DEC '08 - The Nyack Villager

Remember the days?
by Janes F. Leiner
A Nyack Firehouse
Christmas
is story was told to me a while
ago by a member of Nyack’s
bravest and I wanted to share his
Christmas story with you.
It wasn’t going to be a white
Christmas, and the drizzle falling
made it one miserable Christmas
Eve. I took an extra shift at work, so the
younger guys with children could be home.
ere’s just the wife and me, and Christmas
isn’t quite the same since our kids flew the nest.
It was late, when I rode past the firehouse and
saw lights on in the recreation room. “Might
as well stop for a bit of Christmas cheer,” I
though and pulled around back. e car
parked at the back of the lot looked like a real
junker to me, “Wonder who that belongs to?”
A few firefighters and one of our chiefs had already
started the Christmas cheer and they invited
me to join them. “Who owns that piece
of junk car out in the parking lot?” I asked.
“What car?” ey answered. e four of us
walked outside and as we opened the door we
could hear a baby crying. It didn’t take long
to determine it was coming from the old car.
e windows were steamed up … there was
someone inside. I knocked on the driver’s
side window. “Ssssh…” came from inside,
To the
eatre
with Holly Caster
Almanacs are predicting a
rough winter. If it’s too
cold to go out to the theatre,
why not bring theatre right to your television
or computer screen?
Netflix, Amazon, or the library can help you
time-travel back to see actors in their prime,
performing in classic plays.
In the mid-1960s, the BBC began its Play of
the Month series. In 1969, Oscar Wilde’s An
Ideal Husband was offered to the public, complete
with elaborate wigs, costumes, sets, and
stars. Margaret Leighton is largely unknown
today, but she was a fascinating actress and the
winner of two Best Actress Tony Awards—
1957’s Separate Tables and 1962’s e Night of
the Iguana. Here she is the witty and conniving
Mrs. Cheveley, out to blackmail a beloved
politician for an earlier indiscretion.
It also stars Jeremy Brett, who is possibly the
and the baby cried. I knocked again…”
who’s inside here, come on open up … we’re
not going to hurt you.”
Slowly the window rolled down a
crack. “Can’t we just sleep here
tonight, please?” I couldn’t see
who was speaking but I could tell
it was the young woman. “Not a
good idea,” I responded. “It’s
going to be pretty cold!”
“Please,” she answered, “we’ll be
all right. Just let us stay here.”
I looked over at the chief. “What do you think
we should do? It’s Christmas Eve; we can’t let
them sleep in a cold car.” Shaking his head he
said, “You’re right; we can’t let them stay here.
Miss … Miss . let us take you inside … come
on you can’t stay here.” e door of the old
clunker opened slowly and out stepped a
young woman. She reached into the car and
picked up a baby and was followed by a little
girl about four. e chief took them in the
back door of the firehouse as I looked inside
their car. It was a mess, packed with blankets,
clothes and all kinds of food boxes. I could
tell the family had been living in their car.
Inside the fellows were checking out the
kitchen to see what we might have for the
family to eat, and I got a better look at the
woman. She had been beaten quite badly,
with deep bruises and a couple of nasty cuts
on her face. Her knuckles were skinned
where she must have tried to defend herself.
best Sherlock Holmes ever, and Susan Hampshire,
the darling of British TV, who starred in
e Forsyte Saga, e First Churchills, e Pallisers,
and Monarch of the Glen.
Wilde believed in art for art’s sake, and it
shows in this play, where the total is less than
the sum of its parts, but the parts are just so
much fun. Some of my favorite lines:
• Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable
is what other people wear.
• Other people are quite dreadful. e only possible
society is oneself. To be in love with oneself is
the beginning of a lifelong romance.
• Nowadays people marry as often as they can,
don't they? It is most fashionable.
• An acquaintance that begins with a compliment
is bound to turn into a real friendship. It
starts in the right manner.
…and these are just in the first five minutes.
e BBC Oscar Wilde Collection includes Lady
Windemere’s Fan, e Importance of Being
Earnest, and e Picture of Dorian Gray.
Also available is a George Bernard Shaw collection:
Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Heartbreak House,
and Maggie Smith as e Millionairess, which I
I sat her down at our table with a hot cup of
tea as the guys entertained the little ones at
our Christmas tree. e chief brought the
first-aid kit from the fire truck and we started
cleaning her up. A few quick phone calls were
made to our wives and shortly the firehouse
was buzzing; tending to our guests. It seemed
almost mysterious how food and clean clothes
seemed to appear. e woman was treated to
a shower and the kids were bathed in our large
sink and we were all soon enjoying a late
Christmas Eve supper. We have a few cots
upstairs for emergencies and it wasn’t long before
the kids were sound asleep.
“You’ve been so nice to me,” the woman
smiled through her bruises. “What are you
going to do with me now?” “Tonight is
Christmas Eve and tomorrow’s Christmas.
Why don’t you just plan to stay here and we
can work out something after that.”
at was an amazing two days, gifts for the
kids, plenty to eat, with a clean, warm place to
stay. We contacted the police and they were a
great help, finding the right agency for the
family so they wouldn’t have to return home to
the husband and father who had beaten them,
forcing them out into the cold winter.
It was a wonderful Christmas for the firefighters
and families who shared a Christmas gift
with a family in need.
The Nyack Villager thanks Jim Leiner for helping us
all ‘Remember the Days.’ ✫
thought was a dreadful play but worth seeing
just for the great Dame Maggie at her most
clipped, arch, and stunning.
Holly Caster has lived in Nyack with her playwright
husband, two kids, and two cats for over
10 years. She is by trade a writer and by nature
a fan of theater, movies, books, history, & art. ✫
6 The Nyack Villager December, 2008