I thought I would write about an amusing incident that happened when Nicholas, my neighbor, returned after two months in the UK visiting with his family, and I stopped by to give back the keys to his house that I had been checking for him and the accounting of the bills I had been paying for him.
He thanked me and then I saw a light flicker in his eyes when the realization hit him, that a present might have been appropriate.
And he rushed to his bedroom and came back with a tin of shortbread cookies and a tin of tea bags, four flavors.
I was amused and I wondered why I knew what was going through his head when it dawned on me : This was me too. At times when Rey would show up on a Sunday to help with chores around the house, I would be in the same dilemma. To show my appreciation with money was out of the question; that would be an insult to our friendship, so I, like Nicholas, had to find things that would show how grateful I was for his help. Luckily the Bennetts have supplied me every Christmas with bags and bags of chocolate goodies and this was what I used to give to Rey.
Realizing this, the incident was not that funny anymore, so I decided not to write about it.