STM ae PEPE Tote

PM HAVING this recurring
nightmare lately that tends
to rend asunder ‘‘the
ravell’d sleave of care,’”’ as
the great bard once put it.

By Paul J. Hughes
Contributing Writer

It starts out peacefully enough,
i'm in one of those gigantic shop-
ping mails with my wife. We have
just finished wheedling the last
loony from our tattered wallets
and are about to go tome when
somehow or other the two of us
get separated. All is well for
awhile until 1 realize I have no
idea where | am in relation to
where | parked the car.

I have no idea how ! got to
where I am.

Um hopelessly, inextricably lost.
I wander aimlessly about,
whimpering pitifully. No one pays
the least attention.

I begin to age. My hands sprout
liver spots. My hair goes grey. |
walk with a stoop. Soon, t realize,
I'm going to die in this mall. 1] get
in a lineup at the Orange Julius
hoping the girl behind the counter
can tell me the way out. The
lineup never moves. [t's filled with
Jost husbands.

The girl behind the counter is
Jaughing hysterically while bran-
dishing a whip and a Chargex
machine. She’s yelling at us.
“None of you will ever leave here
alive!’ I awake screaming and
bathed in sweat.

It all started a couple of weeks
ago when I actually did get scepa-
rated from my wife in a mall. She
only let go of my hand for a se-

TRADE eta ena

ACHE,

REE

Asan:
VE AEAN

Co

cond, but before I knew it we
were terminally bisected. i was
suddenly swallowed up and car-
ried away in an anonymous
throng to be deposited miles away
in a totally unfamiliar area, utter-
ly wifeless.

Normally, for a man my age
and relative wisdom this shouldn't
be much of a problem. Simply
find the exit to the parking lot,
find the car, and, eventually, find

eee tate.

wife, But somehow or other my
chromosomes (or is it genes) get
scrambled as soon as the electric
eye spots me prancing through the
entrance of malls and my normal-
ly acute direction-finding abilities
function like a boomerang gone
berserk.The homing pigeon in me
flies the coop.

I could no more find the park-
ing lot than harvest bananas off

my balcony.

MAILBOX

Why was club turned down?

Dear Editor:

Re: the youth club business
licence application:

We are the owners of the
commercial property at 730-740
Marine Dr. in North Van-
couver.

Pitifully, the youth club ap-
“plication was rejected by North
Vancouver City Council at the
public hearing on July 15. We
would like to point out some
facts which were
misunderstood in the hearing.
Also, we would like to bring to
your aitention the traffic and
parking provlems i in this area.

First of all, it has to be clar-
ified that we do not have any
particular tenant preference.
However, we lowered our lease
rates to offer a good opportu-
nity to Sanctuary Investment
Lid. to set up a youth club,
simply because we supported
the owners’ idea. Here were
two private business companies
that were willing to provide a
wonderful social service to the
youth of the North Shore
without any financial support
from the city.

After the hearing, we don’t
understand why some people
refuse to trust their own next
generation. Neither do we un-
derstand why the _ possible
damage to the insured vehicles,
not the needs of the young
people, has become the con-
cern

Who should have been

brought to the hearing to ex-
press their needs to the coun-
cil? Who are the majority?
Why do we have to sacrifice
the needs of the majority in
order to respect the rights of
the minority?

Where will be the suitable
area for the youth club? Will
the business people or the resi-
dents of any area chosen
disapprove?

It is said that the light at the
back of our building is insuffi-
cient; yet, we trust that the
light is bright enough. Never
has any crime happened in our
property since our possession,
except one car accident.

We do not believe that refus-
ing the youth club application
will prevent crime or drugs
cases in this area.

For some intangible reasons,
the city council has discouraged
the intention to serve the needs
of the young people in this
area.

Secondly, we would like to
bring to your attention the
traffic and parking problems of
this area.

We agree that it is more and
more difficult to access W.
14th Street due to the parking
problem. And, the parking
problem is not caused but the
customers of our tenants.

By observing the location,
one can easily see that the cus-
tomers of our tenants cannot
possibly park their cars in
Mansfieid family’s property. It

is our parking lots which have
been used as customer parking
by customers of the nearby car
dealership.

Meanwhile, our front and
rear parking lots have been
utilized by 2 nearby car rental
company as parking spaces for
various rental vehicles.
Whenever we discuss the prob-
lem with the company, they
always complain to us that they
don’t have enough parking
spaces. We trust that it is the
obligation of their landlord to
provide enough parking spaces
to them. However, we have to
keep phoning, not towing, if
we wish to have a good
neighborhood relation with
them.

Finally, we have been told
that the nearby newly estab-
lished auto dealership is going
to put more cars for sale in
their location. Under this cir-
cumstance, one may clearly
forecast that the parking and
the traffic problems will be
more serious than they are
right now.

We would like to know
where the company’s customers
will park their cars? Will they
park in the next building, our
property, as they are doing
now? Or, will they park along
W. 14th Street, which will con-
sequently cause more serious
traffic and parking problems?

Ken Huang
North Vancouver

Friday, August 2, 1991 — North Shore News - 7

ee 7
LOE : AND ANSWERS TO
THE NAME OF PAUL.

1 wandered from Booticgger to
Boots, finally ending up in the
unmentionable department of the
Bay.

I hung around there for awhile.
I figured, with a somewhat con-
fused logic, that sooner or later
my wife was going to need nylons,
and, by God, I was going to be
there when she did.

I finally left because the sales

staff were beginning to get ner-

vous. Three of them asked me if |
wanted reinforced-toe or sandal-
foot.

For some time J played with the
idea of admitting to one of the
clerks that I was lost and to point
me, please, in the right direction
of out, but I thought they may be
tempted to use their pager:

“Attention shoppers! A 40-
year-old man has been found in
the lingerie department. He is fost.
Would his wife please claim him
at the cashier’s desk. He asks that
you bring a lollipop.”’ I couldn’t
stand the embarrassment.

I tramped blindly for awhile,
too proud to ask for help and too
scattered to look normal. I think I
began to sob.

People were beginning to stare
at me. I thought I spotted a glint
or two of anxious empathy in the
eyes of other men who passed by.
They glanced at me with ap-
prehension as if to say, ‘That
poor schmuck has lost his wife!’’
before they cruised out of sight
enfolding their spouses in a death
clutch of renewed vigor.

After straggling about for what
seemed to be several lifetimes like
some Radia Shack nomad, I
found her at last leaning against
the Lotto booth delicately chomp-
ing on a Willie Woozle. The sighi
of her warmed the somethings of
my heart.

“So there you are!’’ she said
kindly, leaning over me. (1 seem
to recall groveling somewhat in
the vicinity of her knees.) ‘““Come
on. Vil take you home. But first
let’s go to the Doggie Boutique. |
want to pick up a leash.””

— Paul J. Hughes is a North
Vancouver writer.

Teacher dismayed at
NVC Council decision

Dear Editor:

As a teacher of youth in North
Vancouver, [ was greatly
dismayed by North Vancouver Ci-
ty Council’s refusal to license an
alcohol-free dance club. The lack
of visicn exhibited by all council
members, with the applaudable
exception of Ald. Barbara Sharp,
was despicable.

Even more despicable were the
anti-youth remarks expressed by
council members and Marine
Drive business people. The age-old
assumption that all teenagers are
bad is both tiresome and danger-
ous. These sentiments will only

Youth need

Dear Editor:

North Vancouver City Council
has offended the many youth on
the North Shore who might have
benefited from the proposed
youth club on Marine Drive.

The choice of words used to
argue against the club are the lan-
guage of racism. How would you
feel as a youth if you read that
the adults in your community see
you as an accident waiting to
happen, a ‘‘powder keg’’
automatically associated with
drugs, vandalism and violence?

These are our own young peo-
ple we’re talking about, who are

further alienate the youth of our
society and drive them to commit
the very acts council] members
want to avoid.

Surely 200 teenagers having fun
in one place is highly preferable to
200 teenagers roaming the streets
of North Vancouver with no sense
of purpose.

If council truly wants to avoid
the problems associated with a
small minority of teenagers, I
strongly urge them to reconsider
their decision. Remember, the
children of today are the voters
and leaders of tomorrow,

Martin Stuible
Norti Vancouver

alternative

just as sensitive to criticism and
cheap generalizations as we are.
How are we going to instil re-
sponsibility in people if we don’t
communicate a trust?

Can’t the council contribute fi-
nancially towards an acceptable
level of security? It would still be
a great bargain for a much needed
facility.

If this proposal has been killed,
[ hope they don’t bury it. The
council should quickly come up
with an alternative and not leave
the issue standing where it is.

Rob Des Cotes
North Vancouver