A NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD man has threatened to commit suicide if he cannot marry his teenaged lover. “If me can’t love Elita, me gon drink poison,” declared  Shattas (only name given), overwhelmed with grief and weeping  inconsolably.
He is peeved that the love affair with his 17-year-old sweetheart of a different ethnicity was discovered by his parents who insisted that he end it abruptly.
Shattas repeated the threat as he lay in his friend’s yard rolling from side to side much to the amusement of passersby.
The young couple started their relationship a few months ago, watched by close friends, but he was seen last Saturday night sneaking out of the girl’s Foulis, East Coast Demerara, home.
It was then revealed, by the two, that they have been secretly involved for some time now.

STRONG OBJECTIONS
Shattas’ parents were, subsequently, summoned to the girl’s home and it was there that his mother, allegedly, verbally assailed the teenager while stressing her strong objections to her son continuing the relationship.
After his parents expressed their disagreement with the union, they, subsequently, went to another friend’s house where his mother continued to loudly voice her dissatisfaction, causing a large crowd to gather at the Logwood, Enmore residence.
Many who were there spoke of their concerns over Shattas’ repeated threat to take his own life, maintaining that, if the two people are in love, ethnicity should not play any role.
A few weeks ago, another teen in the same area had succumbed to a dose of poison after there were similar objections to a relationship she shared with a young man in the community.
The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Welfare Office at Enmore is, reportedly, investigating the tragedy.