in two languages. I even know how to say I love you in Arabic: I think it’s ‘ana bahabek kteer’ or something like that.”

“And how do you say dear or darling?”

“That’s easy! It’s ‘habibi.’ It really means ‘beloved.’”

“Then ‘Ha-bi-bi, ana ba-ha-bek kteer’ means ‘Darling, I love you!’ Is that right?” Rich struggled with the sound of the tongue twisting words. “God, I’m speaking Arabic!”

“More like killing it,” Joseph laughed. He then asked, “Habibi, when are we going to finish up here? I have something I want to do. If we have the time I think that on the way to the apartment would be a perfect opportunity. As long as I’m going to have all this extra money, there is something I would like to buy for you and I want to go shopping.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Rich protested. “Like I told you yesterday, you already have given me the greatest gift you could give, and that is enough.”
“No, I want to get you something special to remember me by. Something that, when you look at it, will bring back the memory of the wonderful time we spent together. A small token, something that you could wear or carry,” Joseph thoughtfully said.

“Oh that is so sweet.” Richard grinned, “but only if we do this together. Let’s pick out matching gifts, something that will bind us together, a symbol of our togetherness. Something that we could wear and that when we touched it…it would be like touching each other. Do you have any ideas?”

“That is just the sort of thing I was trying to visualize. I had thought of perhaps a ring, but I don’t like rings on my fingers or any jewelry that’s too feminine. Besides, some people might ask questions that I’m not ready to answer yet,” he said while scratching his G.I. haircut.

“Hey, I have it!” Rich exclaimed. “How about matching neck chains? They are simple, yet they are symbolic and we can wear them all the time, even when we bathe. Then later on when you are out of the army and if we are still together, we could add some charms or a locket. A nice thick gold or silver chain to symbolize our being ‘chained’ together, what do you think?”

“Chained together, yes, what a great thought,” he said, “and it’s not like I will be wearing jewelry, after all I do have to wear my dog tags. It’s not that unusual for a guy to wear a chain, and no one will think twice seeing it about my neck. Many of the men in my company wear chains with crosses or other things hanging from them. That’s a great idea! Fantastic! Let’s do it.”

They worked till the end of the party and then collected their pay and their share of the gratuities. To Joseph, it was the easiest money he had ever earned, and after Richard had selected a nice take-out dinner for them to eat later, the two of them went looking for a gift shop. They strolled along the village streets hand in hand. There were many boutiques and gift shops on the way home. Almost every block