LIFESPRITES: Origins

Chapter 1: Alpha

May 15th, 2009
Raymond "Ray" Dumont
Birthdate: May 3rd, 1995
Birthplace: Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Hi there, the name's Raymond Dumont, but most of them call me Ray. I lived in Gatineau, a small town in Quebec not far from Canada's capital, Ottawa and neighbouring town to Montreal and Quebec city. If I could think of what my favourite hobby was, it would possibly be exploring the great outdoors.

Since childhood, my parents took me to Gatineau Park every fall to escape the bustles of the city. Everytime I was at the park, it felt like I was walking in a  wonderland. This experience was so influential, that I even thought of becoming a travel blogger one day. I lived with my Uncle, Llyod Audum, my adopted little sister, Anaïs McNabb, and my basenji, Rizzie in a small, blue house in Masson-Angers. To keep the family afloat, Uncle Llyod worked as a welder. Despite not being blood related, both our families had a long history with Lloyd. Growing up, our parents saw him as a big brother figure and, as they had us, we always called him Uncle.

Knowing how close our families were, it's no surprise that Anaïs and I grew up together. Before having a child, the McNabbs would frequently visit our family or drop by to take care of me. They were like a second family to me and they treated me like the son they didn't have. The reason was that they wanted to have a child but were told they couldn't. So out of sympathy, my parents let the McNabbs babysit me while they were away. Eventually, the McNabbs welcomed their daughter, Anaïs, to the world when I was 3. Sure, it got lonely and I was jealous of all the attention she was getting, but overtime, I got used to her . As she got older and energetic, she was fascinated with architecture after our visit at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario.

Rizzie has been with me, through thick and thin since childhood. When my parents brought her home as a puppy from a trip in Ottawa at a pet store, I instantly fell in love with her. She always accompanied me while the McNabbs were taking care of Anaïs, saved me from dangerous situations such as the time when she scared off a group of bullies trying to jump me in the woods with her yodel behind the bushes, making them believe there was a banshee, and motivated me to keep going when times got tough such as recently.

One day, our parents left all the three of us in Lloyd's care. "Hey Llyod, you're the only person we can trust right now. Are you sure you got this under control?," asked my father. "Of course, Steve. You've been like family to me since we were kids," said Uncle Lloyd. As Mr. and Mrs. McNabb comforted my sobbing mother, Uncle Lloyd clasped her hand. "Hannah, until this is all blows over, we'll meet again soon. Francine, Chuck, lead the way," I was 7 and Anaïs was 5 at the time when we watched them leave, and didn't understand why they did that at the time until years later.

It's was like any other day for us. We were heading to the front door to wait for the school bus after breakfast, when Anaïs zoomed by and passed me there. "Anaïs McNabb, undefeated! " cheered Anaïs, while she made applaud noises. "Real mature, An," I said, rolling my eyes. “Aww, the sound of a sore loser?”said Anaïs, puckering her lips. "Hey, you two," said Uncle Llyod, drinking his coffee. "Is everything ready?,". “Yes, sir," I said. "Aye, aye, captain," said Anaïs, making a salute. Before we exited the front door, Uncle Llyod stopped us."Do you have your bracelets on?" he asked. "Yeah," I said. We looked down at the blue digital bracelets as it showed our name and student number."why do we need them," "There's a test happening at your school and it's mandatory that you bring it with you,". Uncle Lloyd replied. "Hey, Uncle, by any chance did you get in contact with our parents after the exams?" asked Anaïs, anxiously. Dead silence filled the atmosphere. My uncle then broke the silence."I’ll tell you what, when you come back from school, we'll talk about this",. I looked to Anaïs, dejected by his response. As the bus arrived, we waved goodbye to Uncle Lloyd.

By the time we entered the bus, I turned my attention to an agitated Anaïs. “9 years!,” said Anaïs. "It's been nothing but postcards, gifts, and pictures! Why can't we see them now?!," I watched sadly, as Anaïs began sobbing. I could do nothing but comfort her. “As Uncle Lloyd promised, he'll explain everything,". Though unhappy by this response, Anaïs agreed.