
First he explained that it had been a small odyssey finding this gift. He had been looking for it for years, and recently found it on two on-line catalogues in Australia; but his orders were cancelled in both cases because they didn't have the item in stock. Finally he bought it from an eBay merchant in the States, who sent it by express post to ensure arrival before Christmas (it arrived on Christmas Eve). After all that effort, Mark hoped that I would like it, but he didn't expect me to cry. He knew, at that moment, that it had all been worth it.