‘Merlot’ From NC

As a simple and uncomplicated black man from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, my unexpected career opportunity in London, England was frightening. Yet, that being said, still a beautifully explorational process to explore. See, ever since I was a child, ‘knee-high’ to a grasshopper, I fixated with the idea of once in my lifetime visiting, ‘The Big Smoke’. I longed to hear ‘proper’ English spoken the way it was designed to be approached into the ear cavity. I dreamt of devouring ‘fish and chips’, in a newspaper, by the River Thames. Now, as a fairly young man, not only am I getting that chance to visit this ‘gem of a city’, I have also acquired the opportunity to work and reside here as well. And now that I am a little older than that ‘dreaming kid’, I may even partake in a hefty pint of beer, to accompany my ‘street food’ by the river? My arrival at Heathrow airport was hectic to say the least. Never in my life have I ever been to a city so grand and I must also be completely frank with you; never in my life have I even witnessed a subway system, and now I find myself hopelessly and clumsily trying to navigate this elaborate system alone, with a plethora of Samsonite bags. (Later, I would find out from someone that arriving at Heathrow airport was much less of a hectic struggle than the further away, Gatwick airport.) Nevertheless, I found my way to my small, yet, stylish ‘flat’ near Trafalgar Square, in central London. I was greeted by a ‘smartly’ dressed doorman. (And yes, as luck would have it, I lived but only a minute walk from my apartment to my beloved river below!). Greeted by the doorman, he says, “ It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Frankfort. Here are your keys to your new ‘flat’. Would you care for any help with your bags, sir ”? I answered him puzzled.... “ How did you know my name and who I was? “ He answered back in a deep British accent, “ Sir, this building is own by your company and 100% of the tenants in this building are occupied by your corporation’s counterparts. It is my job to know every face and name of each individual residing here and to make sure that each person is provided for adequately. And if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask.” I replied gratefully, “ Ok, I appreciate that, but I am just going to go upstairs and rest a bit....but, thank you.” As I was tirelessly inching toward the elevator, the doorman briskly walks up to me from behind and utters, “ By the way, sir, forgive me, but I forgot to give you this letter and a bottle of perfectly-aged merlot left for you. I replied, “ Kool, probably just a ‘welcome gift’ from the corporation or something, thanks? ” As I made my way into my apartment, I gazed out of my window at the perfect view of the River Thames. As I sat down and placed the bottle of wine on the counter, I glanced at the letter. It read, ‘ Welcome to London, ‘Merlot’. You not only have you followed your dream and claimed it, you have surpassed ever aspect of this said dream. This was a dream that most could not even fanthom coming from a tiny city on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Someone as beautifully, ‘dark and smooth’ as a merlot, should only sip on the best of such. After you freshen up, meet me downstairs at the bar with the bottle of wine, I will posses the wine glasses for us to drink and ‘catch up’. I will be anticipatingly waiting on your presence, ‘Merlot’❤️ ‘. Now, two things that you may not know about me, is that I don’t know a soul in this city and most importantly, the nickname given to me by my much older cousins, as that kid dreaming of a life in London, was affectionately known as, ‘Merlot’. ( This was because of the dark rich complexion of my skin. Only someone from my neighborhood would know of this nickname? ) So, I hurriedly showered, dressed and gotten on an elevator to the bottom floor. At the entrance of the door of the bar downstairs, wearing my favorite black suit, I grasped this great bottle of wine and the notion of whom this could be? Then, right there, at the end of the bar with two wine glasses, sat ‘Monica’, my very first ‘crush’ in middle school. She looked beautiful as ever and smiled seductively as she said, “Good evening, ‘Merlot’. I guess that you are wondering what I may be doing here in London? I know that it has been a considerable amount of time, since we communicated with each other last. But, when I ran across your name and picture on your resumé, I had to have your talent and friendship on my team. I have lived here in London for quite some time and to have someone that I care for from home, here on my team, would be an absolute blessing.” Still confused, yet pleasantly surprised by this meeting, I asked, “ Monica, wow.... I really missed you and where have you been all of these years? Wait... and how did you come across my resumé ? ” She smiled even bigger as she answered, “ Well, I am not the CEO of the company, but I have a little pull here. Two things, that bottle of Merlot that you are holding in your hand, is not only made by the company that you work for, but it is partly owned by me. Strangely enough, I too had desired dreams of far away lands. I am the ‘majority’ stockholder of the company, ‘Merlot’.” Winking at me she says, “ So, why don’t you have a seat next to me, find us a corkscrew and let’s drink, catch up and celebrate? ” I asked her jokingly, “ Is this finally going to be considered our ‘first date’ or is ‘fraternizing’ not allowed in the company? ” She replied as she grab my hand, “ I own the company, ‘Merlot’, so, we can call this whatever we like and I would love the idea of this being considered our first date. I missed you deeply ”. I just shook my head, realizing that the world is much smaller than we know.....and unfathomable dreams can actually become reality.....if you just believe in the ‘dark richness’ of it all.