‘Thank you for letting me come. And for…’ she bites her lip, staring at me, and I turn to look at her. She kisses me. Again, almost without pass...on or lust. She simply pushes her lips to mine and holds them there. Her hand comes up and touches my cheek through my beard. And suddenly all I can feel is that this is someone who I am close to, who has mattered to me and who matters to me now. I kiss her back, pushing forward so that she lies back on the bed. I follow, crouching over her. We finish. I feel great. The showers at the club are magnificent and the barber pampered me with a hot towel and a straight razor shave. My face feels alive and glowing. As I walk, the hand-made wing-tips cradling my feet make the sidewalk feel like a sponge, the silk pants feel like pajamas on my skin, and the cotton shirt fits like a second skin and moves easily with me. The electric turquoise tie I’m wearing contrasts sharply with the charcoal-gray pinstripe suit and white, button-down oxford shirt. I. Yes the theme was red, and I loved it. Such a bold color. I cashed into the register, swiftly counting out 300 hundred dollars and following all the little necessary procedures. So many little receipts to be initialed or signed, but then again, money was serious, and since the bookstore was doing so well, it was double as important to keep up security measures. When I was done and started asking the customers if they were finding everything ok, it was 8:30 so no big crowds, this beautiful boy. Denise was good about it, and worked with me. In return I picked up some more of the girls’ expenses, including music lessons and a piano. Christmas was special. We celebrated Christmas an an extended family. I’d come over early, and we’d have a big family breakfast and open all the presents together. I really went all out to make sure the girls got their favorite items. At six and eight years old, they were still young enough to have simple wants, and the magic of Christmas was as real as it.