Mpby 68. Un Petit Ange

In the summer of 1979 the youngest of the Doucette children, Joan, married Bobby Hill. From the time she had moved away from home, Joan had lived in various locations, including Charlottetown, Halifax, Sydney, and Borden. In 1979 Joan and Bobby were living in Borden.

In the spring of 1980, Joan and Bobby were expecting their first child. In March, 1980 Joan gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He had a round face, light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He looked perfectly healthy. After a very long and intensive labor, Joan looked into her son’s little face, her heart overflowed with joy and pride. She had never seen such a beautiful baby!

But before the sun went down that evening Joan’s heart was filled with sorrow and pain. The little infant had lived only for a few hours, when his small lungs collapsed. A mother’s heart broke that day, and with a tear-stained face, Joan clung to Bobby and sobbed in disbelief. Never had one day brought her so much joy and pain. Joan and Bobby named the little one Robert Moses. The family, in their own way, tried to console the couple. Eileen spent the rest of the day at the hospital with her sister. She tried to console Joan by telling her there was one more “petit ange” (little angel) in heaven today. This was little consolation to her sister, who would be leaving the hospital in a few days with a heavy heart and empty arms.

In their own way, Alphy and Margurita tried to console their daughter. Margurita told Joan that there would be other children for her to love and care for. This too, was little consolation to Joan, as the only child she longed for was the little one she had carried for nine months, but who she could no longer hold, or watch grow up. Alphy tried to console his daughter - he told her it is a mystery that we can’t understand. He inquired, “ Why is it that some folks live to

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