Bjorn and Lisa

Diamond in the rough now Prince Charming

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Photography by Studio Studio

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BJORN TONEY was a 19-year-old, seemingly throwing his life away. Long days in video game arcades and hanging out in questionable areas with friends threatened his future. But the strange girl who turned up in the arcade one evening proved to be his saviour and his love.

Lisa Yarde had just finished classes one evening when she decided to wind down, choosing to while away some time with a girlfriend. The two of then ventured into a video game arcade, the first time Lisa had ever gone to such a place. She was neither surprised nor bothered by the fact that there were only men playing games in the arcade.

She once had a dream to be a racing car driver, and she saw the opportunity to live her dream with a car racing game which caught her fancy. She settled down at that game but she could not operate it.

Her struggle to play, attracted the attention of one of the young men playing in another game with other fellows nearby, and he walked over to help.

His name was Bjorn.

"She was attempting to drive in a car racing game and I saw she could not do it. I am a top driver, and in the arcade I consider myself one of the best. So when I saw she was having trouble with the game I went over and watched her, and then I showed her how to do it," Bjorn recalled. Not particularly impressed by the untidy looking fellow, Lisa accepted the help nonetheless.

Meeting in the fast lane

She liked the car racing game and that was her interest. She continued to visit the arcade once a week to play, and would eventually break the ice with the young man who had first assisted her.

He pricked her curiosity, and though she recognised that his life was going downhill and his appearance left a lot to be desired, there was something about him she felt she could tolerate and accommodate.

In her words: "He did not look tidy at all. He had this long beard, his hair was long and untidy and he wore a tam, he had hair all over his face".

"I spoke to him about it and I tried to encourage him to do something with his life."

Bjorn had left Foundation School without completing his CXCs, had left his parents' home and gone to live with a friend, leading a life which he now says "was not good for me".

Somehow, Lisa thought she should try to help him make a reversal. She encouraged him to clean himself up. She helped him with the selection of clothes, a factor which Bjorn welcomed saying: "I did not really have any sense of clothes. I just wore anything. But Lisa showed me how to match, and how to look a certain way."

"I eventually became attracted to her as I thought she was amazing for showing interest in my well-being and encouraging me to do something other than lime in the arcade."

He eventually plucked up the courage to ask for her telephone number and got a blunt "No".

After all, Lisa was a second year student at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, very outgoing and motivated. She was also actively involved in her church.

She said: "My friends and most of my family thought 'oh gosh, where did she pick him up from'."

And Lisa admits that Bjorn's appearance made her think "he is not my cup of tea neither".

Listening to their hearts

Successive attempts to get the number failed. Instead, he eventually offered his, and Lisa accepted it.

In the long conversations which followed, Bjorn was to learn a lot more about the girl he now fancied.

"In our conversations I found out that she preferred working, ambitious, well-groomed men, and if they had long hair, it should be neatly plaited at all times."

Bjorn confessed: "I was none of that so something had to change".

He wanted to impress this girl. He began by having his hair plaited, trimming the beard shorter, and shaving the hair from his face.

It was the first step. Next Bjorn found a job, forsaking the "liming" lifestyle. But though she appreciated the effort, it was still not enough to convince Lisa that she should commit to a relationship with him.

The challenge came, however, when a young woman made an advance on Bjorn as he travelled on the bus.

"I was going home on the bus and a young lady came and sat next to me. We started conversing. We got along well and I realised we had a lot in common.

"She expressed an interest in me, but I was thinking about Lisa and did not want to start another love interest if there was a chance of us being together."

Deciding he had to know whether Lisa wanted a serious relationship, Bjorn told her about the incident on the bus and asked whether she was interested in being with him. he got an exuberant: "Yes, I am".

That was all he needed.

Lisa's decision, however, did not sit well with some members of her family, neither did it meet with the approval of Bjorn's friends, who saw this girlfriend as a threat.

While they told Bjorn "that girl is too good for you boy", Lisa's relatives and some friends told her the opposite – "that boy is not good enough for you". Still others said "you are too good for that boy".

And Lisa confessed: "Our relationship got a lot of outside friction."

But she maintains that beneath the rough, unkempt, confused outward appearance, she saw a young man with promise. A "good person", someone she was growing to like, and she kept focused on that.