"We'll discuss that in November, in our miscellaneous lesson," Roy promised. "You know—November, the month you three are going to present me with a modest token of your appreciation for all that I've done for you."
"What can we get a man who has everything?" Tom asked half-seriously.
"Good point, Tom. Let's see. I've never been given a tip," Roy joked.
"Speaking of tips, you mentioned that you used to give them on the management of day-to-day finances. Can you pass along a few to those of us who do want to make the most of our discretionary money? As everyone knows, it's a job requirement in the teaching profession that you be thrifty—"
"Cheap," Tom corrected me.
"I thought it was also mandatory that, as a teacher, you marry a teacher. How did you get around that one?" Jimmy snickered.
"I'd be happy to give you some tips." Roy's readiness surprised me, considering his time constraints and his earlier claim that he no longer concerned himself with his pupils' handling of day-to-day money. "It's nice to hear from a person who understands the value of a hard-earned dollar." Roy paused to look smugly at James Murray before returning his attention to me. "I won't design a budget for you or teach you how to haggle, one of my specialties, but I will pass on a few rules of thumb.
"First, a dollar saved is two dollars earned." Roy didn't
just say this. He pronounced it. The shop fell silent.
"Think about the significance of that," he encouraged us, breaking the spell.
"I don't even understand it." Cathy spoke hurriedly,