was takita. jerome and takita first locked eyes at an indiana mall in 1996. at a time when both of them were struggling to get back on their feet. what was going on in your life when you met takita? i had just lost a job. i was in a bad state, bad time. and she caught my eye. she was pregnant. the guy she was pregnant by left her. she just needed someone to show her some love. in the 20 years since that first meeting, much has changed. but despite jerome s incarceration and takita s move to arizona six years ago, they ve kept the spark alive. so can we see some of the videos that you two have exchanged? absolutely. they stay connected through kiosks in indiana s prisons. they let inmates exchange videos with loved ones.
to be my wife. to be my wife. i takita take you, jerome to be my husband again. jerome. please take takita s ring. put the ring on her finger. love you. wow. we re together. marriage process is a human process. it takes a strong family to make that transition back into society to become a better person. it can bring love and light to an otherwise dark place. ready? one, two, three.
also a lot of pain. inside this maximum security prison, they will commit their lives together. thank you so much. you re welcome. for a wedding. two of jerome s fellow inmates have been invited along with takita s child hood friend and their sons from previous relationships. how are you feeling? like a palm tree in the middle of a desert. you re ready? i m ready. absolutely.
on that. to deal with that they need to make a choice that is loving someone through the good times and bad. takita and jerome have a long road ahead of them. despite the odds, they plan to wed tomorrow. until then, jerome returns to his cell house. and takita makes the 30-mile journey back to indianapolis to the house where she and jerome used to live as husband and wife. which one is it? is it that one on the left? yes. wow, it looks so different now. it s been a long time. i get the feeling it s not comfortable for you to be back here. oh, absolutely not. it makes my stomach tight because it s reliving those moments again just, you know, turning these corners. this is the neighborhood where jerome would vanish for days at a time, moving from one drug house to another. one time he was gone for 30 days.
for two short hours jerome and takita can linger in the visiting room. it s the closest thing they ll get to a honeymoon for a long time. when the visit is up they go their separate ways. i love you. love you too. bye. and when they ll be together next is uncertain. if jerome s appeal for an early release is turned down it could be decades before he and takita are reunited for good. you just got married, you re going back to your cell. how do you feel about that? i would love to go home with my wife. let me stand firm that a blessing will come our way so we re patient. so married lady, how do you feel? looking in his eyes i felt like 20 years ago. i felt like i got my man back.