Hello World,

Speaking of single black females, about a week ago, I watched the 50-something part viral TikTok series Who TF Did I Marry? over a two-day period. It was just that engaging. There were several things about the series that drew me into the drama. It mostly took place in metro Atlanta, Clayton County to be exact, where I lived for several years. Hilariously, Reesa Teesa referred to her lying ex-husband by the moniker Legion, which refers to being possessed by several demons in the Bible. She is a Christian and admitted that in hindsight, the Lord told her Legion was not her husband on her first date although she ignored the guidance she received on that first date. If you’re unfamiliar with this Reesa Teesa story, here’s an “An Extremely Thorough Guide to ‘Who TF Did I Marry’” by Danielle Cohen for The Cut.

Last week, a woman posting under the name Reesa Teesa started a 52-part TikTok yarn about her marriage to a man she called “a real pathological liar” and also “the United Nations of red flags.” Over the course of several days, she posted dozens of ten-minute videos unraveling how she ended up dating, marrying, and eventually divorcing a guy she claims lied about pretty much everything in his personal life. According to her account, the man — whom she’s calling Legion — relied on a convoluted network of fake phone calls, unverified paperwork, and pandemic-era logistical chaos to keep up his many charades.

But “Who TF Did I Marry?” is so much more than that — it is a prestige-television masterpiece, a chart-topping soap opera, a modern epic involving condiment HQ bureaucracy and two real-estate agents named Scott. (One of them may or may not be real.) To be clear, no one seems to have corroborated this woman’s story, so she is either a wildly good storyteller or a great candidate for the Nobel Prize in fiction. No matter; thousands of people have apparently taken ten hours of their precious lives to tune into her saga. Here is a drastically abbreviated version of what she claims happened. Strap in.

According to her videos, Reesa matched with this man on two different platforms, Facebook Dating and Hinge, though he apparently had used his full name on one and his nickname and different photos on another. (In retrospect, the first of many ominous signs.) Throughout the thread, she refers to him as Legion — as in the biblical man possessed by demons — which she says is the same name she uses to talk about him with people in her life these days. Because we are all now intimately acquainted with Teesa, we will be using that name here too.

To read the rest, click HERE. 

So after digesting this series, I thought back about two other TikTok viral sensations from a few months back:

Have y’all heard about the woman who refused to get out of the car on a first date because her date took her to The Cheesecake Factory? If not, check out this article about it HERE.  Or what about the woman who ate 48 oysters on first date and had to foot the bill after her date left without her realizing it? If not, check out that article about it HERE.

What do all three of these viral dating stories have in common with my first novel Destination Wedding? All four are about dating in Atlanta, which can be treacherous…And that, in part, is why I wrote Destination Wedding…See the synopsis below…

Three successful best friends in Atlanta believe they are thriving in the Black Mecca. Bossy bank executive Senalda breaks down men from business to bed no holds barred. Hip hop PR guru Jarena praises the Lord and pursues married men with equal persistence. Famous and infamous radio personality Mimi fights with her fans and for the love of her on-and-off-again boyfriend.

But when an ABC News Nightline report, “Single, Black, Female — and Plenty of Company,” asks why can’t a successful black woman find a man? The friends are suddenly hyper-aware of their inclusion in the sad statistic: 42% of black women who have never been married. Like the women in the report, they are career-driven, beautiful black women living in Atlanta who have everything — but a mate. They resolve to defy the statistic by marrying in a year and have it all by tackling their goal as a project with a vision board, monthly meetings, and more. Project Destination Wedding is born. A “happily married” best friend Whitney is a project consultant.

But as the deadline ticks closer, the women wonder if they can withstand another year of looking for love in the media-proclaimed no-man’s land of Atlanta. Senalda wrests a marriage proposal from the male version of herself, but the proposal comes simultaneously with a devastating secret. Jarena unleashes hell when her call to ministry coincides with dating her married college sweetheart. Mimi faces losing her career and jail time chasing her boyfriend and marries another man in the process. Whitney’s power couple profile plummets when her husband, a pornography addict, announces he would rather pursue photography than be an MD.

Inspired by an actual Nightline report, Destination Wedding charts four women’s journeys as they discover that love is not an experiment easily confined to a timetable.

I know that Destination Wedding is fiction, but trust and believe real-life stories are woven into the words…Here’s one reviewer’s opinion about Destination Wedding:

I can’t believe this is the author’s first book! The characters were well developed and she clearly did her research on mental health, sex addiction, marital statistics of black women, and Atlanta culture. Hoping to see it on Lifetime or BET as a movie!

If you’re interested in reading Destination Wedding, I will send a free copy to you if you name the city in Clayton County where Reesa Teesa lived with her ex-husband Legion. Reply to this post, and I will email you to get your mailing address.

Any thoughts?

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The post What TikTok’s Reesa Teesa, 48 Oysters on a First Date and A First Date at The Cheesecake Factory Have in Common With My ‘Novel Destination Wedding’ appeared first on After the Altar Call.