Cross Purposes

By Thabi Majabula

Maria is engaged and sends her former boyfriend an invitation to her wedding. He is upset that she has moved on and claims he wants to marry her. Maria decides to break the engagement because she finds out something unsavoury about her prospective groom.

Her father summons her to his home and tells her what he has done for her. She is stunned and flabbergasted.

In a short while, she marries a third man and resigns her job soon after that.

Her mother-in-law hates her, and her marriage is threatened by bad communication.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thabi Majabula
• Release date: Apr 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301787968

Thabi Majabula

Good romance stories are mood enhancers. I am thankful to all the romance writers who improved my mood many times. I am also thankful to be among romance writers, and I am thankful to all entities, physical and spiritual, who make it possible for me to write. I am thankful to you, reader, and I am thankful for every single person who has read any of my stories. I hope reading the stories gave you as much pleasure as writing gave me. Best of all things, Thabi

Book preview

CROSS PURPOSES

By

Thabi Majabula

Published by Thabi Majabula at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 Thabi Majabula

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER ONE

What is this? demanded Barry, waving an envelope at Maria. She had known that this would happen, but she had not expected Barry to be so angry.

The last time I checked, you could read, she said, pretending that her heart was not pounding with fear. She hoped that he would not get violent.

How can you be getting married? he demanded.

Someone asked me to marry him.

You're with me!

Am I? asked Maria. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was looking at him quizzically. Her five foot six frame looked at ease, but she was shaking.

Of course, said Barry.

Then why haven't I been formally introduced to your family?

They all know about us.

Then why aren't we married, or engaged at least?

I'm not ready!

Bartholomew, we dated for seven years, and you were not ready at any time to marry me. I realised that you never will be ready to marry me.

Are you giving me an ultimatum?

I gave you that two years ago, and you ignored it.

You did not give me an ultimatum!

I told you that if you didn’t tell me what you wanted for us in the long run, I'd find someone to marry.

You were joking! You continued to see me.

Did I?

We went to functions together.

Did we?

You came to my parents' anniversary.

That was five years ago.

We've been on several dates since then.

Did you go on those dates with me, or with Portia?

What do you know about her?

That's immaterial. The question is, are you coming to the wedding or not?

I'm not coming, because you're not getting married!

I'm getting married, Barry, believe it.

You belong to me!

I belong to myself.

You have no right to try to force my hand this way.

I'm not forcing your hand, Bartholomew. I've long accepted that you don't want me for keeps, so I found someone who does.

I want you. I told you that when we first started dating.

You wanted me, until I slept with you. Once that happened, you started getting cold.

I did not get cold!

You started making excuses not to meet me, and when we met your friends and family, you acted as if you were ashamed of me.

I was not ashamed of you!

Maybe you were ashamed of having slept with me. Barry fidgeted.

My question is, if you were so ashamed of me, why are you angry that I finally got the message that you don't want me? asked Maria.

Who said I don't want you?

You did.

I never ever said that!

You said it every time you had reasons for not meeting me, every time you didn’t return my calls, and every time you stood me up without phoning to apologise. You said it on the three occasions when I asked you to marry me and you said you weren't ready.

I wasn't ready.

That's fine, you clearly aren't ready now, and I'm not forcing you into anything. I found someone who's ready to get married, just like me.

You're supposed to wait for me.

Why?

Because you're mine!

I was never yours. If I had been, you'd have treated me with respect. You'd have...That's not important now. The doorbell rang, Maria went to the door. Barry got to it first and opened it.

Who are you? asked Steve. He was a few inches shorter than Barry, who was six foot tall.

I ask the questions here. Who are you? returned Barry.

"I'm the man who's paid amalobolo for the woman who lives here."

What? When did he have time to do that, Maria? Where was I, when all this was happening? demanded Barry.

How would I know? I haven't seen you in two years,