Pearls - Sophisticated and Mysterious: The P Stories, #1

By Thokozile Eunice Mahlaola

Get a glimpse into the lives of four women who are individually caught in a life of sophistication, glitz and glamour, yet have some mystery about them.

 

They were well known by everyone, but in truth no one really knew their true natures.

 

Boikanyo Lekala is introduced as a jewellery businesswoman in the mining town, but a surprising twist comes when an alarm is set off at an event she attends.

Zanele Zwane moved into a quiet village in search of a new start. She got known by the locals as the shy new lady, but when news of her real identity is leaked, everybody wanted a piece of her.

 

Palesa Morris was always at the centre of any social event. She is a lover of the spotlight, and everyone seemed to be drawn to her charisma, yet there was something that needed her attention even more.

 

Thandiwe Mthumi lived the life of her childhood dreams until an incident occurred that changed the course of her life in ways she never thought possible.

These four short stories invite you to walk in the shoes of each character and to change and grow in your own life as they did. These are stories of hope and dreams; of courage and ambition; of identity and self-love; and of growth and strength.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The CherryBlue House
• Release date: May 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223575658

Book preview

Books by the Author

Poetry

Passion Grows in Soulful Shadows

Newsletters

The Yeshua Lifestyle

TCBH Newsletter

Serial

Lockdown Sosha – All Walled In

Journal

My Pearl Story

My Passion Flows

Planner

TCBH Work Planner

Dedications

I dedicated this book and my Pearl Story to you, my dear mother, Itebogeng Merriam Mkhawana for your undying strength.

Growing up I blamed you for not standing up for us and for yourself, yet I came to understand the strength it took to keep healing us with an avalanche of love you always gave to all of us.

You are wonderful and I thank you, mama, for being a pillar not only to us, your immediate family, but to the rest of our relatives and those whose lives you meet in your life’s journey.

I am blessed beyond words to have been formed inside your blessed belly and to have nursed from your humility, hospitality, creativity, and kindness.

You are my legend.

Contents

Books by the Author

Dedications

The Pearl Story

1. The Life

2. The Invasion

3. The Process

4. The Conditioning

5. The Rarity

6. The Value

7. The Colour

8. The Shape

9. The Lustre

10. The Symbol

1 Stealing an Identity

Boikanyo’s Monologue: Don’t Touch Me

2 Unveiling Her Secrets

Zanele’s Monologue: His Forever

3 Centre of Attention

Palesa’s Monologue: From My Womb

4 Riches to Rags

Thandiwe’s Monologue: A Guy My Age

Epilogue: Embracing Their Pearl Journeys

My Pearl Story

Coming Soon

About the Author

Contact Us

The Pearl Story

What have you gone through?

Everybody has gone through something that affected them in a way they do not prefer. This is what we all have in common. Though some situations are similar, others are way different. It is unfortunate that life brings with it bad and good events into our lives, and many would prefer to experience only the good, yet the truth is both the good and the bad eventually produce goodness in us if we learn from them.

What is your growth story?

When we look back on the incidents we go through in life, we realise that they form our individual journeys which then become our unique stories. Though they might be bad, we can make them good when we choose to see them as our growth stories rather than our life sentences.

I had an inkling to study the creation of a pearl, mainly because it is my favourite precious stone. I think that there are some similarities between our journey as human beings and what turns an oyster into a pearl. To have a better understanding of this effect we will look at the process of the formation of a pearl which is what I call the pearl story.

Many people try to undo the bad that has happened to them and I understand that because it is sad and painful. I get why they try to block it out in an attempt to forget it, but that does not take it away. Instead, it leaves it hidden inside their subconscious. It does not go away; it just travels with them through time and keeps the pain at bay.

What is your testimony?

The secret to dealing with bad situations is to face up to them and go through them so we can get to the other side. We also need to learn and grow from them so we can use them as your testimony and perceive them as lessons. In this way, our experiences will not control or overpower us because we are not hiding or running away from them, but we are accepting them and releasing them so they cannot be our identity.

There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. – Proverbs 20:15

1. The Life

Before a pearl becomes a precious stone, it is sea creature known as an oyster or a mussel that lives comfortably inside its shell until grains of sand or parasites start attacking it to a point where it turns into a hard stone. It is never by choice that a pearl is formed but because of a need for the sea creature to protect itself.

When I look back on my life, I see pain, mistakes, and heartaches. When I look in the mirror, I see strength, learned lessons, and pride in myself. – Relationship Rules

We as humans are much the same. We normally start off as innocent beings then as we grow life starts to show us what it is made of. We then start to lose a bit of trust and hope as we start to realise that we need to protect ourselves and that is when some build a thick wall around their hearts while others allow their hearts to turn into stone.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

Life is not just full of painful experiences, but also full of wonderful ones. Like I said earlier, perfect life is both good and bad. Now when it comes to the challenges we face in life, we sometimes find that we cannot solve them on our own. This is when we realise that we need the help of someone who can really handle things better than we can and the first person we can call on is the Creator of life itself. He promises that when we call on