The Meta Headset That Started Everything

A matchmaking plan that did not quite work

Before we ever properly spoke, our paths had already come close to crossing. Ishaq had tried to introduce us, and Hammed had even visited Imisi 3D while Hadeeart was working there, but somehow we never met. At the time, Hadeeart was firmly against being matched with anyone, so the idea did not go very far.

It is funny now because the people around us could see a possible connection before we were willing or able to see it ourselves. Still, nothing happened. Life moved on, and our story remained one of those near-misses that did not seem important yet.

Not every beginning announces itself. Ours sounded like an ordinary phone call.

Then came one very practical phone call

In December 2021, Ishaq asked Hadeeart to collect a Meta headset from Hammed. We were supposed to meet, but the in-person handover did not happen, so we spoke on the phone instead. That conversation became our actual beginning, not a date, not an introduction dinner, not a romantic confession, just a call connected to a piece of technology.

Hammed remembers being captivated by Hadeeart's voice. At the same time, he did not want to make assumptions about whether she would be interested in getting to know him, especially because she wore the hijab, so he did not pursue the moment. Hadeeart, for her part, had no idea that an ordinary call would later become one of the details we would keep returning to in our story.

What we like about this beginning is how unpolished it is. There was no cinematic sign telling us to pay attention. There was only a practical reason to speak and a tiny impression that stayed somewhere in the background.

The first meeting came later

We finally met in person in 2022 at Meta's Africa No Filter event. By then, we had already heard each other's voices and knew who the other person was, but even that meeting did not turn into a relationship. We spoke, connected and then continued with our separate lives because the timing still was not ours.

Years later, the headset has become one of our favourite symbols of how unexpectedly a story can begin. It reminds us that the moments that matter most are not always the ones we recognise immediately. Sometimes the important thing is simply that a door opens, even if neither person walks through it until much later.

So yes, somewhere in the origin story of our marriage is a Meta headset. We could not have planned a more “us” beginning if we tried.