I noted today that the Town of Wolfville was reporting the death of former mayor Paul Kinsman.
A few things to state about Paul Kinsman, and one or two of them are not complimentary. He was my father's doctor for many, many years. He provided excellent care to my dad, and even came to the house on more than one occasion to see how he was doing. It's all good.
However, many years ago, when I was still living at home, I recall that Kinsman hired Dad a couple of times to do work for him. Home renovations of one kind or another. Dad would work his heart out, would pay his men out of his own pocket, exhaust credit with the building supplies providers in the Valley, all to do work for Kinsman and others of his ilk.
When the work was done, he would present the bill to Dr. Kinsman.
And wait.
And wait.
And wait.
We got a nice Christmas card from the family that year, but Dad had to wait for more than a little while to get his money. It was shameful.
When I presented the eulogy at Dad's funeral in 2010, I stated the maxim that the rich man never pays his bills, but the poor man always pays. It is so true. And I was thinking of Paul Kinsman (and a few others) when I referenced that.
The last thing I will mention about Paul Kinsman is that he was also the doctor for Donna Goler all those years ago when she was basically being pimped out by her father and raped by him and other relatives. The Goler situation remains a sore point for many people in the Valley, all these years after the court case, all the times after one male Goler said on camera, "What are you supposed to do when a 13 year old comes on to you?"
As a way to deal with the controversy, the disgust over the subject matter, the embarrassment over having let this situation happen for decades, people devised dark humour. "What do you call sweat on a Goler's balls? Relative humidity". Ha ha. "What is the definition of confusion? Father's Day in the Goler family." Hee hee. I am sure there were others.
The case was so ugly, so spirited, so divisive, that when it was over, people wanted to forget about it. It was not until the late 1990's when they put out that book "South Mountain: The Dark Secret of the Goler Clan". I have never been able to find it within me to read it. It sits on a shelf in my home office.
Getting back to Paul Kinsman: he was the doctor to Donna Goler. When she went to him reporting some of the symptoms associated with her abuse, he did not report this to the authorities. Instead, he sent her back home, where what had been happening to her, continued. He could have done something, and didn't.
Kinsman did some good. Dad always defended him even with the slow payments. But I am not so forgiving for that or for the things he neglected to do.
Rest in peace, you son of a bitch.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
2 comments:
How easy of you to call someone else a son of bitch, while you know nothing of their circumstances.
This man was father to 4 boys (now men), and grandfather to their children. Do you think of them, when you write such poison?
Perhaps you should keep your thoughts to yourself, and look inward to why you feel such vitriol towards someone you seem to have not known at or, at at most knew very casually.
I hope that nobody judges you so harshly when you die, but based on the negativity you spew, I would anticipate that such will not be the case.
I decided to publish your comment because I believed you had a right to voice your opinion despite the fact you were too chickenshit to give out your name.
Is it not the case the Paul Kinsman was Donna Goler's physician, and that he sent her back to those jackals where they could continue their pillage upon her? Hmm? Wasn't it?
And I can tell you that Paul Kinsman did take his sweet time paying his bills. Dad would work really hard for him, and then wait and wait until Kinsman deigned to pay. The poor man always pays, and the rich man always has an excuse not to. Dad would have to pay his men, and the suppliers, and then hope there'd be enough money left over for his own family and his own household.
What's your name? Any idea?
And I'm negative? Really? How many of my 3200 blog posts have you read, anyway?
Bevboy
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