Priscilla's Escape

by Diane Craver

  “I don’t know why God blessed me with my deep love of painting, but maybe it is so I can paint our beautiful world He’s created for us. I don’t feel like I should stop painting because God gave me this gift. When I paint, I strived to honor Him in each picture I create. He gives me the desire and inspiration as to what I should paint. I can never capture the true beauty of God’s gorgeous scenes, but when I try, I feel this closeness to Him. I feel I’m in touch with God’s universe. Daed, I realize you think I’m not devoting time to our faith when I paint. I feel the opposite is true. Painting is who I am in this world. I don’t have a wunderbaar talent like Molly has in creating lovely quilts. My stitches are not perfect like hers or like Beth’s. I don’t have the desire to be a teacher, except I had wanted to share my love of art with the students in our Amish school. Mamm, I admit I was stunned when you said no when I asked to visit and share the kind of medium I use. I thought telling how I use oils in my painting would be fun to share with your students. It seems you both are ashamed of my gift.

  “Daed, you mentioned that painting is something I do by myself. How can that make it wrong to paint? We each do things alone in our daily lives. Luke uses his talent in repairing buggies and designing new ones. When you told me to quit painting this summer, you mentioned that Molly quilts with other women in our community, but she mainly quilts by herself. Beth found her gift in flower arrangement. Using her hands to create stunning bouquets for customers was a solitary endeavor when she worked in the florist shop. Of course, she couldn’t work there until she married Henry. Anna worked with two Englishers, Dr. Haney then Dr. Knupp. I guess Anna’s ability with horses fits within our faith. Horses are an important part of our lifestyle, but can’t our faith be broad enough to include artists? I only paint wholesome pictures of scenes and animals. Sometimes the backs of Amish people. I didn’t forget Sadie. Her talent has already merged into an amazing group of short stories. I love reading what she’s written because I feel like I’m right there, and I feel empathy for her characters. I hope she can continue to develop her writing gift.

  “We are a family of many different skills and talents. All I want to do is to embrace my particular one. Painting seems to be the one and only thing I excel at, and I am not prideful about it. If I never sold a painting, it’d be fine with me. I am not painting to be rich, but because it is in my blood, my soul, and who I am as a person.

  “I love each one of you. I will miss my family. I’ll miss my nieces and nephews a lot too. I am sorry I won’t be there to babysit, to weed the garden, cook, and help with the housework. I will be back in time to help with some of the canning and freezing.

  “All of you are in my prayers and thoughts. I hope you can accept that I’m a grown woman and had to accept an opportunity that was given to me. I will keep the Lord close to my heart.

  “Love always,

  Priscilla.”

  After Amos finished reading the letter, he saw tears in Lillian’s eyes. Priscilla leaving was hard on both of them. Lillian had said they’d been too hard on her and gone too far in restricting her in what she loved to do. Maybe his wife was right, and they had gone too far. He put the letter on his lap and grasped her hand. “By the way, Priscilla left a message on the answering machine. She had a safe trip to Sarasota. She called from the bed and breakfast before going to Siesta Key. Also, Stephen left a message on our machine and asked Priscilla to call him. I’m surprised she didn’t tell him she was leaving.”

  Jonathan nodded. “At work today, Stephen mentioned wanting to see her this evening. I’m sure he will be surprised too.”

  Amos was glad that Molly had found love again and married Jonathan Mast. He thought a lot of his new son-in-law. He glanced at Lillian before turning to address his children. “This is a first for us. None of you ran away from home. Maybe you considered it, but you didn’t leave home without permission.”

  Molly shrugged. “Beth and I both got married at a young age. We were focused on marriage and starting a family. Although Priscilla has recently become interested in Stephen, she wasn’t interested in dating before now. Her painting has been her life, and I can see why. She’s an amazing artist. I wish she hadn’t left the way she did, it was wrong of her, but at the same time, I hope she gets to paint while she’s away.”

  “I feel like I haven’t spent much time with Priscilla except when I ask her to babysit James and Julia.” Beth’s brown eyes filled with sadness. “Priscilla and I used to be close, but we haven’t been lately. I never knew she wanted to go to the beach this summer.”

  “It might not have made a difference,” Molly said. “When Priscilla watched Isaac and Grace for me so I could quilt, she never once mentioned anything about Madison and the nanny job.” A sad expression crossed Molly’s face. “She’s such a remarkably talented artist, but she never shared anything with me about her passion. But I guess I never asked her either.”

  Anna bit her lower lip, then blurted, “She told me the other week how she didn’t feel like she belonged in our family. She said maybe it’d been better if God hadn’t given her the desire to paint. I’m sorry, but I never thought she’d go away, especially when she started dating Stephen. Two or three weeks ago she talked about doing something special during her rumspringa, but she never told me what it was.”

  With his arm around Violet, Luke said, “It might be better she gets this out of her system. At least she chose a spot where there are a lot of Amish who live there year-round.”

  Beth nodded. “And there are Amish tourists. She’s gone where Molly and Jonathan went for their honeymoon. Look how Daadi and Mammi loved Sarasota. Siesta Key is close to it.”

  Lillian frowned. “But she’s not living in an Amish home. Priscilla is working as a nanny to Madison Wittenberg. She’s an English author.”

  “I’ve met Madison. She’s a sweetheart.” Molly tucked a strand of her auburn hair under her prayer covering. “But Mamm, I understand. I wish Priscilla hadn’t left. All we can do is pray for her while she’s away.”

  Sadie squirmed on her chair. “I can’t wait to see her ocean pictures. I know they will be beautiful.”

  “What?” Amos stared at his youngest daughter. They had never talked about Priscilla painting the seashore in front of Sadie. No mention of ocean pictures in the letter, either. “How did you know about Priscilla wanting to paint the ocean? Did she talk to you about it?”

  Sadie twisted her kapp tie around her finger. “She wanted something new and fresh to paint. Sometimes I watched Priscilla paint. She never minded if I went into her room to observe her.” Sadie grinned. “She said only her youngest sister could watch her paint. She told me that someday she’d paint the ocean, and not just when it was calm. She wanted to capture the angry waves.”

  Violet gave Sadie a gentle look. “I’m with you, Sadie. I can’t wait to see her beach pictures. Her picture of Murphy is realistic, and the detail is incredible.”

  Amos remembered how Luke had asked Priscilla to paint Violet’s horse for a wedding gift. Another memory came to mind, how Priscilla had been Violet’s wedding attendant. The young women had spent time together and gotten close. Had Priscilla talked to Violet about wanting to leave? Looking at Violet, he was thankful to have her for a daughter-in-law. She had a natural warmth and could relate to people. She was excellent with the pregnant women she saw. When Beth and Henry had their stillborn, Nora Marie, it’d been a blessing to have Violet with them in the birthing room. Now that she was a certified nurse-midwife, a mother could choose to have her baby at home without a physician attending. Their community was fortunate to have Violet. It was touch and go before she’d decided to join the church. Lillian and Amos had worried that Luke wouldn’t join the church and instead marry Violet in an English church.

  Lillian said to Violet, “I’d forgotten how close you and Priscilla had gotten. Before you and Luke were married, she stayed with you at your house.”

  I and my wife seem to think alike, Amos thought. Lillian proba
bly wondered, too, if Priscilla had voiced her unhappiness to Violet.

  “Everyone was concerned about me being alone in the house when my mother went back to Kentucky,” Violet said. “I never knew if it was because of Dad’s popularity as a senator, and you all worried that someone might break in. I never thought Priscilla being there would help to scare intruders away.” She laughed. “Now, when Matthew and Noah stayed with me, I was scared. They were constantly thinking of crazy horse stunts for us to do.”

  Luke grinned. “I think Mamm and Daed were afraid we might do something inappropriate if we were left alone, so Priscilla was a chaperone.”

  “Better to be safe than sorry, I always say.” Lillian said, then asked Violet, “Did Priscilla say anything to you about wanting to leave home?”

  Violet grasped Luke’s hand. “A few weeks ago, she mentioned being smothered at home and wanting to be free to paint. She explained how much she wanted to go to the beach. I told her she could go to my parents’ place. I meant to talk to her more about it, but things got busy at the birthing clinic.”

  Amos nodded. “We told her that she could go to the Outer Banks instead of Florida. We figured Carrie and Scott would be okay about it.”

  Violet’s eyes widened as she looked at Amos. “She was confused about you not wanting her to paint this summer. She said how you used to be cool about her painting and were encouraging, but now you wanted her to quit for the summer. Priscilla appreciated how in the past you were not like some of the Old Order Amish bishops who are vocal in their disapproval of art and say it’s useless and prideful.”

  As everyone’s eyes bored into his, Amos knew they couldn’t understand why he’d switched from encouraging Priscilla in her painting to demanding she give it up for a short time. “I see I’m the bad guy here, but I wanted Priscilla to focus on God more and to start thinking about joining the church. Lately, she was losing track of time more and more while painting. It became a concern for me that maybe her painting was taking over her life too much.”

  Lillian bumped his side slightly and squeezed his hand. In a low voice, she said, “I think it might be a gut time to tell your secret.”

  Chapter Nine

  Siesta Key, Florida

  “Did you have a nice walk?” Madison asked, wearing jean capris and a white top with black stripes. She sat on a chair by the pool while Oliva colored in an activity book next to her. The outdoor furniture was a classy set of chairs and a table, made of dark gray steel chairs with silver cushions.

  Priscilla nodded and was glad she had ended the phone call with Stephen. She’d call him later to get his address. “I did. The beach is beautiful. And I loved walking on the soft sand. I can’t thank you enough for hiring me.”

  “Are you always going to wear dresses when you go to the beach?” Olivia wrinkled her face. The little girl wore pink shorts and a flowered sleeveless top. “We have extra swimsuits. Mommy has lots of clothes you can borrow.”

  Madison raised her eyebrows in consternation. “Olivia, you’re being rude, and Priscilla looks pretty in her green dress. Remember when you went with me to visit the stores in Priscilla’s hometown? I explained to you why the Amish women wear dresses all the time.”

  “I bought a swimsuit and flip-flops.” Priscilla smiled at Olivia. “I think you’re right, and I might wear something other than dresses sometimes while I’m here.”

  Madison took a sip of her water. “I was glad when you told me that you know how to swim.”

  Instead of remaining standing, Priscilla pulled a patio chair away from the table to sit. The chair was very comfortable. Priscilla gazed at the water. “My daed makes sure all the Amish children in our district know how to swim. We hire a driver and take a vanload each year to take swimming lessons. It’s because several Amish children died from drowning. Although we don’t have in-ground pools, we enjoy swimming in ponds and lakes.”

  “This is our private pool, except my parents’ renters can use it,” Madison said. “The small house next door is also owned by my parents. Mitch and a couple of his friends are renting the house right now. He just graduated from college. When Mitch and his friends are swimming, I don’t want you to take Olivia in the pool.”

  Olivia stopped coloring and stared at Priscilla. “Mommy’s afraid you’ll be distracted by Mitch. He’s a hottie.”

  Priscilla was impressed by Olivia’s vocabulary and thought she seemed older than five. Maybe it was from being around a mother who was a published author. Olivia wasn’t shy either, so Priscilla hoped things would go well with her new charge.

  Madison rolled her eyes at Olivia. “I trust Priscilla, but girls seem to fall for Mitch. We had an incident last summer with Jenn, our nanny. She had removed Olivia’s floatie, but later my daughter decided to get back in the pool. I happened to come out and she was completely under the water. I still get chills thinking about it and am thankful that I went out when I did. Jenn wasn’t even aware that Olivia had gone back in. I fired Jenn. She does know how to swim now, but still, I’d like you and Olivia to only use the pool when the renters aren’t in it. Mitch and his friends usually go to the beach in the afternoon.”

  Olivia closed her activity book. Her green eyes widened, and she said, “This is my vacation before I start kindergarten. I love to go to the beach.”

  Priscilla glanced at Madison and saw her nod. “We’ll go to the beach as much as possible.” She grinned at Olivia. “I want you to have a great vacation.”

  “Olivia and I never showed you the rest of the beach house.” Madison pulled on her daughter’s ponytail a little. “Someone was anxious to eat pizza. I’ll show you the rest of the house now.”

  “It was thoughtful of you to have pizza after my long road trip,” Priscilla said.

  “I love pizza,” Olivia said.

  Madison stood, and Oliva collected her crayons and book. Then the little girl hopped off her chair. Priscilla followed them into the house. She was in awe of Madison Wittenberg. Her new employer was stunning, with tanned skin, emerald-green eyes, and honey-brown hair. Since Olivia’s hair was a lighter blonde, Priscilla imagined that had been the color of Madison’s at age five. When Madison smiled, her whole face lit up with genuine warmth. If Priscilla’s father had met with Madison about the job, he wouldn’t have been as judgmental about her. He would’ve had a hard time not liking Madison. On second thought, it might not have made a difference. Priscilla’s mother liked Madison, but hadn’t wanted her to take the job.

  Her father hadn’t liked Chloe Parrish, Beth’s friend, at first. Of course, Chloe was unmarried and pregnant when he’d first met her. Now he thought a lot of Chloe and enjoyed visiting with her and her child, Emma. For a short time, he’d been Emma’s grandfather. When Chloe hadn’t any support from her parents or boyfriend, she decided to have Beth and Henry raise Emma. After Beth’s baby died in her womb, she’d been a mess. Having Emma helped Beth to heal from losing her first baby.

  At two months old, a woman had kidnapped Emma. Chloe and her family had rushed to Fields Corner. The kidnapping gave Chloe the courage to ask for Emma back.

  Madison leaned against the granite countertop in the kitchen. “You saw the kitchen but let me show you where things are in here. You might wake up tonight and want to get something to drink.”

  “Or eat,” added Olivia.

  Madison laughed. “Right . . . or to eat. Olivia has food on her mind a lot.”

  “Let me show Priscilla where we keep stuff.” Olivia pranced around the white kitchen cabinets and looked at the high cabinets. “Mommy, you show her what is in the cabinets I can’t reach.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Madison quickly showed Priscilla where the plates, glasses, and cups were.

  Olivia pulled out sliding drawers on the bottom to show Priscilla all the pans they had. She ran to the end of the cabinets to open a door where there were more sliding drawers. “Here is a small pantry with food and snacks.” Olivia glanced away from the pantry to look at Priscilla. “I h
ave to get permission for my snacks, but you don’t have to because you’re a grown-up.”

  “You have a gut mommy.” Olivia gave Priscilla a puzzled glance, so she explained, “Gut means good. Sometimes when I speak English, I sprinkle Pennsylvania Dutch words in my conversation.”

  “I think having you here will make for an enriching summer for Olivia . . . and for me too.” Madison smiled.

  Field Corners, Ohio

  Although Amos loved Lillian deeply, he wished she hadn’t mentioned his secret. His children and their spouses all gave him surprised looks, waiting for him to speak. It seemed they all even moved to the edge of their seats. Lillian squeezed his hand. Really, did she think that would give him the courage to speak of his hidden talent?

  Drawing in a deep breath, he decided to tease his wife. “Lillian, which secret would that be?”

  Lillian chuckled, letting go of his hand. She gave him a playful slap on his shoulder. “I only know of one secret.”

  “Geez, don’t keep us in suspense,” Anna said.

  “It must be some secret.” Molly smoothed her apron. “I can’t imagine what it could be.”

  As he looked at each one, Amos noticed all the different colors present in the living room. Molly wore a bright blue dress that made her sapphire eyes blaze. Beth’s purple dress looked especially crisp and nice. It was remarkable when you thought about it . . . that his two daughters with their little ones could manage to look fresh and put together. Whenever he held a grandchild, he usually got his shirts dirty. His tomboy Anna wore a dark green dress, so that was wunderbaar to see instead of her wearing pants. Perhaps his insistence she stop wearing pants had been the reason, or she was interested in some young man. What a blessing that Anna was spending her time with Violet learning to be a midwife. Hopefully, her veterinarian’s assistant days had ended for good. Sadie wore pink that looked great with her auburn hair. Younger girls in their district could wear pink. The men wore blue shirts with their pants while Violet wore a cranberry-colored dress. From what his daughters had said, it hadn’t been an easy adjustment for Violet to wear Plain clothing. In the beginning, she’d missed wearing jeans and tops. He hoped his daughter-in-law would never regret becoming Amish.