Mark Gable was born on October 6, 1984 in Oxford, Mississippi to Richard and Lydia Gable. Richard was a banker and Lydia worked part-time keeping the books for a local hardware store.

The Gables were somewhat indifferent parents. They seemed to like the idea of being parents and they were a fixture at every school function, PTA meeting, and little league game. However at home, they spent very little time with Mark. As he grew up, he showed intelligence and athletic skill, yet his parents seldom pushed him to excel or reveled in his accomplishments with him. To all outward appearances, the Gables were the perfect family. Fairly well-off financially, always together at events, respected members of the church. But at home, Mark was largely left to his own devices.

By the time Mark reached junior high school, he was known to all the teachers as someone with a good deal of intelligence but almost no initiative. He had never needed to work hard. His sports accomplishments were met with little fanfare by his parents. And his academic shortcomings didn’t elicit much response either. He could score the winning touchdown and then come home and his father would retreat to the den to watch TV and not say a word to Mark. He could also come home with a report card full of C’s and D’s and his mother would just set it down on the counter and go back to stirring her soup.

Mark spent much time in his room wondering if his parents just simply didn’t like him. They were so distant and cold. As he grew older, Mark understood that was just the way they were. They acted like that amongst themselves. Richard and Lydia Gable could be the life of a party but as soon as they got home, they barely spoke to each other. At church, Richard was a respected deacon, full of advice to anyone who would ask, but in his den, he would barely grunt hello to his wife. So Mark contented himself with sports, friends, and dates.

In high school, Mark was a popular student. He performed fairly well on various sports teams and was good looking enough to always have dates. Although he didn’t excel in the classroom and his lack of effort irritated his teachers, he was good natured and well-behaved so they generally left him alone.

On a lark, Mark and some of his friends signed up for drama class. They thought it would be fun and easy but Mark was quickly drawn into the dynamics of the group. For the first time, he felt like he was getting attention. To a certain degree, sports had gotten him some notice, but he wasn’t a star. However, in drama class, he could be the lead actor. All eyes were on him and people paid attention to him. The drama teacher saw this flame in Mark and encouraged him to work hard on his acting. Soon, Mark was taking the lead roles in all the school plays.

It was obvious that Mark was outclassing everything the school drama class produced. So the teacher introduced Mark to Andrea Stover so he could get more professional experience. Mark began working with Oxtales with his eyes aglow with infatuation for Andrea. She was beautiful, driven, and a great dramatist. Mark was smitten with the older woman and he worked hard with Oxtales to try and win her favor.

Andrea’s prosecution crushed Mark. He was heartbroken and scared that Andrea would be going to jail. He was afraid she would hate him and never talk to him again. He imagined painful scenes where she turned away from his apologies. The prosecution also opened up a chasm in Mark’s relationship with his parents. What had previously been indifference was no hatred. He couldn’t stand their hypocrisy and self-righteousness. After moving out and starting school at Ole Miss, Mark has barely spoken to his parents.

When Andrea was released from prison, Mark hoped they could re-connect and start working together again. However, he was confused by Andrea’s distance. Once again, someone he cared about was putting him at arms length. Mark was contemplating how to confront Andrea at the time of her death.