Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I am Tamekia Norrells-Pendleton. My husband is Johnny Pendleton. We are both from Hazlehurst, Mississippi where we currently reside.
How did you meet?
His sister and I were both a part of the singles’ ministry at our church. We would occasionally go out to eat and discuss our single lives and she would always say, “I would like for you to meet my brother. ” I would always reply, “I don’t know your brother and let’s keep it that way.”
About a year later, she and I sat across from one another on our way to a Women’s Retreat. She started talking about her brother again and stated that she would like for us to meet the next time he visits. I gave her the same response as always. About an hour later my cell phone rang and it was him. She gave him my number without my permission. I did not want to be rude, so I decided to talk to him. We talked on the phone until about 2:00am. When our conversation came to a close, he asked if he could call me again and I said, “Sure.” For then next month, he and I talked several times a day. He came home on leave and attended church. I knew he was kind of shy, so I went over to officially introduce myself.
Describe the moment you knew you belonged together.
As our friendship progressed, we decided to go out of town for the weekend. We went to a place where there was plenty of entertainment, but we were so interested in getting to know one another until we only went out for lunch and dinner. He was the perfect gentleman the entire weekend. He asked me questions like what is my favorite color, movie, tv show, things I liked and disliked, etc. He also opened and closed doors for me. I knew we belonged together because I never had anyone that was genuinely interested in getting to know who I was as a person. I loved the fact that he could hold an intelligent conversation. Although, we had not known each other that long, being with him felt so right.
What makes your relationship work?
We are not only husband and wife, we are friends. We respect one another. We communicate effectively. When we have disagreements, we discuss them until they are resolved. We keep family and friends out of our affairs. We do not define roles in our home. We share all the responsibilities. We both have relationships with God who leads and guides our actions daily.
What’s your favorite thing about each other?
He puts me first. It’s always about what I want to do and what I am comfortable with. He’s very passionate about our quality time together. If he makes it home before me, he starts the meal and I come in and assist. He does not wait for me to do things that he can do for himself. He loves the fact that I take good care of him and treats him the way that I would want to be treated. I cater to him just as he caters to me.
Tell us about your funniest moment together.
On our very first date, we almost ran out of gas. The first thing that I look at when I get into someone’s vehicle is their gas hand. Being that it was our first date, I did not say anything because I didn’t want to appear to be controlling. He decided to take a short cut to our destination that I was not familiar with. I looked over and noticed that his gas light was on and there wasn’t a gas station in sight. I noticed that he had this nervous look on his face. I politely said to him, “I think that you are a very nice guy and I see that your gas light is on, but if we run our of gas and I have to walk in these heels, you will never hear from me again.” A couple of minutes later, there was a gas station ahead. Until this day, he still rides with his gas hand close to empty. Apparently, he did not learn a lesson from our first date.
SOUTHERN LACED 