ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É

Even though they left Titchfield High School as lovebirds and went in separate directions, nothing could stop Shanteena Chen-Martin from choosing Shevon Martin as her life partner.

Now, both 27 and living in the UK, their story is proof to many Jamaicans that loyalty and love can outlast distance, doubt, and even years apart.

"We are both from Portland and met at Titchfield High. I think we were leaving school one day and he gave me a piece of paper and asked me for my number. I gave it to him, and then in the evening he sent me a 'please call me' [text message]," she laughed. "At that time we coulda send five text messages and get 100 free, so we started texting a lot."

Shevon, who was a year ahead, confessed that Shanteena was scared of him at first.

"Every time I tried talking to her she would run away. She was wild! It was a good thing we had the free nights and the 100 free messages, because that's how I truly got to know her. Whether school nights or not, we would be on the phone for hours," he said.

That teenage crush blossomed into real love - but as they grew older, life didn't make it easy.

"When I left high school I went straight to college [College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE)], and then he was working at KFC," Shanteena said.

Shevon later went to the US, and the couple only saw each other during some holidays, such as Christmas and the summertime.

Later, while she was still at CASE, the couple welcomed a baby boy in 2020. But the pandemic and visa issues forced them apart.

"In 2022 I lost my visa, so I couldn't see him," she recalled. "It was hard because by then, I was so used to being around him, but the communication was top-notch. In the morning, whenever I would get ready to go to work or get our son ready for school, he would be on the phone. In the afternoon, he would be on the phone."

They survived rough patches, including moments when Shanteena considered moving on.

"At that point even though he was contributing financially, I was living alone and raising a child alone, so it was exhausting that he couldn't do his part physically," she explained. "We were questioning, like, is it even worth holding on any more? But we worked through and overcame it." Shanteena was granted a UK visa and the long-distance relationship stood strong.

Last December, on his birthday, Shevon finally popped the question, though it wasn't the fairy-tale moment she had pictured.

"Well, I still tell him that he owes me a proper proposal, because it was over the phone," she joked. "He said to me, 'Yuh nuh think a time fi we get serious and married and reunite as a family?'"

"When I asked her, I thought about it because it was something that I should have done a long time ago," Shevon admitted. "I always knew it was her, so I guess it was just destiny for it to finally happen."

Some people questioned why Shanteena would commit to a man who was working in a fast-food outlet while she pursued college. But she never doubted his worth.

"When I was going through college, he was always there to help with my assignments and stuff because he is really smart," she said. "He didn't have the opportunity like me to go. And then I saw that he had potential. Because in America, he started his own restaurant from home [named] West Kingston's Plate, where he cooked and delivered food. He's business-minded, he's really driven, and he believes in being the breadwinner; plus, he's really caring, loving and passionate about family."

After finally reuniting this April in the UK, the family feels complete again.

"It was a lot emotionally. We both cried," Shanteena said of the airport reunion. "My son saw him and just rushed straight to him... they've been like glue ever since. I was his favourite parent, now I'm replaced with his dad."

Reflecting on nearly 12 years together, Shanteena advised other couples not to pressure their partners to do certain things that they see on social media.

"People just show you the good parts. They don't show you the rocky parts. So just do you, make sure you're happy," she said. "Right now we are just building together and see where life takes us, but definitely, we're going to be together. He is stuck with me."