Christmas Story
We've already been to the funeral parlour to pay respects to Sue Tyseck dead from an overdose but finally decided to go out on a frosty night to Saint Willibrord’s Church for the memorial mass,walking along Verdun Avenue in the dark expecting to see mass displays of xmas lights along the way,but there seems less than there used to be,a lot less on the Avenues once reknown for being ablaze with outdoor xmas displays
Outside the Metro Verdun station a crowd of people-maybe fifty of them-lining up in front of a Sally Ann emergency foodbank van for the discard food being given out in IGA plasticbags
Liz was shocked,seeing this for the first time
“Its getting that bad?”
Later some of the same people showed up in the church still carrying their IGA plastic food sacks looking dazed and not too brightly lit
“They’re the druggies that lived in the same building as Sue”said Elsie who was the first to show for the memorial mass and then Kelley and baby daughter in secondhand snowsuit and husband with stutter and missing front teeth
We nod hello sitting there in one of the pews listening to the echoing microphoned voice of Father Joseph Cameron quoting the prophet Elijah in a ritualistic drone when suddenly he announces-“This is going to sound strange,but the washrooms are downstairs and to your right”
The druggies took the hint and start shuffling out baggetty raggetty down the aisle stopping to say goodbye to Kelley and baby daughter while clutching their IGA food sacks and suddenly it’s a scene from the xmas story with the three not so wisemen blessing the child
“Away in the manger,no crib for a bed”
Sue Tyseck name gets mentioned by Father Joseph Cameron along with a long echoing list of other lost souls and then the regular parishioners line up to take communion with no visible change of expression before or after eating the wafer that’s been transformed miraculously by the mass into the body of Christ
No doubt the druggies might have stayed longer if that miracle had produced frenchfries and gravy instead of a wafer so thin you can see through it
Outside the Metro Verdun station a crowd of people-maybe fifty of them-lining up in front of a Sally Ann emergency foodbank van for the discard food being given out in IGA plasticbags
Liz was shocked,seeing this for the first time
“Its getting that bad?”
Later some of the same people showed up in the church still carrying their IGA plastic food sacks looking dazed and not too brightly lit
“They’re the druggies that lived in the same building as Sue”said Elsie who was the first to show for the memorial mass and then Kelley and baby daughter in secondhand snowsuit and husband with stutter and missing front teeth
We nod hello sitting there in one of the pews listening to the echoing microphoned voice of Father Joseph Cameron quoting the prophet Elijah in a ritualistic drone when suddenly he announces-“This is going to sound strange,but the washrooms are downstairs and to your right”
The druggies took the hint and start shuffling out baggetty raggetty down the aisle stopping to say goodbye to Kelley and baby daughter while clutching their IGA food sacks and suddenly it’s a scene from the xmas story with the three not so wisemen blessing the child
“Away in the manger,no crib for a bed”
Sue Tyseck name gets mentioned by Father Joseph Cameron along with a long echoing list of other lost souls and then the regular parishioners line up to take communion with no visible change of expression before or after eating the wafer that’s been transformed miraculously by the mass into the body of Christ
No doubt the druggies might have stayed longer if that miracle had produced frenchfries and gravy instead of a wafer so thin you can see through it
posted by davef at 8:41 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Dave,
Grew up just around the corner from you on 3rd Ave. My Aunt Agnes stil lives there at 321 and was probably at the mass with you. Sounds like not much has changed in all these years except the drugs that are everywhere. I knew your sister Virginia and was a year behind you. We got quite an education on the avenues didn't we!! I have read many of your articles lately and am familiar with your plays,,,,well done. I am sorry to here of your illness and pray that you will recover to the extent that you wish to. It seems that you carry much anger within you and wonder why you would let it remain there? Why do you let the class struggle rob you of your power? Just curious,,,,I mean no disrespect by my comments.
Take care,,,maybe we will meet next time I visit my Aunt.
Mike Stark
Mitakuye Oyasin
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