April Raintree Graphic Plot timeline

April and Cheryl are placed

in Foster Care

This event is a highlight for the girls even if they did not know it at the time. They were too young to understand why this was happening and they thought that their parents were perfectly capable of taking care of them. For example April said, “I was determined that we were not going to be taken away. I clung to my mom as tight as I could. ...I expected mom to do the same. But she didn’t . She pushed me away. Into their grasping hands. I couldn’t believe it.” (Cutterton p 7-8). This event affected both girls as they were both taken. They did not know it at the time but this event would be monumental in their lives. Being placed in the Foster Care system, although tough at times would give these girls a chance at a better life outside the Metis stereotypes.

.

April is placed with her first

foster family, the Dions

April goes to live with the DeRosiers

Cheryl comes to live with

April at the DeRosier’s farm

April’s Independence Day

April Marries Bob Radcliff

Cheryl is Taken to

the Hospital

April Gets raped

April and Cheryl get into an Argument

Cheryl’s death

April Raintree Graphic Plot timeline

By: Codee Scott

It was while living with the Dions that April got her first real taste of living with a normal, loving family. She attended school, played with her new siblings, and even celebrated Christmas. It was also in the home of the Dions that April was introduced to religion as it was a very essential piece of their daily lives. Even as April resisted it at first, April found nothing but love from the Dion family and eventually, her resentment turned into genuine love for them as well. This is shown in chapter two when April says “I love you, Maman.’ It was the first time I had ever said those words. To me , they were precious words to be used on very special people. When I saw how much she appreciated hearing those words, I was glad I had said them.” (Cutterton p 24). This event impacted April in a positive way because of all the love that she was surrounded with. But, April’s stay was cut short with the Dions when Mrs. Dion became very sick and she was placed in a new foster home, with the DeRosiers.

April took her life into her own hands by writing a story about her living conditions. This story caught the attention of school officials and lit a spark that would eventually lead to April’s freedom. That spark would result in April leaving the farm when her new social worker, Mr. Wendall came for a visit. He asked many unexpected questions that caught Mrs. DeRosier off guard and flustered her. Finally, when Mr. Wendall saw April’s bedroom he decided to take her with him right on the spot. Finally free from the DeRosiers, April was moved to a boarding school where she completed the rest of her High School education. At her very last appointment with Children’s Aid, a day April refered to as her “Independence Day” it was decided April would take a course to become a secretary. April’s excitement over this milestone is evident in this quote, “I would no longer be a foster child. I was free. Free! FREE!” (Cutterton p73).

Cheryl chose to come live with her sister on the DeRosier farm. Together they shared the burden of Mrs. DeRosier and her awful children. They did their chores together and found comfort in each others company. But, Cheryl’s stay would be cut short when the wrath of the DeRosier children eventually was placed on her. They schemed to have her chased by the bull, having her almost killed in the process. This infuriated April so much she beat up the two DeRosier children, an act that would be blamed on Cheryl. And when she was sure the two of the them would be separated she decided they would run away together. This act was also blamed on Cheryl. This combined with trouble she received at school made a perfect case to support the fact that the sisters were no good for each other. This can be proven when their social worker says, “...Mrs. DeRosier brought a report from school to back her claim that you are a trouble maker. April, it’s touching that you want to cover up for your sister. But, if we don’t do something now, she’ll end up in a reform school.” (Cullerton p 48). This quote proves how Mrs. DeRosier and her children made Cheryl look like a horrible child. Because of these events Cheryl was to be removed from the DeRosier farm and separated from her sister.

While April was living with the Radcliff’s, Cheryl and April lost touch. Gradually, Cheryl’s letters stopped coming and April stopped sending them. But, a phone call from the hospital in Winnipeg send April running back to her sister's side. Intoxicated and beaten Cheryl lay in the hospital bed suffering from hypothermia. In the coming weeks April began to uncover what her sister had been up to in the time they had not seen each other. She learned that Cheryl fell off the deep end, quitting school and turning to alcohol as an escape. She also moved in with a man that was not good for her. Cheryl said about her ex-boyfriend Mark, “...I don’t want to go back with Mark. I don’t even want to go back there and get my things.” (Cullerton p 109). This quote shows how scared Cheryl was, and the lifestyle she had created for herself. This affected Cheryl negatively as she not only lost sight of her vision to help other lost, troubled Metis peoples, but became one herself.

Even though Cheryl and April were living together, they hardly talked. As Cheryl was living her life, partying and drinking everyday April spent her time working and cleaning up after Cheryl. One night in an attempt to understand Cheryl's behaviour April coaxed Cheryl into telling her what was on her mind. She learned that Cheryl had looked for their parents and had found their father. He, just like countless other Metis peoples she encountered on her search was a drunk living his life for the bottle. She also learned their mother committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. When April tried dumping Cheryl’s alcohol out, the true extent of her alcohol problem was revealed. This is evident in this quote, “I guess all Cheryl could see was that her pretious liquid was seeping away. All I wanted was for her to quit drinking for the night.” (Cullerton p 160). This quote also shows us how her sisters drinking problem greatly effected April as she was very worried about Cheryl. The argument ended when Cheryl stormed out into the night drunk.

In a strong contrast to life in the Dions home, life on the DeRosier farm was utterly horrible for poor April. Treated more like a slave then a child April was forced to do a laundry list of chores before and after school. Her living conditions were horrible as she slept in a small, dingy room at the back of the house. To make matters worse Mrs. DeRosier had two kids that could do no wrong. They used this power over April to constantly get her into trouble for things she did not do. They even made her school experience horrible as they spread rumors about April being involved with the older foster boys at the the DeRosier house; wrecking her image with students and teachers alike. The DeRosier family was also incredibly racist towards April, making her resent her Metis heritage. This can be shown when April says, “Being a half- breed meant being poor and dirty. It meant being ugly and stupid. It meant living off white people. And giving your children to white people to look after.” (Cutterton p 34). April coped with this horrible treatment by throwing herself into her work and essentially shutting herself off emotionally.

While working as a secretary at a Law Office in Winnipeg, Bob Radcliff swept April off of her feet. April, young and clueless found refuge in Bob’s goodlooks and calm demeanor. Within months they were married and April moved to Toronto to be with him. April suddenly went from having nothing to living in a world of glitz and glam. This drastic change worried Cheryl as she felt April was leaving her Metis heritage behind. Eventually, Cheryl cut herself off from her sister. Suddenly having everything and nothing at the same time put April into a very depressed state. The turning point for April was when she found out Bob was having an affair with a very close friend of hers. On top of this, her new mother in law, whom she was forced to call Mother Radcliff resented her Metis heritage. An example of this is when Mother Radcliff says, “Didn’t you notice her sister? They’re Indians... Well, not Indians but, half-breeds which is almost the same thing.” (Cullerton p 99). Shocked and hurt, April demanded a divorce and moved out on her own.

After many months of searching for her sister with no luck April finally gave up. But, one night a distressed Nancy (Cheryl’s friend) called April to tell her she thought Cheryl was going to kill herself. Sure enough their search lead to the same bridge Cheryl and April’s mother took her own life years before. In the weeks after Cheryl’s death April read diary entries to better understand her late sister. It was through these she found out about Cheryl’s son, Henry Liberty. It took the death of her sister for April to really understand and appreciate her Metis heritage. This is shown in the end of the book when April says, “...I had used the words ‘my people, our people,’ and meant them. The denial had been lifted from my spirit. It was tragic that it had taken Cheryl's death to bring me to accept my identity.” (Culleton p 184). April’s life would forever be changed by Cheryl’s legacy which lived on through her son, Henry Liberty.

As Cheryl lay in a hospital bed April went to

Cheryl’s house to gather her things and get her away from Mark. Once at Cheryl’s house in a rather run-down part of town three men jumped her and pulled her into their car. The events that followed and ended up in April’s rape would leave April forever changed. This is evident in this quote from chapter twelve, “I had to get rid of that awful smell on me. ... Their dirty, stinky bodies. I could feel their hands all over me. I had to get rid of that feeling, too.” (Cullerton p 119). It was in court that April later found out, that the wrath of those horrible men was meant to be felt by Cheryl. Furthermore, April discovered that in her absence Cheryl had been working as a prostitute to support her deadbeat boyfriend. After many, many months of suffering the aftermath of her rape, healing only really began after falling in love with her former colleague, Roger.