Chapter 43: Vernice

Vernice narrates Annie’s lineage and the bitter irony of names misread in a family Bible, then faces the reality of Annie’s body lying in the McHenry guest room. Aware that scandal cannot touch the McHenry home, Vernice must secure a discreet burial to protect the family’s name and her own.

Rejecting other mortuaries for fear of gossip, Vernice goes to Cunningham & Sons, where Joette—her former roommate—now operates beneath her father’s authority. In Joette’s office, Vernice reveals Annie died after an abortion elsewhere. Joette recognizes the situation and explains that discretion will require more than money because of a feud with the McHenrys.

Through a lesson from her grandfather, Joette insists that funerals give dignity to the living and demands Vernice pay with responsibility, not cash: Vernice must tell Franklin the truth about who she is. When Vernice begs, Joette refuses to exploit her and confides her own fraught outing to her parents, tying dignity to owning one’s truth.

Back at the McHenrys’, Babydoll demands action. Vernice brings Franklin to their room and, prompted by his plea to truly know her, confronts her loneliness and fear in the wake of Annie’s death. Franklin, open and patient, urges courage through love and asks her to reveal herself.

Choosing truth over secrecy, Vernice confesses fully—her lack of heroism and her hidden self—seeking connection and dignity rather than protection by silence. Their intimacy affirms the marriage as Vernice prepares to face Annie’s burial honestly.