On her drive back to Asheville, Luna called Chi-Chi, using her Bluetooth. In unison, they asked, “So? How did it go?” Both laughed out loud.

“You go first,” Luna encouraged Chi-Chi. “You created quite a stir.”

“I can’t really say.” Chi-Chi was hoping Luna would understand that she couldn’t discuss anything at the moment.

“Nosy brother?” Luna chirped.

“Oh. That is not all.”

“Now you have to tell me. What?” Luna was hoping it would be about her brother.

“I will have to call you back.”

“Wait! You can’t leave me hanging.”

“I have to make coffee for my guests.”

“Cullen? Abeo? Speak, woman, speak!” Luna was practically shouting.

“I cannot say.” Chi-Chi was being cryptic, but she knew Luna would get it eventually.

“Is Cullen there?” Luna thought she was in a taffy pull.

“No,” Chi-Chi answered.

“So Cullen isn’t there but Abeo is and there is someone else?”

“That is correct,” Chi-Chi replied. “By the way, do you remember that show we always talk about?”

“Show?” Luna was scouring her brain.

“Yes, the friends that live together?”

“Friends?” Luna knew that wasn’t the correct answer. Then it came to her. “You mean The Golden Girls?”

“Yes, I believe that is the one.”

Luna let out a yelp. “Whoa!”

Chi-Chi had to pull the phone away from her ear.

“Yes, dear. I must get off the phone now.”

“No! Wait!” Luna protested.

“But I must,” Chi-Chi said.

“OK, but you will meet me at my house at six tonight. Understood?”

“Yes. I will see you later.” Chi-Chi clicked off the phone and returned to her houseguests. She was in a state of disbelief. Jennine had nailed her brother. Literally, as the saying goes.

Chi-Chi fought fervently to keep her cool. How could her brother, a guest of hers, bring a strange woman into her house? Strange. Yes, in two too many ways. Regardless of the culture, most men are the same. They cannot help themselves. It has to do with hormones. Chi-Chi tried to reconcile her brother’s behavior. She maintained a modicum of civility and offered Jennine coffee. Chi-Chi didn’t know how to move this situation along and out the door. She was dealing with Jennine. Jennine had no external radar. She was swirling in her own man-crazy tornado, displacing everything that came into her path. Again, Chi-Chi reminded herself that Jennine was not a bad person. She just had this over-the-top thing about men. Any man. Any age. Any height, weight, history, culture. She was her own stereotype. But as Luna would say, “As long as she is happy and not hurting anyone, better to have a happy crazy person than an angry crazy one.” Some consolation.

Finally, Chi-Chi had to step in. First deal with Jennine. Chi-Chi approached her in the kitchen. “Excuse me, Jennine. My brother and I must leave for church in thirty minutes. If you don’t mind, we need some time to get ready.”