Sunday October 6, 2019

On a Tuesday in August, I was rushing out of class in Burdine Hall at The University of Texas at Austin. As crowded as the hallway was, I noticed Queen in my peripheral and everything in my being was drawn to her. I remember exactly what she had on: a brown corduroy jacket, with a long skirt, feather earrings, and Senegalese braids all the way down to her waist. I barely saw her face, but I knew she was the one for me. I looked back to notice her walking towards the Black Power Movement class taught by Dr. Moore (the most LIT class at UT), so I figured I'd run into her the next Thursday. So, Thursday comes around, and I'm lingering in the hallway hoping to meet her. No avail, so I leave for the bus. On my way out of Burdine, I see her rushing to class, so I mind my business and go home. Friday, I'm sitting outside the PCL library with two ASA guys, and I see her walking into PCL and I ask those guys about her and they told me her name was, Queen. I instantly got on Facebook and found a, Queen E. I showed her profile to some of my guy friends like, this is the girl I really like, but we've never met. Fast forward a couple weeks to the beginning of September, and I'm headed to the end of the girls ASA dance practice, to setup to teach the mens' ASA dance team, I was the dance choreographer. I walk into the end of the girls practice, and I see Queen on the left side of the room. This was my chance, so I swiftly went over to just say "Hi, I'm Tj. What's your name?". She said, "Queen". I said, "nice to meet you", and walked off lol. I was sitting outside the dance studio waiting on the guys, and once the girls dance practice ended, Queen comes to sit right next to me and offers me some lunchables she was eating. Queen stays with the snacks. We start chatting from there and the rest is history. I never understood the concept of "love at first sight" until I met Queen. Her beautiful smile, and those dimples, still make me feel like I did the first time I saw her.

Let's go back in time to January 2018, Queen and I are living together in my Austin apartment as she's moving to Washington D.C., the next month. Since I didn't propose the previous Christmas, she thought I was going to propose later on in D.C. Perfect. She was having a send-off dinner January 25th at our favorite restaurant in Austin, French Quarter Grille, with some of her childhood friends coming into town, along with a lot of our friends in Austin. That was the perfect opportunity. I had ordered the ring December 30th, and it didn't get in till the week before the send-off dinner. Talk about timing. Sheesh, I was nervous it wouldn't get here on time. Fast-forward to the day of the send-off, and I remember watching Queen get ready and just thinking to myself, "this is real. I'm about to propose and ask this lady to be my wife, and she has no clue what's about to happen." I even remember taking her pictures in the garage before we left. The only people at the dinner that knew I was proposing were my three sisters, as they were keeping the ring for me. The dinner started to wind down, and Queen got up to give a thank you speech, with me standing beside her. My sister slid the ring box into my hand as I was getting up. Queen ends her speech and I start giving my own thank you speech, but my voice had plans of its own. It kept cracking due to nervousness, and Queen looked back at me with this look like, "boy what's wrong with you" lol. She looked back at the crowd and I got on one knee behind her...and the room ERUPTED! Everyone started screaming, people were standing on tables, it was crazy. I could barely even get the words out, "will you marry me?". There were tears in my eyes as I was stumbling to talk and Queen started crying as well when she saw me on one knee and saw the ring. I doubt she could even hear me, but that position enough asks the question. She nodded her head "yes" and I put the ring on her finger.