An Ode To My First Gent

A flashback to a chilly evening in mid-August, 2025.

I was so new to this world. My directory listings had only gone live less than a week earlier.

After a flurry of text messages, we made a simple plan: meet at six o'clock, find somewhere for food and wine, and see where the evening took us.

We'd briefly said hello over a video call beforehand, and I had a good feeling about him.

Even so, I was terrified.

I hadn't come from this world, nor had I ever gone through a particularly promiscuous phase in my life. Everything about it felt completely unfamiliar to me.

Truthfully, I wasn't even sure whether I'd be able to go through with my first booking.

One of my earliest pictures ever taken as Maxine

At exactly six o'clock, he arrived where I was waiting.

After wandering for a few minutes, we settled on a cosy wine and oyster bar a few streets away.

As we chatted, he placed the full donation for our dinner date on the table between us and carefully counted the notes out in front of me.

"I can tell you're inexperienced from your texts," he smiled.

Then, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world, he asked,

"Where would you like to eat? I'm not pressed for time. I've brought extra cash in case we decide to extend."

Outwardly, I smiled at him.

Internally, I felt completely speechless.

Is this really how this works?

A single thought settled into my mind.

I want to make tonight a date he'll always remember...

Outside, the Melbourne air was crisp, and we were both bundled up in winter clothes.

Just be yourself, I reminded myself.

Treat it like a real date... but just five times the effort and charm.

"I like your style," he said to me as I pulled on my oversized grey flannel coat over my dress and slipped into my boots.

"Very girl next door."

We spent the evening over glasses of red wine, fresh oysters, and followed by a Japanese dinner with a delectable sashimi platter.

He was a young gentleman, originally from Scotland, with a background in hospitality. Having run restaurants since his teens, he knew exactly how to order from a menu.

Conversation between us flowed effortlessly.

We spoke about our shared experience of growing up between Eastern and Western cultures. I caught him up on the Melbourne–Sydney rivalry. He told me how he'd found success in the stock market while still young, what it was like running restaurants from such a young age, and, eventually, how companionship had enriched his life for the better.

"I found this world many years ago," he told me.

"I've met so many interesting people through it."

Then he paused before adding something I'll never forget.

"It's the single best investment I've ever made into myself."

As we left the restaurant, I realised something had shifted.

The fear and nerves I'd carried into the evening had quietly made room for a new curiosity to grow.

Maybe there really was something beautiful about this world after all.

Afterwards, we returned to my place.

At the time, I genuinely didn't know whether it was appropriate to invite a client into my personal apartment (I don’t do this at all anymore by the way, in case you were wondering). And I had plans to move soon at the time anyway, so I trusted my instincts.

His eyes landed on the framed pictures in my room.

"The Tree of Life... and the feather," he said softly.

"A sacred symbol."

"A good omen."

My heart was still racing.

Can I really do this?

Yet because we'd already spent hours getting to know one another over dinner, what unfolded afterwards didn't feel awkward or forced.

It felt... natural.

Like the most ordinary date in the world.

Before he left, he looked me straight in the eyes.

"I know you're new to this."

"Which is why I want to give you a high standard from the very beginning, so you never settle for anything less."

Then he smiled.

"You're going to be very good at this."

At the time, I didn't quite know what to make of those words.

But I knew I believed him.

Over the months that followed, we shared many more dates together—always extended ones, as he had a particular fondness for dinner dates.

He would take me to some of Melbourne's most beautiful restaurants, and from time to time, he'd surprise me with pink roses.

We had the most incredible dinner date at Reine and La Rue together

Along the way, he taught me the etiquette of companionship: the little courtesies before, during, and after a date, the importance of making someone feel genuinely welcome, and the unspoken dos and donts that no one ever writes down, but somehow matter the most.

Eventually, he returned home to the UK.

Now, almost a year on, I still think about him often.

Looking back, I realise just how fortunate I was that he happened to be my very first client.

He set the standard for the kind of companionship I wanted to create and be a part of.

And today, I can see that so much of the companion I've become, and the way I approach companionship, was shaped by those early dates with him.

I honestly don't think I'd be the same Maxine I am today without his gentle guidance and kind encouragement.

He believed in me long before I fully believed in myself.

—

Dear client, if you ever happen to read this...

I hope you know what a genuinely lovely human being you are.

Thank you for giving a very nervous girl such a beautiful introduction to this world.

I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

— Maxine x

♥️