It will be 25 years this October that I got the call to come home...that something bad had happened. I was 17 years old and only about one month into my senior year in high school. When I got home I found my Aunt crying at the kitchen table and my cousin standing there in tears. She then delivered the news, "Last night your father killed Mary Jayne and the three kids." People always talk about feeling like they got the wind knocked out of them or getting hit with a ton of bricks, but you really have no idea what that feels like until it actually happens. I couldn't even process it when my Uncle came in and put the phone in front of me. He said we had to call everybody and tell them because my Dad was going to be on the news and we didn't want them to hear that way. At 17 years old I had to do the most adult thing I've ever had to do. I dialed my Mom's number and when she answered I could barely get the words out, "He killed them. He killed them all." is what came out. She was in shock. I got hurried off the phone by my Uncle because I had to track down my brother and sisters. I called my older sister next. I can still hear the sound of her screaming when I told her. Right after my brother walked in...and my Uncle delivered the news to him. I've only seen my brother cry a handful of times in my life and this was one of them. We had to get in the car and go get my little sister who was sleeping at a friend's house. My brother told her. She didn't even cry at first and then as we were driving, I could see in the mirror the tears streaming down her face. I reached in the front seat and squeezed her hand. It's crazy how you still can remember every little detail. Everything was a whirlwind after that. Domestic Violence not only affected my life, it brought my family closer together. We have a bond that some people will never comprehend. On September 24th, our team The Colbert Crusaders will be walking in memory of my beautiful sisters. Emily, Elise and Patricia, your little lives meant something and I have not forgotten you. RIP Sweet baby girls. Until I see you again.
TEAM CAPTAIN
Cheri Colbert Gonsalves
