Philip Stillwater, 22, was born to Blake and Eugenia Stillwater in Chicago, Illinois. His father's early financial success in criminal law was augmented by the sales of a legal thriller, Courtroom Conspiracy, which was a bestseller in several countries. When Philip was three, the family moved to Oxford, Mississippi, so Blake could devote more time to his literary career.
Although tiny compared to Chicago, Oxford allowed Philip a world of new opportunities. He now had a yard for the first time. He could run through the woods, play in the trees, and comb the grass in search of interesting creatures. Philip was fascinated by insects and spiders in particular and spent countless hours in the Stillwaters' large yard, searching for new specimens.
Blake's frequent absences for business and other pursuits caused Eugenia to draw Philip in closer. She strove to shield him from his father's indiscretions and tried to make up for his father being away so much. In short, anything Philip wanted, his mother made sure he had.
Eugenia even set up a laboratory behind their house for her budding scientist. She didn't understand all the tools and was somewhat squeamish about his specimens, but they meant so much to Philip that she encouraged his new hobby.
Philip graduated from Yoknapatawpha High and enrolled at the University of Mississippi. Many people wondered why the wealthy and intelligent young man didn't go away to school just to experience something different, but those familiar with the family knew the reason. Eugenia had done everything she could to dissuade Philip from leaving for some far-off campus.
At Ole Miss, Philip had many friends who enjoyed hanging out with the attractive guy who freely shared the benefits of his wealth with those around him. He was often seen speeding up and down University Avenue in his Porsche, usually with a young woman in the passenger seat.
Philip dated frequently but never had any serious relationships. Many girls were attracted to the good-looking boy with the exotic car, but when they went to his home and saw his eyes light up as he played with some hairy tarantula, they often became frightened or at least disconcerted.
In many ways, that sums up how Philip is perceived around Oxford. People are initially attracted to him, but once they get to know him better, his relationship with his mother and his fascination with spiders tend to cool their affection.
As Philip got older, he became aware of his father's affairs. He tried to help his mother through the difficult times while containing his growing anger toward his father. More recently, he has begun confronting the women in an effort to save his mother some heartache.
Last year, he spent several evenings outside an interior design firm in Tupelo, waiting for his father's latest indiscretion to come out. He yelled at her when he saw her in the parking lot, startling the young blonde as she tried to get her keys out of her purse. The woman reported that Philip was shaking with anger as he bellowed at her for several minutes, and then screeched off in his Porsche.
The young lady reported the incident to the police but didn't pursue it, wanting to put the whole Stillwater family behind her as quickly as possible.
Since graduating from Ole Miss, Philip has lived in the guest house behind his parents' home. He still takes some classes at the university and continues his research. He remains his mother's primary source of comfort, and his patience with his father is reaching an all-time low.
