Brenda Alawine and Warren Shewmake
ON THE COVER
Couple finds true love after chance meeting at Dickey ’ s
“ I just can ’ t stress enough how wonderful he is to me . He is just so pleasant . He is a Christian man . He is a wonderful friend . He is the kindness person I have ever met .”
BRENDA ALAWINE
Sometimes love can sneak up on a person when they least expect it , as was the case with Brenda Alawine and Warren Shewmake . On Nov . 13 , 2012 , Alawine was running errands when she stopped at Dickey ’ s Barbecue Pit at Bonita Crossroads to pick up lunch . The restaurant had yet to open , so she sat at a picnic table to wait .
About that time , Shewmake was driving past the shopping center headed to his home in Grove Hill , Alabama . When he saw the Dickey ’ s sign as he drove under the interstate , he thought barbecue sounded better than fast food , so he turned into the parking lot .
Dressed in a long coat , he brushed his silver hair in place with his fingers as he walked toward the restaurant .
“ He was walking across the parking lot and the wind was blowing terribly and he was running his fingers through his hair trying to straighten his hair ,” Alawine recalled . “ He had on a long gray trench coat , and that trench coat and his gray hair just clashed . That was just it for me .” He tried to go in , but the door was locked . “ Brenda said , ‘ They are not going to open for another 10 or 15 minutes ,’ so I said do you mind if I sit down here with you ,” Shewmake recalled . “ One thing led to another , and we started talking .”
His personality seemed so genuine it immediately drew Alawine ’ s attention .
“ He seemed like such a genuine , real , downto-earth , pleasant person ,” she said . They went inside when the restaurant opened . Alawine got her sandwich to go ; Shewmake picked up his plate lunch and sat down to eat .
“ After I went back to the truck , I thought to myself that was such a nice man . I am going to go back in there and see if he will give me his email address . I had just bought a computer , and I was trying to learn how to email on it ,” she
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