By Janet Silvera, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
A SOLEMN Commissioner of Police, Francis Forbes, and a weary Minister of National Security, Peter Phillips, bowed their heads in prayer for the traumatised family of dead taxi driver, David Bacchas.
The place was Flankers and the scene was different from the bottle-throwing, road-blocking, and gun fire that had besieged the community for the past three days. The mood was that of healing.
A few houses up the road, the family of the late Cecil Alexander Brown waited their turn. Again both the Commissioner and the Minister bowed their heads to pray, but only one member of this family participated in the interfaith meditation Brown's wife Lillian. "We do not mean to be disrespectful, but we would like to be excused, we do not like to be involved in interfaith," said Tasmani Montique, grandson of the slain newspaper vendor, who spoke on behalf of his mother Sandra Brown, and smaller brother Tavaine Palmer.
SUPPORT AND PRAYER
Twenty-two-year-old Tasmani was adhering to the teachings of the Jehovah's Witness, the same faith his grandfather Cecil Brown chose during his lifetime. The young man showed no discomfort being in the midst of Political Ombudsman, Bishop Herror Blair, Pastor Palmer, Reverend Conrad Pitkin and Bishop Charles Dufour, although they all represented different denominations. As far as he was concerned they were all visiting to offer moral support and prayer to his bereaved family.
DEEP PAIN
And as happy as he was to have the esteemed men in his home, he still felt a deep pain in losing the man who walked him to school several mornings. "The burden of someone dying is so great that the visit of these dignitaries, while good, is not enough to ease the pain," he said, after they left.
At the home of David Bacchas, a frail Geneva Bacchas sat at attention listening to officials as they sought to ease her pain. They promised to take care of the funeral expenses. This she welcomed, but she did not hesitate in telling The Gleaner she would need more than that from the Government.
"It's good to know that somebody else cares, but I don't work. He was the breadwinner of the house and now he is dead, so I will need more than funeral expenses," she said sadly. Resting feebly upon the arms of a relative she reminisced openly on the 30 years of marriage to her soulmate. "Most times we were together, this has really placed a void in my life."
