- Carlington Wilmot/Freelance Photographer
Scott and Annette ... in love
Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
ON THE outside they seem so unalike. He is white and she is black. He is 40 years old and she is 27. He's a former architect and restaurant owner in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, she's a one-time barmaid in Hopewell, Hanover.
On top of that he is outspoken - the happy-go-lucky type - while she's shy with a sweet smile.
Still, despite their differences, Scott Kerr and Annette Fletcher have a world in common - based on love. The couple, who met only two and a half years ago, say that they gel so well together and communicate as if they've known each other for years.
"We are very different but we have a bond," says Kerr. "We never get bored, we talk about absolutely anything and we make each other laugh."
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
The Monday before Valentine's Day, while still in scuba gear and beneath the blue waters off the shores of the Wyndham Rose Hall Hotel, he felt compelled to write a marriage proposal.
He ran it over in his mind then later penned the 100-word poem which he e-mailed to the Flair Will You Marry Me? contest.
It arrived 47 minutes before the 5:00 p.m. deadline.
Kerr, a scuba instructor at the Wyndham, says he has never won anything in his life - "not even at drop hand". Plus, this was his first poem. His simple but touching words warmed the hearts of our three judges who picked his "To My Annette" as the winning proposal.
ANNETTE'S RESPONSE
Fletcher says she had just come back from visiting her mother's grave, and was at home relaxing when the phone started ringing. Friends were calling to find out if she had seen the paper.
"Then Scott called and told me to 'get up and go find a Gleaner'. I replied, 'why don't you bring one home for me, and he said, 'no get up and go find one'.
"I headed out to the square to get one but they were all sold out."
Curious, she went to Sandy Bay, three miles from Hopewell, before finding a Gleaner. Fletcher says she was dumbstruck. "I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't speak, it was wonderful. I can't even explain. I was just happy and in shock."
It took her an hour before she could call Kerr and when she finally saw him that night, "I could only say, 'I love you', and I said 'yes'."
BIG FOWL, SWEET CATCH
Kerr, who switched from architecture to the restaurant business when Toronto fell into an economic slump in the early '90s, moved to Jamaica five years ago. He was the Food and Beverages Manager at Doctor's Cave Beach Hotel in Montego Bay for two years before moving to the Wyndham as a scuba diving instructor.
Then about three years ago, Kerr who was living in Fletcher's hometown of Hopewell, started frequenting the Big Fowl restaurant where Fletcher was the bartender.
"I saw her one night and I wanted to meet her but she would ignore me."
For her part, Fletcher says it was hard not to notice him because he kept starting up conversations with her and often asked her to go out on dates.
She, however, kept her eyes on her job and maintained a cool distance, answering him in one or two-word sentences.
"Maybe I ignored him because he was too bold or pushy," explains Fletcher.
Undeterred, Kerr wasn't about to give up and turned to the restaurant owner for help. She formally introduced them. Fletcher was not impressed. So Kerr tried harder. One night, before leaving he worked up the courage to leave her a note which said: "Call this number and it will change your life." She called.
"I LOVE HER BECAUSE...
For their first date Kerr took her to a beach in Negril. "I realised that I had found a gem. We just laughed the entire day," he says.
"I love her because she is nice, kind, wonderful and honest. She takes me for who I am. I am just a simple scuba diver and she gives me so much."
He adds that Fletcher cares for him and takes care of him by doing simple things - cooking wonderful meals and hosting a big surprise birthday party - that matters a lot to him.
"You have to understand that when you are a white man in Jamaica not a lot of women are honest with you and she is, and that means a lot."
"HE'S THE SEXIEST WHITE GUY IN THE WORLD."
Fletcher says in return Kerr treats her wonderfully and that all her friends and family love him.
"We are open with each other and we get along well. The relationship is ok... and he is the sexiest white guy in the world."
Kerr says they had discussed marriage and that the Will You Marry Me? competition was timely. They've won a 14-karat white gold diamond ring courtesy of Mall & Tropical Jewellers, a $5,000 gift certificate from JN Bridal Registry, professional photography for their wedding and a wedding gown from Elegant Weddings.
They plan a July wedding at the beach.
"This way it gives more time for friends and family overseas who want to attend to be there," says Kerr.
