Each Others' Versions of Our Story

Glo’s Version:

If you know me, you know how hard it is to muster up the energy for these "large family affairs." I have a love-hate relationship with them. Not as bad as the introvert in Stanley because I do love my family and cherish time with them, but sometimes it's hard. Anyhow, in this case, it was that and fatigue from working long hours at my job that made me want to stay home. So, I did what I always do and invited a good friend who knows my family, providing me with an extra sense of comfort and an escape route. Then the two of us headed to the family Thanksgiving dinner.

So, all the usual occurrences took place. We started hours late, had every dish imaginable to our culture, people packed to-go plates before we could finish praying, and others showed up long after the food was gone. Same old, same old. But unlike other times, there was a gentleman there whom my cousin Tamisha, Aunt Carol, and a couple of others were trying to set me up with. I'm talking about awkward attempts, forced moments, and awkward comments. And if you know Stan, you know he's not about that. Those who know him well know he was ready to leave because of this. I was over there just confused as to who this man was. Technically, isn’t he family? Don't worry, no blood relation here, just connected like in the Bible days. So, to make a long story short, our first interaction was over Taboo. This big-headed, cocky, arrogant, and sarcastic chocolate of a man (Stan here: I was not cocky, big-headed, or arrogant. I just wanted to break the ice) had lots to say about his skills and competition, and I was immediately turned off. My friend who was with me thought he was cute. (Which friend??) Not to me with that attitude lol. But I have to admit, despite that perspective, I still wanted us to exchange numbers and was slightly attracted to the "confidence." But guess what? He left! No exchange of numbers, and I don't even think I remembered his name.

Two days later, I guess he “remembered” my name. He found me on Instagram. Slid into my DMs (I don’t know about sliding) and finally asked for my number. We talked and talked all the time into the night. From then to now, we've had many highs on the journey and some lows, but one thing I've always known was that this one was mine. God was in every second and mile of this union; He was orchestrating our story from day one. I mean, from one regular Thanksgiving gathering to our intentional time apart, through the long distance until now. Even through him criticizing my Celtics in the playoffs, not once but twice. Every moment was with purpose. If you ask me, that's our love story. One that was an accident that turned to purpose.

Stan’s Version:

Ever since I was little, I always thought that I would follow the same path that my parents did when it came to being married. I would find that right person when I was young, and we would grow up together, experience life together, and end up being married around our twenties. When I finally got my first girlfriend around high school, I realized that it might not go the way I thought it would.

I am an introvert, so it has always been tough for me to find the right person. Now, I won’t rehash our story since she shared it already, but what I can say was that it was a very awkward night for me. I don’t enjoy being put in awkward situations, and I was just focused on eating and going home to my bed. I did reach out to her afterward because I did feel bad, and I did remember her name, so that was me actually stepping out of my comfort zone to reach out to her. If I didn’t do that, I don’t think we would be here today.

The other thing I will mention is that mothers seem to always know best. After that Thanksgiving, my mom every single day would be like, “Did you talk to Glo? She is a beautiful girl, and you should date her.” Every time I would talk to her, she would mention Glo. In her prayers, she would mention her, and I am like, "Mom, just pray for me to meet someone. Don’t say any names." Did she listen to me? Nope. The more she pushed it, the more I pulled away. Until I told her if she wants this to happen, then she needs to stop pushing it on me. And she did stop, and here we are.