SHAQUILLE WEBSTER was loved by everyone . . . He was the sweetheart of the family . . . He was a joy to the Webster family.
These descriptions flowed over and over again when Shaquille’s relatives sat down with counsellors yesterday and poured out their hearts in the midst of their loss.In tragic circumstances on Sunday, the 16-year-old Lester Vaughan student lost his life the day after celebrating his birthday, when he got into difficulties while swimming at Brownes Beach during a birthday picnic for school friend Shanice Bowen.
Bowen celebrated her birthday on Friday, Shaquille celebrated his birthday the Saturday, Sunday was best friend Mark Rock’s birthday, and yesterday was the birthday of Faith Ramdeholl, who also saw Shaquille as her best friend.
As family members sat down with Network Services Inc. counsellor Anderson Kellman, Lester Vaughan principal Diana Wilson and guidance counsellor Rosalin Gibson, they fought back tears as Kellman took them through the grieving process, offering them the opportunity to speak of Shaquille.
Shaquille’s aunt “Ann” wailed as she recalled the bad “feeling” she had on the day that Shaquille died.
In fact, for the last month Ann had been having dreams about a funeral, and while she could not see who they were grieving for, she did go as far as to tell the family to get ready their funeral clothes, since somebody was going to die.“Two months ago, I was at work and all of a sudden I started to smell a coffin, and don’t care how I turn I was smelling this coffin for about half-hour. Then last month I kept dreaming of a funeral all the time, but I couldn’t see the face, so I thought it would be grandmother because she is sick, but I never expected it to be Shaquille,” she cried.
Ann said she tried for the longest time to get ready for a harvest on Sunday, but somehow sensed that all was not well.
“I couldn’t understand what was happening, but I just couldn’t get those clothes put on.”
When she finally began to dress, she said, the bad news came that Shaquille had just been pulled from the water.
Another aunt, Kim Webster, also wept openly as she recalled all the plans she had for her young nephew. “I gave Shaquille money for his birthday on Saturday . . . I took Shaquille down to Holetown where he wanted to go.. Shaquille has an appointment at the Samuel Jackman Polytechnic next week, which I was supposed to take him to . . . we set up those interviews for him to attend next week, he was supposed to start learning to drive . . . all these children came to school this morning but Shaquille couldn’t come to school . . . I left mummy home putting on a comforter on Shaquille bed . . . Why she doing that I don’t know . . . I can’t handle this at all,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
Shaquille’s mother Gail Neblett remained silent. His stepfather, his voice barely above a whisper, said that when he heard Shaquille was going to the beach, he told him if he was going in the water, to “swim across, do not swim out”.
“I begged Shaquille not to swim out . . .” he said, choking back tears.
The deceased’s father Phillip Webster also remained silent, but his girlfriend Shontelle broke down in tears. She said on Saturday Shaquille had called to speak to his three-year-old sister, who was now constantly asking for him.
Kellman, who prayed with the family, urged them not to be afraid to cry and to offer support to each other and find fun ways to remember Shaquille in their period of grief.
