Barrel of toys on the way, but Cherron not around to play with them

Rewan, 12, of Picton Road, Sangre Grande was tragically killed in an accident on Wednesday along the Solomon Hochoy Highway. His mother Nichelle, who had returned to Trinidad for the first time in three and a half years, was driving along the highway, when she lost control of the vehicle. The car crossed the median and smashed into a Hilux van driven by Rajkumar Deolal.

The mother and son were returning from San Fernando after spending time with Cherron’s father, Merill Lee. Nichelle is warded at the San Fernando Hospital after sustaining injuries to her hip.

Nichelle returned to Trinidad last Saturday to spend Christmas with her only son.

Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Cherron’s grandmother Joan Rewan, was still in a daze over the tragedy. She said the boy who lived with her since he was a baby, hugged and kissed her at 6 am on Wednesday, saying "ah gone." She never anticipated that those would be his final words, but recalls that he was happy to have his mother home.

Joan said she later got a message on her phone informing her of Cherron’s death. In disbelief, she said she made several calls to confirm the bad news, and when her worse fears were confirmed, all she could do was hold her head and scream.

She said her grandson loved football and, as a Christmas gift, Nichelle brought him his first pair of football boots, but he never got to wear them. She said a barrel of toys is expected to arrive today as an additional gift.

"Cherron couldn’t wait to open that barrel."

She said he was looking forward to spending a happy holiday season with the family.

The youngster’s friends are also still in shock. Mikahail Williams and Brandon and Rishi Daniel said they played football with Cherron last Tuesday, when he scored two goals to claim victory for their team, Economy Stars.

He was also a member of the Franciscan House of Prayer youth group.

Cherron’s funeral is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, depending on whether his mother is released from hospital.