Monique, MoMo, or Squashy, as I know her, was born and raised in Queens.

Mo and I met at Thomas Jefferson High School in my hometown of East New York. Mo was a Psychologist at the school and I was a Dean for one of the school's on the campus. If my memory serves me correctly, the first time Mo caught my eye was at an after work gathering. She was so beautiful, but I thought she was out of my league. Her confidence, sweet voice, beautiful eyes, big hair and amazing personality was very attractive to me. I found myself on the third floor of the school on a daily basis just to get a glimpse of her or to say "hi". While visiting her office on the third floor, I got to know her better and we became friends. Some people may say I became her guinea pig for her practice as she often gave me advice to get through certain situations.

Mo's passion for helping the children in East New York sparked a different type of love within me as I began to desire a "more than friends" type of relationship. However, Mo played hard to get and was often heard saying to other people "I don't date people at my job". But deep down, I knew she liked me.

With the help of amazing friends, we would set up gym time after work so that way, I could be closer to her and show her that I was more than just the flashy guy from East New York that she thought I was. During those times in the gym, Mo and I got closer and I learned that Mo was more than just a sophisticated pretty girl , she was goofy, funny, had a really nice physique and she was really, really clumsy. I knew that was the perfect time for me to make my move, so I invited her to a private session at my gym. From that day forward we have been inseparable.

Squashy became my best friend. It was hard keeping it a secret while at work because my colleagues noticed something different about me. I was so happy and proud that she was all mine. I couldn't hide my smile. I knew from the beginning that she was the one, she was the one I was going to marry. A real woman, always about her business, kind-hearted, with a "put everyone first" attitude and a love for children that completely melted my heart. I wanted to be the person that put HER first.

As Mo and my relationship blossomed, I learned that we had so much in common. We were both Pisces, had a love for traveling, and had grown up in single parent homes. We found what we were missing in each other. My craziness and her calm, cool demeanor made us the perfect match.

That's my Squashy.