Share Your Love Story With ESSENCE

[Niema Jordan]

Did your gift of love come in an unexpected package? Are you and your beau the perfect duo, though some see you as an odd pair? If you found love with a younger man, a fella from another cultural, or a gentleman with a different religious background, ESSENCE wants to hear from you! Please email your story and couple photo to [e-mail]. Include name, age, location, and contact information.

[Can't Complain]

I guess no one has one. How sad.

[Black Beauty]

Love? I think I'm allergic to it or something.

[Carla]

I met my husand of 3+ years on Match.com. This is a second marriage for both of us, but truly one where we both know we are in sync. My husband was born in Jamaica and grew up in England while I am a Black American who was raised in Massachusetts. I never had the pleasure of eating Jamaican food before I met him. Now I am happy to say that Oxtail is one of my favorite dishes and I have learned so much not only about the Jamaican culture but also England. Despite our cultural differences, we have a great appreciation for each other and what we could bring to the relationship. Oh, and my husband is also 4 years younger than me!

[Can't Complain]

Awwww that is so sweet. Congratulations to you both.

Carla said:

I met my husand of 3+ years on Match.com. This is a second marriage for both of us, but truly one where we both know we are in sync. My husband was born in Jamaica and grew up in England while I am a Black American who was raised in Massachusetts. I never had the pleasure of eating Jamaican food before I met him. Now I am happy to say that Oxtail is one of my favorite dishes and I have learned so much not only about the Jamaican culture but also England. Despite our cultural differences, we have a great appreciation for each other and what we could bring to the relationship. Oh, and my husband is also 4 years younger than me!

[Black Beauty]

That is really nice. I heard those programs really work and I'm glad that you and your hubby found each other. I actually signed up on eharmony.com but when I saw how much it cost I was like no way! lol I know it works but then at the same time I didn't feel like I should have been spending money like that. I'm just a cynic about love right now I guess.

Carla said:

I met my husand of 3+ years on Match.com. This is a second marriage for both of us, but truly one where we both know we are in sync. My husband was born in Jamaica and grew up in England while I am a Black American who was raised in Massachusetts. I never had the pleasure of eating Jamaican food before I met him. Now I am happy to say that Oxtail is one of my favorite dishes and I have learned so much not only about the Jamaican culture but also England. Despite our cultural differences, we have a great appreciation for each other and what we could bring to the relationship. Oh, and my husband is also 4 years younger than me!

[Kamilah Bell]

Well I'm in love so here goes my story...
"Husband Material"
Let's rewind a bit...go back to 2003...my girlfriend and i are sitting up talking about the less than wonderful list of guys we had been seeing and trying to figure out where we went wrong. so she tells me to just get out a pen and pad and start writing everything out...whatever i wanted him to be, how i wanted to be treated, just put it on paper. i was surprised at how easy it was for me to articulate what i wanted and i was relieved that i at least had a reference guide so i know what i wanted And then i just waited. I stil dated and saw men and never really thought more about the list. my list ended up 3 pages long and very specific. i wanted a God-fearing man, a kind hearted man, an established man with a car, a career path, two children or less, 250 pounds or less, taller than me, good conversationalist, up to date with pop culture...can you imagine how ridiculous i thought this list was? So i put it away somewhere under the bed.
now fast forward to 2007. i'm just starting to give internet dating a try. i work so much that it was kinda fun having a bunch of emails with possible suitors waiting for me when i got home. made some connections but nothing really popped until i hit this one guys page on Blackplanet.com that for some reason he looked really cool to me. so i was very aggressive (a bit out of character for me but you can be anybody you want behind the computer) and he finally called me. we talked for a couple weeks, decided to go on a date which was really great. couple weeks later we hooked up again and made it a play date for our kids (he has a boy, I have a girl) ...i think the rest is really like a soap opera...there was instant chemistry. We really have a healthy love each other and I feel like I'm finally in a relationship with reciprocation. I'm finally dating someone that is husband material. we've been together for approx two years. he fits every last item on my list except for two..which have been excused due to the circumstances. God has always blessed me....but I couldn't have imagined a blessing to become so real from a 3 page list...a list i still have and often read.

[Irene Brautigam]

My answer to all of your questions above are yes, yes, yes, yes and yes!

I found my love story to be so fantastic I actually just released book one of a trilogy that I have written about the whole love affair. Book one is called An Open Heart and the trilogy title is Passion Between the Sheets of Life. Book two will be titled Soul Mate.
He is black, originally from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and I am white and of European decent. He is a full time musician playing piano/keyboards/arranging and was once hired by Natalie Cole and he turned it down. He works nights and every "important" holiday under the sun and I am your not so typical "day" person. We first met six years ago while he was playing in a local club I attended with some girlfriends. By the end of the first set, the other guys in the band knew that he was smitten with me. The only problem was that I was married at the time and never had eyes for other men, even though the marriage was not the best. The owner of the club also knew I was married and nicknamed me "thou shalt not covet" and for three years that I frequented the club, including with my ex, I had absolutely no idea this man was in love with me. Every time we would make reservations, the owner of the club would say "thou shalt not covet" will be here tonight. We would talk during breaks and I even tried to line him up with a girlfriend of mine once. I was just so blind.

Three years later, my husband decided to leave the marriage, which was the best decision he ever made in his life and I was free again and quite happy. We were separated for a year when I attended a private function in a different locale, and the first person at the door when I arrived was the piano player, who was to become the new man in my life. The instant I saw him again, a light went on for me and I was in love. I was very much surprised to find him playing that night and that he had single-handedly arranged a whole Motown rendition which, unbeknownst to him were my favourite musical acts from my teens; that sealed it for me. We have been together ever since.

However, the road has not been a smooth one for either of us, as he is 10 years older than I am and to me, the difficulty has been more of the age and lifestyle difference rather than a cultural one. Having traveled abroad since the age of 15, I learned at a very young age how to appreciate people from different walks of life. To me it was more than simply just "white bread", and something with a bit more "flavour and spice" was always more appealing to me. I believe this is what captivated my heart and soul, and the first time I saw him again after so long. It had been a year since my separation and the last time I had seen this "secret" admirer. The love I discovered that night was not only for him, but in particular, mine for the those of black cultures of the world that I have read about, visited and been blessed to call my friends since my late teens.

What I have discovered in all of my travels and throughout my life, is that the vast majority of people keep their hearts so closely guarded and concealed from everyone, including loved ones in their "inner circle" and yet the only way to set their hearts free is to truly release it and let it love everyone. In other words, mankind needs to look first for something they "love" in another rather than just noticing the difference of skin color, religion or culture. Once such understanding can be achieved, I believe we will be one step closer to a better world. All the world needs is an Open Heart.

Irene,

Love for all,
Peace for all,
Freedom for all,
Tolerance for all,
and above all else,
PASSION FOR ALL!

http://www.passionbetweenthesheetsoflife.com/

[Maria]

I met my husband during a phase in my life that I was looking for something. He came along and one of the first questions that he asked me was "what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?". At the time I said that I didn't know. Well, almost 20 years later (and he promised me 20 years with annual renewals) I am about to get my college degree, we are still going strong, and we have a grandchild of our own on the way (between us we have 5 kids, his daughter is deceased, he has 7 grandkids and 5 great-grandkids). And by the way, we have a 28 year age difference, which was written up in our local black-owned newspaper and was one of the most read stories of 2008.

[Khori]

As usual, the club was buzzing. It was Valentine’s Day and there were roses on every table, and bouquets at each end of the bar. I wore a red leather vest and black skirt to look festive. My hair fell loosely around my chin line, exposing heart shaped rhinestone earrings. I was cute tonight. I checked my lipstick in the bar mirror and pulled the bottle of Stoli from the shelf and stuck it in the ice. Few bartenders know that Russian Vodka should be served chilled. It brings out the true flavor. That’s why I still drink it to this day. This was a busy night and I was pouring back to back, taking care of the waitresses as well as my patrons seated at the bar. It didn’t really let up until almost 1:00 a.m. I got a breather, so I made myself a club soda and lime to cool off. As I looked up who strolls in with a bouquet of Roses? Right, Alex.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, gorgeous” he beamed. All I could see white teeth. “Awwww, you are too sweet, thank you”. I said gratefully. He found a seat at the bar and sat where we could make eye contact. “What would you like”? I asked. “You,” he whispered. “To drink, darlin’”, I answered. “Any champagne back there”? I nodded and popped a bottle. “Two glasses, please”, and signaled one for him and the other for me. “I’m not supposed to drink on duty, but I will sneak a sip with you”. I placed the bottle in the bucket and put it next to him, poured the two glasses and toasted him. He mouthed me a kiss and took a sip. I mouthed “thank you’ to him and was back to my business. I already know what I’m getting for Valentine’s Day.




I love it when the D.J. announces “Last call for alcohol”. That means it is almost time to go. I always walked to work because there is never a place to park in the city. Alex hung around until I was finished with my bar duties. He sat patiently and watched me clean up and joke with the staff and listen to gossip about who was steppin’ out with whom. If I had a dollar for every story I heard about cheatin’ and messin’ around, I could retire. I finished up and came around the bar and we went to a table to finish what we could of the champagne. It was against regulation to sit at the bar drinking after closing time. I had one more glass and it was time to go. Alex grabbed my hand and we were out the door. We walked around the corner to where he parked and wondered if he should just leave his car where it was for now, because he may not find anything closer than the one he had. This was San Francisco.

He agreed and we walked to my apartment. He slipped his arm around my waist and told me how sexy I looked for Valentine’s Day in my red vest and skirt. I playfully shoved him with my right shoulder and he pretended to stumble. By now the drink I had with Chaz and the Champagne we just finished were dancing in my stomach and I felt that warmth again. I reached into my purse for my keys, Alex took them and opened the door. Once inside, he leans me against the lobby wall and gently kisses me ‘hello’. I feel a weakness in my knees and take the one flight of stairs at a quickened pace to the front door. “Which key”? “The blue one”, I answer, and we are inside.

The music is always on and the song playing was “The Closer I Get To You”.
This particular version was a jazz instrumental which set the mood right on time. We undressed each other and fell into bed. He sends me. I embrace him into a hug that must have lasted for at least eight minutes. His body is very warm. Alex is a Scorpio. Need I say more? We drift into a deep sleep after a very passionate forty minutes of lovemaking in slow motion. My, my, my.

My internal alarm clock went off and I hit the brew button on the coffeemaker and headed for the shower. Alex appeared angelic as he soundly slept and waking him might start something I could not finish. He looked so content and satisfied. I jumped in and began humming the tune still stuck in my head from last night. Before I could get to the second chorus I felt hands slipping down my back. “May I wash your back”? I smiled, turned to him and, damn. That smile always makes me weak. I was almost late for work.

Have you ever felt like you were out of your element or a character cast in the wrong movie? Many people today will not admit the fact that if something is not right, only you can change it. Daddy always taught me that if you are going to work for a living, choose a career that you love, so it does not become a job. This way, you will always get up and make it to work, instead of inventing excuses for not showing up. I admire my Daddy so much. He taught me so much about life. I love you Daddy.

The elevator going up to the office seemed crowded today. Chaz was waiting as I flew through the entrance and joined those waiting. “Mornin’” he said. “Mornin’”, I replied. “You’re out of breath”, he noticed. We filed in the elevator to the back, packed in body to body. He nudged me playfully as if to say, “lighten up, it’s ok’. The door opened and our group filed out. “Have a good one” he said as he exited the elevator and headed for his office. “You do the same”, I replied as I headed for my cubicle. As I took off my coat, I noticed flowers on my desk with the cutest box of chocolates, but no card.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. I found a vase in the break room and put them in water.

Bill, my boss came by with a specification that needed revisions and editing and asked if I would correct his terrible spelling. “Deadline”? I asked. “Whenever you can”, he answered. That meant today would be great. Not only was his handwriting illegible but some of the grammar impossible. I cleaned it up in less than an hour and returned a draft copy to his inbox.
My filing need attention. There were blueprint drawers throughout the department containing sepias and prints of sections of a specific projects that were filed according to the print number. One of my duties was to keep these prints in order and make sure that before end of day, they are filed accordingly. I now had to make sure the prints made it to their perspective home. Working in an environment made up predominately of men has its advantages in some circles. Whenever a woman walked by here, heads came up from draft tables as a welcomed distraction. Women sense when they are being watched, therefore we know how and when to walk that walk. This was fun.

I made my way to the files, slid in the sepias according the spec number and returned to my desk. Work today was not bad and I remarkably got a lot accomplished within a minimal timeslot. Before I realized, it was nearly late for work. (a page from my work in progress)

[Abuse-N-Da-Kingdom]

How long should it be?

[KC]

I've told this story so many times on this site, I'll send it to your email Niema Jordan.

KC

[Princess101uk]

I haven't heard it.....**sitting on the floor cross legged and listening**

KC said:

I've told this story so many times on this site, I'll send it to your email Niema Jordan.

KC