Waiting to Exhale

“Sheila did manage to remind me for the zillionth time that I’m running out of time, because here I am all of thirty-six years old without so much as a prospect in sight; and on top of that, she said that my swinging-singles lifestyle doesn’t amount to shit, that I run the gamut when it comes to stereotypes of buppiedom because I put too much energy into my career, that without a husband and children my life really has no meaning, that I’m traversing down that road less traveled, and that by now I should’ve been divorced at least once and bet the mother of at least 2.5 children. Sheila said I’m too choosy, that my standards are too high, and because they seem to be non-negotiable, she swears up and down that if I don’t loosen up, the only person who’ll ever meet my qualifications is God.”

Savannah describes the pressure she feels due to her family’s expectations of her social status. For Savannah, the desire to get married isn’t about her desire to have a partner and a lover, but pressure from her family to conform to social ideals regarding “milestones” such as marriage and having children. “Buppiedom” is a portmanteau that combines “Black” with “yuppie,” a 1980s term referring to career-driven, often affluent “young upward professionals” or “young urban professionals.” While Savannah is ambitious, hoping to produce her own show one day, her sister’s criticism is insulting because it belittles Savannah’s aspirations, and it’s unfair, because Savannah’s career has little to do with her inability to find a partner who meets her standards.

“I wish there was some way I could give him life imprisonment, because he needs to be stopped. He needs to suffer for a while, long enough for him to realize that a woman’s love is a privilege and not his right.”

Robin shares thoughts on Russell after she breaks up with him the first time, when she learns from an unnamed woman that he uses women to support himself. Robin’s thoughts illustrate The Long-Term Damage of Betrayal: That she holds herself in high regard is evident, but she adheres to this mindset inconsistently and backs when loneliness sets in and Russell comes back, looking for a warm place to land.