Authors: Leila Meacham
Titans (47 page)
I
n April 1901, Nathan Holloway married Charlotte Weatherspoon two weeks after his twenty-first birthday. It was the wedding of the year for Dallas society. The ceremony was conducted in the First Baptist Church of Dallas and officiated by the highly esteemed George W. Truett, the leading clergyman of his day. Over five hundred guests attended. Trevor Waverling served as Nathan's best man; Nathan's brother, Randolph, and Daniel Lane as groomsmen. Mavis, Samantha, and Sloan, along with Neal and Estelle Gordon, and Leon and Lily, accompanied by her husband, were escorted to pews reserved for the groom's family. Millicent was not among them. Nathan had cut ties with his mother.
“April is such a perfect time for a wedding,” Mavis stated. “It's a period of new beginnings and should be the month that starts the New Year, not January, for heaven's sake. What were the Gregorians thinking?”
For the ranches of Las Tres Lomas de la Trinidad and the Triple S, April was indeed the start of new beginnings. Midmorning of the third week in April, Jarvis Putnam, driller of Derrick One, so the well at Windy Bluff was identified, knocked on the front door of the ranch house at Las Tres Lomas de la Trinidad. Silbia answered and immediately stepped back.
Jarvis jerked off his oil-covered driller's hat, a steel-plated affair, and swiped a large bandanna handkerchief over his black-speckled face. “I beg your pardon, ma'am. I'm sure I look a fright, but I must see Mr. Gordon and use your telephone, if you please.”
Silbia had never met Jarvis Putnam, but from the looks of him, he was part of the rough crowd of men that had been digging around out at Windy Bluff. She was wary of letting him into the house, dripping black goop all over her clean floors. “What for?” she demanded.
“To let Mr. Gordon and my boss know we've struck oil.”
Derrick Number One was to be the forerunner of many more successful wells drilled over the one thousand square miles of the combined ranches that would produce millions of barrels of oil from the sandstone and carbonate reservoirs under its properties. For easy reference, the Triple S and Las Tres Lomas de la Trinidad did not change their names but operated under one brand that symbolized their consolidation. The brand of the biggest cattle ranch of contiguous acreage in Texas was a simple S/S/S/. It was Samantha's idea to use the slash marks to represent the three tributaries of the Trinity River. Despite the physical evidence of vast oil production that came to dot its acres, Las Tres Lomas and the Triple S maintained their inherent character. Cattle was their business, and to that end, as Texas roared into the new century propelled by the discovery of petroleum throughout the state, new breeds were introduced to achieve better beef quality and easier adaptation to the environment of Central Texas. Experimentation with grasses led to improved rangelands where eventually healthy Santa Gertrudis and Herefords and Beefmasters grazed on green pastures teeth to jaw with oil derricks and pumping jacks.
Of those family members and associates who sat on the groom's side of the aisle or who stood with Nathan during his marriage ceremony, financial fortune smiled on most. Within a few years, Waverling Tools patented a roller cutter bit enabling oil drillers to bore through hard rock with amazing speed. Daniel Lane was the designer. The two-cone bit revolutionized the industry, poured millions of dollars into the company's coffers and Daniel's pockets, and set the company on its way to becoming a world leader in the design and manufacture of petroleum equipment.
Nathan continued in his role as the landman of the company and teammate of Todd Baker while quietly slipping into the seat of Waverling Tools as heir apparent, and the geologist rose to prominence in his profession's ranks. Todd found the oil, and Nathan negotiated the drilling rights in Texas counties whose field names would make petroleum history: Sour Lake and Batson-Old in Hardin County, Humble and Goose Creek in Harris, Mission in Bexar, Piedras Pintas in Duval, Panhandle Osborne in Wheeler. Early in his career, Todd had been paid a visit by Daniel carrying into his office a business envelope bearing the name Morris Keaton Brownie Shop. When he left Todd's office still in possession of the envelope and the photographs within, the company geologist was never again to engage in a nefarious scheme such as the one that had prompted Daniel's visit and for which he had no aptitude anyway. But as a result of it, Todd was never to belong to the private inner ring of Waverling Tools, nor were he and Ginny ever included in the intertwined social circles of the Singletons, Waverlings, and Lanes. Much to Ginny's chagrin, fueled by suspicion that her husband's somehow wrongdoing at the company was responsible, the Baker names never appeared among those in attendance at the families' social soirees reported in the society columns of Fort Worth and Dallas newspapers.
Randolph lived out his working life as a bank teller in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and was eventually promoted to vice president, a figurehead title shared by five others in the bank. He married a local girl who reminded Nathan of the waitress his brother had left behind in New York City. She bore him two sons in whom Randolph tried to instill a lust for the wealth and prominence for which he'd prepared diligently and destroyed his chance of achieving. Lily lived merrily ever after with her three daughters and history-teacher husband in a house four streets over from her brother. The Haymaker and Randolph Holloway families met every Sunday after church for a fried chicken dinner in the modest home of one or the other. The Leon Holloways were always invited, but generally, only their father came.
But there were other good fortunes that carried no dollar signs. Samantha and Sloan's first child was a boy they christened Seth Gordon Singleton. Their son's name for Neal was Granddaddy; for Trevor, Pop, by which Samantha affectionately referred to him from then on. A daughter and son followed. Billie June and Daniel, expecting a son and playmate for S.G., as the Singletons' firstborn would soon be called, became the proud parents of three daughters. Charlotte gave birth to two sons and one daughter. Millie May never married but enjoyed the role of aunt to her nieces and nephews. The Gordon, Singleton, Waverling, and Lane families melded and became as one. The automobile allowed frequent reunions at one or the other's abodes that in time grew to huge estates where there was much laughter, bounteous food, boisterous play, and general noise-making among the nine children and ten adults.
“I feel like a piñata,” Neal said to Estelle after one such occasion held at Las Tres Lomas.
“A piñata, Neal?”
“Uh-huh. There I was living my life like one of those papier-mâché party animals, strung up out of reach, afraid to share, keeping my toys locked inside all to myself, whenâwham! I got hit by a big stick. I'm mighty glad I did. You know what I'm tryin' to say, honeybee?”
“I do, Neal. Love is always better when it's shared.”
At the end of the decade,
The Forum
, one of the most respected magazines in America, featured within its covers a three-page article and related photographs under the title
TITANS
. Neal Gordon was listed among them along with Trevor Waverling. Samantha said, “Well, Daddy, you're a titan at last. How does it feel?”
Neal frowned. “Not as good as I would have thought,” he said. Samantha looked at him with understanding. Estelle had died the year before. But her death was not responsible for Neal's lack of excitement. Yesterday afternoon, his grandson, S.G., had brought him part of a long, strange-looking leg bone he'd found sticking up out of the ground in the deeply cratered area over which Derrick One had once stood. For some reason, the place held a mesmeric fascination for his grandchildren. “Granddaddy, what animal does this belong to?” he'd asked.
I'd like to express my gratitude to those who, as always, made this book happen: my literary representative, David McCormick of McCormick Literary Agency; Deb Futter, editor in chief of Grand Central Publishing; and the friends and fans whose enthusiasm for and enjoyment of my former books inspired me to keep writing. There were losses along the way, and I'd like to bid a fond but sad farewell with my thanks for his help to Clint Rodgers, who for years answered every SOS call to cure my computer of its many ills. Bless you always, Clint. You were the best doctor in the house. A sorrowful good-bye to Dr. Charles Melenyzer, cyberspace whiz who came to the rescue if only briefly, but what a godsend. Charles, you'll never know how much I appreciate your timely appearance on the scene. Because of you, I managed to continue my work on this manuscript.
In addition, I owe more gratitude than can be enumerated to Dr. Beverly Alcot, neighbor and friend, whose electronic expertise met electronic illiteracy with grace and patience the many times she was frantically called from across the street to render assistance. Bev, bottom-of-the-heart thanks for being there when I needed you.
In some instances, words are useless to express the inexpressible. I will simply say thank you, Arthur Richard Meacham III, beloved husband, and Ann Ferguson Zeigler, beloved friend, for once again daily, week in and week out, making the journey with me. And posthumous gratitude goes to Sara Lynn Robbins for her expert guidance in leading me through the mountains of scientific research for
Titans
. I thank her most of all for the memories of our sixty-six years of friendship. Rest in peace, Sara Lynn.
Leila Meacham is a writer and former teacher who lives in San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of the bestselling novels
Roses
,
Tumbleweeds
, and
Somerset
.
Roses
Tumbleweeds
Somerset
- Do you agree with Neal Gordon's statement: “Loyalty is the one human quality that must be returned. You can give respect, honor, admiration, even love without return, but loyalty must be repaid in kind”?
- Grizzly says: “Just remember this, young lady. Your daddy loves you more than life, but there's no such thing as an unbreakable connection. There are some things in this world that unconditionalâ¦love can't stand up to, and the biggest is betrayal.” What are your thoughts on this viewpoint?
- After Sloan publicly puts a stop to Daniel's courtship of Billie June, Mildred claims that “nothing sets deeper or burns longer in the human gut than the shame of public humiliation.” Do you agree?
- In the early 1900s, “All over the nation, the ânew woman' was replacing the âideal woman,' challenging male dominance.” Where do you see examples of these types of women in the novel? Where do Samantha, Millie May, Billie June, and Anne fall on the spectrum? Do you see similar changes or divisions in concepts of womanhood today?
- Throughout the novel, many charactersâfrom Leon to Nathan to Grizzlyâare bound by their word to keep vital information a secret. Do you think issues would have been resolved more quickly if all these secrets had been out in the open from the beginningâor was the passage of time necessary? Do you believe that it's best to stick to your word, or is it sometimes important to exercise your best judgment regardless of promises made?
- Despite Samantha and Nathan's love for and devotion to Neal, Estelle, and Leon, these parents all fear losing their child. Do their concerns prove valid? Do you think nature or nurture plays a greater role in forming someone's character?
- What sacrifices were the three fathers willing to make for their children: Leon for Nathan, Neal for Samantha, and Trevor for Samantha? What do they say about the men's character?
- If you were in Samantha's shoes, would you have acted differently when faced with the big decisions of: pursuing a career in archeology or helping run her father's ranch, drilling for oil or preserving the fossil grounds, and finding her birth family or respecting her adoptive parents' wishes?
- Examine the major spousal relationships in
Titans
: Millicent and Leon, Neal and Estelle, Daniel and Billie June, Samantha and Sloan. Despite any differences, resentments, or betrayals, all of these marriages presumably last a lifetime. What binds each of these couples together? How are their relationships similar to or different from one another? - How does class play a role in informing characters' worldviews and pivotal decisions? What aspect of class is most important to Neal, Daniel, and Millicent, and what are these characters willing to sacrifice to achieve their goals?
- Who are the titans in this novel and why? Is the title fitting to the story? When Samantha asks her father how it feels to finally be a titan, Neal responds, “Not as good as I would have thought.” What do you think he means by this?
A Conversation with Leila Meacham
Q: Throughout
Titans
, the reader gains a strong sense of the zeitgeist of Texas in the early 1900s: its landscape, citizens, social structure, and the changes that were happening at that time. What about this setting appealed to you?
A: The period and locale of Central Texas best suited the spinning of the tale and the cast of characters. I wanted to confine the narrative to a short but dramatic span of time, in comparison to my other novels that unfold over many decades and truly qualify as sagas. No other time or setting was more appealing to me than the nine months prior to Texas's explosive entry into the petroleum industry on January 10, 1901, when a lonely little salt mound outside Beaumont, Texas, spewed a geyser of black gold.
Q: What was your writing process like for this book? Did it change much from your initial conception to its final creation?
A: I'll say it did! As a matter of fact, I almost completely revised my final draft after it went to the publisher. Truth told, the whole writing experience of
Titans
was different from the comparatively smooth composition of my other novels. For starters, I began and finished the original draft during a dark year in my life. A heart condition, side-saddled with all the accompanying annoyances and frustrations of endless doctors' appointments, mind-numbing medications, tests, procedures, and the two surgeries required to fix it, plagued the writing process. Then, as I was finishing the final chapter of the novel, my husband, the love of my life, was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. In that week as well, the electronics guru who'd looked after my computer needs for ten years fired me as a client, the printer and backup system to my computer both failed, and the technician called in to repair them lost three chapters of the novel that were never reclaimed and had to be rewritten. It all constituted the perfect storm. Nonetheless, from the get-go, all through the writing of the 635 manuscript pages, my writer's instinct, whether the result of the confluence of events or not, whispered that something was amiss with the book. Something wasn't right. It was “off.” My astute and wonderful editor agreed and made some suggestions for revision, but I knew the problems went deeper. So, having once more a healthy heart, a clear head, and a husband with a restored larynx, I drew in a deep breath, stepped back, took a closer look at the manuscript, and began again. The rewrite was an arduous but invaluable learning experience from which I believe I created the novel as it was meant to be.
Q: It's interesting to examine the different family dynamics in
Titans
, from Millicent's detachment from her own firstborns, to Nathan's acclimation to the Waverling household, to Samantha's instinctual attachment to Nathan and Rebecca. What draws you to write about such complicated family structures?
A: I wish I knew. It's been a surprise to me that family dynamics play a dominant role in my novels. I really don't know much about family, being childless and having come from a small unit of four, my parents and brother and me. In those days, brothers occupied one world with their buddies, and sisters occupied another with theirs, so brothers and sisters were most likely to be acquaintances rather than friends. I never knew my grandparents on either side, and aunts and uncles and cousins were few and far away. I grew up in a generation before Dr. Spock. Generally, fathers made the living, mothers made the life, and children were to be seen and not heard. While our corporeal needs were seen to, there was very little sharing of feelings, dreams, and ambitions, either from parent to child or child to parent, not from indifference but from custom. It simply wasn't done. It was enough to know that we all loved one another. So my experience with parents and sibling offers little background from which to generate the stories I write and should elicit even less interest to me as the subject of them, one would think. Drama, however, is the mainstay of fiction, and from what better source to draw drama than family relationships, the starting point of human behavior and interaction?
Q:
Titans
has an incredibly large cast of characters, all of whom have distinct personalities and paths in life. Do you have a favorite character?
A: Leon Holloway, hands down. Like all my characters, I don't know where he came from. He was simply there on the page one day, bringing in a load of firewood, responsible, kind, caring, tolerant, and wise in the way of men who've learned their lessons of life at the knee of nature. We should all be so fortunate to have a Leon Holloway in our lives.
Q: At the end of
Titans
, you manage to rather neatly tie together all the different plot threads and themes that were running through the book. Did this ending come about naturally, or did it take careful planning and outlining?
A:
Titans
is the most complicated novel I've written because of all the balls I had to keep in the air. Keeping two lives running simultaneously in two different places was my greatest challenge yet. I hope more so for the author than the reader. To prevent confusion for the reader, several times in the story I had a characterâfirst Leon, then Nealâorganize in his head the facts as he knew them. This technique of allowing the character to list for himself who knew what and when came about in the natural flow of the narrative. The conclusion evolved naturally as well. I relied on the “character” of the characters to guide the ending. Samantha could not have denied her curiosity to learn the details of her abandonment; Neal, his love for his adopted daughter; Sloan, the skull to posterity; Daniel, his newfound self-worth and love for Billie June to exact revenge. In the end, none of the characters could deny the people they were.
Q: Many of your characters seem to be constrained by secrets and the silence surrounding them, and oftentimes shared knowledge is not spoken out loudâeither due to petty reasons or well-intentioned ones. Does this theme stem from real-life observations?
A: Not from particular observation but from a general view that secrets can spawn good stories. Their revelations can be a character's undoing, orâas in
Titans
âan unexpected salvation. Secrets are a distant cousin to deception, and we all know what Walter Scott said about deceit: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Family secrets lend themselves to great stories of human dilemma because their very nature creates suspense.
Q: What kinds of books did you enjoy reading as a child? As an adult? Are your own books at all reflective of past favorites?
A: As a child, I was especially fond of books that featured animals. I must have read Kenneth Grahame's
Wind in the Willows
a dozen times. Anna Sewell's
Black Beauty
sparked a lifelong admiration of horses, and the characters of Beatrice Potter's booksâ
Peter Rabbit
,
Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
, and
Mrs. Tittlemouse
âmake me smile from their memories still. A love of and respect for animals no doubt have prompted inclusion of pets in my books. As an adult, I enjoy any nonfiction or fiction book that is well written and researched, and features a subject or characters I can care about.
Q: Over the course of your now four booksâ
Roses
,
Tumbleweeds
,
Somerset
, and
Titans
âdo you feel yourself revisiting certain themes or ideas? If so, what attracts you to them?
A: I don't know that a recurring thematic thread runs through my novels, but I can say that in all of them, key players make wrong decisions based on what they believe to be the right reasons. These always result in life changes, often tragic. The character must then either deal with the consequences or find his way out of the dilemma. I remember reading, “Crises define us. In them we discover who we are.” I suppose that if there is a repeated element in my books, it is that revelation for a character. In real life I have never observed or been privy to a situation where a person must suffer the consequences of a wrong choice based on noble motivations. I have, however, witnessed numerous times the truth of that age-old adage: “Everything that goes around comes around.” But I do not care to write of those folks who eventually get snagged in the trap of their devious designs. I like to write about characters caught in their web of good intentions.
