4 - Wednesday, September 23, 1987 PLOVE stories like the one from Victoria about the two iady civil servants fighting it out in court over a 6/49 lot- - North Shore News “WY lisrary’s needs researched Bob Hunter @ stricUy personal tery ticket that won $1.6 million, The one clans the other bought the winning ticket on behalf of them) bath, according toa long-standing deal they had. The other says the deal only ap- plied ta some tickets she bought, not all of them. There was this one particular ticket she kept aside, you see, and that just happened to be the winner, Up until the big) win, the women had been friends and partners. They used to drive each other ta work and help each other out. But as the news stories said: **Not any longer.” Can you imagine how happy the lawyers involved are? The lawsuit is for $826,905.50! What f like about this story is its non-redemptiveness. It's a pitiless tale of estrange- ment, of money driving a wedge between buddies. It's a case of de-networking, you could say. And the culprit is that old demon dollar, You know that these two peo- ple are never going to be close pals again. This is a sadness. It is a net loss in terms of the amount of good feelings in the world. | would imagine, in fact, that there is same severe uptightedness in- volved, maybe even raw angst. By the tine people face each other in court, they are usually quite tense, In a way, it was ironic that John Huston, the great moviemaker, should die the same week as this unhappy little fall- ing-out was being aired in a Vic- toria courtroom. He would have cruel nuances toa. Huston's best flick, I still think, was the Treasure of the Sierra’ Madre, a tale of men driven to desperate lengths by their fust for gold. Contrary to the Pollyanna school of thought, 1! like stories that remind me of how fickle friendship is in the face of gold. One should remember this in life. § like the line handed to me by an Indian chief up the coast, a very wise fellow named Pat Alfred. Said he: ‘Friends come and go, enemies remain.”’ 1 know at least three guys who were ail good buddies of mine when we were youths, but who made the fatal error of getting into business deals with one savored its another over the years, and when the deals went sour, each blamed the other, Now they don't talk to each other. Ionever got into any deals with any of them, so 1 can afford to still be chums with them all. The appea! of the sad tale, Hike the one about the ladies and the lotiery Uckel, js that itis such a wonderful antidote to the mishmash of unreality that serves itself up in living color on the boob tube, and, increasingly, on the big screen. [Lo othink that as the money machines that drive the dream machines get their formula down straight, most mass media enter- tdainment is going to become so boring that real, gritty stuff with unhappy endings will take over in popularity. And if you would look for a recurring, archetypal cause of nasty endings, it is the eternal tug-of-war over disputed money. Money and its ability to bend relationships can only be ap- preciated if you think in terms of money being a form of gravity. That is, it tends to pull inward, to create stress-fields. In gargan- tuan amounts, it crushes. Since | don't have any money worth mentioning, | have ra- tionalized this state of affairs as being a reflection of my integrity, dignity. ete. If fortune fell into ris hiands | would, of course, re-rauionalize everything. Suddenly, wealth would be proof of integrity, etc. Unless one had a lottery part- ner — or ex-partner, better yet — and no formal agreement be- tween you. Heh heh. It is always possible that in the courtroom, the estranged parties might have a change of heart and fall into each other's arms, beyg- ing forgiveness. The headlines would scream: FRIENDSHIP TRIUMPHS OVER JACKPOT! Sure. [’m as much a believer in the possibility of anything as anyone, but even | don’t see that happening. Half a million bucks is something you can’t have just a mild disagreement about — not if you've been working for the government all your fife. As an Alberta farmer toid me once: ‘Don’t share m'wife and don’t share m’tools."" And he might have added: ‘Don’t share mlottery uickets cither.”’ put your waste on a diet RECYCLE Come and be part of the Celebration... 1. “Flower power, Kitsilano and the ‘60s Battled poetry, Gulf Islands & U.S. imperialism Empty goldpans. saloon girls and schoolmarms” You can choose one play — but why miss any? 3 Play Season Packages from $12-$25! VANC OU NER Moemiorat ritiad detaabs Gt apes aodoad October ceupubiag’s WEST reposaions, but not be Riowm until Pabpats gs up deer TePort, Patrher votsultanis confirmed the MM S00-square foot tbrars sive should: be doubled, Mounee. Slated for completion Oor ES, the report will exam Ine possible wass Co expand the overcrowded acuity, one of the busiest per capita in North America, Sut until the library gets more space, the staff is be- {SOOO iter, TSA said head: Hbrarian Tach HN pLas cients ded. amd the tug forced to put some books im storage. Phe shelves are ust jamepaehed. said Mounee. “UPS scum as a short-term necessity toe cheat,” he added. Cnder the proposals present rough timetable, con- strustion would be completed by 19d. but tta lat ot thats som to be determined by funding available.’ Senay about 20,000 patrons a month, the librars hay been told by gvarlier consultants that the size should be doubled to almost 50,000 square feet. The library report is sited to be presented to the Hbrars board Get, 1S. we just hase es CORNER « KEITH * BEWICKE « MARINE Jnl fy 9. NORTH VAN 988-8082 * 988-6535 STORE HOURS: Mon. thru Fri. 9am-6pm Interested??? Nov. 11 6 Play Season Packages from $30-%40! Sat. 9am-6pm Sundays & Holidays 9am-Spm A MEMBER OF CANADA NURSERYLAND au “The Late Blumer” by John Lazarus Sept. 16 ~ Oct. 10 2. “The Fourth Monkey” by Eric Nicol Oct. 14 - Nov. 7 3. “Barkerville” by Florence McNeil - Dee. 5 Plus in the Anne Macdonald Hall, ¢ Convenient North Shore Location * Free Parking ¢ Great Season Discounts ¢ No need to Pre-Select Dates « On bus routes and near Seabus ¢ A chance to be part of the excitement & drama of Live Theatre (Individual Celebration Tickets available through VICICBO outlets and “Charge by Phone” 280-4444) Infarmation, Reservations, Season's Tickets: 986-1351 ee pe? our Canadian Mini-Series: “Albertine in 5 Times” by Michel Trembiay “1837..The Farmer's Revolt” by Rick Salutin “Of the Fields Lately” by David French PRESENTATION HOUSE 333 Chesterfield Ave. North Van.