Mylene Tucker and her cousin Selma Porter grew up together in Perry, Georgia and were very close.
Mylene Tucker and Selma Porter, age 10 in 1949.
Selma would often spend the night with Mylene, and was happy to be away from the household of her abusive alcoholic father, Alec Porter.
Alec Porter enjoying his favorite pastime.
Selma never invited Mylene to her house, especially when her father was “Out of control”.
Mylene Tucker and Selma Porter, age 20 in 1959.
Mylene enjoyed the creative outlet afforded by her job as church newsletter editor, writing essays, stories, and poems.
Mylene Messner printing out the latest bulletin.
When Mylene married Zachariah Messner, she recommended Selma to take her place as a cashier at Walker Grocery.
Mylene and Zachariah Messner on their wedding day in 1962.
Zachariah encouraged Mylene to visit James Frederick after she was unable to conceive a child with him. Mylene ended her life because she couldn’t live with the guilt she felt over people believing she had an affair with Frederick.
This was a mistake.
Selma would take her cousin’s place as Mrs. Zachariah Messner.
Selma had fewer reservations about an affair. Like Zachariah, she blamed Frederick for Mylene’s death and wanted to produce a son they could use to punish Frederick.
At Zachariah’s insistence, Selma spends time with Frederick.
Instead, they had Christine who they would use for the same purpose.
Christine Messner with James Frederick, early-80s.
Selma remained an unwelcome presence in Christine’s life, even after she left home and changed her name to Claire Belmonte.
Whatever you’re doing here, I’m not putting up with any more of your crap.
Rebecca Asher notices Selma at T. J. Bailey’s and introduces herself. Selma realizes they have a connection that she doesn’t share with Rebecca.
You don’t seem to be into the music, so I figure you must know someone with the band.
Against her better judgment, Claire agrees to meet with Selma to answer questions she has about her origins.
Claire has some questions about her past that you might be able to answer.
G. M. Lupo (ISNI: 0000 0005 0315 9196) is a native of Atlanta, Georgia where he has always had a dysfunctional relationship with his hometown. His most recent published work is the novel Another Mother. He is also the author of Atlanta Stories: Fables of the New South and Reconstruction. Along with his novel, Rebecca, Too (2018), and his full-length play Another Mother, these constitute his Expanded Universe of Fictional Atlanta. He has also released a collection of essays, poetry, and stories entitled Words Words Words (2020).
He was the winner of the 2017 Essential Theatre Play Writing Award for Another Mother which had its world premiere in his home neighborhood of West End in August 2017, in the building that once housed the library where he learned to read as a child.
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