In telling our love story, I guess I should start by saying—this is my side of it… I was working nights at a MAPCO in Parsons, Tennessee. It was a small store, so overnight shifts meant I was there alone. Thankfully, local law enforcement would stop in regularly to check on me. That’s how Shavonna became part of my routine. She came in often. We’d laugh, joke, and talk—mostly about how much I couldn’t stand my ex-husband. It wasn’t anything serious at the time, just a breath of fresh air in the middle of a life that felt heavy and chaotic. But even then, there was something about her. One night, I was completely overwhelmed—panicking, frustrated, trying to fix a machine that refused to cooperate. I couldn’t finish my job without it, and I was about at my breaking point when she walked in. She took one look at me and stopped in her tracks, asking what was wrong. I went on a full rant about that machine. Without hesitation, she walked behind the counter, took it from my hands, and calmly told me to breathe. “I’ll fix this,” she said, “but you need to breathe.” And just like that… I fell. In my head, I remember thinking, who does she think she is? But in my heart, I was already intrigued. That night, I did what I had to do—Facebook stalking. But when I saw she was listed as being in a relationship, I backed off. I wasn’t going to go there. Months later, I got a job offer at Dodge’s in Lexington. I took it, and since I didn’t see her during those last couple weeks, I never even told her I was leaving. Then one day, out of nowhere, while I was working in Lexington… in she walked… Shavonna… I ran out from behind the counter just to hug her, completely blown away that she found me. She just looked at me and said, “Did you forget what I do for a living? Did you really think I couldn’t find you?” From then on, she’d stop in whenever she could. If my car was there, she’d come inside and go on a smoke break with me before she left. And every single time she walked out, I’d end up right back on Facebook, checking on her all over again. Two years passed. I ended up transferring again—this time to Dyersburg—and once again, I left without saying a word. Then came her birthday that year. I saw it while, yes, Facebook stalking again, and I sent a simple message: “Happy birthday, pretty lady.” She replied, “Hey lady, how are you?” That message turned into us texting all night long. And from that moment on, every time my phone lit up with her name, so did my face. Three days later, we went to lunch. We talked about everything—life, past, everything in between. That’s when we realized the truth: we had both been attracted to each other all along. I thought she was unavailable… and she thought I was straight. Funny how that works. After that, I made it a point to find any excuse to be in town when she was working—which, yes, turned into a bit of a shopping problem—but I didn’t care. I just wanted to see her. And on the days she wasn’t working, I hated it, because I knew I wouldn’t get to see her beautiful face. In February, we took our first trip together—just a weekend, but it meant everything. By July, the woman who once swore she would never live with anyone again was building a home with me. And that same year, on Christmas Day, she asked for my hand in marriage. Now we’re building the life we both deserve—together. And every single day, I thank God for the love I found… in the one person who turned out to be my missing piece.