Before there was Rome...

There was Pittsburgh...

I had just moved to Pittsburgh (August 2006)... Well I had been there for about 3/4 weeks.
K was in his second (and final) year of his MBA and I had heard his name so many times in church but was yet to meet him. A few weeks later, a couple in the church was getting married and I finally got to meet him, honestly with all the talk that I heard previously, I expected to be completely blown away - rather my initial reaction was "that's all ?"


I saw him often in church but we never exchanged more than the cursory hi.

Unknown to me Mr K had his eyes on me, but hadn't found the right occasion to talk to me and I wasn't really looking to be in a relationship either... 

Fast forward several months to February 2007, I had been invited by a mutual friend to a Black History month event. I went with two of my girl friends, who soon abandoned me at our table to dance... 

Enter Mr K. 
He comes over to my table, we make small talk and I ask if he would like to dance (apparently, that is what he came over to ask me!)

We dance and later as I left, we exchanged numbers... 

He calls later that week but I was about to take a nap, so I told him to call later, which he did. We talked for 77 minutes (yes, I remember, I'm pretty good with numbers, dates and the like).

Unknown to me, the K's entire family had heard about this girl that he was going to marry...
Yes, and I was still oblivious... 

I had my first ah ha moment when he was talking to one of his brothers on the phone, who then asked to say hi to me - the conversation went like this:

brother: I've heard so much about you 
me (thinking): hmmm is he being polite or has K really been talking about me (#random insert: K talks about me a lot. I never realized this until he moved to London, and I would come visit and people would be like , "o you're The K, he talks about you ALL the time", not from one or two people but everyone...) 
me: (cheerfully) good things I hope
brother: hope K is taking good care of you
me (completely confused as to why K would be taking care of me)
me: o he's a good friend
bro: nice talking to you, i'm looking forward to meeting you...

I later ask K what that was all about, and he promises to explain everything later when he takes me out for my birthday in about two weeks... 

stay tuned for the one about the birthday dinner...