Free Sisterchicks in Sombreros by Robin Jones Gunn

Who’s Mr. Wonderful?”
    Joanne grinned. “It’s God.”
    I waited for an explanation to what seemed like a miserly joke.
    “I’m serious, Mel. I started to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ, or maybe I should say He pursued me, and I responded. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but if I seem more content it’s because I’m genuinely in love with God.”
    Joanne and I had grown up in a strict, traditional church, and we both were baptized when we entered junior high. She never had talked about devoting her life to God before.
    “Did you take a vow or something?” I asked cautiously. “When you were in India?”
    “Not exactly.”
    “Then what do you mean? It sounds as if you’re planning to stay single and offer God a lifetime of service.”
    “No, it’s not like that. I’m not trying to become a nun or anything. I would love to get married. Of course, I’d have tomeet the right man first, which, as you know, has been the problem for quite some time now. That brings me to another topic I wanted to discuss with you on this trip. What would you think if I moved back to Vancouver?”
    “To meet men?”
    “Possibly. But that’s not my main motivation. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Do you remember Darren and Hope?”
    I shook my head.
    “You know, our cousin Darren in Connecticut. He and his wife, Hope, have three boys.”
    “Is she the one who opened the tea shop a couple of years ago?”
    “Yes. Have you ever ordered any of her ladybug tea? It’s wonderful. So is the hula hips tea.”
    “Joanne, what does this have to do with anything?”
    “I received a Christmas card from them last week, and Darren and Hope had a baby last spring. A girl, after three boys. They always wanted a girl.”
    I still wasn’t tracking with her and used my aggravated expression to let her know.
    “My point is, Darren is our age. Hope has to be at least forty. They just had a baby. In their forties. It’s not too late for me to start something new in my life or to make a change. I’ve been floating through life ever since I got back from India, and now my life is about to take some turns.”
    “And moving back to Vancouver is one of those turns.”
    “I think it is. You’ve been the one who’s had to make all the extra effort to look after Aunt Winnie and Mom and Dad. I can find a job there easily enough, and I have more free time than you. I thought if I moved to Vancouver, I’d at least have family nearby, and that’s becoming more important to me the older I get.”
    “I love the idea of your being close enough to help out,” I said. “Especially with Aunt Winnie. You’re not thinking of moving in with her, are you?”
    “No! I’m not trying to become her self-imposed caregiver. I’d get my own place. So, what do you think?”
    “I’m all for it. But why now? What’s prompting you to make this decision after all these years?”
    “Let’s just say there’s a man who is no longer at the top of my list of people I want to be around, and so, to be perfectly honest, I’d have to admit that 40 percent of my decision is based on the opportunity to move far away from him.”
    “Joanne!”
    “What?”
    “This is all fairly significant information you’re handing to me all of a sudden.”
    “We didn’t have a chance to talk like this earlier today,” she said. “I was going to tell you about the potential move while we were walking around the deck after dinner, but then we ran into Robert.”
    “I’m just surprised you didn’t say anything about all thiswhen we’ve talked over the phone the last few months.”
    “I don’t like talking about intensely personal information over the phone. You know that.”
    I looked at my sister carefully and realized that, no, I didn’t know that. What else didn’t I know about her? For instance, who was this man she wanted to get away from?
    “Joanne.” I reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “I want you to feel free to tell