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A Christmas gift for Lisa THE HERALD December ino- Page By MICHAEL LIVINGSTONE After a long week I was look forward to getting home to my family Im a corporate management officer an ex ecutive babysitter I streamline the administrative executive staff of my company a never- ending job Most of my time is spent travelling from one city to another keeping these renegades from bankrupting us The travel itself isnt so bad but the jet lag is really something and I was certainly glad to be coming home I didnt see my family very often my job being what it was and I missed them It was two days before Christmas and I was transporting a very valuable cargo In the in side pocket of my suit I was car rying a small jewelry box con taining a slim watch for my daughter Lisa It was a very popular watch this Christmas season and I had spent many hours searching for it It wasnt particularly expensive nor en crusted in diamonds or gold and bereft of a trendy in New York they say armadillo strap It was a gunmetal gray Ttmex with black hands and a waterproof casing Nothing flashy dable and elegant in its simplici ty But it was the watch Lisa real ly wanted I depend on my sense of percep tion to help me in my work You would be astounded at the stories I am told by people anxious to keep their jobs superfluous though they may be I have been lied to promised enormous bribes and threatened with violence After years of reading peoples faces listening to their voices and gauging their reac tions I was a master of inter preting the unspoken thought Therefore when Lisa announc ed in the fall that she needed a new watch I was listening Of course Lisa just didnt come right out and say she needed a new watch It took me a week to gradually coax the details from her Teenagers more so than any other demographic are fastidious when it comes to their personal appearance and Lisa was no different It couldnt be just any watch she informed me she had certain style policies to adhere to I understood having been young once too I began my search in late September not believing in Santa Claus any more These days San ta gets a lot of help from parents I didnt consider Christmas so much the celebration of a miracle as a holiday to be tolerated It was however a respite from the tedium of work and that is exactly how I treated it I was dismayed when I couldnt find the watch in Simpsons Eatons and usually reliable failed me I went everywhere but there wasnt one of those watches to be had in southern Ontario This realization hit me a week before Christmas The week before I had men my problem to a col league and she told me of her similar predicament when ob taining a Nintendo video game Her solution was simple go south Sure enough when I land ed in Arizona the next day on business and searched the duty free shop there it was In the display case second from the left The clerk hurried over no doubt noticing the thrill of discovery on my face When I flew home I was secure in the knowledge that with Christmas RESTAURANT Lunch Specials Every Day Buffet Every Fri Sat Sun from 500 pm A 775T0fc7 m two days I was saved I landed in Toronto and caught a cab back to my office As I got in the cab I transferred the watch to my trenchcoat pocket so I could easily reassure myself it was still there Since I had pur chased that watch south of the border I checked it every few minutes to make absolutely sure I still had it in my possession When the cabbie let me off in front of the building I tipped him generously I was feeling fine greeting Tommy the security guard warmly as I headed for the elevators Several floors up I checked my pocket once more to make sure the watch was still in my pocket It I didnt panic I calmly set down my suitcase on the floor of the elevator and took off my ti en- carefully searching the pockets In the right pocket I found it A thin tear in the slip pery fabric It was less than five centimetres wide but that was enough I knew then what had happened As I was stepping out of the cab the box had fallen out of my pocket and on to the floor of the cab I always rode in the back seat and by now some lucky patron was collecting an unex pected bonus Lisas watch I knew then the game was over There was no way I could ever get another before Christmas I went home defeated cursing my ill luck Lisa was not a greedy child and she didnt make unreasonable demands but I could tell that watch meant something to her It was a tangi ble symbol of her personality all grace and polite good manners She would laugh it off was sure but I knew it would hurt Her dad couldnt even present her with a simple watch Christmas morning arrived I did not want to open the presents a ritual I usually enjoyed im mensely My wife and I opened Lisas presents and then she opened our gifts for her Maria had bought her a bright yellow ski jacket which she tried on im mediately despite the heat from the fire A perfect fit She then proceeded to open my gift a porcelain brooch the saleslady at Eatons assured me would please her I dreaded her look of dismay when she saw it wasnt the watch wrapped in that pretty paper She opened the box and her face lit up She jumped up and threw her arms around me tell ing me it was exactly what she wanted and how did I know She pulled away strapping the on her wrist holding it up to the light to have a good look at it I was speechless Where did the watch come from I had given her a porcelain brooch The little package was identical down to the paper and ribbon I picked up the card on the box In my messy handwriting it read To Lisa with much love Santa Lisa told me that the card didnt fool her She knew it was me not Santa all along I just nodded smiling preserving the illusion for future memories Well for someone who didnt believe in Santa Claus I was cer tainly converted I guess Christmas is a time of miracles after all Christmas carols for seniors Carolers from Joseph Gibbons Public School In Georgetown entertained residents at the Bennett Centre Monday singing a wide variety of Christmas classics including Jingle Bells The carol group Is I comprised of students Grades one to five The group has already performed for the Georgetown Golden Circle Club and the Bells and Bows Club also ofGeorgetown COME IN AND SEE OUR NEW BACKROOM SKI SHOP Main St S Georgetown 8732441 WATERWOHTU WELDING LTD Aggregate Heavy Equipment Repair Steel A Aluminum Fabrication Tig Stick Wetting FARM RESIDENTIAL INDUSTRIAL M 4 DISTRIBUTORS SPORTING GOODS CLOTHING SPECIALIZING IN TEAM CORPORATE WEAR 8730500 Atom St Georgetown COFFEE SHOP NOW OPEN Specials 8737402 in Astrology or Introduction Clistss Call and Inquire J PLAZA 10MOUHTAMVEWRD 8736879 AFTER FIVE THINGS TO DO PLACES TO GO FOR YOUR LISTENING AND DANCING PLEASURE MAIN ST 8773388 Home of The Best Country fiusic For 25 Years I THIS WEEK ERIC HACHEY DEC 26th ROGERJENNETTE DEC 27tll29ttl OPEN SUNDAYS CLOSED MONDAYS Book Your Christmas Party Eartyt PHONE US NOW 2nd ANNUAL NEWFIE HEW YEAR LAST B 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