The string falls loose, and he goes to work on the paper.

"Wouldn't know what to do with a gold watch anyway," he says. His tone's dry, but there's a hint of long-forgotten humor that stirs beneath the words.

He gets the paper to rip, and pulls it open to look down at the gift. Words fail him for a second as he studies the warm-looking scarf in a deep blue plaid, the gloves, and the denim jacket lined with sheepskin.

"Thanks," he says, finally, and looks up at his best friend. "I mean it."