After a light lunch, I went upstairs to wrap a few more presents. I’d wondered about getting something for Tom and Cliff. Eventually Mark and I had decided to get them a watercolour of the Yorkshire Dales that we’d seen in an antiques shop. I didn’t recognise the artist, but the shopkeeper assured me she was local. Rather than trusting the postal service, we’d decided to hand over the gift when Tom and Cliff came to visit. Me being me, I’d worried that our friends would be embarrassed if they didn’t have anything to give us. Mark had smiled, told me not to worry, and called Tom and Cliff to explain what we’d decided. Turned out, Cliff had had the same idea about waiting until the thirtieth, and Cliff—like me—was worrying about possible embarrassment if the gift exchange was one-sided.
Aft
