I met Spencer unexpectedly during a day party in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had recently relocated to the area and my cousin Rhonda invited me to spend the day with the ladies. Initially, I was not interested, however with a little nudge I decided to put on my dancing shoes and head out to Solas Lounge. When I arrived, I was unable to locate Rhonda so I sent her a text and found a spot to the side until she responded. While I was waiting, Spencer and Trey approached me and asked, "Why are you standing alone?". I proceeded to tell them that I was waiting on my cousin Rhonda and they both responded by saying, "Oh yeah, we know Rhonda!". While they continued to make their claim and tell me where she was, Rhonda approached, gave them the side eye, and said "Ashley, let's go". It was apparent that Rhonda had no clue who they were so I said bye, laughed, and walked away.

As the day progressed, Rhonda's friend and I walked over to the bar. Spencer approached me to start a conversation (run his game) and offered to buy me a drink. I told him that I just moved to the area and he responded by saying, "Let me show you around Raleigh". We exchanged numbers and we parted ways again.

The party was coming to a close and I received a text from Spencer asking if I would like to grab a bite to eat. I was a little hesitant at first and told him that we were walking out of the door. Spencer offered to meet me outside so I agreed to see what he was talking about. When Spencer approached, Rhonda asked him 1,000 questions which consisted of but not limited to; Where do you live? Do you have a job? Are you married? What do you do? Do you drive? Do you have children? Where are you taking my cousin? After the interview, I felt so bad for Spencer I agreed to walk with him to 42^nd Street Oyster Bar.

We hit it off immediately, and I was very impressed by his accomplishments and his goals. After dinner, we went to another spot and our conversation continued. As the day came to an end, Spencer proceeded to walk me to my car and stated that he rode to the party with his friends and was unsure if they were still downtown. Although we had a great time, I was still hesitant about him getting into my car. I expressed my sympathy regarding his ride, told him thank you for a great evening, and rolled out. I think I waved as I drove off.

I met Ashley during a post engagement celebration for a close friend in downtown Raleigh.  I was hesitant to attend the event given a hectic work week, but decided it would be nice to fellowship with the fellas.  I arrived at the event with my crew and proceeded to the rooftop to check out the scene.  The party had a nice vibe and the music was straight for the most part.

I was posted at the bar with my close friend Frank and we were discussing details for an upcoming golf tournament. Mid-conversation I noticed an extremely pulchritudinous woman out the corner of my eye and thought to myself, she don't know my name like Alicia Keys. So I proceeded to ask, "Why are you standing in the corner by yourself?" Ashely informed me that she was waiting for her cousin Rhonda. Frank and I proceeded to play along as if we knew who she was. We told her, we saw Rhonda on the second floor and maybe she should look for her there. We were laughing pretty hard at this point and out of nowhere Rhonda approached us and took Ashley with her back to the VIP section.

I kept my eye on Ashley as the party progressed. I played it cool and waited for another opportunity to speak with her. She eventually came back to the bar. I offered to buy her a drink and she began to tell me more about her background. After learning she was new to the area I offered to show her the city. She agreed and we exchanged math.

I asked her towards the end of the party if she wanted to do dinner.  She agreed and we met after the party, but I ran into some resistance from Rhonda. Luckily I passed a thorough background check from Rhonda and we proceeded to 42nd Street Oyster Bar.  Frank sent me a text saying he was leaving and I let him know I was going to stay downtown.

During our walk to the restaurant, Ashley had a unique aura about her which kept me intrigued. She ordered the scallops and didn't offer me any - they looked good too.  We had an excellent conversation over dinner and really took time listening to each other.  She was up to speed on current events and we had strong chemistry.  She told me all about her glory cheerleading days and how her squad became MEAC champs.  I told her about my golfing expertise, but could tell she was skeptical.  What I admired most from our conversation at dinner was her altruism, intoxicating laugh, and passion for family. 

I eventually walked her back to her car and realized the way my ride was setup I was stranded.  I explained to her how my car was in Cary, which was like three exits away from where she was headed, but she told me goodnight and for me to let her know when I made it home safely. She drove off and I was thinking I better download this Uber App.  Luckily for me I knew some other people downtown and was able to secure a ride home.

When I made it home I sent her a text and let her know it doesn't take a whole day to recognize sunshine. She probably thought I was playing Reindeer Games like Rudolph, but I had marriage on my menu.