Autobiography
Who KilledMiss Che Che?
An Autobiography
Episode 4: Night Jobs
Sometime that year I went on a footballtour with my team 'Netfa'. As I mentioned earlier I was topnotchat football. We played two matches in Homestead, Florida and wonboth.
One evening as we were walking back to ourhotel about 2 miles away from the football field, we stopped ata gas station to purchase some sodas.
As we entered the store, the cashier pulledout a shotgun, rested it on the counter and said, "May Ihelp you sirs?"
We stopped dead in our tracks. Someone said,"Yes sir, we want some sodas."
The cashier heard the accent. "Areyou Americans?"
"We're a Caymanian football team ontour."
He nodded and put the shotgun under hiscounter. I guess he was suspicious seeing twelve men come intohis store at night.
When we returned to Cayman we got a warmwelcome from our fans. I'm pretty well known for my days playingfive-a-side football at Town Hall Field in West Bay. I captaineda team called "Hotshots" and captained and coached anotherteam called "the Executioners". They were hot and wedid well. I was known as 'Striker' for my powerful left foot rocketshots that never failed to score. Many people were fond of me players, coaches, M.L.A's and a crowd of others. My footballdays were not so bad.
Where are all those people today who likedme so much, I wonder.
One day after I had returned from the footballtour I asked 'Randy Thompson'*, an associate and football fanof mine, for some .22 shots. He got me five or six. I called Dukeand John and we went shooting. John brought along a box of shotshe had bought off a guy at Mount Pleasant in West Bay. When wewere finished shooting in the bush we hid the gun and left thearea and that's how it was.
One day John asked me for some money. Iasked him if he wanted to sell the gun to me for $100. I likedher and wanted to call her my own. He said yes and we had a deal.He returned with the rifle wrapped in paper and I gave him themoney. After he left I went into the bush and hid her so onlyI would know where she was. There were no shots. This was lateMarch and I had turned 17, the same month we had taken the riflefrom the ship.
Later I saw Duke and told him I had boughtthe rifle from John but that we could all still use her. Dukeoffered me $200 for her but I refused.
I was still raising my pets, cycling, andsmoking weed. John and Duke also smoked weed and cigarettes. John,older than both of us, was about 20 then, Duke was about 19, andI was 17. We did everything together.
One day Michael Connolly and Jeff Bush cameto my home. Jeff was Mike's cousin who had just recently arrivedin Cayman from Miami. It was my first time meeting Jeff thoughMike and I were friends and had known each other a long time.Jeff's parents were Caymanian but he had grown up in the Statesand had the American street accent. He was 18 then and Mike was16. In time, Jeff and I became friends.
The day they came to my home I was cleaningmy rifle. Mike and Jeff saw her and liked her. Jeff held her andbragged about all the guns he had in the States and how many othershe had shot off. I did not tell them where I had found her orwho knew I had her. I went into the bush and hid the rifle thencame back to my house where they were waiting for me. And thereour friendship began.
That same night Mike, Jeff and I went outtogether. Jeff was a professional break dancing chap. He coulddance! We spent more and more time together partying, girling,drinking, smoking. Jeff worked at Hell Gas Station, Mike was housepainting and I was an electrician's assistant. So that's how itwas for us, working and partying.
I did not approach Jeff about my night jobs.I either did them alone or with John, Duke or Simon Foster. Inever used my gun. Mike knew about my night jobs and told Jeffbecause he also knew about Jeff's night jobs which he Mike used to assist him with. Jeff and I were friends but neverknew about each other's jobs until Mike told me about Jeff's.So then Jeff and I did some together.
I was convicted, sentenced and imprisonedfor most of these jobs. I was also convicted and punished forjobs I did not do. I was young and ignorant to the real meaningof life and freedom, not realizing that the path I was headingdown meant serious trouble. I never understood the hurt I wascausing my parents, myself and my family. Or I never really caredmuch.
There was also a girl who I spent a lotof time with that I loved madly. Her name was Nicole Watler andI called her Nikki. She was older than me, around 20. I gave herpresents, took her out, and gave her my money and my time thoughshe always had a boyfriend.
I was really shy with girls but Nikki andI became close friends. Her relationships with her boyfriendsalmost drove me nuts. It hurt me badly but I endured it and nevertold her how I felt. I spent so much time with her and was stillthere when her boyfriends were gone. I tried to show her how muchI cared by doing little things for her but I could not bring myselfto say, "I love you Nikki."
I got to know all of her family sisters,brothers, parents, nephews, nieces and they all liked me,the whole family. Still Nicole picked up with someone else.
But I did not tell her how much she washurting me. I would cry at night in my bed and was still therewhen her relationships failed, still her friend. Her family toldher to open her eyes but she didn't see me until it was too late.
I was with her and her family the nightMiss Che Che was fatally shot with my .22 caliber rifle.
Next: Philip is chargedwith the murder of Miss Che Che!
*All Names have beenchanged to protect the rights of individuals.
Disclaimer: The preceeding excerpt fromthe Autobiography of Philip Glennan Ebanks is copyrighted by PhilipGlennan Ebanks and does not necessarily reflect the views of CaymanNet News, CNN employees or its affiliates. Cayman Net News doesnot accept responsibility for opinions expressed in this series.©