The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

The protagonists of this short story are Caroletta (the narrator) and Eula—two single Black women in their forties who have been best friends for over half of their lives. They both teach at the high school in their town, and both serve in the Ladies Auxiliary. Both have religious Christian backgrounds; however, Eula seems to be more devoted to her church life than Caroletta.

The setting is a hotel room in Clarksville, North Carolina on New Year’s Eve in 1999, soon-to-be the year 2000. The two women are spending the night together, and the sexual tension between them is obvious. The narrator refers back to a month earlier when the two women spent Eula’s 30th birthday drinking wine coolers and exploring each other’s bodies. It’s clear that Eula feels shame about her actions with Caroletta and continues to hope for a “successful” relationship with a Christian man. Each time she gets close with a man, though, she finds reasons not to pursue him.

In the hotel room, Eula and Caroletta drink champagne, undress each other, and listen to the Times Square New Year’s Eve countdown on the TV in the background. Later, Eula will reiterate her need to find a “godly man,” maybe someone she can meet in Bible study (7).