Contents
Chapter 1: Vernice
Overview
Vernice recalls her first word—“Mother”—and the tragedy that left her orphaned. Aunt Irene, returning from Ohio to reconcile with her own mother, stays to raise Vernice after Arletha is killed by Vernice’s father. Irene’s blunt love and history ground Vernice’s upbringing alongside best friend Annie, whose missing mother stirs hope and pain.
A graveside visit and a difficult dinner conversation crystallize themes of loss, envy, faith, and the different burdens of absence.
Summary
Vernice narrates that her first spoken word was “Mother,” startling women canning in a sweltering Louisiana kitchen. Orphaned and unusually quiet since witnessing her mother’s death, she is comforted by midwife Mrs. Ola Mae while Aunt Irene interprets the moment as a charge to claim Vernice.
Vernice recounts Aunt Irene’s history: punished as a teen for an affair with a preacher, then fleeing Honeysuckle for Ohio and a comfortable, childless life. A letter about her dying mother pulls Irene home, but Arletha’s murder by Vernice’s father compels Irene to stay, bury her sister, and take Vernice in.
Irene abandons Ohio, supported briefly by her married lover’s funds, and dedicates herself to raising Vernice decently if unsentimentally. Vernice is well kept, baptized, and taught a flexible view of God, yet she feels the absence of mothering. Friendship with Annie, also raised without her mother, becomes Vernice’s solace.
At Arletha’s grave on her birthday, Irene warns Vernice never to let a man kill her. That evening, Irene cautions Vernice against envy of Annie’s hope for her mother’s return and bluntly urges Annie to let her absent mother go at majority, provoking Annie’s tears and exposing Irene’s rough edges with children.
In a childhood flashback, Vernice and Annie ask Pastor Robinson about Annie’s mother; he offers evasive comfort. Later, during a sleepover, the girls weigh missing versus mourning, fear not recognizing a mother, and the meaning of “majority.” Annie quietly cries and admits doubt in God, while Vernice clings to faith and their bond.
Who Appears
- Vernice (Niecy)Narrator; orphaned after her father killed her mother; raised by Aunt Irene; anchors memories of loss, faith, and friendship with Annie.
- Aunt IreneVernice’s aunt and guardian; returns from Ohio, stays after Arletha’s murder; pragmatic, blunt caregiver with a complex past.
- AnnieVernice’s cradle friend; raised by her grandmother; longs for absent mother, wrestles with hope and doubt.
- Arletha Irene (Vernice’s mother)Beloved mother murdered by Vernice’s father; her death defines Vernice’s life and Irene’s guardianship.
- Mrs. Ola MaeMidwife who comforts baby Vernice; lives with Miss Jemison; admired by Irene as a capable would-be mother.
- Annie’s grandmotherAnnie’s caregiver; practical, devout; declines to take Vernice and insists children are the Lord’s to give.
- Pastor RobinsonChurch pastor who offers evasive reassurances when the girls ask about Annie’s mother.
- Vernice’s father (Mr. Davis)Shot Arletha and failed at his own suicide; barred from claiming Vernice’s kinship.
- The Ohio Man (Josiah “Van”)Irene’s married lover in Ohio; funds her return and sends belongings, symbolizing the life she leaves behind.