Charlotte sat on the floor, Indian style, peering at her guests as they read the scrolling movie credits.
"What'd you think?" she asked when the screen finally faded to black.
Kami nodded. "Pretty good for a ten-year-old movie. I understand why the four of them were frustrated. Society had kicked them down, and this was the only way they knew how to kick back."
Charlotte turned to Tawana. "Which one of the characters did you identify with most?"
Tawana, who sat on the floor with her back against the sofa, chewed on her bottom lip before responding.
"I could have been Tisean, the character played by Kimberly Elise, for a number of reasons," she said softly. "I had a baby when I was really young, and I've made mistakes with guys like she obviously did."
Serena, who had stretched out on the love seat, pushed up on her elbow and looked at Tawana. Tawana's quivering voice told her this was more than just simple reflection over a movie.
Tawana continued. "But you know, I could also relate to Stony, Jada's character, because like her, sometimes I just want to run and hide from my past and from all the pain that lingers there."
Tawana pulled her knees up to her chest and burrowed her head into them.
Charlotte turned toward Serena. "What about you, Mrs. First Lady?"
Serena wanted to go over and comfort Tawana, but she respected Charlotte enough to trust how she was handling the situation. She sat up and furrowed her brow.
"Hmmm... I think I related to Queen Latifah's character and Vivica Fox's," she answered. "I was Cleo when I was in my twenties and very angry at my parents for some of their choices. But thank God, unlike her, I had an opportunity to learn and grow, and that anger transformed into a powerful life lesson."
Serena sighed. "I guess I relate to the want-to-be-perfect aspect of Vivica's character, Frankie, now. I have to be honest: Some days this stay-at-home mommy gig kicks my butt. The kids seem to run wild and wear me down, the house is never clean enough, my attention is divided between them and Micah, and ..."
Her own urge to cry caught her off guard. "And I don't know how I'm going to do it again when this new little one comes. I think I might just lose it."
She hadn't meant to announce her pregnancy like this, but oh well.
Erika and Kami came over and hugged her.
"You know we're here for you, Serena; you don't have to be perfect," Erika said. "Remember that grace you're always talking to me about? Don't you think it's time you extended it to yourself?"
Charlotte seemed to be on a mission. She turned to Kami and smiled gently. "I'm really not trying to bring all of you to tears; I just want to know where your hearts and heads are."
She surveyed each of the women. "When you get a girlfriend weekend like this, use it wisely. Have a ball, let your hair down. But make it memorable for more than just the fun of it. That's what will really bind you together as sisters."
She looked at Kami again. "You're still young, but did anything in the movie speak to you, other than what you shared earlier?"
Kami shrugged and looked at Serena, Erika, and Tawana.
"I don't know that the movie touched me so much," she said. "It was entertaining, and I got the symbolism, but I guess hearing how it resonated with Tawana and with my sister means even more. They're the ones teaching me about real life, by just watching them handle it every day."
Charlotte nodded, then pointed at Erika. "You know I saved you for last."
Erika gave a half smile. "That's what I was afraid of."
She removed her arms from around Serena’s shoulders and folded her legs under her. She looked toward the ceiling.
"I saw a piece of myself in all of the characters, I guess," Erika said. "I understood Tisean's pain in not being able to care for her child; I've struggled with a difficult past like Stony and still struggle to forgive my mother for loving the men in her life more than me; I worked in corporate America, like Frankie, but lost my status there because Elliott forced me to stay home and cater to his needs; but most of all, I've felt anger similar to Cleo's because I was a battered wife. I guess I'm still angry at Elliott and the hold he has over me."
Charlotte leaned forward. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere."
Erika looked at her and frowned. "What does that mean?"
"You answer my questions first," Charlotte said. "What kind of hold does Elliott still have over you, after all these years?"
Erika hesitated. "Elliott wants a divorce so he can get remarried."
"And?"
"What do you mean, 'and'?" Erika was indignant. "He's spent the past two years telling me he wants to reconcile and that he's seeking professional help so we can put our family back together. He sends me cards in the mail every two weeks trying to romance me. Now out of the blue he says, 'Forget it, it's over'?"
Charlotte didn't respond.
"Hello?"
"I want you to hear yourself," she told Erika.
"What do you mean, Charlotte?" Erika asked. "I don't understand."
"Erika, listen to yourself. Ask yourself what you're so upset about."
The room fell silent while Erika processed Charlotte's instructions.
"Are you upset because you really love Elliott? Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?" Charlotte asked the questions slowly.
"Or, are you ticked off that all this time you mistakenly felt like you were getting revenge by stringing him along? He obviously wanted you back, but you were going to make him pay for the pain and suffering he caused you. You did it by watching him long for you. Now that he's trying to tell you goodbye—or at least pretend like he's going somewhere— your game plan is ruined."
Serena saw Erika's defenses crumble.
Charlotte didn't force an answer. She rose from the floor and looked at the grandfather clock in the corner.
"Almost midnight, ladies," she said and headed toward her bedroom. "Feel free to stay up as late as you want. I'll see you in the morning. Good night."
Erika, Serena, Tawana, and Kami stared at Charlotte as she disappeared into the room and closed the door.
They sat in silence, until Tawana said what each of them was thinking.
"This has got to be a sick joke. She leads us into a Dr. Phil session and then goes to bed?"
No one laughed.
Erika looked at her bare ring finger, then at each of her friends.
"Now I know why she encouraged me to invite you guys," she said. "She wanted to bring all of us to our knees."