I asked if he wanted a drink and he said sure so I called us an uber and we went down to my favorite gay bar. I order my usual drink, which is top-she...lf bourbon, and he offers to pay for both of ours because I got the uber. Ok. As he puts the change back in his wallet he says that $26 in change was the last of his last $40. I just took a drink and tried to smile. We sat and talked a bit but every time I’d ask him things like “what do you like to do?” or “what keeps you busy?” I’d get “not much”. It isn't often true even whenpeople say that somebody "was born to be" one thing or another. It reallyis just a figure of speech, isn't it? In Bob's case, however, it was truebeyond his, or anyone else's expectations. In the first few hours of thatvery first Friday, amidst the welter of avid shoppers and their smallchildren, often frazzled beyond words, Bob Richards became the Christmaself. Shy children, tired children, fretful children, even terrifiedchildren were calmed by Merry, the elf. For. I walked down the stairs and bounced in to the living room and all the faces turned to look at me. They weren’t admiring looks though, in fact most look quite startled. One even said, “Beccy, I thought there was a dress code?” I followed her gaze and looked straight at Beccy who looked less than amused and at that moment I realised I had made a bad mistake. “Sssorry,” I stammered. It didn’t help. “Laura,” Beccy said sternly, “What did I tell you about how to dress?” I flinched. “Sorry Beccy,. However, with every step that brought them closer together, the more the American began to notice about the European beauty. Her scent for example, was intoxicating and so unlike those which belonged to women he would usually meet in the running of his day to day life. There was no stink of disinfectant or the reeking odour of an overpowering perfume around her, only the tangy aroma of what he guessed to be Gunpowder hidden beneath a sheet of fragrances that reminded him of the forests he grew.