"Are you—" I began, but was interrupted by a loud pounding on the front door. "What in the world?"
"GRACE! GRACE! OPEN UP!" a voice shouted as the pounding intensified.
"I'll take care of this," Adam said as he pulled on a t-shirt.
"No, you won't," I shot back. "It's my house and whoever it is looking for me."
"Grace, you're not dressed," he said calmly. "I've got it."
I quickly pulled the quilt off the bed and wrapped it around me so that my nightgown was hidden and followed Adam to the front door.
"What in the hell are you doing?" Adam shouted as he yanked the door open and revealed Gabe standing on the front porch holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and an envelope in the other.
"Get out of the way, English!" Gabe growled as he looked at me and held out the flowers and the envelope. "Grace, please. Take this, it's all the money I made from last year's crops and it's enough to help keep the farm going for another year while the store..."
"While the store what?" I asked wondering what was going on. "While the store what?"
"I...I...I don't know," Gabe stammered as he shook the flowers sending a shower of petals into the night air.
"No, I know you're hiding something and I want to know what you know," I said sternly. There was something wrong about all of this.
"Speak up, Amish," Adam ordered.
"You. Zip it," I said turning and giving Adam an icy stare that told him I didn't need his help.
"Just trying to help," he muttered.
"Well, don't," I shot back before turning to Gabe and repeating myself, "What do you know, Gabe? What's going on that I don't know?"
"Grace, j
ust stop whatever it is you're doing," Gabe pleaded. "Bishop Miller is out to get you."
"My uncle is not out to get me," I laughed. "He's mad at me for taking Adam in, but in a few days when he's healed up and on his way, all of this will blow over and be forgotten."
"Grace, I don't think you understand how angry he is," Gabe whispered. "He's going to destroy you."
"That's ridiculous, he's my uncle," I laughed. "Besides, we're Amish. We don't destroy people, we pray for them!"
Gabe dropped the flowers on the porch and stumbled backwards until he could drop into one of the benches that lined the front porch. He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands as he shook his head. He looked like a man who was carrying a very heavy burden, and my heart felt heavy as I watched him wrestle with whatever demons he was fighting. I walked over and sunk down on my knees in front of him, dropped the quilt and took his hands in mine. He looked up and gasped as he looked me over.
"Grace, what are you wearing?"
"Oh, this? It's nightgown," I said looking down and then blushing as I realized how revealing the satin gown really was. Adam disappeared into the house as I talked to Gabe. "Talk to me, Gabe. Tell me what's going on with my uncle."
"Grace," Gabe looked up at me with tears in his eyes as the words came tumbling out. "He's shunning you and your family, and he's calling on the community to shun you all."
"Oh, he already threatened me with that on Sunday after services," I said waving a hand and breathing a sigh of relief. Adam reappeared with his gray hoodie and handed it to me. I stood up smiling gratefully as I slipped it on. Adam and I both chuckled as my hands got lost in the long sleeves while I tried to zip it up.
"No, that's not all," Gabe continued ignoring the moment of levity. "He said that he's going to make sure that the store goes bankrupt. He began spreading the word that anyone who shops at Miller's from now on will also be shunned."
"But people can't get groceries unless they come to the store," I said trying to figure out how my uncle thought he was going to shut the store down when we were the only one in town that carried all the products the Amish community used to feed and care for their families.
"He's having groceries trucked in from Indianapolis," Gabe said. "Everyone had to submit a grocery list of what they needed for the next two weeks. The truck will be arriving in the morning and the bishop is sending some of us out to deliver the orders."
"That's insane!" I shouted as I began pacing the porch. "He can't do that! This won't last. He can't ship in the orders every two weeks and hope that no one runs out of supplies in the meantime. They'll come back. They'll need flour and sugar and milk, and they'll come to Miller's to get it. They might have to defy his orders, but their families and their hunger will win out."
"Grace? That's not all," Gabe said looking up at me sadly. "He's talked with all of your suppliers and told them not to extend you credit or to make any deliveries if they want to be in the running for contracts when he opens a new store."