The Duke And I, And A Glass Of Merlot

Well well well… I know you are dying to hear it. And I'm dying to tell it to you. As you can imagine, it was a date beyond my wildest dreams.  

Now that I am at ease about it, I can summon the words to describe it. Not during the date though. That was rainbows, butterflies, fireworks, blaze, snowfalls, volcano, lightning, and thunder! 

Before it all and as I pitched for it, I thought I could handle it well. I had interviewed several charming personalities before and had done great. But who could ever be ready for a date with a Greek god? 

The 82 million households that watched Bridgerton on Netflix can attest to this. 

I had picked the spot. A Tudor-style restaurant in a secluded part of town. It was nice, warm and cosy. It also had a sprawling garden with evergreen grass and trees with flowers in all colours. I felt it would be suitable as I wanted to imagine him in a different setting other than the Regency era that had so well suited him, or the modern era where he was already a reigning deity. 

The images had to be perfect. For this, the greatest contemporary photographer my agent could find accompanied me.

I had booked the sitting. A corner table for two next to the large windows. The natural lighting would look great on him I thought. The pink, yellow, purple, and white bougainvillea flowers rising through the windows would also make for a good backdrop. And I was right because the images they took were straight out of a magical wonderland. Prince Charming in real life. 

I intended for him to seat at the corner so that I could have him all for myself. And also for some privacy for him. I had only been granted three hours and I wanted it to be perfect. 

I was well aware that many would have climbed the highest mountains and storm sailed the seven seas to be in my position. I was going on a date with Rege-Jean Page and I wasn't taking any chances. 

I had also chosen the order. I had confirmed from his office and was given the go-ahead to do so. As long as it was diverse and healthy they said. It would also save us some time. He was a very busy man after all. 

For the brief evening date, I had selected a palate of bacon, Belgian sausages, Dutch waffles, Gouda cheese, natural sweet cream, homemade strawberry jam, and freshly baked buns with sim sim on the crust. 

A bowl of tropical fruits lay on the side. Kiwi, mango, and pineapple slices, dragon fruit cut in half, strawberries, papaya, melons, Pepino, strawberries, Pinkerton avocado, and grapes. A green pineapple crown was gloriously resting on the edge to symbolise a meal fit for a king. My date was after all royalty. 

Next to the plates, strawberry and vanilla ice cream was placed on ice while displayed in transparent bowls. 

I wanted the date to be healthy, yummy, and meaty. 

I also wanted it to have a dash of fun, ease, relaxation, and sexy. And that is why a glass of Merlot was the cherry on top. 

I was lost deep in thought wondering how I could improve the scenery when I heard shouts of his name and numerous camera flashes. Poor guy! He was already being stalked by the paparazzi. They had somehow found out about our date and had beat him to it. 

Before I could fully compose myself, I saw him being ushered in and led to our table. I was mesmerised. Heads were turning, whispers were flying…

The way this part plays in my head is straight out of a 1950's movie. The star had just appeared in his first scene. And he stole the show!  

"Gal I suppose." He said in his elegant British accent as he removed his African print mask. "I am Rege." He continued with a smile as he pulled his seat. 

"Welcome." I managed to mutter. 

I was already in awe. His beautiful dentation had captured all my attention. His scent was impeccable. Damn covid! I couldn't shake his hand. I imagine it would have felt as soft as luxurious silk. 

"Nice presentation," he said about the food. " I am going to dig into it. I am starving. Been working all day!" He continued as he prepared a plate for himself. 

I joined him. 

"Ask away." He promoted. "We don't have all evening do we?"

I had my topic prepared. 31 questions with Rege- Jean Page. I figured I would celebrate his success with the number of years that he had walked this earth. 

I would have preferred to just watch him, but I was there mainly for work. So I got straight into it. 

I asked about his upbringing in Zimbabwe. The wishes, hopes, and dreams he had as a child. His thoughts about the African continent. Thoughts about the entertainment industry in general, his plans for the future, talks about him playing James Bond, his love for Beyoncé, and his favourite song of hers...

He answered all my questions with grace, humility, wit, humour, wisdom, and tact. He was a man who carefully calculated his words. He also spoke with his hands and entire body which made it come out like a beautiful dance. What he couldn't, say he expressed. 

I thank God for my tape recorder. Otherwise, I could not have remembered most of what he was saying. I was too mesmerized watching him eat, speak and gesture that a lot of it escaped me during the moment. 

Also, pretending not to be too mesmerized was eating me up. 

The meal was going great. He seemed to be enjoying it as we explored his life, thoughts, opinions, hopes, and dreams. 

He reached out for the ice cream. I am not sure whether this part was all in my head, but what he did to that spoon, made me want my glass of Merlot badly!

I had rewatched the first season of Bridgerton the night before to be well informed on my questions. So the steaminess was fresh in my mind. And this was a distraction. A beautiful distraction nonetheless.

The service was quick to serve us our drinks. Thank goodness!

They came in these glasses that were in the shape of bottles but were wider at the top to prevent spilling when guests strolled the gardens. They also were wrapped in a strip of purple ribbon at the handle. They were like a gift. 

"Shall we stroll the beautiful garden? Take this outside?" He asked looking out of the window. 

I jumped at the first prompt. An evening stroll in a beautiful garden with Rege-Jean Page? Of course. Definitely. 100%.

We walked through the back door. Our glasses of Merlot in hand. 

"This is great wine he said. It's sweet enough to have that texture of candy and sour enough that you can still taste the rich ferment of grapes." 

I loved that. He had a way with words. 

"I hear they grow them in sunny Tuscany. They crush the grapes blend and mature the wine in the finest wineries," he added. 

I nodded. What could anyone have added to that? 

As excited as I was, I remembered to carry my pocket recorder. It was backup for my phone that had been running since he arrived. I might have been in paradise at this moment, but I was still working. 

Crickets were hopping in the grass, fireflies flashed, moths were being attracted to the garden lights. My date was pointing and naming the flowers and plants in between gentle swirls, shakes, and sips of his glass of Merlot. I loved to watch his lips lock the glass. Tactfully of course. It was beautifully elegant. And it came out so naturally. 

I asked for some more pictures of him in the garden. And a selfie of course for any doubting Thomas out there. We held out our glasses of Merlot and tossed to the date. I had frozen time and immortalised a wonderful moment. The image is on my social media as we speak. Some haters have already called it photoshop. 

I asked him about his ideal woman. What it felt like to be the object of desire for millions of women globally. We discussed the growth of his profile and what it meant for him. He expounded more on his assertions about progress that he had talked about recently in a sponsored content video. He told me about impact and his intentions for the world. We discussed potential failure and how he was prepared to handle it. I empathised with his situation with the paparazzi and I promised that my interviews with him would always be positive. 

It was getting darker. The crickets were getting louder and the shadows darker. I could see his assistant at a distance looking at his watch and pacing around. My goodness! The hours had gone quick. If I had a time machine, I would have made it stand still. 

The crowds were also gathering and the camera flashes and shouts of his name were getting louder too. We could hear it from where we were. And he was handling it with the grace that only he could. 

His assistant was approaching calculatedly. That was my cue. My time was truly up. I couldn't hold on to it any longer however much I wanted. 

My date sipped the last drop of his Merlot. 

"Mmmmmh." he let out as he smacked his lips. 

" Could I borrow a pen?" he asked his assistant. He faced away and seemed to scribble something while leaning on the log table next to him.

He then approached me and handed me his now empty glass of Merlot. 

"I have had a lovely evening. The place is cool. Beautiful garden. The snacks were sumptuous, the fruits refreshing and the wine was everything. I have made a mental note to get it for myself. Life is too short to not be enjoyed." He said with a smile. "I have got to go." He continued. " Thank you for your time miss Gal, and remember to keep it positive."

" Thank you," I said

"No thank you." he interrupted pointing at me. "I enjoyed our time."

He was too charming. 

"Oh, one more question." I interjected. "Beer or wine?" 

"A glass of Merlot." He said with a wink.

His assistant led the way as he followed him. I followed them trying to keep up. I couldn't. 

And just as he had magically appeared, he disappeared!

I looked down at the glass he had handed me. On the purple ribbon he had scribbled:

"To the most wonderful first date in the whole wide world. May we have many many more." RJP

I was over the moon. I was holding a glass of Merlot that had experienced the good grips, fingerprints, shakes, swirls, and wonderful lips of Rege-Jean Page. To top it all, it had a personal dedication. 

I am looking at it as we speak and I am grinning from ear to ear. I am thinking of putting it under lock and key. Only to be seen and not to be touched. I am the only girl in the whole world that has it. The images I took of the date and my autographed glass are my stamps that it actually happened and was not just a figment of my imagination. 

Some magical experiences can leave us feeling as though we were dreaming! 

You know what, I did share a glass of Merlot on a dream first date with Rege-Jean Page. 

And I just told you all about it!