08-08-2025
After Years of Missed Connections, a Meeting Worth the Wait
Harun Sharif Henry and Debbie Denise Douglas came close to meeting countless times before fate finally brought them together on Aug. 21, 2020.
Both were raised in Caribbean households just 10 blocks apart in Canarsie, Brooklyn; they attended the same events, shared mutual friends and were even members of the Brooklyn Sports Club from 2000 to 2005, likely crossing paths without realizing it.
After years of running circles around each other, the two had their first interaction at a party on the rooftop of the Tillary Hotel in Downtown Brooklyn.
Three days after her birthday, Ms. Douglas was heading home from a celebratory dinner with a friend when they crossed paths with a friend promoting a nearby party. Given the special occasion — and their pandemic stir-craziness — Ms. Douglas accepted the invitation.
On the rooftop later that night, a mutual friend introduced Ms. Douglas and Mr. Henry.
Mr. Henry was immediately captivated. 'It was like a tunnel vision thing where we were just talking to each other and no one else really mattered,' he recalled.
They spent most of the night entranced in conversation, each quietly taking note of the details that stood out — her 'cinnamon brown eyes' for him; his 'salt and pepper gray' beard for her.
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