By Ava Simone Collier

“I remember when I first saw Tanya. I said, ‘Wow! She looks good!’ ” Corey Lucas is smiling from ear to ear as he recalls the first time he laid eyes on Tanya. As I sit across from Tanya, I can easily understand Corey’s reaction. Tanya is beautiful and reminds me so much of Halle Berry when she played a flight attendant in the film, Executive Decision. How amazing is it that Tanya Lucas is also a flight attendant. Corey and Tanya Lucas currently live in Orlando, Florida and both work for Southwest Airlines. They’ve been married for 12 years and have three children, Jazmyne, 19, Elijah, 10 and Cortany, 5. Tanya has worked for Southwest Airlines as a flight attendant for eight years and Corey has been with Southwest for 15 years and currently works there as a Provisioning Supervisor. Tanya is laughing now at Corey’s reaction and adds, “I remember thinking that he looked really good to me, too!” Yes, love was definitely in the air between these two.

Tanya says that their love began because she saw Corey’s heart and not what he had. “I was a single mother at the time. He didn’t have a lot in his apartment and that didn’t matter. I saw his heart. He was my prince charming. I didn’t have a lot of good male role models in my life. When Corey came along, he was different. He was from the south and he was a real man. Until this day, I know that I am safe. We don’t need the best cars or houses; I’d rather feel safe and he makes me feel that way. I feel that my heart is safe with Corey. I still get butterflies!” Corey says it always feels like a date. “The flame is still burning for her after all these years.” Tanya says that even with their jobs, they still try to arrange their schedules so that they can spend time together even without the kids. “Most couples don’t have enough quality time together. We don’t go to the movies; instead we may stay in and watch a movie together at home.” Corey says that romance is important to women. “When I want to keep Tanya for myself, I plan a trip. When I need time alone with her, I take her away from everyone and do the one-on-one. We leave the kids with my mom or their Godmother and get away.” Both Tanya and Corey agree that it takes a village to raise a child and they credit their dear friend, Diann Smith, for being there for them. “She’s like a second mom to the kids and takes them to church and keeps them when we need time for ourselves,” says Corey. “One of the reasons we love working for Southwest is because it allows us to have flexibility in our schedules and spend time with each other and our families,” Tanya says. “Home comes first and Southwest supports that.”

“Tanya understands that as a supervisor I’m required to go in on a moment’s notice,” says Corey. He continued, “I like spending time with my family but she understands when I have to go. She’s a flight attendant and can change her schedule more than I can.” Tanya agrees that it’s great to work for the same company because she knows the demands of Corey’s job. She’s now speaking about their individual roles in their marriage. “There are certain things that Corey brings to the marriage that he’s better at than I am and there are certain things that I’m better at. We support each other. It’s important to know your role in the marriage,” Tanya states. Corey comments on reconciling differences between them. “If we have a conflict, I walk away. It’s like working on a car and you can’t figure it out; you walk away from it and come back. I do this in my marriage. We disagree, but we always come back and resolve our issues. Women remember everything and will bring it up later. Don’t let the issues go unattended.” Tanya adds, “I’m home for ten days sometimes and two or three days away is a good thing. A little absence sometimes makes the heart grow fonder. A little time away is a good thing sometimes.” Corey adds that finances can be a major cause of problems. “Educate yourselves in finances. I try to keep out of debt. Be truthful about your finances at the beginning of a relationship. Honesty is so important.”