As It Happens

December 23, 2020 Episode Transcript

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The AIH Transcript for December 23, 2020

[host]Hosts: Helen Mann and Samira Mohyeddin[/host]

Prologue

HELEN MANN: Hello. I'm Helen Mann, sitting in for Carol Off.

SAMIRA MOHYEDDIN: Good evening. I'm Samira Mohyeddin, sitting in for Chris Howden. This is
"As It Happens".

[Music: Theme]

SM: Tonight:

HM: Hard to excuse. Donald Trump has pardoned four former Blackwater contractors for the killing of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians. A lawyer for the victims says pardons are supposed to correct injustices, not perpetuate them.

 

SM: Taking one for the quaranteam. A New Brunswick nurse knew her work in a COVID ward might mean Christmas in a hotel room. And as much as she's missing her kids, she says she'd do it again in a second.

 

HM: Snow joke. A Quebec cyclist is determined to draw attention to roadside safety — and he's so committed, he's biking across the country in the dead of winter to prove his point.

 

SM: Grounded. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says news of another Canadian vaccine approval may have our minds wandering, but now is not the time for holiday travel.

 

HM: Our presence is our present. Well, that and our annual holiday readings. Including this evening's instalment, which reminds us that when gift-giving goes wrong, it's the thought that counts.

 

SM: And... Damsel dispossessed. French writer Madame d'Aulnoy coined the term 'fairytale' but spent years in obscurity. Now, a new interpretation of her work promises something magic.

 

SM: "As It Happens", the Wednesday edition. Radio that's sorry history treated her unfairy-ly.

Part one: Blackwater pardons, Christmas alone, Quebec cyclist

Blackwater pardons

Guest: Gary Mauney

SM: Donald Trump has pardoned the perpetrators of the Nisour massacre. The four military contractors were serving sentences for the murder and manslaughter of 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007. A court had found that the four had, without provocation, opened fire with machine-guns, grenade launchers and a sniper rifle on a crowded traffic circle. Gary Mauney is a North Carolina laywer who represented families of the dead in a civil suit for wrongful death against Blackwater, the contractors' employer. We reached Mr. Mauney in Charlotte.

HM: Mr. Mauney, what message do these pardons send to your former clients?

GARY MAUNEY: That there's an injustice that's been served upon them again. This is sort of the revival or a perpetuation of the injustice that was done to each of them back in 2007. And the power of the pardon is typically used in this country to correct injustices. And I think here, it has done nothing but perpetuate the initial injustice from 2007.

HM: Can you take us back to the day that this all happened? Because there will be many listeners who don't remember.

GM: On September 16, 2007, a convoy of Blackwater contractors exited the Green Zone, which was the safe zone where the military was kept. And they exited the Green Zone without permission. And they drove to an area, like a large traffic square. And as they were approaching, they stopped, and they were not supposed to be there, to begin with. And at some point, one of the members of the convoy began shooting at the oncoming cars in Nisour Square. And these were just innocent civilians that happened to be passing through the square. One of them was a taxi driver, and his name was Mahde Naser. He was 25. He was shot, killed. And then another of our clients was a gentleman named Abrahem Mafraje. He was a 70-year-old farmer. He was the father of seven. Another one of my clients was really the public face, probably, on the massacre. His name was Ali Kinani. He was a nine-year-old boy. It's very difficult to talk about, even after all this time. Little Ali was in the car with his father, who was in the automobile business, and little Ali was shot in the head and killed. They didn't even realize that he had been shot. At the time, they thought they had managed to get through. But then they realized that their little boy had been killed. And once one person in the convoy started shooting, a number of the other members of the Raven convoy also joined in with some of the others trying to stop it.

HM: The contractors who opened fire had claimed that they had been attacked. Was there ever any evidence of that?

GM: The United States Army and a counterterrorism unit from the FBI investigated the scene of the massacre and determined that it was a completely unprovoked shooting, Blackwater had several defences, including saying they were fired upon first, but that was determined to be factually untrue. It was an unprovoked attack.

HM: Some of your clients ended up giving evidence for the criminal trial against these guards. Can you tell us the lengths they had to go to pursue this case against Blackwater?

GM: They had to fly over here. They had to be prepared for testimony. And they did all this at great risk to themselves because it was a war zone in Iraq for many years. So the safety of each of the witnesses was of concern. And the very first witness was little Ali's father, Mohammad Kanani. I believe he testified for two days. You know, a very difficult thing about the death of his little boy. And I do think one of the things that stands out in my mind is that General Odierno and our government mailed a condolence check. I don't remember the amount. It was a small amount to the Kanani family. And Mrs. Kanani took half of that check to the American embassy to make a donation on behalf of the American soldiers that had fallen in Iraq over the course of the war. So these were really awesome families with, you know, they're real people, people that were caring for their families and loving their sons and daughters, and just happened to be in that traffic square, Nisour Square, on that day in September of 2007. So it's just the news of the pardon has been very difficult to accept, I have to say.

HM: When you do get a chance to speak with your clients, what will you say to them?

GM: That we love them. That they saw from us and our efforts for them and the judges and the court personnel that were involved in their case here that there are Americans that deeply believe in our system of justice. And even back when this case came to my law firm, and there were questions that we were frequently asked, can these Muslim families receive a fair shake here in our justice system? And our answer to that question was, we believe that they could, and they did. So what I would say is, I guess that I don't believe that what the president has done should be viewed as a reflection of the United States as a whole. And that there were a tremendous number of people like the folks in the FBI and the Army that risked their lives to investigate this and to bring this to trial. They risked their lives for these folks. And they did it for a reason. And I believe the reason that the federal prosecutors and the folks in the FBI did this was because they share the same belief that this is a place where you can come and get justice, and our system will be fair to you. It's not always perfect. It has its problems. There's no doubt. But at least in this particular case, it's my belief they've received, on the civil side, justice. And I believe they also received, ultimately on the criminal side, justice. And this step by the president certainly unwinds it, but it doesn't change what the American citizens did in standing up for them and against what happened at Nisour Square on September 16, 2007.

HM: Mr. Mauney, I really appreciate you taking time to speak with us today.

GM: I'm very sorry for... it's still emotional to look at the photos of these folks and the massacre, that traffic square. It's very hard. And when we would listen to our clients talk about this, it would be so powerful and so moving. I just think that people have to realize that these were real people in Iraq leading their lives like we do, farmers, and taxi drivers, and businessmen, and doctors going about their daily lives as best they could over there, only to have their lives upended and forever changed by just a terrible act by these particular Blackwater shooters.

HM: Thank you very much. 

GM: Thank you. Bye-bye. 

HM: Goodbye.

CH: Gary Mauney represented the families of some of the 14 unarmed Iraqis who died when Blackwater contractors opened fire on a crowded Baghdad traffic square in 2007. Yesterday US President Donald Trump pardoned the 4 men convicted of murder and manslaughter at a criminal trial. 

[Music: Horns!!!!!!]

Trudeau: Moderna vaccine

SM: Canada has given the green light to a second COVID-19 vaccine. Today, Health Canada announced it had approved the jab by biotechnology company Moderna. It comes after the federal department approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine earlier this month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke about the approval during a press conference today, and also addressed the issue of travel during the holidays. 

JUSTIN TRUDEAU: Let's be clear; this is not the time for a vacation abroad, even if you travel every winter. Please, rethink your plans. In many parts of the country, hospitals are already struggling to cope with new cases. There are new strains of this disease in places like the United Kingdom. The situation is very serious. By staying home, by following public health rules, you can be part of the solution. Canada continues to have significant travel and border measures in place for anyone entering the country. Unlike most of our allies, we have a mandatory two-week quarantine, including for Canadians returning to the country. In March, we brought in these measures, which continue to be some of the strongest in the world, to keep people safe and save lives. Today, just like on day one, protecting you and your family is our top priority. That's why, in addition to the significant measures we already have in place, we acted quickly on additional travel restrictions in response to the situation in the United Kingdom. On Sunday, I convened the Incident Response Group to discuss the new variant of COVID-19 that has been identified in the U.K. Our government temporarily suspended all commercial and private passenger flights from the U.K. to Canada. Today, I can announce that we will extend this temporary suspension of passenger flights from the U.K. to Canada for another two weeks until January 6th, so we can prevent this new variant of COVID-19 from spreading in Canada.

SM: That was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking earlier today in front of Rideau Cottage.

[Music: Folk]

Christmas alone

Guest: Terri Taylor

SM: Across the country, people are preparing for a Christmas home alone. For many, that means fewer people around the Christmas tree. But for Terri Taylor, it means a hotel room. Ms. Taylor is a nurse from Fredericton, New Brunswick. And last month, she left her four children to travel to a nursing home in Saint John, where a COVID-19 outbreak had been declared. Thankfully, the nurses were able to get the outbreak under control. But now Ms. Taylor must quarantine in a Saint John hotel room. We reached Terri Taylor in Saint John, New Brunswick. 

HM: Hi, Terri. How are you doing today?

TERRI TAYLOR: Hi. I'm not too bad. As good as I can be doing in isolation, I suppose.

HM: What are you doing to make that hotel room feel a bit more like Christmas?

TT: Actually, a friend of mine from Fredericton arranged to have a tree delivered. And one of the other nurses from here, from Tucker Hall, she dropped off some decorations. As well, there's a couple of ladies from a local church who've dropped off some beautiful items. So it feels a little Christmassy. But, you know, I'm missing my four favourite decorations, my babies.

HM: Sure, your kids. Why was it so important for you to make that sacrifice, to leave your family over the holiday season and go where your help was needed?

TT: Well, for starters, I mean, I'm a nurse, and there's that strong desire to help people. But also, a few months ago, well, almost a year ago, January 8th, my oldest son was hit by a car. And we almost lost him. He was rushed here to Saint John. He wasn't expected to live. Where he remained in a coma for the next couple of weeks. Anyway, and while all of that was going on. So, of course, that's in another city. And the Shannex here, Shannex is the company that I work for, put me up in one of their rooms. And they made it possible for me to remain by my son's side. And that was the only way that I could do it. So then when the outbreak happened at that same campus, the same campus that helped me so much, I just... I knew that it was something that, you know, I could do and should do.

HM: Mm-hmm. What was it like for you to walk into that COVID ward at the Tucker Hall nursing home when that outbreak was underway?

TT: It was really surreal. I remember opening that door, and the second it opened, there was this overwhelming feeling of just kind of the point of no return, because now you are... now, no matter what, you've been exposed to COVID. [chuckling] So there's no turning back.

HM: Did you ever regret making that choice?

TT: No, no. There's been moments that have been harder than others, certainly — but watching just the connection that we that we were fortunate enough to develop with the residents. THey're just so lovely. And the families were so, so, so grateful and appreciative. And I know, you know, it wasn't very long ago that I was on the receiving end of, you know, needing medical care. I'm proud to be able to provide, you know, hopefully, a good level of care to these patients and, you know, give their families some comfort knowing that they're not just having their needs met. They're being cared for.

HM: Well, it sounds like you did do exceptional work, you and the rest of the team, because as I understand it, you didn't lose anybody in a group of people age 70 to 100. They all recovered. Is that right?

TT: That's right. That is correct. And that's definitely a testament to the team and the resources provided to us. We, you know, I'm only one of 12 staff that were physically in the DCA. And the staff that I was fortunate enough to work alongside of, they're some of the greatest group of nursing staff that I've ever met. They were truly phenomenal.

HM: Well, you said earlier that there were harder moments. What were they?

TT: Watching somebody struggle to breathe is probably one of the hardest things, in my opinion, to watch. And, you know, we had a few that were really struggling to get the oxygen they needed. So it was, you know, it was tough to watch that. But they all, like we said, they all did recover. And that was the highlight was getting to watch them go from being very, very, very ill. You know, there's three or four that we didn't know which way it was going to go on a couple different occasions, and just watching them pull through, and watching them rally, and just come back around, it was so inspiring. They are the strong ones. [slight chuckle] 

HM: Mm-hmm. How are your own children dealing with the fact that you're not spending Christmas with them?

TT: It's quite challenging, you know. But, I am a single mom, so they're with their dad. And we're going to celebrate when I get home. But they're definitely they're really sad. It was I had a really, really emotional [clears throat and begins to cry], sorry, I had a really tough video call with them this morning. And it was... it was... the only reason it was tough is I was missing them so much. And I know that they certainly feel the same. I asked my daughter this morning, you know, if this happened, would she want me to do it again? And my older son, he said, yes. And my little girl, she was... she was a hard no. [chuckling]

HM: [laughing] And what is the age range? My youngest, Addison, is ten. And then I have a boy, Braden, who's 14, a daughter, Julia, who's 17. She actually also turned 17 while I was in quarantine. Her birthday was December 17th. [slight chuckle] So it's a double whammy for her. And then my oldest, Alex, is 19.

HM: When does your quarantine finish?

TT: [chuckle] Well, ironically enough, because there's not very many people that want to put 2020 behind us as badly as I do. You know, it will forever mark the year that I almost lost my son, and I did lose him in some ways, you know, there's certain things that I'll never come back. So December 31st, [chuckling] when we... when that clock strikes midnight into 2021, I'm a free woman.

HM: And your new beginning will be especially meaningful, it seems?

TT: That's right. Yeah, it seems so symbolic to, you know, just to start the year that way.

HM: What message do you have for people who are being told to stay home this Christmas, to stay with their immediate family, and what it might mean for them, because they're going to be some of them alone, too?

TT: Just offer all the kindness and love, you know, that you can to each other, and to yourself. You know, this has been a year like no other. And we just... we need to be gentle on ourselves. And just stay [emphasized] home!~ [chuckle]

HM: Yeah. Is someone going to bring you a good Christmas dinner?

TT: Yes, actually, there is one of the ladies from the church here. She's going to bring me Christmas dinner.

HM: Oh, I'm glad to hear it. 

TT: And they've given me all the Christmas baking I can handle. [both laughing] I'm going to need a gym membership when I leave here. 

HM: [laughing] You're going to be a bit bigger when you leave here. [TT laughing] That's what Christmas is for! Best of the holidays. Have a merry Christmas. And it's wonderful to hear what you've achieved this year.

TT: Oh, thank you so much. And best wishes to you and yours as well.

HM: All right. 

TT: Thank you.

HM: Thanks, Terri. Bye-bye.

TT: Bye.

SM: Terri Taylor is a New Brunswick nurse who will be spending Christmas in quarantine. We reached her in Saint John. 

[Music: World music]

Quebec cyclist

Guest: Louis-Joseph Couturier

SM: I'm not sure how you spent your morning today, but I somehow doubt it looked anything like Louis-Joseph Couturier's. Unless you were outside on your bike at sunrise, ready for another full day of winter cycling. In which case, apologies ... and you should really get to know Mr. Courturier. He's a Quebec cyclist who left the Gaspé Peninsula in November, and hopes to hit Vancouver by mid-March.  In other words, he's riding across our famously wintery nation at its winteriest. And not for nothing. We reached Mr. Couturier during a stop (yesterday) in North Bay, Ontario. 

HM: Louis, just give us an idea what it has been like to be out there riding for hours and hours in this winter weather?

LOUIS-JOSEPH COUTURIER: Well, it's pretty funny if you want my point of view. This is kind of what I enjoy in my life is riding in this weather. So, so far, it's been good. So far, it's been quite a challenge, but a fun challenge, I would say.

HM: What have been the biggest challenges?

LJC: The road, as has been brutal from Toronto to here, because, like, you got the expressway 11 from Toronto to North Bay. But if you're going by bicycle, you have all these detours you have to make that are through the mountains, and there's no paved shoulders. It's kind of risky. So it's a challenge for cyclists in the summer. It's even more a challenge for cyclists in the winter.

HM: What kind of gear are using so you don't freeze to death?

LJC: [laughing] So my tip for anyone that wants to stay warm in the winter is use wool. So Gore-Tex and wool will keep you warm even if you're sweating. So that's really the key for staying warm.

HM: Where are you sleeping each night?

LJC: So most of the time I sleep in my tent. I'd say most of the time, and some time I get hosted by people in their garage or their shed. Just to avoid spreading covid around, I cannot sleep inside. And it's just it's another challenge, but I can take it.

HM: There's something more than just the pleasure in cycling driving you. Tell us what made you set out on this trip?

LJC: Well, it's also that I lost a friend cycling. She was going in the cyclo tour, and she got hit by a truck the first day that she was going on the tour. And I felt it was sad, of course, but it was all so absurd in the sense that with better cycling infrastructure, she could have been saved. And I told myself I would do anything so that Canada could get better cycling infrastructure. And that's the message that I want to spread across Canada as I cycle in the winter. 

HM: What was your friend like?

LJC: She was a cyclist. She did cycle touring around the world. She was also a great dancer, tango dancer. She was involved as a citizen. She really want a better world. And that's a huge loss for a family and friends. It's kind of a way for me to... I feel that I could help people that have been through the same situation as me by raising the point that cyclists that have died should not have died for nothing. We should understand the message of what these deaths mean. That we do not repeat the same mistakes that have led to these cycles dying.

HM: You say you'd like to see improvements to infrastructure to support cyclists, can you be a bit more specific about the kind of things that you've been seeing that you think would help?

LJC: Absolutely. I think that the discussion around cyclist safety right now really focussed about on individual behaviour. How could we improve us as individual road user, like not texting, not drinking and stuff like that. But studies said that road infrastructure that are better designed will help saving lives. I'm talking about traffic-calming measures that could be raised intersections, speed bumps, more narrow streets could help, bike Lane, of course, could help. So these types of change to our road system could really make a difference and see that saving many cyclists lives.

HM: You're raising attention towards this issue. Are you also raising any funds?

LJC: I do. I do. I do. So far, I have three groups that are helping. Two have the same mission, one in Montreal, and the other of them in Toronto. Both install ghost bike, which are memorials for cyclists that have died, but also for asking that more be done for cyclist safety. And the other one will be Bike Without Borders that provide bike to refugees in Canadian cities.

HM: Yeah, you mentioned ghost bikes. I think some people may have seen those. They're white bikes that are usually at places where cyclists have lost their life. 

LJC: Exactly. 

HM: So what kind of response have you had so far from the people you've been encountering along the way?

LJC: [said while chuckling] Well, many people think I'm crazy, which is fine. I mean, like, I believe that our dreams should be crazy. I believe that we have so much potential. And to have that, if you're having a crazy dream, I bet you're tapping in that idle potential. So I let people believe that I'm crazy. I think it's funny. It's the fun!

HM: Your goal is to reach Vancouver. When do you hope to get there?

LJC: About in mid-March.

HM: Wow! That's how much a day?

LJC: It's about a hundred kilometres a day. Most of the time, yeah.

HM: You're going to be heading through the prairies, through the Rockies. How much snow would it take for you to take a day off?

LJC: So I have a rule of thumb, which is if I cannot see the third pole in front of me, the electric bulb, then I cannot go. So if a snowstorm gets so bad that I cannot see, like, the 100-metre in front of me, I won't take the road for sure.

HM: Well, you stay safe out there yourself. It's nice to hear you're honouring your friend this way. And I wish you the very best of luck. Stay safe.

LJC: Thank you, Helen. 

HM: Okay. Bye-bye.

LJC: Bye-bye.

SM: Louis-Joseph Couturier is a Quebecois cyclist who is biking from the Gaspé to Vancouver ... during the depths of winter. We reached him in North Bay, Ontario. 

Part two: Fairytales published, Reading: Gift of the Magi 

Fairytales published

Guest: Natalie Frank

SM: Most classical fairy tales are credited to men — people like Hans Christian Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. But a soon-to-be-released book will add another name to the list: Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, or Madame d'Aulnoy for short. The collection is called "The Island of Happiness." And it will contain the first English translation of the 17th-century author's work "The Tale of Mira." It will also include drawings by New York artist Natalie Frank. We reached Ms. Frank in Brooklyn. 

HM: Ms. Frank, what has this experience meant to you, working so closely with Madame d'Aulnoy's work?

NATALIE FRANK: She's taken me on an incredible, imaginative journey. The tales were written in the 17th century but really resonate today. And I made drawings that are feminist interpretations of these already feminist tales.

HM: You have worked with an academic, Jack Zipes. What have you learned about her significance as a contributor to this fairy tale genre?

NF: She actually invented the word fairy tale, conte de fée, and has been pretty overlooked by history, in part because she's a woman. And her stories take some beloved oral and folk tales such as "Cinderella" and transform them into feminist narratives, where women play all spectrum of roles from evil to divine. They're fairies. They're heroines. They cross-dress. They tell their oral histories. And she inserted a lot of women as artists and writers into the stories.

HM: She has quite the biography, as I understand it. Can you briefly tell us what you've learnt about what her life was like?

NF: Sure. She, as a feminist, [chuckling] took it upon herself to take charge of her own life and help the women around her. So she was married at 13. She was married off to a man who was 30 years her senior, who was a gambler. And they had a terribly unhappy marriage. And she worked actually with a few people and her mother to set him up for treason. And when this failed, she was imprisoned and eventually left France and went to live in Spain and in different places. Her mother, who helped her, they believe that she and Madame d'Aulnoy may not have been spies for the French government at one time.

HM: One of the stories featured in the book is "The Tale of Mira". What is that story about?

NF: It is a terrifying ghost story and almost a parody of the traditional love and lust of fairy tales. Madame d'Aulnoy writes a lot about female beauty as a weapon and human fallibility as a weapon. And in this story, she portrays a beautiful woman named Mira, whose beauty is so great that she smites men with her eyes. And so in my drawings, I show the scene of her with these men kind of falling down her face and body being thrown into the air. And they're drawn and kind of hyper-colour-mania. And next, she is the curse to fall in love with a shepherd. And it is unrequited love and it kills her. Her hubris and her vanity kill her. And she's cursed to live in a cave as a ghost and to suffer. Madame d'Aulnoy  has such a poignant and playful sense of humour. And so this is a story that really riffs on that aspect of traditional courtly love and lust in fairy tales.

HM: Another one is "Belle Belle". What's that one about?

NF: So Belle Belle is a woman who ends up cross-dressing to save her father's kingdom. She undertakes various trials at the behest of the king. Both the king and his sister fall in love with Belle Belle. And everyone falls in love with Belle Belle. And she's brave and smart. At the end of the story, she is cursed through kind of courtly machinations which are meant to near what was going on in Louis the 14th court. The queen has her shirt ripped open before she's burned at the stake. And it's revealed that she's actually a woman. And so the queen dies of convulsions, and the king proposes marriage.

HM: They are great stories for our times.

NF: [laughing] Yeah, they're bold, passionate, smart women, and they take ownership for their life and what they want and their desires. But they're also human. They're not romanticized.

HM: You mentioned how colourful your drawings are. It sounds like you're trying to express the boldness of her imagery and her stories in a way that kind of brings them to life for us now. How have you achieved that?

NF: I use really strong watercolour paper, a heavy watercolour paper that can take a lot of pigment and a lot of work. And so I use brightly coloured chalk pastels, which sort of sinks into the surface and layer the two together. And I want there to be a frenzy of colour and drama that is sort of balanced by the rendering and the humanity and kind of beauty of some of the figuration.

HM: They're colourful and beautiful, but there's a darkness to them, too, at times, right?

NF: [both chuckle] There is. But that's how I see life. And I think that's how she saw life. And I think giving complexity to female characters and their narratives is kind of the best humanistic gesture we can do.

HM: You know, we're on radio here, obviously, so we're at a disadvantage in terms of seeing the drawings. But can you maybe just give us a description of a couple of the images in the "Tale of Mira", for example?

NF: Sure. So the first drawing, she is against a kind of turquoise background. She has big lips and bright blue eyes, and cascading blonde hair. The model I used for that picture, because I generally shoot people I know, and I light and dress them and photograph them and work from the photographs, was pregnant at the time. And she has these just large, beautiful lips and just hyperbolic features. And these little tiny men have been thrown into the air and are just falling like ants all over her body. And they're swirls of white and black and pink. And she's wearing a pattern dress. The next picture, "Tale of Mira," two is quieter, and she's in the dark in the cave, and everything is very dark and muted. She's a ghost now. She's dead, but she still has that kind of beauty and life to her. But it's quite different now.

HM: What do you think Madame d'Aulnoy would have thought of your work? 

NF: [chuckling] Oh, goodness, I don't know. I can only say that I've been so grateful to be introduced to her and to live in her world. I hope that I've done her stories justice.

HM: Well, I really appreciate you describing your work and these stories to us. Thanks for talking to us, Natalie.

NF: Thank you so much. 

HM: Bye-bye.

NF: Bye.

SM:: That was artist Natalie Frank in Brooklyn. She contributed drawings to the collection, "The Island of Happiness", which will be released by Princeton University Press in March.

[Music: Ambient]

Reading: Gift of the Magi

SM: If you're a Christmas shopper with some empty room under the tree, you're almost out of luck. But don't do anything drastic. There's no point running out to chop off and sell all your hair, or take a precious family heirloom to the local pawn shop. Of course, the two young lovebirds of our next story, Della and Jim, didn't heed that advice. They fell right into the trap of costly, commercial Christmas. So if you're feeling overwhelmed this holiday season, here's a reminder that gifts aren't the only reason for the season. Here's the former "As It Happens" host Al Maitland reading O. Henry's 1905 story, "The Gift of the Magi".

 

AL MAITLAND: One dollar and 87 cents. That was all, and 60 cents of it was in Pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher, until one's cheeks burned with the silent amputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty seven cents, and the next day would be Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl, so Della, which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles — with sniffles predominating. While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home: the furnished flat at eight dollars per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad. In the vestibule below was a letter box into which no letter would go. And an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining there too was a card bearing the name Mr. James Dillingham Young. The Dillingham had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity, when its possessor was being paid thirty dollars per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to twenty dollars, the letters of Dillingham looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above, he was called Jim, and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della, which is all very good.

AM: Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with a powder puff. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat, walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only one dollar and 87 cents with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated; they always are. Only one dollar and 87 cents to buy a present for Jim, her Jim, many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling; something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned by Jim. There was a pier glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier glass in an eight dollar flat. A very thin and very agile person made by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips. Obtain a fairly accurate conception of his books. Della, being slender, had mastered the art. Suddenly, she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within twenty seconds. Rapidly, she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. Now there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride: One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window someday to dry, just to depreciate her majesty's jewels and gifts.

AM: Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him placard his beard from envy. So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. She did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet. On her old brown jacket, on went her old brown hat, with a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street. Where she stopped, the sign read "Madame Sofronie Hair Goods of All Kinds".

AM: One flight up Della ran and collected herself panting. Madame, large too white, chilly, hardly looked the Sofronie. Will you buy my hair? Asked Della. "I buy hair" Said Madame. Take your hat off, and let's have a sight of the looks of it. Down replied the brown cascade. Twenty dollars said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand. "Give it to me quick" said Della. And the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor she was ransacking the stores for Jim's present. She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores. And she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum watch chain, simple and chaste in design. Properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation as all good things should do. It was even worthy of the watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him: quietness and value. The description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it. She hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch, Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain. When Della reached home, he intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason.

AM: So she got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love, which is always a tremendous task, dear friends; a mammoth task. within 40 minutes, her head was covered with tiny clotheslined curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically. "If Jim doesn't kill me" she said to herself before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do? Oh, what could I do with a dollar and 87 cents? At seven o'clock, the coffee was made and the frying pan was on the back of the stove, hot and ready to cook the chops. Jim was never late. Della doubled the watch chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair way down on the first flight. And she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying little, silent prayers about the simplest everyday things. Now, she whispered "please god, make him think I'm still pretty". The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow he was only 22, and to be burdened with a family. He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves. Jim stepped inside the door as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read and it terrified her.

AM: It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face. Della wriggled off the table and went for him. Jim, darling, she cried, don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again. You won't mind will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say Merry Christmas Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice… what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you.

AM: "You've cut off your hair?" Asked Jim laboriously. As if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labour. "Cut it off and sold it" said Della. Don't you like me just as well anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I? Jim looked about the room curiously. You say your hair has gone he said with an air almost of idiocy. "You needn't look for it" said Della. It's sold I tell you, sold and gone too. It's Christmas Eve boy, be good to me. For it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head are numbered she went on with a sudden serious sweetness. But nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim? Out of his trance, Jim seemed to quickly wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds, let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year, what's the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The Magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion would be illuminated later on. Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table. "Don't make any mistake Del" he said about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you will unwrap that package you may see why you had me going while at first. White fingers in nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy. And then, alas, a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat. For there lay the combs — the set of combs that Dela had worshipped for long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs pure tortoise shell with jewel rims, just the shade to wear in the beautiful, vanished hair. They were expensive combs she knew. Her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers. But the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone. But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say "my hair grows so fast, Jim". And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried "oh." Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metals seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit. "Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it." You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it". Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. "Del" said he. "Let's put our Christmas presents away and keep them a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now, suppose you put the chops on".

AM: The Magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men — who brought gifts to the babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the Uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat. Who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days, let it be said that of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.

SM: Al Maitland reading "The Gift of the Magi." That story was written by O. Henry in 1905. If you'd like to hear it again, you can listen on our website at cbc.ca/aih. And tomorrow is finally the night you've all been waiting for. Starting at 6:30 pm, we will air our annual reading of The Shepherd.