‘Mi feel like a part of mi has died’

Tuesday should have been an exciting and memorable day for Demardeo Cornish, but as he rang in his 21st birthday, he was hit by the devastating realisation that his parents would never be around again to celebrate with him.

Cornish's parents died in an accident along the Palisadoes road earlier this month.

He told The Gleaner that he and his parents were inseparable. In fact, family members nicknamed them 'Heckle', 'Jeckle' and 'Freckle'.

His beloved stepfather, 53-year-old taxi-driver Delroy Grant, and his doting mother, Camille Stephenson Grant, were killed in the wee hours of the morning on December 11, when a Toyota Prado collided head-on with the Toyota Probox motorcar in which the couple were travelling.

Rosemarie Robert Banton, 57, and her 18-year-old son, Zackery Heslop, who were also aboard the car, lost their lives as well.

On Tuesday, Cornish told The Gleaner that while he and his parents did not make any specific plans for his birthday this year, they would normally visit the go-kart ring in Portmore, St Catherine, and then venture wherever else their journey took them.

But this birthday, he found it hard to put into words the emotions he felt as he grieved.

“The thing is, normally, dem time a year yah, especially on my birthday, mi would a feel nice, but due to the whole thing, mi nuh feel like miself again. Mi feel like a part of mi has died,” he eventually said.

Tracey-Ann Taylor, who, along with other relatives, has been a tower of strength for her nephew, said it has been a rough time for him, especially because he and his parents were so close.

“He tries to keep himself as occupied as possible, but as soon as he is by himself, him break down as him always a go through him phone and the majority of the pictures a just the three a dem. You always see the three a dem, no matter where dem going,” she told The Gleaner.

“There are no words you can use to comfort him because I don't know what he is going through. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, but we just try to comfort him in the best way. Sometimes it's just a simple hug while he is crying to let him know that we are here and will always be there for him,” she said.

Despite his ordeal, Cornish says he is trying to take it one day at a time because his mother would have encouraged him to be strong if she were here.

Looking back on when he got news of the awful news, Cornish said that at first, he was in disbelief until he saw the pictures of them at the accident scene.

Amid the pain, he could not help but laugh as he recalled how loving and fun-filled his life was with his parents around, while sharing that their constant banter and laughter are among the things he will miss the most.

“The two of them together were like one big comedian and 10 children and I was like the oldest in the house,” he laughingly recalled.

At the same time, he said that like his birthday, and Christmas will never be the same again without them.

Stephenson Grant's brother, Eardlay Stephenson, who had identified the couple's body expressed similar sentiments.

He noted that he was also struggling to cope with the loss as he was very close with his sister.

“To be honest, mi hardly eating. Every time mi see the car, mi affi really a look if a really dem 'cause when mi go look pon di car, it really really mash up. The driver's side meet the passenger's side,” he said.

Family friend Damion described the couple as peaceful, inspiring, encouraging and loving.

“Is a lady and her husband everybody missed. They were a loving couple. Everybody loved dem,” he said.

In the meantime, Taylor said the family is trying to stay strong, but they are dreading the autopsies, which are scheduled for Friday. Although everyone wants to see the bodies, she noted, they are going to break down.

Like her nephew, she said that the tragedy has put a damper on the family's Yuletide celebrations, coupled with the loss of her mother seven months before.

“This is my first Christmas without my mother and then my aunt come and died, so Christmas will never be the same because three persons weh would a normally be a major part of Christmas are not here anymore,” she said.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com