Plantation
A L o w c o u n t r y T a l e
Dorothea Benton Frank
b
BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK
Praise for Dorothea Benton Frank’s
Sullivan’s Island
“The setting and the characters are blazingly authentic…Frank evokes the eccentric Hamilton family and their feisty Gullah housekeeper with originality and conviction; Susan herself—
smart, sarcastic, funny and endearingly flawed—makes a lively and memorable narrator. Thanks to these scrappily compelling portraits, this is a rich read.”
—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
“Dorothea Frank and I share the exact same literary territory—
Sullivan’s Island
is hilarious and wise, an up-to-the-minute report on what it is like to be alive and female in the South Carolina Lowcountry today. It contains the funniest sex scene I have ever encountered.”
—Pat Conroy
“Dottie Frank’s take on the South Carolina Lowcountry is tough, tender, achingly real, and very, very funny.
Sullivan’s
Island
roars with life.”
—Anne Rivers Siddons
“In
Sullivan’s Island
, southern womanhood has found a new voice, and it is outrageous, hilarious, relentless and impossible to ignore.”
—John Berendt
“A satisfying treat…Dorothea Benton Frank ventures into the territory of another three-named writer,Anne Rivers Siddons.”
—Orlando Sentinel
continued . . .
“Frank’s wit, her fast pacing and the details of Lowcountry life and place give the novel a solid grounding…The book’s greatest pleasure lies in the delightfully realized Susan, who has all the pluck, charm and gutsy good humor anyone might wish for…
Sullivan’s Island
is really a treat. It’s fun, fast reading…a good writer with a fictional creation who—as they say in the movie biz—has legs.”
—The State
(Columbia, SC)
“One heck of a beach book…Frank keeps you reading compulsively.”
—The Charlotte Observer
“Those who enjoy Pat Conroy or Anne Rivers Siddons will not be disappointed.”
—Library Journal
“Authentic characters and setting…a very moving story of family, love and place.”
—Knoxville News-Sentinel
“A novel that should be on every ‘beach reading’ list this summer.”
—The Greenville News
(Greenville, SC)
“A guaranteed reading pleasure.”
—News Chief
(Winter Haven, FL)
“Rarely in contemporary fiction have we encountered a hero-ine so real, so sympathetic, so at once courageous and outrageous…
Sullivan’s Island
is the kind of novel readers are always asking for—and, usually these days, can’t find.”
—Putnam County Courier
(Carmel, NY) Plantation
A L o w c o u n t r y T a l e
Dorothea Benton Frank
b
BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
b
A Berkley Book
Published by The Berkley Publishing Group A division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
Copyright © 2001 by Dorothea Benton Frank Text design by Kristin del Rosario
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. BERKLEY and the
“B” design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Frank, Dorothea Benton.
Plantation : a Lowcountry tale / Dorothea Benton Frank.
p. cm.
ISBN: 1- 44
06- 7541-4
1. Eccentrics and eccentricities—Fiction. 2. Women—South Carolina—
Fiction. 3. Mothers and daughters—Fiction. 4. Plantation life—Fiction.
5. South Carolina—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3556.R3338P57 2003
813'.6—dc22
2003057847
FOR PETER
Acknowledgments
The list of people to remember who helped to bring this story to fruition is wonderfully long and I say
wonderfully
because at each turn in the road there was a new hand extended to me in generous support and friendship.
It was my brother-in-law, Junius Scott Bagnal Jr., who hauled me up and down the rivers of the ACE Basin and regaled me with more information than I could have researched in a lifetime. His superior humor and genuine desire to help never waned. I am now in trouble with my sister, Lynn, for not putting her up front in this paragraph. But, hey, anybody who knows my family even a smidgen knows that Lynn Bagnal’s love and support—and not just for me—are legendary. Thank you both from the bottom of my gizzards.
For my nephew-in-law (can it be that he’s my
nephew?
), David Oliver of Savannah, the doctor who risked his life, and those of his sons, Steven and Ben, to teach me to shoot skeet and quail with a v i i i
A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s
bona fide loaded gun. I’m happy to report that no clay and no birds died by my hand. You boys can stop laughing now, okay? And to Vicki, his wife and the loveliest of southern women, don’t you think it’s time we said we were sisters? Thank you to all the Olivers for their hospitality and affection.
Special thanks to Michael Hickman of Jacksonboro for the rescue and the plantation tour. Tall Pines would still be looking for a home without you having trusted the veracity of that lunatic woman you allowed into your truck. And to all the folks of Jacksonboro, you live in one of the most beautiful places on this earth.
A huge dose of thanks for Roger Pinckney from Daufuskie Island, SC. Mr. Pinckney’s book
Blue Roots
was an invaluable source and a fascinating read. Anyone interested in the Gullah culture is just a hack if they don’t have a copy of this book on their shelf.
To Natalie Daise, many thanks for your correspondence and help on spirituals. Charlotte O. Gordon, my e-mail buddy, is the one responsible for the spelling of
yanh
. She gracefully advised me that the spelling was better than ’
eah
. So, yanh it is, Charlotte! I agree.
Billy and Pat Benton of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Ted and Joanne Benson of Winchester, MA, Jennifer and Michael Benton of Irving, TX, all deserve a parade in their honor. Yes, these are my three brothers and their wives, and they’ve been stellar in their unflinch-ing support. Stacy Hamburger of the Isle of Palms, SC, has a place in my heart forever. I was hoping for a miracle and bingo! I found Stacy, the dream weaver. Greg Marrs, wherever you are, our guest room awaits you and Samantha anytime.
A woman couldn’t ask for better friends than Anthony Stith, Larry Dodds, Brigitte Miklaszewski, Shannon Gibbons, Linda Lau-ren, Dona Hay, Patsy Thomas, Larry Harbin, Pete Dewey, Cheryl and Max Lenker—love y’all!—Fran Pritchard, Joy Casale, Joe Cupolo, Keith and Chris Stewart, Sparky Witte, Chip Clarkin, and Charlie Moore. My book group—Cherry Provost most especially, for, once again, introducing me around and for believing in me.
A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s
i x
And to Adrian and Jerry Shelby for their laughter and dependable good wishes.
I bow and scrape to Robert and Susan Rosen of Charleston for their unbelievable generosity and friendship—I love y’all forever! To Catherine Fry of Columbia for her luminous persona, sparkling wisdom, and guest room—thanks, honeychile. And, to Mr. Orangeburg, Dr. Mickey Hay—here it is, bubba, stand-alone proof that you are appreciated by this old island girl for all the wonderful things you continue to do.
Okay. The big guns. Pat and Sandra Conroy—Peter has com-missioned a sculptor to do a witty and tasteful statue of y’all for our front yard. Hey, thanks forever. To Bret Lott for his friendship, to Anne Rivers Siddons once again and always, and finally to Josephine Humphreys and to Elinor Lipman for letting me know I was alive. Special thanks to Marjory Wentworth for the use of her extraordinary poetry and her friendship.
Now, the Scud missiles—Leslie Gelbman. Norman Lidofsky.
Liz Perl. You changed my whole world and helped me in so many ways which defy words. How can I ever repay your profound faith? Just know that not a day passes without me thinking of y’all and mentally sending you my love and respect. Thank you all. And a special note to all the field reps of Berkley Publishing for their dedication and loyalty. Y’all are the almighty guardian angels of the publishing industry.
To Hillary Schupf and Matthew Rich. I never want to launch a book without either of you. Between the oyster roast and frequent discovery of my unknown cousins, I gave y’all something fun to remember. But, y’all gave me constant thrills. And, Jamie Coulter, if you’re out there, thanks again for the spectacular bash!
And to Joni Friedman, my art director, for her superlative vision. Joni, when I first saw my book on the shelves, I wept. You saw what I felt. Thank you.
Speaking of good fortune? How about my fabulous and incredible editor, Gail Fortune? The woman’s a genius! Gail pulled x
A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s
me through the dark days of the first draft of this book and never left my side. With her astute eye she gave me more critical advice than Millie could. Gail, thank you over and over for your excellent judgment, your soulful character, and for your remarkable saintly patience. Simply stated, it wouldn’t be worth it without you. This book makes you an honorary Geechee Girl.
I owe so much to my agent, Amy Berkower, for teaching me the ropes of a new universe and for understanding everything.
Thanks, Amy. I hope someday I prove to be worthy of your wing.
And, to my cousin, Judy Blanchard Linder, for reading this manu-script and not once complaining but always graciously pointing out the goobers. To Mia and Christian Tudose and Kevin Sherry for their acceptance and compassion.
Finally, I offer sincere gratitude to my family, Peter, Victoria, and William. Better than anyone, you know my heart. As you witness these changes in my life, know that I am so profoundly grateful to you for giving me the freedom it takes to open each door. I rejoice in you and I love you more each day. I am always deeply proud of you and constantly moved by your beautiful spirits in myriad ways. You have always been and will always be the most magnificent part of my life.
RIVER
The river is a woman who is never idle.
Into her feathering water
fall petals and bones
of earth’s shed skins.
While all around her edges
men are carving altars,
the river gathers flotsam,
branches of time and clouds
loosening the robes of their reflections.
Her dress is decoupage—
yellow clustering leaves
ashes, paper, tin and dung.
Wine dark honey for the world,
sweet blood of seeping magma
pulsing above the carbon starred
sediment. Striped with settled skulls,
wing and leaf spine: the river
is an open-minded graveyard.
Listen to the music
of sunlight spreading
inside her crystal cells.
Magnet, clock, cradle
for the wind; the river holds a cup
filling with miles of rain.
But when the river sleeps
her celestial children
break the sticks of gravity;
grab fistfuls of fish
scented amber clotted with diamonds,
ferns and petalling clouds,
adorn bracelets of woven rain,
rise with islands of sweet grass
and stars strung to their backs
to wander over the scarred surface
of the earth, like their mothers
simply searching for the sea.
—Marjory We ntworth
Contents
2. Miss Lavinia Would Like to Have a Word with You
6. Taking the Good with the Bad
10. Wake Up and Smell the Opium
11. Miss Lavinia Says Her Piece
12. “Planet Lavinia—Retrograde”
x i v
C o n t e n t s