“My other friend, Mark? He blew his chance here, blew his parole, and he’s back where he started. One of you guys could be Mark, too, and you won’t know it until that chance comes and you gotta figure out if you’re gonna take it. And it’ll come. Count on it. You gotta decide how you’re gonna go from here. Mr. Sorrent’s cool, even if he does yell and work your butt off.” Paulo looked over to Gil. “You can trust him.”
Let them hear it, Emily prayed as Paulo finished his speech. She was happy that Paulo had been invited to welcome the new guys when Steve couldn’t make it because of work. Paulo had a gift for words, even if he was a little rough around the edges still. Let Paulo get through to them. Oh, they all look so young and lost. Did Paulo really look like that last year?
As the sun went down and Ethan was busy getting everyone settled into their bunks, Gil saddled up Lady Macbeth and took Emily out to the cathedral. Slanted golden sun poked through the trees as the hills took on shades of purple and gray. It was still hot, but a quiet ease had swept over the fading day.
Emily watched Gil spread out a blanket on the grass. She sat down beside him, tucked under his arm, and they watched the light settle over the rolling hills.
“A new batch.” He sighed. “I’ve never been so thankful to have another new batch.”
“Do they always look so tough?” Emily asked, remembering the four earrings on one of them.
“Nah, last year’s batch looked far tougher. These guys are cupcakes.”
She poked him, knowing he was teasing. He’d become a great teaser over the summer, suddenly sprouting a sense of humor no one ever knew he had.
“I got one more secret,” he said as he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. Emily loved when he did that. Such a tender gesture from a man so large and strong.
“I don’t know that I can take another secret.” She wasn’t entirely kidding.
“It’s kinda necessary to reveal this one.” Oh, that didn’t sound good. What on Earth did he have to reveal this time?
He shifted in the grass and cleared his throat.
Emily began to get nervous. He was serious. He looked disturbingly uncomfortable.
“My…well…the truth is…my full name is…Gilbert.”
Emily’s eyes flew wide open. She tried to stifle a chuckle, but to no avail. Gilbert? Who put that name on this man? It’d be hard to come up with a less-fitting moniker. “Gilbert? Seriously?”
Gil turned eight shades of red. “I would not kid about that. Congratulations, you’re one of about three people who know. Guard that secret with your life. And just make sure you say it softly when you have to.”
Emily looked at him. “When I have to? When would I have to?”
Gil threw her a sideways glance. “You have to say my full legal name when you say ‘I, Emily, take you…’ well, you know…the whole lawfully wedded husband part.”
Leave it to Gil Sorrent to come up with the world’s first ever information-on-a-need-to-know-basis proposal. That was Gil, still occasionally telling her what to do. In this case, however, she didn’t mind.
“Yes. That thing you didn’t quite ask me just now? My answer is yes.”
He beamed. “I think there’s only one spot in the world for our honeymoon, don’t you? Do you like the sound of a honeymoon in Paris? Paris, France?”
She beamed right back. There were only two words to fit the moment: “I do!”
Dear Reader,
Often we think we’ve got our life worked out. We’ve got a plan, we’ve asked God to bless it, and we’re set to go. That’s usually when God steps in and asks us to go in a completely different direction. Those directions—the ones we call “detours”—are faith’s proving ground, where we learn that God’s vision is different from our own and that calling Him “Lord” often means following where we cannot see. And, if you’re like me, when I think I’m getting better at it, I discover I’m not. No fun.
Emily and Gil learn the same lesson just “sudsier.” We plan our life in one direction like Emily, or confine our life in one direction like Gil. Either one refutes God’s spectacular provision. I hope Emily and Gil’s story reminds you that God has no confines and often has higher plans.
Blessings to each of you. Write me anytime at www.alliepleiter.com or P.O. Box 7026, Villa Park, Il 60l81.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Read the list of fruits of the spirit given in Galatians 5:22-23. Which ones are your strengths? Which are your weaknesses?
If you could open a shop of any kind anywhere in the world (with a guarantee of success), what and where would it be? Does the answer tell you anything surprising about yourself?
What would you do in Emily’s place when faced with the dilemma of the Pirate Soap?
A long hot bath is one way to destress. What’s yours? How does it differ from those of your friends or family?
What would you consider your primary sense? Are you a scent person, a taste person, or a sight person? How does that impact your surroundings? Your worship?
Are you a forward-looking gadget guru or a vintage-loving history buff? What about your friends? Do those styles clash or do they meld in how you interact?
When has a friend nudged you to do something hard, as Sandy does in asking Emily to make the speech? How did you grow from it? Were you glad you did it?
Think about Edmund Burke’s statement, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Do you agree? Where has that idea surfaced in your life?
Has someone in your life disappointed you as Mark disappoints Gil? How can we recover from such blows? What are the lasting effects?
Did you grow up in a small town like Middleburg? If not, do you wish you had? What’s the benefit of that kind of community? What’s the downside of it?
Why was it so hard for Gil to forgive himself? What makes us deny ourselves full redemption, even as Christians? What do we lose in that denial?
Do you know a faithfully serving “Audrey” who could use some recognition? What can you do to show him/her that their service is valued?
Do you have anything like Homestretch Farm in your community? If yes, how do you feel about it? If no, how would you feel about a Homestretch Farm coming to your community?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-2096-0
BLUEGRASS HERO
Copyright © 2008 by Alyse Stanko Pleiter
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
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