Blunder

By J.M. Thompson

Caswell was born and raised by parents who did not find time for their siblings. When he met his wife, he was already employed but his wife was still attending high school. She later dropped out of school because she was pregnant, and he eventually married her. She turned out to be mentally unstable and insecure. They had three children but he always wondered about the older kids who were twins.
He accidentally met a lady who had her own construction business. She offered him a job as a draughtsman. When his wife died he married his boss. By then he was a shareholder in the company. Unfortunately, she died of a heart attack soon after giving birth to a boy. He could not accept his loss and he became a target of backstabbing by his friend. Eventually, he settled down with his attorney. They were both old and wise and they did not entertain devious means to do business. He chose to include all his kids in his will even though two of them were not his biological kids. His attorney established a trust fund for the kids to secure their future.
His ex-PA refused to accept that he did not love her and she became a pain in the arse. Sometimes she would threaten him saying she would rather die than be without him.
His new wife was aware of the ex-PA being a home breaker...
The woman always resorted to drinking strong liquor and would say horrible things...
Caswell chose to ignore her completely...

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.M. Thompson
• Release date: Jan 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310107368

J.M. Thompson

I am a first-time writer. I have several unpublished manuscripts. Started writing almost ten years ago and publishers seem not to be interested in unknown writers. I am the eldest child with three siblings, but two have since passed on.Writing has become a hobby or a platform for connecting with myself. So many things happened in my life and most of the stuff about which I write has something to do with my life story.I am presently retired taking it real easy, but old age has its own complications yet that is how life is.

Book preview

Blunder

Married thrice, thrice lucky

By Johny Thompson

Published by smashwords

Copyright@2014 Johny Thompson

By J.M. Thompson

Smashwords edition

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Introduction

Caswell was one of a family of six. He had two sisters and a brother. He was the eldest son carrying the burden of being the deputy father. His family lacked a bonding love. They were practically dysfunctional as a family as if they had nothing in common.

He was of the impression that his mother did not like him to a point where he sometimes thought she hated him. One day his mother told him he should not expect any sort of help from anyone including his family members.

From that point onwards, Caswell became a loner noticing for the first time that even his family members were sort of distancing themselves. He did not feel any sisterly bond or brotherly love. In fact, he could not remember anyone in the family mentioning the word love, but he could remember many negative statements uttered by various members of the family.

His parents obviously were not aware that they were contributing to his future karma by being negative and not building a cohesive family unit. Maybe the parents did not know the value of expressing love and loving. Caswell found it difficult to love without expecting anything in return. He was in the reciprocation business. He fell in love with his wife but he did not love her.

There were rare moments when they acted as lovers but for the most part their dislike for each would surface. Cathy translated love into domination. She always had to say the last word otherwise any argument or debate would never end.

Sometimes even content people tend to fall prey to temptation and thus go astray and create love triangles. Caswell did not stop with his wife; he still wanted to conquer all beautiful women he met.

He always tried not to involve himself with a married woman. Like many other men and women, old and young, he chose to ignore the commandment that says, Thou shalt not commit adultery. His life then became chaotic and demanding.

When he met Grace, his emotions became unstable. Grace was everything Caswell could ever dream of, she was beautiful and had class. Grace was a graduate in economics and a businessperson. She introduced Caswell to wealth people and she wanted to be with him 24/7.

It did not bother her that Caswell had a wife and three children. She did not think that his marriage was solid. The wealth that Caswell amassed through his association with Stella and Grace opened up an assortment of problems.

Grace and Stella were cousins; the quality of their relationship was always judgmental. They were always seeking to take advantage of the other's weaknesses. Thus, when Caswell appeared on the scene, the two sisters vied for his attention. He was acutely aware of the rivalry yet he chose to form a close relationship with Grace.

After the passing of his wife Cathy, he married Grace because he thought they loved each other. However, their marriage did not last long because Grace died of a heart attack. She died leaving him with a son, the heir to his wealth. He did not however disown any of his kids with Cathy.

In some instances, people may tell their forbidden lovers about their domestic problems. Some women tend to tell their boyfriends about the negative treatment their husbands may be giving them. As in most cases, they hope to portray a picture of being victims, whereas, some of them may be just as guilty.

Cathy thought that by telling her boyfriend what Caswell was doing he might straighten him out since they were cousins. However, normal men would rather not involve themselves in such matters unless money is an incentive.

In her case, William knew that Cathy was not an angel, but because Cathy could inherit millions of rands, he showed some interest. He thought it could be his last chance to own more than a thousand rand, but he was not certain if he could still be with Cathy.

In the meantime, Caswell took to reading the bible and began to ask questions and no one seemed to have answers for him. There were issues in the bible that he could not understand, yet he believed in Jesus Christ as his saviour and Lord. His faith alone was enough to see him through some difficult times.

Grace fashioned Caswell into a man of stature and Stella played her role in teaching him how to create wealth. People began to notice him and his wife became jealous and plotted to get rid of him. She claimed that divorce would not benefit her since she wanted everything he had. Caswell survived the onslaught. Eventually he fell in love with his attorney Esther. They were both old enough and wise about the ways of the world.

Chapter 1

Insecurity creates doubts

Caswell woke up at precisely 05.00 hrs. He had no alarm clock to wake him up yet he always woke up at 05.00 hrs. It was still dark outside because it was winter in the southern hemisphere. In a few seconds, his mind recognized his surroundings and he realized it was another working day. Reluctantly he pushed aside the blanket, his wife stirred and smiled as if she were dreaming of something pleasant.

He went into the kitchen and filled the kettle with cold water, and then he plugged the kettle cord into the wall socket. In about five minutes, the water began to boil and he poured the boiled water into the basin. He carried the basin into the bedroom and he began to wash himself. He dreamed of the day when he would have enough money to add on a bathroom to his matchbox house.

He knew though that sometimes dreams do come true, but he was not certain if his dream would materialize. The Americans talk about the American dream so why could he not think about his African dream. He was an African after all. Even with all that information, he still had doubts lingering in his mind.

The element of doubt seemed to find a way of making him anxious and his heart would beat faster. He sometimes feared that he might suffer from a fatal heart attack. The fear of what tomorrow might bring always seemed to sadden him, yet he did not lose sight of his goal. He wished though that something positive could happen in his life. Even so, he had no idea how he was to reach his goal and he had no means either.

He did not share any of his thoughts with his wife for fear of failure through circumstances he could not control. He feared that she would not respond positively or encourage him in any way.

He thought that she might begin to think of him, as a failure and that would surely dent his ego. His eyes were wondering around his bedroom as he was drying his armpits. He did not like what he was seeing. He had no choice but to sleep in that room every night with its depressing colours.

He then brushed his teeth using an old but clean toothbrush. He realized that he would have to buy a new toothbrush soon. He had too many items he wanted to buy; the list was growing longer each day. There were times when he forgot what it was he needed. His wages were not enough to allow him to make up his mind about which item he could buy first. It was becoming difficult for him to distinguish between the items he needed and those that he wanted.

At times, the confusion in his mind would infiltrate all of his brain cells causing him to lose equilibrium; he would make irrational decisions without applying his mind. Cathy was aware of his inability to unclog his mind. She would then jump all over him accusing and blaming him for everything going wrong between them. He was an easy target knowing he could never be violent with her.

There was always no one to help him calm down, as he would not tell anyone of his problem. He was slowly disintegrating. Some nights, he could hardly fall asleep and he would have to read something to induce his troubled mind to relax.

His wife turned in her sleep and lay on her back and pulling her legs to form a pyramid. Her facial expression appeared to be peaceful and she looked beautiful to his eyes. The tension in his chest began to ease off as the memories of days gone by began capturing his attention.

His facial muscles creased into a smile. He needed to smile to reduce the tension in his heart. They were not able to tell each other jokes and laugh anymore. The tension between them was inflammable.

Mostly, he could only derive peace from memories embedded in his sub-conscious mind. The present was gloomy and the future seemed bleak. He smiled slightly as he remembered the days when they were still young. That was almost sixteen years earlier when they first exchanged words using the love vocabulary.

Cathy was still a high school student then and he was already working as an engraver. Caswell was madly in love then with Cathy but he was naïve in love matters. Her smile alone captured his heart and his imagination.

Then one evening Cathy told Caswell that someone raped her as she was walking home from school. Her tone did not express any anxiety. Her eyes did not reflect any pain. She held herself in a calm and dignified manner. It was as if she was talking about someone else yet she claimed to be the victim of rape.

Did you tell your sister about the incident?

No, I did not tell anyone.

Do you know him?

No, I have never seen him before

Caswell found it difficult to believe her story. The manner in which she told the story was not convincing. He believed that she did have sex with someone but he did not believe that a stranger raped her. However, he accepted that someone who might have been her boyfriend did something to her.

He did not realize then that she was setting him up. She had already decided that she wanted to be his wife. Caswell could not understand why she told him about the rape instead of telling her sister or any other member of her family. He did not know that she told him because she suspected that she was pregnant. Someone else had to take responsibility for her pregnancy.

He thought rape was a crime and the boy or man that raped Cathy belonged in jail. Cathy and Caswell were then simply boyfriend, girlfriend, and nothing more. Caswell did not know if keeping mum about the incident was the right thing to do or not. He knew that Cathy's sister was a qualified nurse and she could give her necessary advice.

Cathy had a good reason why she could not tell her sister about the rape incident or report the matter to the police. The fellow was a close relative and she wanted to avoid the drama that could land him in prison. The HIV and AIDS scourge was not prevalent then and Caswell soon forgot about the incident.

Then soon afterwards, they had their first bodily encounter initiated by Cathy. When Cathy told Caswell that she missed her period, he felt nothing not even joy or disappointment. The truth is that he did not understand the significance of her statement until she mentioned being pregnant. His dream fell apart knowing that somehow he lost his few choices.

He thought that it was fate at work. For that reason, he married Cathy soon after the twins were born. He thought that he was doing the right thing. In his sub-conscious was the thought that the twins were born a full month too early. He never raised the issue with anyone; he thought it would serve no purpose. He did not want to lose her because of that misfortune. After all, she chose him to be her husband.

His smile turned into a grin, as he put on his work clothes. There was little to smile about because of their subtle animosities. He was aware that Cathy viewed almost everything from a negative angle. Every effort he made to maintain peace turned sour.

He could not understand why everything seemed to fall apart. He had no idea where to get some adhesive to bind his life together. He was a Christian by birth and not by conversion. He did not entertain the idea of praying as a means to end his misery.

His mother was a respected person in the community and she was one of the leaders in the church. She had long since left the Anglican Church to become a member of the African Emmanuel Assemblies of God.

The church was one of the many charismatic churches springing up all over the country. The leaders were people who claimed to be messengers of God. Caswell noted that there were many splinter church groups amongst black people. Maybe the churches could not find peace within and thus disgruntled people were walking away to form splinter churches. Perhaps it was another form of business strategy.

Every member of his family became members of the African Emmanuel church. His mother always encouraged him to become a pastor in the church, but he was not keen to become a pastor. He would though, become a leader of a small group of believers within the church trying to disseminate the bible teachings.

He thought he might discover who he really was. He had no idea about his purpose on earth. He felt a deep void within and a sense of loneliness was always invading his heart and mind.

He had a vague idea about the functions of nature in his life then. He imagined that the super powers ought to serve him thereby elevating the standard of his life a notch higher. He thought he was not asking for much. So then, why was it that nothing good was happening?

Even though he was not an ardent Christian, he knew that God first created the universe and then made Adam. His mother was instructing her kids about creation. Therefore, before humans came into existence, everything was in abundance.

Everything any human being could need is already available but one has to be in tune with the relevant wavelength. The allocation becomes a problem if chosen recipients are off course. His own behaviour was problematic but he was not aware of his participation in his own restriction. These things are conditional and never free.

However, his share was eluding him because of his absence. He could do with peace of mind a healthy relationship with his wife and family. He was experiencing hailstorms, tornados, cyclones and everything else that was destructive. So then, how could he concentrate on being present under such gruelling conditions?

‘So, where is my share of the abundant wealth?’ the thought kept on recycling in his mind. He was obviously thinking in terms of acquiring money and becoming moderately rich. He was aware that without the power of money, life could be intolerable.

His life seemed to be stagnating slowly and soon he could reach a point where he might have no reason to carry on living. He thought that nature was not favouring him with a smile but with a sneering grin.

Maybe the man upstairs was angry with him for not having any interest in pastoral duties. How could he go on when he was failing to resist temptation? There were so many beautiful girls always seeking his attention. Even then, he did not wish to abandon his dreams for then his life would be without any meaning.

He did not realize that he was slowly becoming more negative in his way of thinking. He was slowly navigating his life in the direction of lacking. The lack zone is a dangerous place in which any person might enter; it could become a prison without any exit.

Looking around the walls of his bedroom, he decidedly thought the paint was fading and becoming dull. How could any of them enjoy being in that room with such terrible colours. His love for Cathy was waning for reasons he could not voice for fear of repercussions.

Cathy chose the colours of the paint and Caswell did not like the colour scheme for the bedroom. He thought the paint colour was too dim yet he did not complain too much lest they had an unpleasant argument. Any form of debate or discussion between them always ended as a tug of war. He learned then that for ongoing battle to end, he could close his mouth or go out of the house

Cathy would be relentless in her attack driving the nails deep into his brain causing Caswell to retreat into his cocoon. Once or twice, she threatened to squash his miserable life. She had no idea that death would release him from the bondage of a pretentious union. None of them was happy in that relationship yet they would rather be each other’s victim of abuse in whatever form.

On such debilitating occasions, Caswell would repeatedly ask himself if it were his fault for being in such a relationship. He was blaming himself as if he was deliberately causing all their problems. He chose her for a wife she was enchantingly innocent then. No one forced him to marry her yet he thought that the heavens were unfair to him.

He would sometimes view his marriage to Cathy as the worst blunder of his life, a blunder that had become a prison. He was hoping that someday he would find the fire escape stairs and hurry out screaming fire. At the time, he had thought that marrying Cathy was the right thing to do. His marriage to Cathy was not a mistake. Nothing in this life can ever be a coincidence. Everything happens for a reason.

His wish of becoming wealthy could only become a reality through his experience with Cathy. She was a natural stepping-stone to higher levels of existence. Through her, his eyes would open to the real world; he would discover how sleek some people could be. Fortunately, none of them was aware of the natural responses taking place in their lives.

His house was one of many matchbox houses in the sprawling township of Soweto. There was virtually no difference in design except for the paint colour, some were concrete structures and others were brick houses. None of the houses had any bathroom except for those built by their owners.

The government of the day did not or could not imagine a black person relaxing in a bath after a long day of hard work. Caswell was one of the masses who imagined that they could one day have enough money to enjoy a better lifestyle.

Many people fail to recognize the natural blessings endowed upon them by the law of attraction. Money does not bring long lasting happiness. Money is a bargaining tool thus none can really claim it. However, people who have it are always in a position of power able to abuse others. Cathy was able to buy whatever she fancied.

Caswell was hoping that when a black government ascends to power, things might become easier for black people. He was not to know that only a few would enjoy the benefits of having a black government.

Only a few would have the luxury of tax-free compartments in the free gravy train. The rest were and still are pawns as in a political chess game. However, sometimes poor people tend to spend recklessly never able to work out a budget. Fortunately, Caswell was able to differentiate needs from wants

The morning sun rose scattering its rays in all directions. The sun ushered in a new day and hope to all creatures; irrespective of creed or colour, even gender is not a factor. Every living crawling creature crawled out of the cold darkness into the warm sunlight.

The morning dew on the grass began to melt. Vagrants would soon be basking in the warm sun for comfort. Birds of the air welcomed the sun and they made their usual chirping sounds, which sounded like off key piano notes.

They were apparently in communication with each other in a language only birds can understand. The sky was blue with hardly any cloud floating in space. It promised to be a warm day without any hint of rain as Caswell was preparing for work. He still had to make his lunch of six slices of brown bread he had nothing but margarine and jam.

Caswell again looked at his wife and he realized that she was also looking at him, and then her eyes closed again. She seemed to smile briefly at him. He wondered about what she was thinking but he could not ask her. He was afraid she might have negative thoughts as always.

In happier times, he would not think twice about asking her anything. Those were the times when they were still friendly with each other. Their friendship had become an intimate relationship only to turn into a hardship.

Instead, he said, good morning. His voice sounded as if he was tired.

Morning Cassy she responded, her face creasing into a meaningless smile.

Having to respond to Caswell's greeting nearly derailed her thoughts. She was probably not expecting Caswell to say something such as good morning. She had the habit of calling him Cassy when she felt happy about something. She was looking forward to the Christmas holidays. There was something special about the forth-coming holidays.

Her voice sounded far away as if she was still sleepy yet he heard her clearly. She was wide-awake yet her eyes remained closed. She was thinking of things she thought she wanted. She felt as though life was bypassing her leaving her stranded on the highways and byways of life. She was wondering if she took a wrong turn somewhere in her life.

There were times when she felt she would suffocate; the love they once shared was no longer a source of comfort but pain. She desperately wanted to recapture the magical moments they once shared.

She was planning to do something during the forth-coming holidays to help heal the ailing relationship. One cannot dance alone and be effective

Have a good day Cathy.

Okay baby, take care on the road.

Thank you, I always try to be on the safe side.

He then kissed her on the forehead; it was a peck rather than a kiss. He was almost afraid to kiss her as if it was not the appropriate thing to do. Then he walked out of the bedroom. Cathy remained calm without showing any emotion.

He took his lunch tin to the car, which was already idling. He was humming a song by Alicia Keys, in an attempt to bring some sort of balance in his mind. His voice was somewhat croaky but that did not bother him.

His wife sometimes teased him about his croaky off key voice. His kids could not understand why his voice sounded funny. His mother once tried to train his voice but she failed. He could never sing in the right key. All members of his family could sing well.

He was sitting in his car for a while thinking about something, his mind had too many things about which to think. This had become a habit yet each day he failed to come up with any solution to his problems. His hair was beginning to turn grey at random spots on his head.

He drove off to join the many cars heading for town. Traffic was heavy as usual. Even so, he arrived at his work place on time. He parked his car in the nearest open bay and he walked to the factory, which was nearby. He had been working for the same company since leaving school. It had been more than twenty years since he left school.

He did not leave school because he was not interested in learning. The school principal expelled him for fooling around with the principal's niece. Even so, the allegation was strictly hearsay. Someone had it for him for whatever reason. He was not stupid either.

His brain was capable of absorbing information, and he could translate the information into knowledge. His hands possessed something magical able to create beautiful works of art.

There was a serious misunderstanding between him and the school principal. Consequently, the principal expelled him for what seemed to be an unreasonable excuse. Everything went awry since then until a family friend found him his present job for him.

As soon as Caswell closed the motor gate, Cathy stretched her long legs and got out of bed. She peeped through the curtains and she saw nothing that could spoil her day. Then, she drew the curtains open.

She was looking around in the bedroom and saw the basin with dirty water. She cursed silently as if the walls would hear her voice. She thought that she would have to talk to Caswell about him leaving his dirty water in the basin. Cooking for him was enough, but having to pour out his dirty water was driving her crazy.

She then went into the children's bedroom. They seemed to be asleep; she went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee. She sat on the chair wondering if her life would ever improve. She thought of leaving Caswell in his house, she could take her kids with her. She would without doubt claim maintenance money for the children.

Cathy and money were synonymous. She would need a plausible excuse for leaving him since she knew that her aunt would reprimand her. She wondered if it was time for her to find a boyfriend. She had many admirers some of them seemed to be in a comfortable financial bracket. Caswell was forever battling to make ends meet. Why was he sticking to that unrewarding job?

She erased the thought of leaving Caswell from her mind, as it would serve no purpose. Nothing exciting seemed to be happening and she was becoming bored with her current life. Then she had a wild thought, she could pursue the idea of finding a suitable boyfriend to keep her happy.

She recalled though that her life was always without any excitement except when she was with her aunt. As a teenager, she sometimes enjoyed flirting with boys. She could hardly remember how her father looked like. She saw a number of stepfathers come and go in her life and none of them cared much for her.

Some of them were abusive to her when under the influence of home brewed liquor, yet she did not tell anyone. Her mother hardly had time for her children. There were times when Cathy would wonder if something was wrong with her. She knew that she was pretty yet nobody seemed to notice. She decided to make people take note of her presence. She was still a teenager then and stubborn.

She decided to act abnormal; she became arrogant just to attract attention. She managed to attract people with one-track minds. That decision became her second nature. Yet she acted normal when she was with some of her friends. However, she would become what she was practicing then. We all know that practice makes perfect and in due course Cathy became slightly deranged.

She deliberately became a psychopath and she seemed to enjoy playing mind games. She preferred the company of boys rather than girls. Thus, she would sometimes act as the man of the house.

Caswell hated those times when she would lash out at him for no apparent reason. It pleased him though when Cathy brought out her feminine side to the fore. She would become loving and caring then, but those moments had become wishes. Cathy was missing happiness in her life. Her idea of finding happiness in marriage did not materialize.

The quality of happiness influenced by external factors cannot be gratifying because it is conditional. Happiness derived from within is more meaningful. She did experience short bouts of happiness in her marriage but sadness would erase all her joy in one swipe. She sometimes thought some sort of curse was following her. Sometimes even her children could not bring her lasting joy.

When Caswell met Cathy, she was in high school and she was about to write her final exams. She never told him if she passed or failed her exams. She did not have any wish to further her education. She was not ambitious by any standards. Most young girls then dreamed of having a husband to take care of their needs and nothing further.

Thus when Cathy met Caswell, she thought that her wish was about to come true. It is questionable if love played any role in their relationship. As in many relationships, love is lacking and only lust keeps people together. When lust begins to dissipate people become bankrupt and empty, then they would have to move on in search of other victims.

Sometimes people fall in love with appearances and their impressions of the other person. Maybe having someone around is enough for some people. People begin to imagine that eventually they will live together happily ever after. That notion seldom materializes and when the realization becomes a fact, it may be too late to walk away.

Cathy and Caswell were in that type of situation. They had become strangers to each other yet living together as husband and wife. Their situation was strenuous but a sense of duty towards their children kept them together. It was by any standards a thin cord keeping them together.