Welcome to #DVSocaSamba23!! We cannot wait to celebrate our special day with you as Brazil meets Barbados and Brooklyn!

The year was 2019. The occasion was our mutual friend Yasmine’s 40th birthday extravaganza at the Union League in Center City Philadelphia. I wasn’t particularly in the mood to go out after seeing the downpour outside, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to wear my recently purchased tuxedo. When I got to the party, it was like a scene out of Coming to America! There were stilt walkers, African drummers and dancers, jollof rice and other tasty African dishes to tantalize the senses. Everyone was looking like Black Excellence either in their traditional African gowns or their finest black-tie attire. As I was mingling with friends and co-workers, I realized that the seating was limited especially for a single man as the couples had the tables on lockdown. So I did what any eligible bachelor would do, I went and hung out by the bar. While there, I noticed that my good friends Dionne and Tim arrived, and they were walking towards the bar. As we exchanged hellos and hugs while waiting for drinks, Dionne turned around and shouted “Viviiiiiiiiiianeeeeee”. I turned around and saw this beautiful woman in a stunning blue dress with an amazing smile and enchanting eyes. Dionne introduced us and I noticed an accent when she introduced herself to me. I commented on her accent and she proudly declared “Oh, I’m from Brazil!” At this point, I was intrigued but trying to play it cool so I excused myself and made my way to the dance floor. The DJ was starting to play some Reggae and Soca and my waistline couldn’t resist the rhythm. As I was standing on the edge of the dance floor, Viviane walked up next to me with a glass of brown liquor in her hand. It caught my attention because almost all of the women in the party were drinking cocktails like Cosmos and Appletinis. I asked her what she had in the glass and she replied “Bourbon, neat”. I replied that I was very impressed and she asked why. I explained that I was glad it was bourbon (which was a new favorite of mine) because if it was Hennessey then I would have left her alone because women who drink Hennessey like to fight. We shared an easy laugh that let me know she had a good sense of humor. As the music picked up tempo we started dancing together and complimenting each other on our dancing skills. The temperature in the room started to rise and Viviane implored me to take my blazer off. I kindly declined as I was trying to keep my Black James Bond vibe going. Before I knew it, she had slid my blazer off my shoulders and down my arms! (My first introduction to what a strong Brazilian was all about. LOL) As the night wound down, we took a few pics with friends and each other. One particular pic was very steamy and Viv declared that I needed to text it to her and that I would need her number. She took my phone out of my hand and put her number in it. Well at this point I had to come back with something so I asked how long should I wait to call her. She replied, “How soon do you want to talk to me?” I said that I would definitely be calling her tomorrow and the rest is history.

It was a raining Saturday night and a long working day. I was in a lot of pain because of my old hip. I’d been managing the pain for months, but I considered not going to Yas’s birthday but I knew it would be a good time. Thinking about giving up, my coworker suggested that I have a shot of vodka and some Advil to manage the pain, and she said, “you already have the gown and you already look amazing; there is a bottle in the fridge just go have fun. You deserve it.” I finally decided to go. As soon as I got to the party I saw some friends that I knew and knew I would have a great time. At this point Dwayne approached me and asked what I was drinking, And I said bourbon and he said oh nice, and then he said “thank God I thought it was Hennessy.” I asked him why, and he said it was because Hennessy chicks like to fight, so then we started laughing. The music was getting really hot and fun, so I asked him to dance with me. We danced all night. At the end of the night, we took a picture together and I told him to text it to me. He said okay, so he got my number. I went home and didn't think about it until the next morning. I called a good friend of ours to ask her about him. I asked her, "Hey, Dion, what is Dwayne's situation?" She told me great things about him. Later that morning, Dwayne texted me with the picture. We exchanged text messages for a few hours until I asked him what his situation was. Then he wrote an essay explaining his current situation in detail. And the rest is history!