IT WAS JANUARY 18TH, 2022 AND THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER. BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED I MET WITH AN ACADEMIC COUNSELOR TO SET UP MY SCHEDULE. WITHOUT EVEN ASKING, SHE TOLD ME SHE WOULD SIGN ME UP FOR BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL SPEECH AND I OBLIGED.

FAST FORWARD BACK TO JANUARY 18TH AND IT'S 8:00 A.M. BECAUSE I HAD NOT YET LEARNED THE JOY OF AFTERNOON CLASSES.

I SAT AT MY DESK, EAGER TO MEET MY TEACHER AND ANY NEW FRIENDS I WOULD MAKE THAT SEMESTER, ALTHOUGH, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT WOULD ENTAIL.

IN WALKED A BOY WITH A PALE GREEN BACKPACK THAT COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN AS THE ONE THAT SAT AT MY FEET. WE MET EYES AND I SAID "HEY, WE HAVE THE SAME BACKPACK." HE ACKNOWLEDGED MY STATEMENT AND AGREED AS HIS FEET LED HIM TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROOM. THIS WAS THE ONLY INTERACTION WE WOULD HAVE FOR WEEKS TO FOLLOW.

CLASSES WENT ON, SEATING ARRANGEMENTS CHANGED, AND PROJECTS HAD BEEN ASSIGNED. ONE PROJECT IN PARTICULAR THAT LANDED ME SEATED RIGHT NEXT TO THE BOY WITH THE GREEN BACKPACK. WE SPOKE A LITTLE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND WERE DRAWN OFF TOPIC WHEN WE QUICKLY REALIZED THAT WE HAD BOTH ATTENDED THE SAME CHURCH EVENT MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS. THIS INSTITUTED A QUICK FRIENDSHIP BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASS ROOM.

WE BEGAN OFFICIALLY DATING ON MARCH 10, 2022 AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF WHAT AMOUNTS TO "UNOFFICIALLY DATING."

THREE DAYS AFTER WE BEGAN DATING, AN ACCIDENT TOOK MY BROTHERS LIFE AND I WAS THROWN INTO HELPING RAISE MY NEPHEW (2) AND MY NIECE (6M). MY BOYFRIEND THREW HIS GREEN BACKPACK ASIDE AND IMMEDIATELY JUMPED IN, FALLING IN LOVE WITH BOTH ME, AND MY NEW LIFE. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE WORDS HE SAID TO ME, SITTING ON THE CERAMIC TILE STEPS OF MY PARENTS ENTRYWAY, HE SAID "I WILL WALK THOUGH THIS WITH YOU." AND HE HAS STAYED TRUE TO THOSE WORDS EVER SINCE THAT MOMENT.