Airport romance leads to destination Dusauzay

When people think of an airport romance, they often picture meeting an attractive stranger on their flight with sparks flying. But for Yaqayarah and Sheldon, their airport romance began with the rigour and structure of working in the Transport Security Administration (TSA) at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.

In 2017, Yaqayarah Kelly, who was 28 years old at the time, started working under the diligent supervision of Sheldon Dusauzay. It was their shared mutual respect for strong work ethics that watered the seeds of romance.

“I did not like her hair at first,” he laughed, recalling what they both described as “the awful slick-down look”. He continued, “For me, it’s just her work ethic and her ambition. I like seeing women strive and try to do the best that they can do, and that’s what I saw in her. She was always willing to do anything that no one else wanted to do and she wanted to learn, and I just found that very attractive and sexy in a woman.”

Joining in, Yaqayarah added, “He was great at his job, very trusted and respected among our co-workers. So that just made [me] want to learn under him and stick to him.”

As the months passed in the midst of their professional routine, only brightened by Yaqayarah’s cheerful and bubbly personality, they quickly realised that their interactions were the highlight of their days. Succumbing to his blooming feelings, Sheldon asked Yaqayarah on a date, under the guise of a casual hang-out between friends.

At first, Yaqayarah didn’t think it was a date, so she arrived casually, wearing jeans and a Wonder Woman T-shirt, ready to enjoy some tacos.

“What was going through my mind at first, I was a little nervous, only because I got anxious. I kind of felt myself liking him a little bit, but once we started talking, it was so normal,” she recalled.

Hoping to strengthen the bonds that had already begun to form, the two had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and with the enticing aroma of beans, rice and an array of spices in the air, they fell in love.

As the two spent nearly every moment together, both at work and at home, it was during the pandemic, when Yaqayarah was away for training in her new job, that Sheldon finally decided to take their relationship to the next level.

Under the pretence of hosting a birthday barbecue, he showered the love of his life with 30 gifts to celebrate her 30th birthday, with the final gift being a life together.

“He said he was stressed about the BBQ, and I couldn’t understand why. I learnt that he spoke to my mom and dad beforehand to get their blessing. He [also] spoke to my older brother. He got me 30 gifts for my 30th. The 29th gift was an old-school View-Master that you look through and flip through pictures. There were pictures of us with Boyz II Men lyrics from their song I do written at the bottom. The lyrics were ‘ This love has been worth waiting for, ‘cause love doesn’t matter to me, if it’s not yours. As we become one, through and through, I dedicate all of my life to loving you.’ And when I put the View-Master down, he was on one knee. I couldn’t believe it! I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” Yaqayarah told Island Wedding.

Following a year and a half of planning, the pair got married on May 20 at The Palms at Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Recalling their magical night, they shared that the highlight of their evening was seeing their entire family waving custom-made Jamaican flags adorned with their wedding hashtag all around the room.

“So, when we did our second entrance, our DJ played carnival songs and everyone was just waving the flags. That was just the highlight ‘cause everyone was just interacting,” Yaqayarah said.

“I’m all about family. My oldest cousin is in his 50s, I believe, and the last time he was in Jamaica he was about 16. So that was big for me, that I got my older cousin to come out to Jamaica and just celebrate with us,” Sheldon added.

Now that their nuptials are behind them, the couple looks forward to expanding their family and to seeing where life will take them.

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com