Contents
Chapter 3: Vernice
Overview
On the eve of graduation, Annie plans to flee Honeysuckle with Clyde and urges Vernice to join her. Vernice wrestles with grief, experiencing a haunting by her mother’s spirit. Panic erupts when Annie is thought dead, but Vernice and Miss Jemison discover Annie has run away—likely to seek her mother in Memphis—marking a decisive break in the girls’ paths.
Summary
As graduation nears, Vernice and Annie admire the clothes they’ve sewn, revealing differences in their dreams. Annie intends to leave for Memphis with Clyde and invites Vernice to come, while Vernice counters with plans for Spelman. Their talk exposes class, respectability, and desire for escape; Annie quietly packs a single battered suitcase.
When Annie’s grandmother returns unexpectedly, Annie hides the suitcase and the moment passes. That night, Vernice lies awake, reflecting on her murdered mother, Arletha, and their family’s history. She experiences a terrifying, paralyzing encounter she interprets as her mother’s spirit, calling out “Mother!” and then “Arletha,” which seems to drive the presence away. Aunt Irene responds bluntly, blaming Arletha’s choices and revealing her own hard-edged love.
The next hot morning, screams from Annie’s house draw neighbors. Fearing Annie is dead, Vernice rushes over to find Granny lamenting her lost children, including rumors of Hattie Lee in Newark or Memphis. Miss Jemison and midwife Mrs. Ola Mae coordinate care; Ola Mae tends the living, while Miss Jemison takes Vernice to check on Annie.
In Annie’s room, there is no body—only an empty bed and a note tacked to the mirror. Vernice and Miss Jemison realize Annie has run away, most likely with Clyde. Relief breaks into laughter and tender reassurance. Vernice suspects Annie is ultimately seeking her mother; Miss Jemison doubts this was a recent impulse, implying a long-held secret.
Left behind, Vernice recognizes that secrets—not lies—have shaped Annie’s choice. Annie’s departure marks a turning point: Annie claims her uncertain future on the road to Memphis, while Vernice remains, holding fast to school, family duty, and the unresolved pull of the past.
Who Appears
- Vernice (Niecy)Narrator; torn between college dreams and loyalty to Annie; experiences a haunting by her mother’s spirit.
- AnnieBest friend who secretly runs away, likely to Memphis with Clyde, seeking freedom and perhaps her mother.
- Miss JemisonTeacher who comforts Vernice, helps discover Annie’s departure, and marks Vernice’s passage into adulthood.
- Annie’s grandmother (Granny)Guardian devastated by Annie’s disappearance; laments her scattered and lost children.
- Aunt IreneVernice’s aunt; responds to the night visitation with tough realism and family history.
- ArlethaVernice’s murdered mother; perceived as a night presence, triggering grief and longing.
- ClydeAnnie’s beau with a car; likely accompanies her when she runs away to Memphis.
- BoboClyde’s cousin; part of the planned Memphis trip; mentioned in Annie’s packing limits.
- Mrs. Ola MaeCommunity midwife; coordinates with Miss Jemison and avoids tending the dead before a birth.