and then I woke up: Summary

Thirty-year-old single mom, Ericka Middleton has some real drama going on her life. She’s unhappy because her long-time boyfriend, business owner, Maurice Council never has any quality time to spend with her. Once optimistic and full of lofty aspirations, Ericka has now resolved herself to wait on Maurice. Even her three closest friends, Renee, Toy, and Natalie can’t convince her that maybe the relationship is just not working out.

To make up for the time that she doesn’t have with Maurice (and maybe even to make him a little jealous), she rekindles a platonic friendship with a former coworker, Desmond Wright, who seems to always be willing to make time for her. Ericka guiltily enjoys all his harmless ego strokes via telephone, choosing to ignore the fact that she might possibly be aiding Desmond in taking his wife for granted, just as Maurice is doing with her. But those innocent chats come to life as steamy-late night dreams that haunt the bed that she frequently shares with Maurice, causing him to question Ericka’s loyalty.  And though she is able to cleverly explain herself out of a quagmire with Maurice, finding out about her extra-curricular activities with Desmond only provides a temporary jump-start to Ericka and Maurice’s floundering relationship. The spark quickly fades and she regrettably resumes her duty of waiting for Maurice to take on a more active role in their fizzling romance.

And in true karmic fashion, Ericka’s decision to wait lands her in a life-or-death situation that forces her to face her mistakes and take back her life, while it is still hers for the taking.

“…and then I woke up” is an adult coming-of-age story that reminds us that there is much to be gained in leaving things behind.