Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter
Sadness this week hung like a grey cloud over Maxine Clarke as she sombrely reflected on the pain she was feeling over the loss of her daughter, Stacey- Ann Clarke.
The errant bullet, which was fired in a gang feud on Saturday, April 26 in Seaview Gardens, ended the life of the little girl last Friday, who was described by her mother as determined and brilliant.
"She was a child who was always thinking ahead," Clarke said. "I always quarrel with her and tell her that she cannot do everything because she always wanted to be on top."
Drive to succeed
Stacey's thirst to be on top drove her, about a month ago, to persuade her mother to purchase a Spelling Bee book, so that she could begin practising to represent her school, Seaview Gardens Primary, in The Gleaner Children's Own Spelling Bee.
Stacey's quest for excellence also should have been displayed today at the Inter-Primary School Track and Field Championship.
"The Primary Champs were on Wednesday and she was looking forward to it. She was on her school relay team, and she was really looking forward to it."
Clarke said Stacey-Ann's love also extended to rugby. She spoke of how, after initially refusing to sign the form for her daughter to participate on the school team, she returned from the competition after three weeks of training with the Most Valuable Player medal.
"God loaned her to me for a short time. She wanted to do so many things. The nurses and the doctors cried when they heard. They did all that they could do but the bullet did too much damage."
Clarke will live with the painful memory of not hearing her child's voice as she battled for her life in the hospital for under a week.
"I never heard a word, if I even heard she say 'mommy', I would feel good."
Clarke appealed to gunmen to put down their weapons as they were robbing children of their future.
"I wonder how he feels to take a life of a future doctor, and just because they don't have a future they should not blot out the children's future."
mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com
