Above is a photo of my much-thumbed-through copy of Destiny by English author Sally Beauman, a novel I found somewhere when I was a teenager and which is one of my most favorite books EVER. Though the story is lush, Sally Beauman's exquisite writing skills are always a treat to read. It is a romantic, rip-your-heart out love story which begins during World War II and ends in around the early 1970's. It involves French royalty, Civil Rights in Alabama, Hollywood and high-end jewelry rivaling Tiffany, Cartier, and Bulgari.
Below is a passage which stood out to me today. In this scene, Helene, a stunning teenager and soon-to-be iconic actress, has discovered her mother is passed-out drunk in the trailer she shares with her. She is with Billy, a boy who also lives in the trailer park, who is the oldest of several children to alcoholic parents and who is the biggest outcast in the town besides Helene.
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"You know what Pricilla-Anne said tonight?" She couldn't look at him. "She said...she said my mother was a whore." She forced the word out, and Billy's head went up, quick, like an animal scenting danger. He took a step forward, and Helene held out her hand. " She did. That's what she said. She said everyone in Orangeburg knew it except me. All the men. She said...."
Billy's arms came around her. "Never mind what she said. Put it out of your mind. She's jealous."
"I can't put it out of my mind. I'll never forget it. Not as long as I live. And I want you to tell me. Please, Billy. I can't ask anyone else. I want to know. Is that the truth? Is that what they say?"
"Folks say a lot of things." He sounded awkward and embarassed. "Your mother's different, like you, and they don't like that, they can't bear that...."
"Is it true?"
Billy's eyes dropped for a second, and Helene felt her heart grow cold and still within her. After a while, Billy looked up. Then he stepped forward and gripped her arms tight. "You just listen to me," he said, "Listen. People do things-all kinds of things-if they have no money. If they're lonely. If they're running out of hope. You going to condemn them for that? I wouldn't. Because who knows what you'd do if you were in her shoes? If you got desperate.' He broke off. "She loves you, Helene. She's looked after you, the best she could. And no matter what she did--"
"But what does that make me?"
"It doesn't make you anything. You're you. You're the most beautiful thing I ever saw in all my life. You're Helene. And I think...I think you could bejust about anything you wanted. You understand? Anything." He gave her a little shake, then let her go.
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Excerpt above from the novel "Destiny" by Sally Beauman, 1987, Bantam Books.
