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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2013-12-25, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, December 25, 2013 www.clintonnewsrecord.com NewsCl Record VOL. 152 – ISSUE 00 PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1 LO (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com SUN MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company L NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher nei I.cl ifford@sunmedia.ca GERARD CRECES Editorial cl inton. reporter@su nmedia.ca MAX BICKFORD Advertising Manager max.bickford@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative cl inton.ads@sunmedia.ca CHRISTY MAIR Front Office clinton.classifieds@sunmedia.ca Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographic error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada .43icna Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association How Mark and Gilbert spent Christmas To say Mark was down on his luck was a terrible understatement. It was not a good year. He got laid off at the plant, his car was barely hanging on to the few bolts that remained and worse still, he had just had the humiliation of going to the bank only to find he was already withdrawn past his limit. As he walked home empty-handed and heavy-hearted, he tried to think about some- thing, anything that would buy him some time and occupy his mind. Christmas was coming, and he was completely unprepared and completely broke. Work was scarce in Mark's little town, and what few jobs he could get were piecemeal, nothing that lasted longer than a few days. Hydro bills and rent ate up more than he brought in. Most of his bills were dangerously unpaid. And of course, there was Gilbert. Gilbert was Mark's pet cat. He found him one year ago, when his car had spun out on a lonely country road. The snow was falling constantly, and Mark's car was buried deep in the drifts. He was unable to open his door because of the drift, so he opened his passen- ger side window to see if he could make any- thing out in the snow. How a little kitten could find itself stranded atop a snowdrift in the middle of a blizzard, Mark never did find out. But, against all odds, there was a fuzzy little kitty, meowing for help. Mark didn't think twice. He pushed himself out the window and gingerly scooped it up, bundling it tight in his scarf before he climbed back into the car. Once it stopped shivering, the kitten looked up with the greenest eyes Mark had ever seen, gave a ferocious yawn and promptly feel asleep. They managed to stay warm enough until help arrived and have been together since. But that was then and this was now. Now, he was headed home with no money, no cat food and very little in his cupboards for himself. Mark kept the lights off as he entered the house, turned the lock, unplugged the phone and flopped onto the couch. All he wanted to do was sleep the rest of the day away. Truth be told, Mark was depressed. Christ- mas was always a tough time for him, with no family and few friends to visit. This year would be no different. There, in the dark, reflecting on all the Column Gerard Creces wrong things, Mark started to cry. He did so silently, though his body shook. He felt less than nothing. Suddenly, there came a little tug on his sleeve, and Mark looked down to see Gilbert, nudging his hand with his black and pink nose. He jumped up on the couch and snug- gled in tight, brushing his little whiskers against Mark's nose. For all his sorrows, and all his troubles, and all the weight of the world on his shoulders, Mark smiled for the first time in a while. "Thanks, Gilbert," he said. Gilbert just nuz- zled in tighter. The two fell asleep like that for some hours, until Mark's rumbling belly wakened them both. Mark had nothing in the fridge and only a few odd cans on the shelf. He opened a can of tuna, grabbed a fork, and headed back to the couch. Seeing Gilbert's empty dish, he called him over. No sooner did the cat get in Mark's lap than he began to lick at the tin. As hungry as Mark was, he portioned out some of the tuna into a bowl for himself and watched Gilbert stick his head in the tin, coming up with little bits of fish on his whisker tips. "At least we have this;" Mark said. "I prom- ise I'll get you some real food when I can." The smile faded from his face. Suddenly, the room seemed darker, and the reality of his situation struck him again. He set down the can, curled up in a ball and once more began to think terrible things. This continued through the next day. Mark woke up at noon to the cries of Gilbert, who was hungry and cold. He had not turned the heat on in a few weeks to save money. "I'm hungry too, Gilbert," he said. "We just have to wait a few hours " The two slept the afternoon away warm under the blankets. The rest of the apartment was freezing. Once again, Mark was rattled from his sleep by an urgent meow. "Okay, okay..." he said as Gilbert walked in circles. "I guess we can eat now." This time, Mark opened a can of beans for himself, and a can of tuna for Gilbert. Because he was desperately low on food, he gave the cat a quarter can, putting the rest in the fridge. Gilbert ate contentedly for the first time in 24 hours. Mark did the same. As the late afternoon sun faded in his sec- ond floor window, Mark turned on the lights, looked around and turned them back off. He sat in the dark for what seemed like hours before Gilbert poked around again. "I'm sorry, Gilbert, but you'll just have to wait until tomorrow," Mark said. It wasn't an easy thing to say. No matter how hard things had been this past year, there was always a lit- tle something left over to buy food for Gilbert. This time, however, Mark could count his remaining days on the pantry shelf. 'How do you explain that to someone who can't speak?' Mark thought. Almost as if he could read minds, Gilbert climbed into Mark's lap and nuzzled his face, licking the tip of his nose with a rough pink tongue. Once again, things got a little bit brighter in the world, as he scratched Gil- bert's fuzzy little chin. Mark took one of the laces out of his shoes and he and Gilbert played contentedly until the cat became disinterested. After the moment's distraction was gone, Mark again became cold and despondent, headed back to bed and hoped that Christmas would pass by. There are many Marks in our community, people who fall through the cracks of social safety nets, people who don't have what they need to get by in life. Mental health issues do not miraculously cure themselves during the holidays. It's a lonely time for many, and for those with mental illnesses, even more so. While Christmas is a good time to think about those less fortunate, that consideration and care should not end when the decorations come down. Take the opportunity to reach out to those who are near and dear to you this Christmas, and make sure the people you love know it. ... and remember to give the Gilberts in your life an extra chin rub, too. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Letters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.news@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL 1LO. rCLINTON NEWS RECORD — HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-482-3443 • FAX: 519-482-7341 www.clintonnewsrecord.com