Valentines Day: Dubai radio personalities tell their love story

One of, if not the oldest surviving love letters dates back to the end of 15th century, written in the month of February by Margery Brews to her “right well-beloved valentine” John Paston. While that is possibly the oldest incidence of love letters, the origin of Valentine’s Day as a day for lovers is associated with Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls, a poem describing a group of birds gathering together in the early spring on “Seynt Valentynes Day” to find their mates for the year.

Now, several war and love stories later, in the 21st century, writing letters is a rare but adorable sight. Now, we are in the age of social media, and if Brews and Paston were around at this time she wouldn’t have to wait long for a reply from him.

On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, here is another engaging ‘origin’ love story of a couple living in the UAE — Brent Black and Eve Jaso. While Brent, originally from Los Angeles, has been a voice on the airwaves in the UAE for 14 years, Eve’s journey in the UAE started 10 years ago. It was in 2014 the two crossed paths at a photoshoot inside Ski Dubai during Christmas, with Dalmatians on the set.

A love for animals, and Dubai

“All we wanted to do was take photos with the Dalmatians,” recalls Eve in a conversation with City Times. “The fact that we both loved the animals more than the actual job, was a good sign.” Brent spends most of his time with 7-year-old Macaw, Lloyd, and Eve spends most of her money on feeding stray cats, not forgetting her own big fluffy cat — Buddy — at home.

Apart from animals, Brent and Eve (who is Iraqi Assyrian-Polish-British) also share a love for Dubai, a diverse city where many relationships like theirs have flourished. “We often say we are going home for the holidays, and I still do, however, this community and its people have meant so much to me and been so good to me that it will always be a part of who I am. The fact that I met Eve here, only cements the bond that I will have with Dubai,” Brent said.

Over the years, the two would often run into each other before they started working in the same building. And their friendship flourished into a relationship.

It’s no secret that the best relationships are the ones that are formed out of friendships. Perhaps, that is why Brent and Eve “rarely have disagreements”.

“Honestly I feel we never have issues, because we are two adults living in this crazy world together. We work through things by talking together as a team,” Eve said with Brent adding that the two “know what they want and have found their perfect match.”

An initial secret

Initially, Brent and Eve kept their relationship under the wraps. That, however, did not last long given their work profile as radio presenters. “Personally, I’m a very open honest person at heart, so once I knew he was in this for real, why not share it?,” said Eve. “We just kept it real, like any other relationship.”

But, even as radio personalities, they never felt forced to show their private life to the public. “Sharing our life is part of the gig. It’s not something we feel forced to do, but it is something we want to do,” said Brent. Eve, on the other hand, adds that she is “proud to be Brent’s girl”.

“It is nice to know you can find someone who makes your world happier. Sharing positivity, that is what our relationship is based on.”

And, that is exactly how Brent and Eve hope to influence others with their relationship. “I would hope that people could see the positivity in our relationship and how we live life to the fullest,” Brent said. For Eve, Brent elevates the happiness and makes it a better place for the two. “That is the type of relationship I hope we show to others,” Eve signs off.

If there is any consolation for all the singles reading this on Valentine’s Day, remember that Chaucer’s poem ends with the birds failing to find their mates and deciding to try again next year.

Brent: I can’t tell you an exact moment, but when you get to know her you realise what a nice pure person she is. She’s incredibly giving and warm hearted and who wouldn’t fall for that!