Cecielia Wilson’s Tangled Web

SHE is guided by the philosophy, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’, and it has certainly charted her path in life.

SHE is guided by the philosophy, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’, and it has certainly charted her path in life.

Cecielia Wilson, 39, was born and raised in the rural district of Aeolus Valley, St Thomas, with her parents, three sisters and a brother.

Wilson told

All Woman that life in St Thomas was not a bed of roses, but it taught her the resilience that she would need to rely on later in life.

“I would accompany my mother and three other sisters to the bushes to reap mangoes, ackee and pimento over the summer holidays, which would assist in purchasing back-to-school supplies for my siblings and I. In reaping the goods I had to walk approximately three miles from home to the bushes, but I had shortness of breath. So because of this my mother would tell me to go to school and take in my lessons because I can’t survive the fields,” she recounted.

Her father’s admonitions were no different, but he always emphasised independence, especially with men, to his daughters.

In 1993, after leaving Morant Bay High School and then graduating from Duff’s Business College in 1994, Wilson developed the sense of independence her father preached and landed a job as a secretary at a company that dealt with the importation of used cars, before joining the public service where she has been working for 20 years, moving up from secretary to executive secretary before launching into the senior executive group in 2007.

However, despite her professional successes, her journey was far from pleasant, as the year 1998 marked the beginning of an encounter that would change her life forever.

“I was at work gathering some correspondence that I had for filing when my boss’s phone rang and I answered it. On the other end of the line was a gentleman sporting an American accent. He identified himself and said he was conducting investigations on behalf of the US Embassy. His reason for calling was to locate a certain woman, but no one worked there by that name. He asked where he had called, and I told him. A day later he called back, spoke to me and asked for my home telephone number. I saw the opportunity of going to America — the land of opportunities. So I gave him the number,” she shared.

Shortly afterwards a relationship ensued and his authoritative style emerged, as Wilson recalls him telling her she was not submissive enough, and he would often get upset if things didn’t go his way.

Soon after her father picked up on the man’s jealous ways and warned her, but she made light of the situation. Eventually, his true colours showed.

“One night we were going out and he picked up some men in the car then brought the car to a screeching halt and ordered them to get out in the middle of nowhere. I protested on their behalf and was hit on my arm with a bottle,” she said.

Wilson explained that the incident marked the beginning of worse to come, as soon after she delivered their first child and because she introduced the baby to a male friend of hers, he threatened her life and even brought her to a spot and showed her where he would have dumped her body.

Eventually, Wilson said he revealed to her that he had hired a private investigator to follow her around and even presented pictures of her whereabouts.

But despite his threats, Wilson said he would always make it up to her and shower her with gifts and discuss religious teachings, which made her give him second chances.

“He would often speak about being baptised in the name of Jesus Christ and would often reference Acts 2:38. He would also encourage me to listen to the teachings of a famous apostle that would air on local television. When he saw that washing became too difficult for me he bought me a washing machine and eventually a computer,” she said, while explaining that during this time she had enrolled at the University of the West Indies where she was pursuing a degree in human resource management.

Wilson shared that this period was also difficult as by then she had a second child and her spouse would forbid her from being in groups with males or having friendships with them.

“I once was in a group and took down a young man’s number in my book and he called him and threatened him. He would often wait on me after school to ensure I went home and did not associate with anyone,” she said.

To make matters worse, Wilson said he kept calling her workplace using the same story he used on her to deceive other females and when confronted, he would tell her that she had mental issues.

Wilson explained that the ordeal lasted for 11 years, and it was not until he hit her son and she called the police that she found out he was a con artist.

“My oldest son had come home and his father said he didn’t say good evening and hit him in his stomach and knocked him out. I called the police and told them of the threats and abuse. This led to a search of his car and in it a secret compartment was discovered. This revealed many documents that showed the name he had given me was fictitious,” she said.

Now at her breaking point, Wilson moved on with her life and in 2013 learnt that the father of her children had suffered a stroke. The days to come included a battle in the Family Court for maintenance and a change of names. When he died she also found out he had upwards of 20 children.

She said she never forgot the lessons her father taught her and she subsequently picked up the pieces and moved on. She is now the director of human resource management in a government entity and has penned her book

Tangled Web, which encapsulates most of her life experiences through the main character, Celeste.

“It’s an enthralling book that will be available in the bookshops by the end of June. It takes one on an emotional roller coaster ride, but as you read and as her heart heals, so will yours. It shows that faith in God can rescue you even when tangled in the Devil’s web,” she said.

The book is also available on Amazon.