Baton Rouge.

WEDDING DAY.

The church clapped, moved by her statement.

Next, was Jionni.

Speaking in his unapologetic and heavy accent...

"I know my family all know how I am, but I see a few of 'Lissa's family over on her side that I met just once. Grandma Rosa, you know me." Jionni said, leaning into the mic. "I know y'all know my name n' all, but i'ma reintroduce myself jus' to be a gentleman. I'm Jionni."

Rosa and Melissa's relatives laughed, waving at him.

"I say that too cause i'm real blunt n' I can't shake da' Louisiana off my tongue." Jionni said, unable to fix his accent. "I got a bit of a potty mouth n' I sometimes have ta' remember that i'm in fronna older folks when I tell stories about Lissa, but yeah. Uh, i'ma just be super honest, but clean so it aint no surprises when it come t'me."

Smiling at Melissa, Jionni began his story.

"During my senior year of high school, I was a mess. I uh, I got around. I planned on going into high school with no sort of game plan on what I was gone do wit' my life. All I wanted t'do was drank, sleep around, typical high school stuff. The previous year, I heard about some girl that still wore stockings, a checkered skirt and some dress shirt that got teased throughout the year for it. Stuff typical high school girls don't usually be wearin'. Some random girl from out the country, sporting a bun, a strange outfit and was the only girl in the school who didn't wear makeup. I saw her throughout that year, but didn't pay her no mind. I aint really care. So my senior year, I got in trouble for hittin' on one of my teachers cousins. I got called to da' office. Das' where I met Lissa', who was sittin' in her chair after gettin' into a fight."

Then Jionni laughed, remembering he forgot a part.

"Actually, befo' that, she told on Djuan for pickin' on her in class and wound up turnin' the entire school on her. I was so mad that I sprayed a can of pop on her outta spite. After THAT, I saw Lissa in the office." Jionni laughed, pointing at Djuan as he sat on the other side of the church. "I saw her with a bruised eye, battered clothes n' messed up hair. She got into a fight wit' an old friend of mine, n' I felt bad for her so I started bringin' her ice bags. The second time we met was the same place, but she was hidin' in the office cause she was scared of what people n' da school would do t'her, so I told her dat' she needed to get outta there and start facing folks because they weren't nothin' to be afraid of. Just cowards who got off on bullyin' one girl. I guess you could say the rest was history."

Smiling at Melissa once more, Jionni continued.

"Das when I realized that what dey' was doin' to her was wrong n' I started stickin' up for her. It wasn't right." Jionni said. "She told me she needed a friend n' that we should start hangin' out, but I was so embarrassed of her that we both agreed dat' she'd dress up into a tomboy like style so my friends wouldn't recognize her. Once we got closer, I told her she aint have to dress like that no mo' and that I aint care what anybody thought of her. I fought a man who thought it was cool t'push her down da' stairs because the school dared him to do that. Afta' that, I didn't care what anybody thought a her."

Most of the women in the church clapped at Jionni's heroic act from years ago.

"The more me hung out, I started gettin' this feelin' in my gut like "Aye, I got a lil crush on this girl". She had this personality dat' was strange, but charismatic. She liked Shakespeare and listenin' to classical music on her phone, which was unlike any other girl I met! It was so out of this world different that it sparked a weird interest outta me, and she's philippine. I aint ever dated one before! We both spent the entire year listenin' to Lil Snupe. He was our thang."