The next day, to no one’s shock, not a single soul woke up by 7:00 a.m. to join Robin on her hiking excursion. What was surprising, however, was when we all crawled out of bed, slightly hungover from hours of karaoke the night before, and learned that she hadn’t gone, either. Seated around the grazing counter, we were passing around coffee mugs when Robin walked into the sitting room, still in her pajamas, at 9:00 a.m.
“Robin?” Jennifer asked, stopping in her tracks as if she’d just seen a ghost.
“In the flesh,” she deadpanned, rubbing her eyes with one hand while putting out the other so that someone could pass her a coffee mug as well.
“But what happened to Joshua Tree?” Reagan asked.
“Well,” she hesitated. “You guys might have been right about me going overboard with that one. Plus, I didn’t want to be all the way out there while you all were here. I want to be where you are.”
“Awwww, that’s sooo sweet,” Jenn replied, forming her hands into the shape of a heart and covering her chest to show how much love she was feeling in the moment.
“And the time difference probably got real this morning, too, right?” Reagan interjected with a smirk.
“That, too.”
Robin shrugged her shoulders as she clutched her large white coffee mug and walked to the Keurig machine in hopes that it would help to bring her back to life.
“Aaaaand someone might have been overcompensating because she misses her man?” Rebecca interjected.
It was one of those questions that was really more of a statement, but her voice rose up an octave or two higher at the end to make it sound like she maybe didn’t mean it definitively. We all knew she did, however.
“Okay, don’t push it.” Robin laughed. “But maybe a little of that, too.”
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you stayed,” I said, chiming in after taking a big gulp of coffee. “I’ve been looking forward to this girls’ trip since I touched down in America. And our time in the pool wouldn’t have been the same without you. I need as much time as I can get with you before you go back to London and I don’t see you again for several months—probably not until Jenn’s wedding, right?”
Robin put her hands over her heart to show how touched she was by my admission and then quickly jumped to attention when the Keurig machine alerted her that her coffee was ready.
“Liv is a big mush ball,” Reagan chimed in. “I see why she fits in with us so well. But she is right. We would have missed you. Though—paraphrasing the famous poet Future—I do believe it’s better to cry in the jacuzzi, so I guess that would have been my plight.”
Unable to hold back her laughter from her own joke, Reagan giggled uncontrollably even as she tried drinking some coffee to contain herself.
“Get out of here!” Robin replied, before playfully tossing a big bag of chips at her. “I know you didn’t just use the ‘You gon’ cry in this Phantom or dat Nissan’ line on me!”
“Now, don’t take your frustrations out on the tortillas, cher. These are some prime nacho-making chips. We have plans for these tomorrow, and you know how you feel about plans!”
The five of us continued the morning just like that, giggling and carrying on as if there weren’t normally thousands of miles in between us and we saw each other every day, the conversation covering everything from career plans to worst dates ever and always ending with someone curled over in tears from laughing too hard. As coffee mugs turned into champagne flutes and glasses full of Jenn’s Sweet Treats, bathrobes turned into bathing suits, and then eventually, by the evening—all of our best outfits for a night out on the town.
Once again, without planning it, they’d all chosen ’fits that complemented each other but still let each woman shine on her own. The difference this time was that I did, too. My black mini crop top and gold-mesh high-waisted skirt with a slit on my right thigh were similar enough to Reagan’s white one-shoulder crop top with her burnt-orange floor-length skirt that opened in the front due to her high split, but distinct enough that we could both stand high in our stilettos and command our own attention. The same went for Rebecca and Robin, who each had on a low V-neck top but in vastly different ways, and Jenn, who helped blend us all together with the high slit in her mini skirt and her low V-neck top. Rob wore a dark green, purple, hot-pink, yellow and blue striped blouse with a V-neck that went all the way down to her belly and only snapped closed with the help of the black belt that was attached to it. Her shirt then flared out, the hem landing a few notches above her knees—which made it the perfect complement to her cutoff jean shorts and heels. And Becs, who might have been the flyest pregnant woman I’d ever seen, made quite the statement with her tan bandage skirt and champagne-colored V-neck blouse tucked inside.
By 10:30 p.m., we were all standing around, hyping Jenn up as she climbed onto the table we’d reserved at the first club. Robin had just convinced the DJ to play “Ladies Night” by Angie Martinez, Lil’ Kim, Missy Elliott, Da Brat and Left Eye, when Jenn—in all her bachelorette glory—finally decided it was time for her moment in the sun. I was particularly impressed at the fact that she managed to get up there without showing all her goodies to the club, considering just how high the split was in her gorgeous black-and-white mini skirt. She’d paired that with an off-shoulder white satin V-neck, long-sleeved crop top and all the confidence in the world.
“Speech! Speech! Speech!” we all implored as she quickly got her bearings in her clear chunky backless heels.
“Oh!” she said, feigning innocence while scooping up a bottle of champagne out of the bucket on the table. “You all want a speech? From me?”
“You already know we do, Miss Thang!” Robin replied.
“Yeah, give it to us,” Rebecca added.
“Well, if you insist,” Jennifer said, grinning from ear to ear and holding her bottle high.
She cleared her throat once before proceeding.
“Ladiesssss!” she screamed out.
“Yessss!” we replied in unison.
“I said, my laaaaadies!”
“Yesss!”
“I love all y’all so freakin’ much. This has truly been one of the best days ever. I can’t begin to thank you enough.”
I watched in fear as Jenn’s abounding joy quickly turned to sentimental tears, wondering how I could get her back to her fun place. In a matter of seconds, she’d gone from a ’90s hip-hop star onstage to someone with supremely wet eyes, and I knew if I didn’t stop her, she was going to have all of us joining in, crying in the club. We could not let that happen.
“Wait, wait!” I shouted. “This speech isn’t supposed to be about us. It’s supposed to be about you. Try again, Jennifer!”
“Welp, Liv’s right,” Reagan said with a shrug, and then shot me a quick, silent Thank you off to the side.
“Okay! Okay!”
Jenn threw her arms into the air and took in a deep breath before going at it again, literally swallowing her tears up as we all stared her down.
“All day has been amazing! And I know, I know, it’s not done yet—but this has been one of the best days ever for me. And when I think about why I’m here, why we’re all here tonight,” she began. “I have to say that I’m so happy. A lot of that is because of the work I’ve done over the past year in therapy...and with you all...to get myself to the point where I love me, and my man, and my girls, for who everyone is, all on their own. No comparisons. No fear. Just love.”
“I hear that,” Reagan interjected, raising her glass up to Jenn, who clinked it with the bottle she still had in her hand.
“And listen, I know this might be controversial,” Jennifer continued. “But Nick has literally changed my life, y’all. I’m so grateful for this man. I used to think that was an unfeminist way to think, but screw that—I have a partner who supports me, challenges me, loves me and is even willing to let me throw some pink plush handcuffs on him when I’m trying out something new.”
“Yeah, he did!” Rebecca chimed in, holding her belly as she and the rest of us cracked up laughing at the memory of when she’d given Jenn those very handcuffs and learned later just how shocked Nick was when Jennifer had slapped them onto his wrists.
Confused at first, he’d tried it out because that was his girl. I didn’t know much about Nick, but I knew one thing—he wasn’t perfect, but there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for Jennifer Pritchett. I could see why she was so happy with him.
“If you know, you know!” Jenn continued, laughing and pointing at Becs with her bottle. “But seriously, that kind of day in and day out partnership is so clutch. I know how blessed I am to have him, and you girls, in my life.”
“Amen!” Robin added, now raising her glass in the air as well.
“Aaaaand,” Jenn continued on, “I know Liv said this isn’t about you guys, but...it’s my speech, so I can add this part if I want.”
She stuck her tongue out at me before proceeding forward.
“I’m so incredibly thankful that every single one of you has someone in your life just like that, too—who has shown up time and time again, and whether it’s been years or its super new, you can just tell he’s the one. So, shout-out to us, and shout-out to Nick, Jake, Oliver, Craig—”
“Ahem, excuse me,” I interjected, raising my hand in defiance.
“I was getting ready to say Thomas!” she replied.
“No, no, but you shouldn’t. He’s not my man! I don’t have a man,” I protested.
“Girl.” Jennifer paused her speech and looked directly at me. “If you don’t stop playing around, acting like we haven’t seen you texting this man the whole time you’ve been here.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Reagan chimed in. “She does that when she’s with me, too.”
“Of course she does—because she likes him,” Robin added.
“And he’s good for her,” Reagan continued. “Sometimes unexpected things are good, cher.” She turned toward me, lifting her glass in my direction.
“I do really like him,” I admitted. “I don’t know how to explain it—just when I’m with him, it feels like finally, I met someone who doesn’t need me to change to be the partner for him. Like, he gets me, and he’s supportive, and his kisses are what heaven probably feels like...”
I shook my head quickly to stop myself from spiraling down a rabbit hole.
“That’s what we’ve been saying for the longest, cher! This is great. I’m just happy you’re acknowledging it now,” Reagan replied.
“Yeah, but he’s also the same man who told me he wasn’t looking for a relationship—”
“Until he met you, right?” Reagan asked.
I stared back at her in response, simply folding my lips onto each other to keep my mouth closed once again.
“Exactly,” she added. “You’re focused too much on what’s the worst that can happen, cher, when what you should be focused on is the way you two look at each other when you’re in the other’s presence. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. That mess is seductive! I wanted to get home to my own man after being around y’all.”
Jenn, Rebecca and Robin laughed and mmm-hmm-ed throughout Reagan’s soliloquy, leaving me to just stand there and take my medicine as Robin had the day before.
“Not to mention, I’ve never seen you this googly-eyed about someone before,” Robin added. “When you were in London, you barely mentioned David’s name unless someone else brought him up.”
“Boo, down with David,” Reagan interjected.
“Agreed. I’m just saying,” Robin continued. “No one’s saying Thomas is endgame—”
“Actually, I did,” Jennifer interrupted, still standing high on the table before us.
“Okay, well, Jenn is our sentimental bestie, so she’s saying he’s endgame. I’m just saying, and I think the rest of us are just saying, that it might be time to stop fighting it and actually give this guy a chance. You never know what could happen...”
“And what would Chrissy ask in a situation like this?” Reagan asked, interrupting Robin’s speech.
“What’s the best that could happen, mana, if you just tried?” Robin replied.
I smiled and rolled my eyes, grateful for the kind of friends who loved me enough to challenge me but annoyed at the same time—because, like, who wanted to be challenged? I’d heard someone once say that you knew someone was your best friend when you could go months without seeing each other and pick right back up where you’d left off when you did. This night made me want to take that a step further. I’d learned someone was your best friend when they told you things you didn’t want to hear with love and care and in a way where you could receive it as such. Being around these ladies, I definitely understood exactly what that felt like.
“Okay,” I responded. “I hear everyone, loud and clear.”
“Oh! That reminds me!” Jenn chimed in. “Before we take another sip, we have to pour out a little something for the homie Christine!”
“Oh my God. Of course,” Robin replied as we all jumped to attention and rejoined our focus back toward the center table, where Jenn had begun tipping her champagne bottle ever so slightly to the side to let a few drops fall onto the floor.
After she blessed the floor, we all raised our glasses high in the sky and clanked them with Jenn’s bottle, thanking God for this moment and our friendships. And just like magic, the DJ started playing “Friends” by The Carters, almost like it was fate—or more of Robin’s perfect planning. Either way, we were all good with the win.