A Walk in the Park, Book 2

Chapter 1 - The Interview

STOP...PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'VE READ A Walk in the Park prior to starting A Walk in the Park Book 2. Enjoy!

Oprah: Hello Everyone! It's been 17 years since we checked in with Prince Rogers Nelson and A LOT has changed in his life. He is newly married to his beautiful wife Isabella, adopted his wife's two handsome boys, Thad and Sebastian, and has twin baby daughters, Bella Haven and Mina Reign. [chuckling] Prince has a much different lifestyle than we're used to seeing. His days are filled with school carpool, diaper changes and his soulmate love he never counted on finding. Stay tuned...we're catching up with him, his wife and family at his Minneapolis home right after these messages.

Commercial Break

Oprah: We're back with Prince Rogers Nelson, thank you for being here. [giggling] It feels so weird to not give you a big introduction and to see a big entrance from you...you're just already sitting here with me and ready to talk.

Prince: [smirking] Did you expect me to be jumping on the sofa? But seriously, my more simple ways are a testament to my lovely wife who has taught me all about the simplicity of life, so all that crazy fan fair...we can leave that to other celebrities.

Oprah: But you still consider yourself a very private person, correct?

Prince: [smiling] Oh yes...I'm still a very private person and I gladly provide that privacy and protection to my family's as well. For you though, this interview is no holds bar, so you can feel free to ask anything you'd like.

Oprah: So I'm going to ask the first big question that is on everyone's mind...how did you meet your wife? Because this marriage and family seemed to pop up overnight.

Prince: [HUGE smile on his face]

Oprah: Look at that smile! [laughing] When I spoke to Isabella today...you know I have to say she is different in every way than any woman that you've ever been married to or dated...and honestly I can see why you're so smitten. So tell us how did the two of you meet?

Prince: [blushing and rubbing his bottom lip with two fingers] She is a dream isn't she?! On a Friday afternoon last fall, I went for a walk in the park across the street from Paisley and she was there playing with her two sons. We got to talking and BOOM...I just kind of knew I had to get to know her more. One of the things I loved about us meeting was that she didn't know who I was at first. I appreciated her getting to know the real me, at least for a very short period, not Prince the singer or musician, just me.

Oprah: Who did she think you were?

Prince: I originally introduced myself as Mr. Rogers who lives in Chanhassen.

Oprah: [laughing and shoving his knee] Like the neighborhood Mr. Rogers? I love it...you didn't even give her your first name. How did you eventually tell her?

Prince: Nope, no first name. The day I met her we just walked around the lake and talked as her boys played. She then shared that she was going to take some still photos of her boys at the park the next day, so I squirmed my way in by offering to take photos of the three of them. Then I asked her if they would join me for dinner afterwards. When we met up the next day for these plans, it was a warm fall day that started to turn into a cool fall evening. We ate dinner at the park but I then asked her back to Paisley for dessert because it got a little chilly.

The way that I told her my name was...well, first off Isabella has a really good sense of humor, she loves to banter. I leveraged that when I told her who I was. I snatched my sunglasses off and said, 'My name is Prince and I am funky.'

Oprah: [laughing] Was she excited to meet Prince?

Prince: No...not at all. [laughing] She was more taken aback and shocked that it was me as she said that she couldn't believe that she met the soundtrack to her youth. There was a bit of leeriness to come back to Paisley for dessert, so these are reasons that I knew she was in it for me and not who I was. I actually had to remind her that I was just a guy she met at the park and that we enjoyed one another's company. So it took some prodding to get her to come back to Paisley.