If I Were Your Woman by Donna Hill Page A

us that hovel of a building could be transformed into a showplace,” Barbara said.
    â€œTo Stephanie for whipping up a PR campaign that put us on the map!” Ann Marie announced.
    â€œAnd to our sista Ellie, who holds it down each and every day,” Stephanie said. “Wheeling and dealing with those fine men!”
    â€œAmen,” they chorused.
    Stephanie turned to Terri. “And to our new sista friend, Terri Wells.”
    â€œWelcome to the family,” Barbara said.
    Terri looked from one welcoming face to the other. “Thank you for including me. This is all so new to me.”
    â€œWhatcha mean?” Ann Marie asked, and took a long swallow of her drink.
    â€œHaving girlfriends.” She shrugged a little. “I’ve really never had one—except for Mindy.”
    â€œYou have four of us now and we can be real pains in the ass when necessary,” Ann Marie said.
    â€œYou got that right,” Stephanie said, and winked at Ann Marie.
    â€œHow long have you all been friends?” Terri asked.
    They all looked at each other, then started talking at once. Every combination from ten years to shopping mall meetings, to gossiping under hair dryers and everything in between.
    Barbara held up her hand. “You know what, ya’ll? We never really thought about how we all became friends. Sometimes it seems like we were always friends.”
    â€œSure does,” Elizabeth echoed. “I do remember when you and I met,” she said to Barbara. She braced her arms on her thighs. “The twins were still in their double strollers.” She chuckled at the memory. “I was walking along Lenox Avenue and you stopped me to say how cute they were.”
    â€œYeah, yeah, I remember.”
    â€œThen I think you asked me if I knew which way to the library and I told you that’s where I was going.” She grinned. “While we walked and talked we discovered we lived only blocks from each other. And the rest as they say is history.” She turned to the ladies. “Barbara invited me and Matthew over for dinner and we met Marvin.”
    Barbara’s eyes clouded over for an instant as she thought about the loss of her husband. Ellie reached over and touched her hand.
    Barbara cleared her throat. “It has been a while, hasn’t it? Twenty-odd years ago.” She pointed to Stephanie. “We met in Pathmark.”
    Stephanie tossed her head back and laughed. “We sure did. Place was packed on a Friday night. Ellie was with you, right?”
    â€œYep. And we all wanted the same cab!” Elizabeth laughed. “Come to find out you lived down the street from me.”
    Stephanie turned to Ann Marie. “And how did you get all up in the mix?”
    Ann Marie cut her a look. “Being the businesswoman that I am, I was canvassing the neighborhood for potential sales. Ellie was sitting outside her house with the twins. They must have been about, what, nine, ten years old, Ellie?”
    She nodded. “About that.”
    â€œAnyway,” Ann Marie continued, “I started talking to her about the benefits of home ownership and she told me she’d been trying to tell her friends the same thing for the longest but they wouldn’t listen and maybe I could talk some sense into them. Somehow or other Ellie wrangled an invitation for me to come to Barbara’s for one of y’alls get-togethers.” She turned to Terri. “And I’ve been stuck with them ever since!”
    They all laughed at the memories, adding little tidbits and anecdotes as they ate and drank.
    â€œLadies, if Barbara’s grandmother’s table could talk—the stories it could tell. We have spilled our guts, tears, gossip, and a few drinks all over it during the years.”
    â€œAin’t that the truth,” Barbara said, touching the edge of the table with affection.
    â€œAmen to that,” Ann Marie said.
    Then Stephanie changed the