“You better preach, Rev Vivian,” Trista said.
“Besides, New Year’s resolutions weren’t designed for the opposite sex—they’re for us,” I said, lifting my glass. “I propose that at the stroke of midnight, we make a really meaningful vow that we can realistically fulfill.”
“Oh Lord—here she goes again,” Amaya said to Trista. “Stop her. I’m not going to make any more promises I can’t keep. My ass is too worn out for that.”
“This will be an easy one,” I said, looking at the clock. We don’t even have to do it at the stroke of midnight.”
“And just what is it,” Trista asked, intrigued.
I lifted my glass and smiled a toothy grin. “Bump men. I say we make a vow right now to be friends forever—no matter what.”
“Hear! Hear!” Amaya said.
“Hear! Hear!” Trista said.
“I love you guys,” I said. “Girls for life.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Denene Millner
I have taken this journey nine times and each is counted as an abundant blessing. None of this would have been possible without Him. This is for my husband, Nick Chiles, a constant inspiration, provider, and protector—I’m so glad to have taken my Vow with you, my one and only love; my two little princesses Mari and Lila, for giving me the most important, fascinating, wondrous title in the world, Mommy; my dad, James Millner, for being the wise, ever-calm presence who has always encouraged me to be smart and love with abandon; my mom, Bettye Millner, who, even in our Father’s house, walks beside me; and the rest of my wonderful family: Troy, Mazi, Angelou, James, Miles, Cole, Walter, and Helen, Jameelah, Maia, Zenzele, and Imani. For my longtime agent, Victoria Sanders: no one does it better than you.
For the Amistad staff: thanks for the incredible journey and vision. And to my co-authors: Mitzi, thank you for inspiring me to tap into my nuevo black socialite within and most of all for being the funniest, kookiest, loveliest friend a girl could ever have. There’s a tea party in ATL with your name on it. Angela, thank you for being an amazing god-mommy to my baby; your calculated brilliance has been the steam in our ABW caboose.
Angela Burt-Murray
To my thoughtful and poetic husband, Leonard Murray, thanks for always making it do what it do, baby! And for our two beautiful children, Solomon and Ellison, I quote the great western philosopher Mary J. Blige: I took one look at you and it was plain to see that you were my destiny…
At the heart of this glitzy novel is the enduring friendship of three women. And as such I’d like to give a special shout-out to all my girlfriends. Because without these women and their wisdom there would be no Vow… Thank you for the unconditional love, mommy getaways to the Ritz, late-night therapy in the Vineyard, dirty jokes, the champagne-induced secret-sharing sessions, emergency room recaps, playdates, shopping sprees at Short Hills, babysitting the Burt-Murray boys, and motivation. To my fabulous and fly BC girlfriends: Ché Baby, Denise, Miki, Kim, Desiree, and Tanya. BCFL! Special hugs to my girlz from back in the day, Nichelle, Erin, Karra, LaShawn, Ginia, April, Adriene, Romeldia, Pamela, Rolanda, Carla, Rocquelle, and in memory of Ursula. To my 1271 girlfriends Amy, Nina, and Sharan, thanks for always having my back, and chocolate cupcakes! To the South Orange crew, Jenny, Rebecca, Betsy, Denene, and Tatia, thanks for sharing motherhood and all the milestones. And special thanks to the coolest sister-in-law in the world, Tracey, and supportive mother-in-law, Brenda, and my superstar niece, Jovon. You’re simply the best!
High five and hallelujah to my crazy, sexy, cool co-authors Denene and Mitzi, and our rock star agent, Victoria Sanders! And to the dedicated divas of Amistad, especially our editor, Dawn Davis, thank you for believing in this project and pulling out all the stops.
And to my beautiful mother, Diana Burt, and her special circle of best girlfriends, Lynda, Hazel, and in memory of Kathy, thank you for giving me a living example of what true friendship looks like. Through the window of your forty-five-year friendship you all have made me the daughter, friend, wife, mother, and woman I am today and for that I am eternally grateful.
Mitzi Miller
First and foremost, I would like to dedicate this book to God, Yemaya, and all the orishas that guide and protect me along my path.
To Elsa Miller, I am who I am because of you. I couldn’t have asked for a better mother. To my sister Melissa, if I can do it, so can you—probably ten times better; my father, Guillermo Miller, for all those nights when Mommy was working and you let me have Burger King for dinner; my Tia, for making me laugh with your sarcastic sense of humor; and Uncle Ricky, for refusing to let a health condition get the best of you. I see it runs in the blood. I’d like to thank my entire family for their tireless support.
To Mali, Nikki, Carmen, Shayla, Dara, and Toya, thank you for creating safe spaces where I can always breathe freely. To Fatima, Melissa, Daina, Kenya, Ericka, KD, Takara, Lisa, Karina, and Maya, your collective determination to settle for nothing but the best keeps me focused. To Joyce E. Davis, my mentor and friend, for her infinite wisdom and kindness. To all of my wonderful, beautiful, progressive girlfriends who understand my drama and provide invaluable perspective, thank you for continually enhancing my quality of life.
To Victoria Sanders, my kick-ass literary agent, for believing in our vision from the very first phone call. To Dawn and the entire Amistad staff, for their hard work and enthusiasm.
To Denene and Angela, my dynamic and super-talented co-authors, for proving that the dream—a good black man, two healthy kids, and a big ol’ house in the ’burbs—is more than reasonable. I know my “happily ever after” is right around the corner… but till then, I’ll keep on giving you crazy escapades to live vicariously through.
I would especially like to acknowledge Drama, who held me down the entire summer in our sweltering apartment. Yes, we can play with the ball now.
About the Author
Denene Millner is a columnist for Parenting magazine. She has worked as a senior editor at Honey and as an entertainment and political journalist for the New York Daily News. She is also the author of The Sistahs’ Rules and co-author of several books, including the novel A Love Story (with her husband, Nick Chiles), and The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life, a humor book. Millner lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two daughters.
Angela Burt-Murray is the editor-in-chief at Essence magazine. She has written for Essence, Honey, Parenting, and Working Mother magazines. The co-author of The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life, Burt-Murray lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.
Mitzi Miller is associate editor at Jane magazine and has written for Elle (U.K.), Parenting, and Upscale magazines. She is the former entertainment editor for Honey magazine and the co-author of The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life. She lives in New York City.
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ALSO BY DENENE MILLNER, ANGELA BURT-MURRAY, AND MITZI MILLER
The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life
ALSO BY DENENE MILLNER
The Sistahs’ Rules: Secrets for Meeting, Getting, and Keeping a Good Black Man
ALSO BY DENENE MILLNER AND NICK CHILES
A Love Story
In Love and War
What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know:
The Real Deal on Love and Relationships
What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know About Sex:
The Real Deal on Passion, Loving, and Intimacy
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Money, Power, Respect: What Brothers Think,
What Sistahs Know About Commitment
Credits
Cover design by Laura Klynstra Blost
Copyright
THE VOW. Copyright © 2005 by Denene Millner, Angela Burt-Murray, and Mitzi Miller. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable rig
ht to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition October 2005 ISBN 9780061758485
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Millner, Denene.
The vow : 3 women, 2 carats, 1 year / Denene Millner, Angela Burt-Murray & Mitzi Miller.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-10: 0-06-076227-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-076227-8
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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