The Tragic Filled Young Soul

Past experiences are the foundation of future character. Mother, Ann, walks through her younger self’s life and presents how it has shaped her values and expectations to this day. Up to the age of ten, Ann was able to refer to six houses as ‘home’. While some had memories worth recapping, others were better left in the past. The loss of a loving companion that occurred as Ann was developing into a woman was truly the biggest factor that left a mark on her world. We see perspectives on life change as she is now older and has a life of her own. This is typical as people obtain experience and grow throughout the years. 

Having a home sets a feeling of protection, privacy, and stability. Ann never got to have this as she was growing up. She lived in, “two homes in Canada, one in Quebec City and one a few hours away at a farmhouse. One in downtown Lisbon and two more in downtown Lewiston”(1:31). There were so many she even forgot one and this was only to the age of ten. Many belongings were lost as she explains, “I had a bunch of chickens. Some cats, a dog, and a raccoon; oh and six bunnies”(3:15). There was an uncomfortable moment after discussing the loss of these animals because money was so tight during this time, the father had no choice but to feed the rabbits to the children. To my grandad, these rabbits were just another source of sustenance to keep his children healthy and well. These furry little creatures were much more to Ann though, they were her furry friends, and finding out afterward that she had consumed beloved Snowflake was only one of many tragic events she had encountered. We had talked about this memory a few years ago that resulted in twenty-second, awkward silence, and uncomfortable laughter. Moving from home to home, being forced to adapt to new environments is always so hard, especially for a child in school. New kids are always targets when it comes to being picked on or bullied. Unfortunately for my mom, this was her role in school… the new girl. She had a difficult time opening up in the interview so there was no choice but to ask more personal questions. 

Losing her mother at the age of nine to breast cancer, she sorrowfully admits, “was the hardest moment of my life. I could not believe it to be true and the grief was worse than you could ever imagine. I just hope my kids will never have to experience the pain I did and being as young as I was,”(7:50). There was no further information given to this dreadful situation because a soft spot of the story still remains in her mind. To this day, the memories of her mother appear vividly in her mind on a constant basis. She knew the only way to move forward was to make her mom proud as if she were still here. One goal she had was, “to not move my kids around as much as I moved and to raise them in a safe, loving home”(12:54). In her mind, she has succeeded in this objective but in my mind, however, I thought otherwise. A dispute broke out as I reminded her of all of the homes I have lived in growing up to about the same age. The reasons, though, were very unrelated which is exactly what my mother was trying to prove. She clarified shortly after that her “moving intentions were far different than her reasons for moving as a kid”(9:01). I then comprehended what she was getting at, the times my family had moved was to upgrade the house each and every year that eventually landed us in our home with seven acres of land to call ‘ours’. In my mother’s moving experience, however, it was abrupt and the living conditions only got worse and could not be considered an enhancement from the previous. She takes this as a success in life as we continue to advance each and every new home we moved into.

Regrets and mistakes are the only way to grow in life and learn. Ann was able to learn from her mistakes at an earlier age than most being at the age of ten years old. I find this hysterical being her juvenile daughter with strict surveillance and ridiculous guidelines that must be followed by invariably. The truth comes out about partying in the year 1992, “I was drinking with my friends who were not the best influences and we were at a party. The cops got called on us and Pepere had to come to pick me up from the police station”(5:12). I was quite angry at first when she told the story. After taking some time to evaluate the situation and try to appreciate why she is so strict towards my brother and me, it appeared to me that she would rather not be woken up with a call from the police station because either of us had been caught drinking which could lead to a much bigger problem. 

Ann learned her parenting ways by finding her own ways that are the polar opposite of her father’s ways. She knew that feeding her children’s pets to them was no way to obtain a strong bond with them. Not only did I learn about my mother’s past, but along with why she is the way she is. I have grown more respect for her after this interview as I learn the struggles she has and continues to have on a daily basis. Our bond has flourished after sharing such personal information. All of her struggles, accomplishments, and friendships are the components to making Ann Fouquette the strong, undefeatable, warmhearted woman she is to this day. 

“farm scene” by Christian Collins is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0