Chapter 12 Summary and Analysis

Most of Joni's friends are getting married. She is not bitter or resentful of their happiness but she feels lonely and apart from them They have new interests that she does not share, and they have less time for their old gatherings. Joni prays that God will bring a man to her with whom she can share a life. Soon after, Joni meets a friend of Dick's named Donald Bertolli. A darkly handsome man, Donald is of Assyrian-Italian descent. Joni is impressed with his good looks and intelligence as well as his mature Christian testimony.

Joni and Donald hit it off, and he begins stopping by frequently for visits. Donald is very talkative and interesting. Joni is impressed as he describes his work with poor black kids in the Pimlico area of Baltimore. As the days go by, Joni and Donald...