationship to endure. Although Stacey and Dwayne have written several chapters in their book, the pages continue to turn. Two persons agreeing to officially become one in matrimony and express their love for one another in the presence of God, family, and friends. This chapter is titled “Marriage.” The rest is yet to be written…