Sometimes love doesn’t arrive when we expect it. Sometimes it takes years — decades even — to circle back.
When I was 14, I met someone through my sister. He was handsome, talented, magnetic. I quietly crushed from a distance, but never acted on it. He and my sister went on a couple of dates — and that was that. But for me, it drew a line in the sand. Out of respect, I always felt like it was wrong to crush.
So life moved forward.
Through my 20s and 30s, I’d see him now and then at events. We’d say hello, exchange a few words, and move on. Inside, though, I kept a wall up. I admired his career from afar, but I rarely let on. Part of me felt like he never really saw me — that I was still “Cathy’s little sister,” not someone with my own gifts or identity.
So, in my own quiet way, I tried to prove myself. Every now and then I’d offer to do a creative photo shoot with him, hoping that maybe my work would speak for itself. But it never really came together. Until last year.
In 2023, he reached out. The timing didn’t quite work out then, but by mid-2024, we booked a day to shoot. I didn’t think much of it — just another creative project. But something shifted. We both planted seeds that day.
A few days later, we hung out once. And then not long after, by pure coincidence, we ended up on the same trip. I had already planned to go with a friend of mine to see Robert Glasper in Detroit. He had plans to go with his friend. What we didn’t realize was that our two friends had arranged for us all to go together. So there we were, driving down and back as one group.
That trip was the catalyst. By the time we got home, I knew I needed to talk to my sister. I liked him, and I didn’t want to cross that line without knowing she was okay with it.
And she was. In fact, she was more than okay — she gave her blessing a thousand percent. She laughed and said, “I wish you had brought this up sooner.” That affirmation meant everything. It honoured the integrity we had both quietly held for decades and allowed us to step forward freely.
Since June 2024, we’ve been building something that feels both brand new and decades old at the same time. Life hasn’t been easy — it rarely is — but being with him has felt like the most natural thing. It’s as if there’s always been an invisible thread between us, quietly weaving our paths together until the timing was finally right.
What I know is this: I see his heart, and it is beautiful. I see his mind, and it is brilliant. And I want to walk beside him as he rises, shines, and becomes everything he’s meant to be.
Love, at its best, isn’t about control or certainty. It’s about faith, and it’s about choosing each other — again and again. And that’s what I hope we continue to do, together.
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu