[speaker001:] Hi, Bob, everything okay?
[speaker002:] More or less. There's just one thing bothering me.
[speaker001:] Oh? What's that?
[speaker002:] Well, you know I have some students studying for their master's degree. One of them tried to give me a gift that kinda made me uneasy.
[speaker001:] What gift?
[speaker002:] It's an Egyptian carpet. The student came to my office the other day and brought the carpet to show his gratitude. Seeing what gift was, I was really uncomfortable. I mean it's too expensive a gift for a student to give a professor. I don't think I've done anything to deserve that gift, so I refused it.
[speaker001:] You refused the gift? That's terrible.
[speaker002:] I know, but I really can't accept such an expensive gift. I explained to him why, but he seemed really upset about it. I think he might have taken it the wrong way.
[speaker001:] Perhaps. He probably thinks you considered the gift a bribe for a higher grade.
[speaker002:] That's what I am worried about. I do understand the respect attached with the gift and I am honored. But I really don't think it's proper for a student to spend a fortune on a gift for a professor. I think we need to have a talk to make sure we are on the same page.