My sister Micheline

Micheline is the oldest in our family! There are a few versions about how Micheline became mentally handicapped. My aunt who doesn’t like my father much says it was my Dad’s fault! She claims that Micheline fell off a swing as a child and my Dad was to drunk to take her to the hospital .When she was brought to the hospital it was too late she was already brain damaged .Another story I herd is she had a fever as a baby that left her brain damaged . As far back as I can remember she has been this way .I heard once that she has the mind of a 7 years old. Micheline likes music a lot. She could often be found standing in one spot signing and rocking her head from side to side. I grew up around her so to me it was “just Micheline” .The funniest memories I have about Micheline was in later years when I was about 18 .A good old friend of my Dad was visiting and he had brought with him his daughters . When we were young we often visited Gary’s family and play with them .Now these kids I used to play with had evolved into very pretty ladies. Micheline loved Gary and I think that’s because Gary sang and played guitar when we got together as families. One of Michelines habitual behavior was she would often repeat something that a person would say out of the blue. A few years before that visit Gary had lost his foot in an accident that seem to have changed him and on this day he didn’t want to play guitar .I took charge and tried to see if I could remember a tune and maybe impress one of his daughters . Well as luck would have it I was so nervous I couldn’t think of a song to play and sing. I would start a few cords then stop and make excuses .Then try another then stop and make excuses. Suddenly Micheline says” shut up and play” and the whole room started laughing! I got so embarrass! I covered it up by laughing as well but after that I was more lost so I put the guitar down .I of course lost interest in Gary’s daughters completely. When the conversation changed I slowly wandered away. My Mom tried to enter Micheline into the school system, but in those days special needs children did not attend school. As Micheline came into her teens My Dad was still going from Job to Job so my Mom decided to go back to work. Since Micheline needed attending this was impossible so my parents decided to have her committed to an institution in Smith Falls Ontario. We visited a few times and she would be allowed to come home on holidays. One day someone from a group’s home for challenged people found Micheline at the institution and offered to take her. Group homes have about 10 people where as institutions have 300. She has been there since and is very happy there. In fact if she visits us to long she gets disoriented and starts crying. I still believe that she was so lucky they noticed her and took her under there wing.