The Sister Wives of Parkdale

The Story of Sisterhood and Friendship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Gillian Olivia Witter

 

 

Most Sundays, an eclectic group of ladies get together for dinner. These ladies eat like the true queens. Well-seasoned meats, colourful delicious salads, decadent desserts, soups, drinks, and so much more. During dinner, they speak in pockets because the flavours of the food shut them down to silence. When they do speak, guess what they mainly discuss? Food, and the dishes that taste so good.

 

The Sister Wives of Parkdale are not your conventional group of women. It’s not a polygamist group of women married to one man. In fact there isn’t a man associated with the group at all. The group formed organically, through friendships, kindred spirits, and sisterhood.

 

My Sister Wives are hosted and spearheaded by one of the hardest working women I know. She’s a partner, a mother, and teacher. She is a pillar of true humanitarianism, specifically for black people. This doesn’t sit well with some folks, since she’s visibly white. She’s the right mix of Lebanese and English with a fierce soul. I admire her soul. It’s really big and beautiful, laced with serious passion and tenacity.

 

We’ve been friends for years, 20 years to be exact. We met in our high school’s multicultural club. She is one of those rare people, among my peers anyway, that has not completely lost herself to her partner, her children, or her career. Being a divorcée, changing careers, and having no children, one finds that friendships really change friends marry or partner up, or have kids. She has never let one part of her life dominate any other. I respect that about her.

 

After separating from her now ex-husband, she moved into a cute apartment in Parkdale. A few years ago, she was telling me about having dinner at her place with a friend, and I remember inviting myself to see her and to share in a great meal. Week after week, dinner after dinner, our core Sister Wives group formulated. Six of us meet on a regular basis, with a sprinkle of occasional honoured guests. We are all very different, with a mix of cultures, ages, lifestyles, and interests. But on Sunday night, we are the Sister Wives of Parkdale.

 

This group of women is an important part of my life. It’s almost like group therapy. It’s not about gossip (though we readily get a full supply of gossip magazines available), it’s about being in a non-judgemental, open, secure, place where we can share our joys and our lows and eat the best food, made with love. Ordinarily, I might have not met these wonderful women in my everyday life, but in this sacred space and time, we have found each other.

 

So, what’s the big deal about a bunch of women getting together and eating? It’s a big deal because it’s becoming more and more rare. Connections with people are being lost through social media. I’ve observed that people hide behind a screen instead of getting connected to others. We all have disagreements, annoyances, and grievances but, for me, the need to be part of a group where I feel I belong and can be 100% myself is rare and precious.

 

I am grateful.

 

 

“Sometimes you meet someone, and it’s so clear that the two of you, on some level, belong together. As lovers, or as friends, or as family, or as something entirely different. You just work, whether you understand one another or you’re in love or you’re partners in crime. You meet these people throughout your life, out of nowhere, under the strangest circumstances, and they help you feel alive. I don’t know if that makes me believe in coincidence, or fate, or sheer blind luck, but it definitely makes me believe in something.”

(Brandon Oda)