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Summer of '78 By Michael L. Plouffe The summer of 1978 was going be memorable one for me. In June of that same year I had just turned 17. With one year left of high school (grade 12) I decided to put my thumb back to work. From Kitchener, Ontario I was going to hitch hike out west, to the mountains or possibly the west coast. Thumbing alone was all right with me, but having someone there to chat with would sure help pass the time a lot better. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it can get pretty boring and lonely when your stuck on some desolate highway in the middle of nowhere by yourself. God knows that the summer before was exactly what had happened to me. But nonetheless I was prepared to go it alone. Besides, it was more of a challenge and more of an adventure going solo. Shortly after summer holidays started, I left Kitchener with my thumb in the air. The weather was fabulous and the long range forecast was even better. I was really looking forward to this solitary journey. After about four days of hitch hiking, and some great rides, I found myself approximately 10 miles east of Thunder Bay when a guy named Gary Deschamp stopped and offered me a lift. He said that he could bring me into town where it would be easier for me to catch a ride but first he had to make a stop at home to pick up his wallet, which he had forgotten. Gary lived on a farm with his mom and dad, two brothers Claude and Danny, and his sister Yvonne. When we arrived at their home he invited me in to meet his family. Everyone was nice and friendly. I especially took a liking to Yvonne, even though she was seven years my senior. The mother, whose name was Irene and who had the most stunning red hair I'd seen, asked if I would like to stay for supper. She told me that it would not be a problem for her and that having a new face in the house was a welcomed change. I graciously accepted and looked forward to a good home cooked meal, something I hadn't had in a while. Besides, the canned food and peanut butter & jam sandwiches I had been eating for the last few days were really starting to get to me. That evening, after a delicious pot roast supper, I noticed that Mrs. Deschamp appeared to be not feeling too well. For some reason she looked very tired and run down. I didn't bother to mention it to anyone at that time because I felt that it wasn't my place to do so. As I was cleaning up and preparing myself for the continuing journey, the family suggested that I stay the night. Gary informed me that he would drive me first thing in the morning to a location of my choice in Thunder Bay where I could take over from where I had left off the day before. I was more than happy to sleep over and I could see that Mrs. Deschamp was pleased that I accepted their offer. Besides I was full from a great supper and was starting to feel a bit sleepy. I got to know those folks quite well that night and they got to know me as well. Mrs. Deschamp had nicknamed me "Frenchie" because of my French Canadian background and also because I was fully bilingual. She was a very sweet and kind lady who possessed gentleness seen only in few people. In fact, everyone in that family had a special quality about them. Just before bed that evening, the family invited me to stay and work on the farm with them to earn a few dollars to help support my adventure. Mr. Deschamp said that he would allow me use either the pick-up truck or his brand new '78 Trans Am to run errands for the family. I felt very pleased and fortunate that he trusted me so much. Again I accepted their offer and informed them that I wasn't sure how long I would stay. I also advised them that I didn't want to commit to something like this when I knew, as well as they did, that thumbing my way to the mountains was what I really wanted to do. This was the reason I was here in the first place. Over the next couple of weeks I was noticing that Mrs. Deschamp was still not feeling nor looking so well. In fact she appeared to be getting worst. This time I confronted her about it and she said that although she felt weak and tired it was nothing to worry about. Even though she tried to reassure me everything was ok I knew there was something wrong. I voiced my concerns later that day to Yvonne and her brother Gary. They agreed that their mom didn't look too well but that she was a tough woman and if she said not to worry then you didn't worry. After all, they knew her better than I did. One morning, near the end of July, Yvonne and I went into town to get some groceries while the family worked outdoors. When we arrived back at the house we went inside to unpack. Yvonne called out to her mom but she didn't answer. She called out a second time and still there was no answer. We both wondered where she could be since she was always in the house. Yvonne finally found her mother lying in bed and she appeared to be sleeping. She tried to wake her up but Mrs. Dechamp would not respond. Yvonne yelled out to me to call an ambulance, which I did immediately. It took the drivers about 15 minutes to arrive because we were out in the country. The attendants immediately performed CPR on her while placing her in the back of the ambulance. The family and I followed close behind. Two weeks after arriving in Thunder Bay and meeting this fine and loving family, Mrs. Irene Deschamp pasted away. She had slipped into a coma at the house and the next day died in the hospital. The cause of death was cancer. It must have taken one very strong and tough woman to keep going the way she did. She never took a break nor did she complain. She put her family ahead of her own well being. I was honored to be asked to be a pallbearer at her funeral. There was no way that I was going to say no. It meant a lot to the family and I'm sure it meant a lot to Mrs. Deschamp who was now watching over her family. I stayed another month working on their farm but knew I soon had to leave. Summer holidays were over and I needed to return back to Kitchener to finish my last year of high school. I was going to have to put off my trip to the Rocky Mountains for at least another year but that was ok with me. The night before I left we had an emotional good-bye party. They told me that Mrs. Deschamp thought of me as one of her own kids, as a member of her family. They thanked me immensely for the help that I had given them and I also thanked them for the pleasure of getting to know such a wonderful family. This was definitely an experience of a lifetime. The time that I spent with those folks was and still is priceless. The nicest and most caring people that I ever met. Pure gold. For my safe return home Mr. Deschamp offered to purchase me a train ticket but I refused. I wanted to finish my trip using my thumb, the same way that I had started. Although I knew that it was going to be a long trek back especially with all the memories of that summer and in particular, Mrs. Deschamp, I still wanted to thumb my way home to Kitchener. There's no greater feeling in the world like being on the open road, thumb in the air, wind in your face, bumming a ride from town to town till you make your way to your final destination. I knew that this adventure on the road would not be my last. |
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