Waiting to Exhale

Savannah Jackson is debating whether she wants to go to a New Year’s Eve party where she is supposed to meet up with a man named Lionel. Savannah’s sister, Sheila, gave Savannah Lionel’s number after learning that the former friend of Sheila’s husband was living in Denver, Savannah’s current location. However, Savannah is about to move to Phoenix, Arizona, to be closer to her college roommate, Bernadine Harris, and to start a job in the publicity department of a local television station. Savannah hopes the job will lead to work in producing, her true passion. Savannah feels pressure from her sister and her mother to get married. Sheila has been married for years, but her marriage is constantly on the rocks; Sheila often leaves, promising to divorce him, but always goes back. In fact, a phone call from her mother informs Savannah that Sheila is currently staying with their mother during a break from her husband. That’s not the kind of marriage Savannah wants.

In Philadelphia, Savannah’s mother struggles to get by on her Social Security checks, so Savannah, as the oldest of four children, pays a portion of her rent and sends her money whenever she needs it.