Chapter Forty-Four
Adam
Being able to explain myself to Grace in front of her family had been a relief, but her response had not been as positive as I'd imagined it would be, and now I was left wondering if I had blown my chance with her. I spent the night tossing and turning as I wondered what she was thinking upstairs in her room, and when Danny came to wake me up, I could barely drag myself out of bed.
"Morning, English," Honor said as she put a cup of coffee in front of me at the kitchen table. "You ready for your big show today?"
"Huh?" I mumbled as I picked up the cup and sipped the steaming liquid, hoping that it would breathe life into my tired body.
"Up, up, up, man!" Honor urged. "We're counting on you to do what you do best today!"
"And that is?"
"Sell stuff, English!" she said giving me an irritated roll of the eyes. "C'mon, we need you to sell the turbines like you've never sold them before!"
"I never have sold them before," I muttered.
"Adam," she said looking around to make sure the kitchen was empty. "I'm gonna say this once and only once. Get your shit together, man."
"Honor Miller!" Grace bellowed as she walked into the kitchen and caught the tail end of the pep talk. "What on earth do you think you're doing, young lady?"
"Oh, get over yourself, Grace," Honor said rolling her eyes again. "I've heard worse, and I'm sure you have, too."
"What would Mamm and Dat say?" Grace asked.
"Dat swore all the time, Grace," Honor said as she refilled my coffee cup and slapped me on the back. "I'm just repeating his words of wisdom."
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you," Grace said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and rubbed her tired eyes.
"I'm sorry breakfast isn't ready yet," Verity said as she came in through the back door with a basket full of freshly laid eggs. "The hens were not giving their eggs up willingly!"
Verity quickly whipped up breakfast as Danny and Honor set the table. It wasn't long before we were holding hands and saying a silent blessing together. I could feel the warmth of Grace's hand in mine and I squeezed it gently looking for any sign of her ice melting, but I got nothing in return.
After breakfast dishes were done, I checked myself in the bathroom mirror and then knotted the tie I'd brought and pulled on my suit jacket. I surprised myself by sending up a small prayer that this professional look wouldn’t backfire on me, and then went out to join the rest in the buggy.
When we arrived at the store, the parking lot and hitching post were empty. I heard Grace breathe a sigh of relief as she hopped down from the buggy and went to open the back door. It wasn't long before the first group of people began to arrive, and as I watched the Amish farmers and their families grab carts and begin filling them tip, I felt completely out of place.
"C'mon, Adam," Verity whispered. "You're up!"
As the Amish families wandered the aisles, I picked up the microphone that was connected to the intercom system and began talking about the turbine systems and their benefits. I outlined the initial plan to install twenty turbines in the area and then explained how the excess energy generated by them would power the entire community of Corner Grove and then be sold back to the power company at a substantial profit. I explained the benefits of wind technology and the ways in which it fit perfectly into the Amish belief system and how it could support the community long after the elders had gone on to meet their maker.
Halfway through, Verity squeezed my arm and whispered, "It's working! Keep going, Adam!"
More families entered the store as I kept talking and the ones who had been there for my first pass at the information were filling in the gaps for those who hadn't heard my entire speech. I kept repeating the information and emphasizing how beneficial this would be for the community as more and more Amish entered the store. As the first group moved toward the checkout, I started the most important part of my sales pitch. I explained about the subsidies that would go back to the farmers who chose to allow turbines to be placed in their fields. As I talked about the amount per turbine the chatter reached a fevered pitch.
As families placed their items on the conveyer and waited to be rung up, Grace went from register to register handing out bags and telling people that there was no charge for the groceries today. She was met with shocked looks.
"What do you mean no charge?" an Amish woman in a stiff, dark bonnet yelled over the noise.
"I mean, no charge, Mrs. Stolfutz," Grace said with a smile. "Bishop Miller has decided to undercut our sales by opening a new grocery store at the end of the month, so we're giving away the store—literally."
"This is insane!" someone else yelled.
"No, it's just decent business practice," Grace said. "We can't sell this stock fast enough, so we're helping out the community and donating it to those in need."
In the baking aisle, an Amish mother with her five children in tow burst into tears as she loaded several, large bags of flour into her cart. Elsewhere in the store, people were emptying the shelves, but as I watched, I noticed that no one was hoarding the goods. Everyone was taking only what they needed and leaving the rest for those who would follow. I picked up on this theme and worked it in as I started the third round of explaining the turbine project.
At the door, Honor and Danny stood waiting with printouts of the information and sign-up sheets that anyone interested in the project could put their name and address on so we could stop by and talk to them about what the turbines entailed. On my fourth pass at the information, Honor looked over at me and gave me a thumb's up as she waited for yet another farmer to sign the paper.
By noon, the store was beginning to empty out as the Amish headed home to make dinner for their families, but we were far from finished. The farmers that Al had assured me he'd share the information about turbines with started pulling into the parking lot. As they entered the store, Grace handed them baskets and told them to shop the store for no charge. After the shock wore off, the farmers moved around the store in much the same way the Amish had, gathering needed supplies, but only taking as much as they could actually use. I repeated the turbine talk over and over as waves of afternoon shoppers entered the store and cleaned out the dairy case, baking supplies, and canned food aisle. Watching people's faces as Grace informed them that there was no charge for the groceries gave me a new appreciation for the farmers who worked the land in this area.
We worked without breaks as Verity brought food and drinks to us all and kept our spirits up by encouraging us to keep pushing the message. By eight o'clock, my voice had cracked and I was exhausted from having been talking over the intercom for almost twelve hours. When Grace finally locked the doors and turned out the lights, I collapsed into a chair as Verity handed me a cup of hot tea with lemon and honey and told me to drink it to soothe my throat.
"Well, that's done," Grace said as she came over to the desk where I'd been stationed and tossed the keys into a basket on the desk. "We're out of the grocery business for good."
"How did we do on the turbines?" I croaked looking up at her hopefully.
"You guys, we got fifty people to sign the sheets!" Honor yelled as she and Danny came racing across the store and dropped the clipboards on the desk. "We handed out a lot of information sheets to people who didn't want to sign up, but who wanted to know more about the turbines."
"That's great!" Verity cheered as she hugged them and then looked at Grace. "What about the store? Can we claim a tax deduction for giving it all away?"
"I'll have to do the books and see if we met the requirements, but it looks like we're really close from what I can see," Grace said as she pulled off her starched, white cap and threw it on top of the sign-up sheets. "I am never wearing that thing again!"
"Grace!" Verity cried. "What would Mamm and Dat say?"
"I think they'd say that I shouldn't be doing things simply to make other people happy," she said wearily. "And I think they'd tell me to follow my conscience and trust that they'd taught me everything I needed to know in order to do that."
"I think they'd be proud of you, Grace," Verity said as she hugged her sister and then looked at me. "Now it's up to you to turn this opportunity into the business you want, Adam!"
"Sure, sure," I croaked. "You guys take the easy part and leave me to do all the work!"
The sound of laughter echoed through the empty store and bounced off the bare walls as we celebrated our small victory.