“No. Your mother and I decided that it would be best not to say anything right away.”
Maisy was grateful they had made that decision—otherwise, it might have crippled her uncle with guilt. Especially when he’d worked so hard to keep the store afloat. The loss of the family enterprise complicated her family’s already tight financial situation. They would need to sell the store for a profit, and that seemed highly unlikely, given the amount of debt they carried.
To be fair, Maisy wasn’t aware of the extent of the store’s losses. What she did see were the past-due notices on her uncle’s desk. The signs were obvious. The lack of foot traffic coming into the store and the infrequent sales were the handwriting on the wall.
“What will you do after the store sells?” Maisy asked, worried about her uncle’s future as well as that of her family. What Sean made as an apprentice electrician and her mother as a substitute teacher was barely enough to meet the monthly expenses.
“I don’t know,” her uncle confessed. “I’m leaving the future up to the good Lord to guide me.”
They spoke for a few more minutes before Maisy joined her mother in the kitchen. Sophie glanced up when Maisy enteredthe room. Sophie used the kitchen table to fold laundry. Her eyes searched for Maisy’s.
“You should have told me you and Uncle Fred were talking about putting the store up for sale,” Maisy said. She wasn’t accusing either one. But it seemed only fair that, with her working at the store, she should know of any future plans.
“You must have known it was inevitable,” her mother answered.
Maisy had to agree. It wasn’t like the income from the store paid their bills. “I hate that this is happening.”
“Me, too,” her mother whispered. “It will all work out,” she continued. “We’ve made it this far without your father. God isn’t going to let us down now.”
Reacting with frustration, Maisy slapped her hands against her sides. “How can you be so calm? This is serious. We’re holding on by a thread as it is.”
“True,” her mother agreed. From the way she spoke, Maisy accepted that her mother was fully aware of their dire circumstances. She seemed intent on not allowing this worry to cripple her or the family.
“We’ve lived on faith before, and God has never disappointed us. He won’t this time, either,” her mother insisted, although her voice wobbled with emotion. “Yes, there have been sacrifices, and yes, there are months when there are mere pennies left in the checking account, but we have yet to miss a single payment. I’ve walked in faith this long; I choose to believe God isn’t going to forget this family now.”
Maisy continued to stare at her mother and wished she felt nearly half as confident. Her mother’s faith was strong, whereas she struggled with this latest turn of events. It was true thefamily had met every payment, but that had been when they had the store. Without the income from the business, they were destined to lose everything.
“I believe when the time comes,” her mother continued, “we’ll have the money we need.”
Maisy wanted to wring her hands in fear and frustration. “This is serious, Mom…I don’t know how we’ll ever manage.”
Her mother looked up from the bath towel she was folding and held it against her middle. Her eyes met Maisy’s with a look of surprise. “You think I don’t know that? Where’s your faith?”
Where was her faith? Maisy slowly expelled her breath and did her best to find her center and believe God would be their supply and wouldn’t fail them.
With a heavy heart, worrying about their future, Maisy helped her mother around the house, cleaning and prepping dinner. Patrick was out and about, eager to share the details of his trip with his friends.
When they sat down at the dinner table, their mother said grace.
Maisy helped herself to a serving of macaroni and cheese when she realized she hadn’t seen her older brother. “Where’s Sean?” she asked. He was almost always home in time for dinner.
“He met Katie after work for a beer with the crew. They finished the project. He was happy because his boss decided to keep him on for the next job.”
Maisy knew this was good news. As an apprentice, Sean was lucky to be able to keep working for the same company. He hoped that once he became a full-fledged licensed electrician, he’d have a more permanent job.
“Does he know about Grandma?” Patrick asked.
“He went to the hospital with me on Sunday and came by this morning before he left for work,” their mother answered. “I called him after the procedure and gave him the news that your grandmother came through and was resting comfortably.”
No sooner had Maisy taken her first bite of her dinner than the front door burst open. Sean stomped into the kitchen like a snorting bull. Katie meekly followed behind him.
Sean’s face was red and angry. Katie looked pale and as upset as Sean was.
“Sean!” her mother cried. “What in the name of heaven is wrong?”
“Someone stole my truck,” he shouted.
“Your truck. Why would anyone want that old truck?” Maisy asked. That Ford had more than one hundred and fifty thousand miles on it.
