Plain Again by Sarah Price Page A

but she was not about to hide from these people. She didn’t want him to worry any more than she knew he already did. She would do what Alejandro had taught her to do: face them and then move on.
    “ Nee , Harvey, but I appreciate your patience. I can handle this,” she said, with more confidence than she actually felt.
    Her hand shook as she opened the door of the car, dipping her head down as the men rushed toward her. To their credit, they kept a respectful distance while they photographed her as she walked into the store. She did her best to keep her head high then, staring straight ahead and not responding to them. She knew better than to encourage them. Alejandro had taught her that. Only respond when it’s an event.
    As she approached the door of the store, she saw it open. She was about to enter when she saw an elderly couple emerge, a box of goods in the man’s arms. Amanda stepped aside, surprised to see the woman nod at her. It was a woman from her church district. But as soon as the woman saw the photographers, she shielded her face and hurried away from Amanda.
    To her surprise, the photographers stayed outside of the store. She wasn’t certain that they would respect the store enough to not enter; however, they remained poised with their cameras to take photos once she left. Amanda walked through the door and, with just a quick glance over her shoulder, shut the door behind her.
    The store was well lit, despite the lack of electricity. Special skylights with tubing brought natural sunlight into the store, making it as bright as if fluorescent lights lined the ceiling. Amanda glanced around, trying to get her bearings. It had been a while since she had been here. She realized that it had been more than six months, just before she had gone to Ohio with her sister. Yet she immediately remembered where everything was located in the aisles and she felt a comforting sense of familiarity, one that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
    The only shopping she had done since leaving Lancaster in the summer had been with Alejandro, and it certainly had not been for groceries or supplies. No, it had been for dresses and jewelry, shoes and accessories. She had also shopped with Lucinda and Celinda, but it wasn’t the same. The stores were new and exciting with racks of shoes and rows of clothing. Amanda had never seen anything like it; obscene had been the word that had come to mind. It was understandable why Englische people, women in particular, fussed over their appearance, for there were simply too many options to choose from.
    But at the natural food store, Amanda felt at home. Everything seemed familiar, from the bulk foods that were packaged in simple clear plastic bags with white labels on the front, to the cold room with the fresh vegetables that were lined up so neatly in the produce cases.
    She pushed the small cart down the broad aisles, pausing to pick up more flour, sugar, and dried beans before turning to the fresh produce section. She smiled at an Amish woman standing nearby, and to her surprise, the woman frowned and turned away without greeting her. Always, in the past, the Amish greeted one another, stranger or not. Amanda was puzzled by this woman’s behavior, wondering why she had been snubbed. Was it because she was Amanda Diaz or simply because she was not in Amish garb?
    In the pasta aisle, she noticed a familiar face: her friend Hannah. She hadn’t seen much of Hannah since Aaron had died. For a while, Hannah had been one of her closest friends. They had shared almost as many secrets as Amanda shared with Anna. But their friendship had faded since Hannah had accepted that buggy ride home from Joshua Esh after the youth singing on a Sunday so long ago. Most of Hannah’s free time had been spent with Joshua, for they were openly courting.
    Indeed, after Aaron’s death, things had changed on the Beiler farm. Neither Anna nor Amanda had wanted much to do with social activities. Anna had fallen into