Damion Mitchell, News Coordinator - Radio
Left: MESHA-GAYE TOMLIN - Right: IRENE MONTAQUE... 'Nothing will ever change unless my daughter comes back.' - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
IT HAS been exactly one year since 16-year-old Mesha-Gaye Tomlin was killed by a robber when she refused to hand over her cellular phone to him.
For her mother, Irene Montaque, it has been 365 days of grief, pain and agony.
In fact it has been the most difficult year in the life of the 34-year-old mother of two and for her it is doubtful whether the situation will ever improve.
"Nothing will ever change unless my daughter comes back," Miss Montaque told The Gleaner from her Waltham Park Road residence in St. Andrew on Tuesday as the evening sun slowly slipped away for yet another day.
By nightfall, electrical power had still not been restored at her house and, under the faint beams of a giant flashlight, the distraught mother struggled to continue her story. "It rough, it really, really rough," she sobbed, tears beginning to roll from her eyes.
The single mother has been making a concerted effort to remain strong, but the cold reality that her "diamond" will never sparkle again perennially tramples her spirits. She was accustomed to returning home from work each day to a hot meal prepared by Mesha-Gaye. She was accustomed to daily cheers with her child and she had become dependent on Mesha-Gaye for motivation.
A sixth form student at The Queen's School in St. Andrew at the time of her death, Mesha's dream was to become a lawyer. She wanted to be successful at her career and she wanted to bring enduring comfort to her mother.
According to Miss Montague, almost every item in her house reminds her of her daughter. "Mi have a big picture in the room and at times mi don't clean the dresser, because mi don't want to see it. Mi have one over mi bed and at times mi don't hold up mi head, because mi really don't want to see it," she said staring listlessly into the dimly lit ceiling of her living room.
But she has not escaped recent reports that even more children have been killed, loading unquantifiable volumes of grief on her mind.
Police statistics indicate that 105 children were killed last year and, since January this year, at least seven have been slaughtered.
According to Miss Montague, as the anniversary of Mesha-Gaye's death moved closer it became increasingly difficult to cope with the passing of her child. She has not had professional counselling simply because she cannot afford it but her friends at work have been supportive and so have members of her family.
LITTLE COMFORT
It has been reported that Mesha-Gaye's alleged killer was subsequently killed by the police, but this has not erased the anger of those who loved her.
For Miss Montaque's second child, 15-year-old Alicia Murdock, Mesha-Gaye was the greatest friend. "I always have this picture in my head of her coming through the gate, but, but ... it's not happening," she muttered. "She always say that mi love her like cooked food and I really do."
But Alicia, a student of Wolmer's Girls' School who aspires to become a geologist, is committed to providing the sort of support and comfort Mesha-Gaye always wanted for her mother. "Now that she isn't here I feel like I am playing two roles, so I really want to be successful for me and for Mesha," she said.
