‘Someone in my family was going to die’

FOR THREE NIGHTS 40-year-old Samdaye Basdeo dreamt that someone in her family was going to die. As fate would have it, it turned out to be her eldest child and only son, 22-year-old Aknath Basdeo, an employee with General Earth Movers, and his relative, 24-year-old Sally Kistow, a mother of two. both died in a three car smash-up while on their way to the Mayaro beach on Saturday. The accident occurred at Manzanilla. Ten persons were injured in the crash. Basdeo’s wife, Rafeena Basdeo, 18, whom he had married four months ago, is in a critical condition at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. kistow’s common-law-husband, Kumar Maharaj, 26, escaped with cuts and bruises to his head and face. When Newsday visited Basdeo’s relatives yesterday at their Second Branch Road, Tableland home, relatives were very emotional. His mother, Samdaye Basdeo, was too distraught too speak with the media.
   
However, his father, Deochan, recalled that the three nights before his son’s death they got “bad dreams” which led them to believe that a family member was going to die. “We had a lot of signs but we could not unfold it. My wife could not sleep, her skin only scratching and she only dreaming dead bodies.” Deochan said his wife had dreamt that Rafeena, who sustained head injuries in the crash and underwent emergency surgery, had shaved her head. “And imagine they (doctors) had to shave her head for the surgery,” he added. The father of four, who broke down in tears frequently during the interview, said Basdeo had planned to spend the day with his sister but was coaxed into going on the beach lime. Describing his son as “ten sons in one,” the distraught father said his son who was married on Easter Sunday,  was looking forward to settling down and having lots of children. With tears streaming down his face, Deochan sobbed: “He (Basdeo) wanted to be a good boy and wanted to take care of his parents and sisters. He now start life.”

Since the accident, Deochan said his daughter-in-law Rafena, has been unconscious and have not yet been told of Basdeo’s death. The father said tentative funeral arrangements have been made for Wednesday. At Kistow’s Warrel Road home yesterday her relatives were still trying to come to terms with the tragedy. Kistow had shared a common-law-relationship with Basdeo’s uncle, Kumar Maharaj, for the past six years. The couple has a four-year-old son Ajay. Kistow also has another child, Kevin, six, from a previous relationship but the child stays with his grand parents in Sangre Grande. Kistow’s sister-in-law, Sandra Patraj, recalled that the woman had planed to go shopping for school books and did not want to go on the beach lime, but had changed her mind after relatives begged her to go. She said Kistow was planning to get married soon but had decided to “hold a prayers in October first.” She said Kistow’s son, Ajay was told of his mother’s death but “he lying on her bed and asking for her. He asking us to bring back a mummy for him.” Patraj said Kistow’s husband, who had several bandages on his face and head, was still in shock and did not want to speak with the media. Relatives are yet to decide on funeral arrangements.