DESTINY — and Cupid — had definitely made plans for two Ferncourt High school ninth graders whose love story dates back to their first home economics class in 2011 and later blossomed into Shannoya Roberts and Cori Keyes becoming man and wife in August 2021.

Cori, 15 years old at the time, recalled being captivated by Shannoya’s hairstyle and just how she attired herself for school.

“The first time I saw her everything about her was just interesting. I loved her hair colour, her skin tone, and she was always so neat. I also loved when she did her hair in the ‘dumpling style’; it was so cute on her,” a gushing Cori told the Jamaica Observer.

“I remember when I used to act like I never knew how to sew so she could show me. I use to go over to her desk and say ‘Can you help me to string this needle, please?’ And I went to her for everything even when I knew I could do it,” he said with a mischievous laugh.

All this time Shannoya also had a crush on Cori but she was a bit too shy to express herself, besides having a boyfriend at such a young age would not be accepted by her parents.

“I was shy and I was very young, so to even think about having a boyfriend was so wrong because I was never exposed to those things and my mother would not be fine with that,” Shannoya told the Observer.

It was quite a challenge for a young Cori to win her heart.

“Getting to ‘talk to’ this lady wasn’t so easy. She was a bit of a difficult one but that was one of things that I really loved about her. So, I confided in my friend that by the end of the year she would be my girlfriend and I was so focused on how I was going to make it happen,” Cori recalled.

His persistence led him to getting a contact for Shannoya and he spent most of his summer holidays convincing her that he was the one, admitting that “even when I was texting her I was nervous through the phone”.

Said Shannoya: “Cori got my number and started texting me and that’s when he asked me to be his girlfriend. From then I realised that he was so sweet; he was a gentleman, so calm and polite. Then one day I was like ‘I really like him’. I started to love his chocolate skin and I’m really into dark-skin guys so he was the perfect person I wanted to have as a boyfriend.”

Their relationship continued from Ferncourt High School on to college, then university, with its fair share of challenges.

“We went to different colleges, he to Brown’s Town Com-C [Community College] and I to Moneague. So we went from seeing each other every day in high school to every two weeks.”

Shannoya then had to journey from her home in Moneague, St Ann, to see Cori in Ocho Rios where he lived, a distance of almost 22 kilometres or 14 miles.

“It was challenging but we tried our very best to make an effort to see each other. I would save and make sure I just have my bus fare to meet him,” said Shannoya

The occasional link-ups were just as rewarding for Cori.

“I would ensure I saved up my lunch money so when I see her I could get her something nice,” he added

The two, after ending college, started the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) together, which proved to be another testing time for the two lovers.

“We were at the same university, the CMU, but things got more challenging because even though we were seeing each other often it was like we were knowing each other all over again because we were now adults, so our likes and dislikes changed,” Shannoya acknowledged.

“We had a fair bit of struggle; there were times when we were upset with each other for weeks,” Cori filled in, saying that they were, however, determined to work at making their relationship better.

“We worked it out and got better at knowing each other again and walked in one path. I was always willing to make things work for us. It was a lot of taking deep breaths and soft answers, with a little help from Cupid,” he chuckled.

Ten years after they first saw each other, the couple tied the knot. They acknowledge that the marriage is a work in progress but agreed they are now basking in each other’s love and company.

“It is fun, I’m enjoying it. And knowing that I have someone who has pledged to be there for the rest of my life makes me feel secure,” Shannoya told the Observer

“We are planning our life ahead and I’m being the best version of myself to make her happy,” Cori added.