Eusha and Nak-Nak remain strong after one year
By Cherisse M. Sutton/Jeffers
Reporter SKNVibes.com
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| Kudzi and Nakita and son Kudzijay in happier times |
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IT has been almost one year ago when two females lost not only the men they loved but also the fathers of their young sons.
The two men, Keithroy ‘I-keith’ Morton and Kudzi Mills, lost their lives in a horrific traffic accident in the Verchild’s area while on their way to Basseterre from the Lantern Night Club on the morning of Sunday, August 19, 2007.
Denzil ‘Para’ Williams and Kimo Flemming, friends of the deceased, were also in the vehicle when the accident occurred.
The women, Eusha ‘Usha’ Johnson and Nakita ‘Nak-Nak’ Richards took timeout from their busy schedule to speak with SKNVibes and recapped what they said was the hardest and most devastating period in their lives.
Richards, whose son Kudzijay is the younger of the two boys and named after his father Kudzi, said her son was just eleven months old when his dad died. She said it is still very difficult for her because she has not fully accepted his death, but the assistance received from her family and also Kudzi’s brought her much solace.
According to Richards, she and Kudzi had been together for five years before his death and it was only the Friday before the accident they had been sitting and reminiscing about their lives.
Richards said she would never forget the day when she went to the hospital and saw members of the Emergency Medical Service
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| Keithroy and Usha and son Jakeem in happier times |
rushing his motionless body into the emergency room. She said he was taken to the Intensive Care Unit, where she and other family members had gathered around him.
Richards remembered telling him, “Kudzi if you want to be here for Kudzijay move your foot.” To this request, she said, he complied.
“I was then told to get my son, and I did. Kudzijay saw his dad and started saying ‘dada’, which was just about the only word he could say at the time. On hearing the voice of his son, Kudzi immediately broke out in tears,” Richards said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Richards said that particular incident occurred sometime after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the accident, but Kudzi seemed to have taken a turn for the worst later that day. She explained that he had problems breathing and a resuscitator was applied, but that was not enough because he died shortly after 11:00 a.m. the next day. “It just did not seem real,” she added
After regaining her composure, Richards said she finds it difficult at times to play the roles of mother and father but, when she thinks of the manner in which Kudzi departed, it makes her stronger because his premature departure was not deliberate.
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Jahkeem and Kudzijay
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Richards told SKNVibes that a few months after the incident she would normally tell her son that his father went on an aeroplane when he asked for him. She was however advised by a nurse to desist and now tells him the truth until he is old enough to understand. The child will be two years old sometime in September.
She said Kudzi was a good, loving, caring and a family man who was always willing to “help out and was a great father for his short time”.
“This was an eye-opener for me; it shows that you really got to live each day a step at a time and be sure to tell loved ones that you love them, because you never know when you would lose them,” Richards said.
Johnson, on the other hand, told SKNVibes, that she never questions the reasons for Morton’s death because she believes in faith and thinks everything happens for a reason.
She said her son, Jakeem, is now four years old and understands what happened to his father and knows that he would not return.
Johnson said she was not quite herself at first after losing Morton, because she had frequent flashbacks and constantly felt his presence around her which somewhat affected her work at times. “When I thought about my son not having a father, I use to breakdown but not anymore. I try to be strong and try to accomplish the things I know he would have wanted for us,” she said.
She recounted the morning when Keithroy’s sister went into her bedroom and told her that he was involved in an accident. Johnson said she did not give much thought to it, as she was not fully awake and thought it was nothing serious. But a brief moment later, she heard Keithroy’s mother screaming and it was then she left her bed and found out what was really going on and they left for the hospital.
“He was not there as yet, but everyone kept saying he did not look as if he was going to make it. When he finally arrived and I saw him, it was like I went from myself when I saw that a piece of his skull cap was missing,” she said while crying. ~~Adz:Right~~
Johnson said a nurse told family members that they had to try and get his pressure down before they could have operated on him, but it remained at that count because of his high alcohol level.
She added that the nurse said he would not be of any use to himself if he survived, but deep inside she was still hoping for the best.
Johnson said she went home for her son and together they returned to the hospital and was informed by the doctor that Keithroy was “on his last breath”. On hearing the sad news, Johnson said she fainted and found herself on a bed in one of the emergency outpatient rooms when she regained consciousness. He died at approximately 10 o’clock that Sunday morning.
“That was the longest, most emotional day of my life. There are times when I get depressed and prefer to be alone, and there are also times when Jakeem says he misses his dad but I just try to be positive and stay focus,” Johnson said.
She also stated that of the three years in which Keithroy was in Jakeem’s life, he did not get to spend much time with him because of being incarcerated on a number of occasions. Johnson further stated that shortly before the fatal accident, Keithroy had started to put his life in order and be there for his family. The two of them were high school lovers and had dated for just over six years.
The proud mother said Keithroy loved football and so does her son. “He sometimes says that he is going to be a footballer like his dad,” she added.
Keithroy played football for the Village Cokes and the club’s members named a league in his memory and declared his son the first member of the Keithroy Morton Under-14 Football League.
Johnson and Richards, who are very close friends, said their sons are like brothers and they try as much as possible to preserve the memories of their fathers. The two women said they often visit the graves of their deceased lovers, along with their sons.
Keithroy Morton died at age 23 while Kudzi Mills was 21.
