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by now you would see me as more than a guest. I thought, perhaps, we were friends at the very least.”
     
    “Yes, we are friends, but...”
     
    “Some people like to make a show of how much they appreciate their friends from time to time. You are a very good person, Grace, I could see that from the day I met you. You have time for me, you stop to talk to me and you are the only one in this hotel who truly seems to care about my well-being. I see that as friendship and, true, we only see each other once a year, but your company means a lot to me.”
     
    “And yours does to me, I really mean that Mr. Iglesias, but I still feel your gesture is too generous, I could never show mine like that. I can't buy you expensive presents in return.”
     
    “But, I bought the suit to help you convince the people here. If you saw Mikey before he arrived, you wouldn't have stood a chance.” He started laughing and I could just imagine Mikey coming straight off the building site, covered in dust and dirt with a sweaty face and not having remembered to change. I laughed too.
     
    “You know, Grace, I have a lot of money so I can afford to spend even three times what I did. Believe me. But I was moderate. I only did enough to help a friend. As for the ring, I know hotel policy but to hell with that. This is a gift from one friend to another and had nothing to do with the hotel. If you accept it, you accept it because you are my friend and not because you did a good job of greeting me at the reception desk. Agreed?”
     
    “But, Mr. Iglesias...”
     
    “Agreed,” his voice was a little louder, but still friendly.
     
    “Agreed,” I said in a little voice. It was the first present I'd received in, I don't know how many years, from anyone. Not even Mikey remembered my birthday and he knew I wasn't into Christmas presents. The last thing I remember receiving was a necklace from my Dad. I was thirteen and he said it was my Mom's and to look after it.
     
    I got up and kissed Mr. Iglesias on the cheek.
     
    “Thank you, Mr. Iglesias. I will look after this and treasure it because it came from my very good friend.”
     
    He smiled warmly at me and nodded. I left the room with watery eyes.
     
    I rushed along the corridor and straight into Miss Poole.
     
    “Careful, Grace. I could have been a guest. What have you got there?”
     
    “Just something of mine.”
    “I hope you have not been accepting gifts from our guests. You know the rules.” She looked over the top of her glasses at me.
     
    “Yes,” I nodded. “I know the rules.”
     
    I hurried away, thinking to myself, 'Rules sometimes get broken.'
     
     

7
    I went over to Mikey’s apartment Saturday afternoon. I had the suit with me. I figured he may as well have it, you never know when he might need a smart suit one day. Frank and Stewie were out, and Mikey answered the door in just a towel.
     
    “I'm sorry, I caught you at a bad time,” I said, wondering if I should back away. It wasn't too far to go back to my apartment.
     
    “Don't be silly, come on in. I was just shaving.”
     
    “Oh go ahead, I won't stay long.” I was still holding the bag and Mikey beckoned me to follow him to the bathroom.
     
    It smelled nice in there. A manly but perfumed fragrance and still very warm from the shower he must just have had. I took off my thick jacket and leaned against radiator while Mikey filled the sink with water and smeared shaving cream onto his face. He shook his razor into water and started running it down his chin. I could see his reflection in the mirror and I could see the muscle definition in his arms and back.
     
    His shoulders were wide and I suppose the manual work had helped him become so muscular. I never knew him to work out at a gym or anything.
     
    “So, what you up to today, Grace? You wanna hang out?”
     
    “I could do that.  I'm on the late shift tonight so I don't have to go in until eight so, yeah we can hang out.” I pulled at the neck