The first time we saw each other was at a play for church back in August of 2019. I had done hair and make up for that play and my brother had been a stagehand. After the play, I decided to wait in the lobby for my brother. The entrance to the lobby was a bunch of glass doors that all looked locked shut, so I decided to go through the one that was slightly cracked. I went to grab the door and pull it open, and before I could even lay my hand on it, Isaiah was there, pushing the door open for me. We locked eyes and I was too stunned to speak. A black man in a barong? I was thrown off. He was so handsome. Embarrassed and nervous, I hurried through the door and didn't even say thank you. After that I was hyperaware of where he was in the room and whispering to some friends about how cute he was, hoping he'd come introduce himself...spoiler alert, he didn't.

The first time I set eyes on Jamaica I was shocked, to say the least. At this point in time, I haven't met any black sisters in the church. When I saw her, this was after the event we both attended and everyone was socializing in the lobby. She was standing perfectly next to the window during golden hour. The perfect sun bounced off of her perfect hair and her perfect skin. It made the moment even more special for me. I remember thinking to myself, "She's so beautiful". The entire time after the event and after the moment I first laid eyes on her, I was hyperaware of where she was at all times. I couldn't even focus on what others were saying to me and what was coming out of my mouth, as well. The whole time, I was trying to muster the courage to introduce myself to her. As she will tell you, that day, I did not. I beat myself up the entire drive home and kept repeating to my friends that this may be the only time I get to see/meet her and I lost my chance for good. I was mildly heartbroken over a fantasy I had created in my head that I may never get the opportunity to fulfill.

Not even a month later we finally were formally introduced and had a conversation at Kadiwa Formal that was horribly awkward. It's okay though! As you can tell, we moved past that. A mutual friend of our's (s/o Miguel) knew that we both had a shared interest in one another and was kind enough to introduce us to each other. Both of us were nervous and had no idea what to say so there was a lot of weird conversational pauses. But the day was still young! By the end of the event, both sides had loosened up a bit and we even shared a hug goodbye. A true win!