My husband and I have been married for five years. We met in 2010-2011 in the 8th grade on the first day of gym class, and it was genuinely love at first sight. I never thought in a million years that a pretty boy like him would be interested in a shy, unpopular, and dark-skinned woman like me. A mutual friend of ours introduced us to each other and we quickly became acquainted. He was different than any other guy I had ever liked. He didn’t make me nervous, and the butterflies I felt in my stomach were from excitement instead of fear. He had the prettiest smile and the most inviting eyes. To my surprise, he was actually interested in me. We dated for a week or so, but I broke it off because I felt like I couldn’t compete with the girls who were interested in him (I was so naïve and insecure). Eventually, I entered into a relationship with another guy for five years, but Donielle and I were the best of friends. We both knew that we were supposed to be together, and even at 14 years old, he would always say ‘I’m going to marry you one day.’ I never believed him.

Courtesy of Donielle & Zaesha

He was my light in a dark time. I experienced a lot of depression and brokenness in that four-year relationship, and he was there to lift me up every time. I was in love with him, but I was afraid to leave my relationship out of fear of not being loved — all the while not realizing that the love I received was not love at all. Donielle cut ties with me after I graduated high school because he could no longer watch me love another man who didn’t deserve it. He pursued me every chance he got, but I always turned it down despite my heart wanting him. A year later in 2015, we rekindled our friendship and I saw that as a sign from God to not let him go again. I told him that I wanted him and nobody else, and the rest was history.

We got engaged and married at the courthouse four days later in July of 2016. We were just 20 years old. We now have two boys together and our marriage has gotten so much stronger. We have weathered storms that were meant to break us, but we came out victorious every time.
Reflections by Zaesha