Dušan Stojičić (27) from Vlasotince and the dark-skinned Telma Tinodaishe Machingauta, now Stojičić, (27) from England started their relationship a little over two years ago on a cruise ship, and now they are married in Vlasotince and want to start a family.
In this small community, they are unique. There isn't a person who doesn't turn their head to look at them, and Dušan believes that fate brought them together.
“It all started a little over two years ago on a cruise ship. We were in Alaska. I worked as a fitness instructor in the spa centre, while she is a spa therapist by profession. As we got to know each other, we gradually grew closer. I felt something at first sight; I believed it could and should work. We started our relationship on May 15th, my birthday. I threw a party with colleagues at the bar, a place for the ship's staff. She was there too. We listened to Serbian music, danced, and sang. She brightened my day. Incidentally, my mother was also born on the same day, and now we celebrate our anniversary too. I had a tattoo with that date, which now has a triple meaning for me,” Dušan tells us.
Secret Relationship
The beginning of their relationship was interesting and charming because they hid it from their colleagues. They secretly met in the corridors, fearing others' reactions, and then they decided to leave the ship together and embark on a joint path that crossed right there.
“I had a nine-month work contract, while her contract was nearing its end. She tried to extend it to stay with me until the end, but it didn't work. I was firmly resolved to go with her, so I faked a knee injury story to be sent home immediately. That's what happened. I went back first, and then a week later, she went to her home to spend some time with her family.
“We stayed in touch the whole time, and then she came to Serbia for the first time. She was delighted, she wanted to see everything, meet everyone, and we were interesting to everyone, especially in my area. When we walked through the promenade, there wasn't a person who didn't turn to look at us. People wondered how a black person ended up in Vlasotince. It bothered her a bit until she got used to it,” Dušan says, laughing and adding:
A Ring at the Top of Suva Mountain
“I wanted to introduce her to other Balkan countries then, so we travelled a bit, and went to Montenegro seaside. She was here for a month and a half in total. Somewhere in November last year, I wanted to propose to her.
PHOTO CREDIT: PRIVATE ARCHIVE
“I planned everything, but the weather was terrible. We went to Suva Mountain, planning to go to the top, but we were freezing.
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“It was cold, our feet were in mud, we got lost and ended up going to the top through the forest, and I had only one wish in my mind – to give her the ring. Honestly, I was a bit panicked because of everything, but I managed.
PHOTO CREDIT: PRIVATE ARCHIVE
“We stood at the top, I took the ring out of my backpack, and she was speechless. She said yes, and as we descended the mountain, she kept shouting ‘Dušan, Dušan’ out of happiness. It didn't take long before the wedding came, already in the spring.”
Happy Family
Father-in-law and Mother-in-law Thrilled with Daughter-in-law
Dušan says his family is delighted with their daughter-in-law and supported him from the beginning.
“Telma still doesn't know Serbian, but she is trying to learn, she is willing, and my mother doesn't know English. She speaks in Serbian as if Telma understands everything. They get along great. My father brings cakes and ice cream every day when he comes home from work, always smiling and proud. Her parents couldn't come to the wedding, but we will have a big celebration for both families one day,” says Dušan.
“It was May again, the weather was nice, we were in Vlasotince, and we decided to get married. For now, we have only had a civil wedding and a small celebration with family, best men, and second witnesses in a restaurant. She took my surname. We plan to go to England, buy a house there, have a church wedding because we are both believers, and then expand our family and have things as God intended.
