“What?” Dru shrieked as she popped up from the bench as if her hearing had failed her because she was sitting down. “You’ve GOT TO BE kidding me.” She lowered herself back to the bench slowly. “This is getting more bizarre by the moment. You know this trick? Do I know her? I better not know her.”

“Wait, Dru. Calm down. Let me explain.” Both of us took a couple of deep breaths. “I met her years ago at Pilgrim’s Rest.” And then, I remembered. That was Dru’s home church. “Yeah,” I said, with a bit more energy. “I met her back when we were there. But here’s the thing. I just saw her a few weeks ago.”

“Where?”

“Right here. In D.C.”

“Shut up, Ginger!” Dru stared at me with wide, stunned eyes as if I were telling her some kind of horror story.

Still, I continued, “Yeah, talk about bizarre that her name would come up now.” I paused, thinking about what I’d just said. “Or maybe not. Anyway, she was at the restaurant where Jada and I had lunch and she just walked in. It was crazy, Dru. At first, she didn’t say anything to me. I thought she looked familiar, but you know, I meet so many people, so I kept talking to Jada. It was so uncomfortable, though, because she kept staring at me. She was having lunch by herself, but it was like all she did was keep her focus on me. But when she got up to leave, she stopped at our table and spoke to me like we were friends or something.”

“Okay, so you know that would be crazy if she were sleeping with your man and she walked over to talk to you.”

“I know. But then again, chicks these days...”

“True, but I’m already beginning to doubt Sonya and Cecily. Anyway, what did this chick say?”

I squinted, trying to conjure up her words in my mind. “All I remember is something about how she still lived in New Orleans and she was in D.C. for business, I think.” I waved my hand because I couldn’t recall.

“And you weren’t friends before in New Orleans?”

I shook my head. “No. You couldn’t even call us acquaintances,” I said. “I’m telling you, I met Sharonne once in the Pilgrim’s Rest’s bathroom....”

“Stop.”

“What?”

“Sharonne?”

I nodded, then my eyes got big. “Don’t tell me you know her.” I hadn’t even thought to ask Dru if she knew her from church. These churches were like small towns, so that was never my first thought.

Dru held out her hands in a motion that let me know she wasn’t sure. “Is her name Sharonne Phillips?”