"Good morning," I said.
"Good morning," the three women replied in unison. Grace was the taller blonde and was the epitome of her name. Taller and sturdier than her sisters, but still obviously related to them, she looked vaguely out of place in the kitchen. For a larger woman, her fluid movements seemed more inclined to belong to a dancer rather than a farmer's daughter or wife, and her piercing, blue eyes didn't miss a thing.
In contrast, the sister who had taken care of me was shorter and much more fragile looking. Her hair was pulled tightly into a knot that was covered by the white cap she wore and she tended to keep her eyes averted unless she was directly addressing someone. She stood at the stove humming a tune that I didn't recognize as she fried bacon and flipped pancakes.
The third sister reminded me of some of the wild colts at the stables my father owned. She was long limbed and skittish, and loose wisps of hair escaped from under her cap. She shot me suspicious glances as she helped her brother set the table and then poured juice in each of the glasses.
The boy was the dark-haired version of the sister helping him set the table. Lanky and awkward, he said nothing, only gestured to his sisters who quickly replied both in gestures and with words.
"Can you tell me everyone's names again?" I asked as I stood watching them all work together. "I'm sorry I don't remember, but there was a lot going on yesterday."
"This is Verity," Grace said pointing to the sister at the stove. "And those two are Honor and Danny."
"Those are some interesting names," I observed as Danny pointed to the place at the table where I was supposed to sit.
"We have two other sisters, Faith and Hope," Grace said. "But they're married and live with their husband's families."
"Where's Charity?" I joked as I sat down in the chair Danny had pointed me to.
"Where's Eve?" Grace replied flatly.
"Touché," I said slowly settling myself into the chair. “How long has your brother been deaf?"
Danny touched my arm and shook his head furiously as he quickly moved his hands and fingers in a way that I assumed were designed to convey a message. One that I did not understand.
"Not deaf, just mute," Honor said in a tone that conveyed her irritation. "He can hear you, he just can't speak."
"That's interesting," I said. "How does that work? I mean, what happened?"
"It's God's will, Mr. Wallace," Verity cheerfully replied as she set a plate of steaming pancakes on the table before turning back to the stove.
"God's will that he has no voice?" I asked bristling against the religion-based explanation for a scientific issue.
"Adam, we are Amish," Grace said making it clear that I was treading on thin ice. "We are raised to believe that God's plan is what organizes our life. Our special children are as much a part of that plan as anything else. Danny is no more or less because of his challenges. We have simply learned to adapt."
"I see," I said shifting my attention to the food on the table and reaching for the pancakes. "Well, breakfast looks delicious!"
"Please wait, Mr. Wallace," Verity said as she brought a plate of bacon to the table and set it down. "It is customary to say grace before the meal."
I nodded as I withdrew my hand and looked sideways at Danny who grinned and signed something in the universal language of younger siblings that was clearly about his bossy sister. I chuckled as I offered him a low five under the table, and he softly slapped my hand.
Once everyone was seated around the table, Danny took my hand and nodded toward Grace who sat to my left. I reached out and took her hand and was surprised by how soft and warm it was, and how comfortable it felt in my own. I felt her start to pull back but then change her mind and hold on. I looked up, but rest had bowed their heads and gone silent. In the silence, the buzzing noise grew louder as I waited for the prayer to begin. I tried to focus on the prayer and wondered if it would be like the ones I was forced to recite at the Catholic boarding school my parents had sent me to when I was ten. The buzzing abated a bit as the silence continued and finally I heard Grace say, "Amen."
"Amen," we replied as everyone let go of the hands they were holding and reached for
a dish. I felt Grace's hand slide out of mine, but when I looked over at her, she'd focused her full attention on spooning fresh strawberries onto her plate and seemed to be pointedly ignoring me.
"Mr. Wallace, where are you from?" Verity asked as she cut into her stack of pancakes.
"Chicago," I said accepting the plate of pancakes from Danny and transferring several to my own plate. Suddenly the buzzing sound grew louder as if the plane were flying overhead. I looked around, but none of the Miller's said anything about it, so I shrugged it off assuming they were used to it.
"What brings you to Corner Grove?" she asked.
I handed the plate to Grace as I thought about how to answer this question. I could tell them what I was doing, but then they'd want to know about my meeting with Bishop Miller. I didn't want to have to explain my outburst.
"Mr. Wallace is here to sell his wind turbine technology to the Corner Grove community," Grace interjected using my surname to put distance between us again.
"You know about that?" I said surprised that the news had traveled so fast.