by Diane Craver
“Unfortunately, my father makes a lot of money handling divorce settlements. He thinks being successful means you must make a big-figure income.” Mitch ran his fingers through his tousled hair. “I mean, it’s nice he does well, and my family owns a second house in Hilton Head. I could’ve gone there instead of renting, but there’s something about Siesta Key that I love. I figured being here without my parents might help me to decide what to do with my life.”
She nodded. “This is a great place to pray and to think about life choices. When I look at the vastness of the ocean, I feel God’s presence.”
When they both noticed a blond boy building a castle with a man helping him, Mitch stopped and said, “Hey, that’s a great-looking castle.”
“It is, and so high,” Priscilla added, thinking how the man must be the boy’s father. He had the same color of hair as Molly’s past husband, Caleb. Priscilla recalled Molly saying Isaac had blond hair like his daddy did as a small boy, then when Caleb had become older, his hair had turned a darker blond.
The little boy looked up and said, “Daddy’s been helping me.”
They chatted for a couple of minutes and learned the boy and his father were visiting relatives.
After leaving them to continue building, Mitch and Priscilla resumed their walk. She kept switching her glances between the ocean tides and Mitch’s handsome face. She could tell by his sad expression that something more was on his mind. But she didn’t want to probe, so remained quiet.
They walked silently for a time. Priscilla loved listening to the sound of the waves. It was peaceful. There was a certain rhythm to the ocean and the repetitiousness of sound that comforted her. It reminded her of the soothing pattern of the clip-clopping of the horses’ hooves against the road.
When she leaned down to pick up a pretty shell, Mitch cleared his throat. She straightened her back and stood next to him. Showing him the shell, she smiled. “My first seashell.”
His brown eyes widened. “Is this your first time to the beach?”
“Ya, it is.”
“We should do something special to celebrate your first visit.”
“Just being here is special, but I like your idea.”
“Seeing that father and son on the beach reminded me of how close I used to be with my dad. Before my parents could afford the second home in South Carolina, we rented from Madison’s parents. It was a great family time together for two weeks each summer when we had our dad’s full attention. He used to spend time with me building sandcastles.” Mitch chuckled. “I don’t mean I want us to do that now, but my dad seems like a different person now.”
“What about your mother? Would she be able to smooth things over with your dad when you tell him you aren’t going to law school? My mother disagreed with my dad about my painting. She didn’t think I should stop for the summer.” Ach, she probably sounded dumb comparing her situation to his. She referred to her struggles with her dad and painting when Mitch had a major career struggle with his father.
He shrugged, picking up a pebble and throwing it in the water. “I’m afraid my mom is all for me becoming a lawyer.”
“Is there something else you want to do in life? A passion for another career choice that might convince your parents to change their minds about you being a lawyer?”
“You might want to sit down for what I’m going to tell you. It’s another reason why I came here to think about my future. What I want to do will not make my parents happy. I’m not sure you will understand it either, because you’re Amish.”
“Technically, I was raised Amish, but I have to be baptized in our church to actually be Amish. If I decide not to take what we call the kneeling vow, I won’t be shunned. If a baptized person leaves the Plain life, he or she will be shunned.” Why am I going into detail about our beliefs? It’s apparent that Mitch is troubled.
Mitch sat down on the sand and stared at the water. “I’m not sure why I feel compelled to talk to you about my decision when you’re a Christian. Perhaps because of our differences, I will receive clarity to my dilemma.”
Now she was confused. What in the world could it be? Maybe she shouldn’t have gone on this walk with Mitch. They had walked for a long time. She was worried now that she’d missed Stephen’s call. She should’ve said no when Mitch had asked her to go for a walk with him.
She forced herself to sit down beside him, but right at that moment, Priscilla wished she was in her bedroom talking to Stephen.
Chapter Thirteen
Mitch drew a deep breath, but that didn’t help. How could he tell an Amish girl what he wanted to do with his life? Their faith was completely different. Or was it? They both believed in God, and that could help explain what he felt called to do. Priscilla was understanding about him not wanting to be a divorce lawyer. The hang-up would occur from her belief in Jesus as her Savior. Her Christian faith believed Jesus was born about two thousand years ago. His Jewish faith believed their Messiah hadn’t yet been born.
“Did Madison mention that I’m Jewish?”
Shaking her head, Priscilla said, “No, she didn’t. I have to admit that I never knew a Jewish person before.” She grinned. “I don’t suppose you ever talked to an Amish person before either.”
He grinned back at her. “True. You’re the first.”
“I never knew a New Yorker, either. You’re my first Jewish New Yorker to talk to. My sister-in-law, Violet, attended college in New York, but I don’t think that counts.” Priscilla gazed at the sky for a moment. “The sunset is so incredible. God has surrounded us with beauty.”
Mitch thought how beautiful she looked with her blue eyes and strands of auburn hair around her face. He yearned to touch her porcelain skin. It looked so soft that he had to squelch the temptation to touch her cheek.
“Which college did she attend?” he asked.
“Thurston College for her undergraduate degree. Then she went on to become a nurse-midwife and attended University of Cincinnati. She wanted to do home births, but in Ohio, you must be a certified nurse-midwife to do them without a doctor present.”
“If Violet went to college, I guess she isn’t Amish.”
“You’re right and wrong. Violet wasn’t Amish, but she is now. Her mother was raised in an Amish home, but she fell in love with an Englisher, Scott Robinson. When Violet visited her Amish relatives, she met my brother. They fell in love quickly. My parents were worried Luke wouldn’t join our church, but he and Violet took instructions together.”
Suddenly Mitch realized that Violet had to be the daughter of Senator Robinson. He remembered hearing about her being shot. He debated whether he should even mention it. But it might seem odd if he didn’t. “I read an article about Violet Robinson online. It was big news what had happened to her. I’m glad she recovered from being shot.”
“That was a terrible day when she was taken hostage in the restaurant where she worked.” A thoughtful expression crossed Priscilla’s face. “But a lot of good came out of it. When Violet took the bullet meant for Luke, Scott realized how deep his daughter’s love was for my brother. My parents finally accepted their relationship, and knew they were meant to be a couple.”
“Since Violet has college degrees, were you allowed to take any art classes at a college?”
“I’ve never taken any art classes. I only attended our Amish school. Violet could attend college because she wasn’t baptized when she started nursing school. She was allowed to get married before finishing because she received special permission from the ministers and bishop.”
“I have a friend, Heidi, who paints, and she is majoring in art in college. She loves to paint the ocean too.” He omitted that Heidi wanted to be more than friends.
“Does she live near the ocean?”
He nodded. “She lives in Sarasota but attends college in New York. You don’t need any art classes. I asked because I read the Amish attend school through the eighth grade, then work on their parents’ farms or work at other jobs.” H
e shrugged as he noticed Priscilla staring at him curiously. “I’m afraid I don’t know a whole lot about your faith, so I decided to google the Amish. I was surprised at all the information about your religion. It’s fascinating, and I enjoyed learning about your simple way of life.”
Priscilla gave a little laugh. “It’s amusing to me that we don’t have computers and electricity in our homes, but many Englishers look our faith up on the Internet. We try to stay separate from the world, yet there is a lot about us online. Although our businesses do have websites, and that is allowed. My sister Molly has a website for her quilts, but her English friend does it for her.”
“That’s great she has a business website. Have you thought about selling your paintings online? Or doing an art show?” He knew Heidi’s paintings were going to be featured in an art gallery soon. He wondered if she’d mind having Priscilla’s paintings included. From the little he’d seen, she was an extremely talented artist.
“I haven’t, but I have sold my paintings at school fundraisers and in the fabric store where I worked.” She frowned. “I’ve talked too much about me. You wanted to tell me what you want to do instead of going to law school.”
“That was my fault because I asked you questions about your life and family.” He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled a deep breath. He liked talking with Priscilla and needed to unload about what he hoped to do. After he’d blurted out that he wanted to do something other than be a lawyer, he’d enjoyed hearing about Priscilla’s life. He’d put off telling her what was in his heart. Maybe because his heart had beaten a little faster while walking with her. Because of Priscilla’s beauty, it’d been hard to keep his eyes off her.
Priscilla raised her eyebrows. “I guess it must be something difficult to talk about.”
Although she’d been easy to talk to, what he was about to say might leave her speechless. He doubted that she knew much about Jewish leaders. “I want to become a rabbi, but my parents aren’t going to be happy about it. Some Jewish parents would think it was great to have a child to become a rabbi, but mine won’t. They go occasionally to synagogue, but it isn’t important to them. It’s more of a social thing for my parents.”
She cleared her throat. “I hope you can talk to them about it soon. Maybe they will surprise you.”
“I plan to tell them when I go to Hilton Head. My father said I could relax here for a couple of weeks with my friends before I join them. Then he wants me to work at his office the remainder of the summer before I start law school.”
Turning her face away from him, she scooped a handful of sand and watched it sift through her hand. “The sand is so fine that it feels like sugar sliding between my fingers.”
“The sand is great here.”
Priscilla lifted her head away from the sand to look at him. “It feels awesome to walk on the sand with bare feet.”
Sitting this close to her took his breath away. “I told you my dream of becoming a rabbi. What is your dream?”
“It’s not a career choice like you.” She tugged at her cover-up, pulling it over her knees. “I’ve felt my father doesn’t understand me. At times, it seems like he doesn’t care to try. It’s like I irritate him.” She exhaled a deep breath. “I don’t know if you’d call it a dream, but what I want is for my daed to love me like he does my siblings.”
Her blue eyes clouded for a second, and he needed to say something to make her feel loved. He hated to see her looking sad. “I don’t see how that could be true. Both your parents love you a great deal but are trying to tell you what to do. If they didn’t love you, they wouldn’t care what you did.”
Priscilla shrugged. “I’m sure my mother loves me. But I won’t be surprised if I don’t hear from my father while I’m here. I’m even a little afraid what to expect when I go home.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe you should call him. Honest communication between you two might clear the air.”
She nodded. “That’s true. Talking about our problems made me think of something. My father is the bishop in our church district. Many times, people come to him with problems. He prays with them and gives advice. I’m thinking you should go to your church . . . I mean synagogue and talk to your rabbi about what you want to do.”
Talking to his rabbi was something he’d thought of but hadn’t done. “I didn’t know your father was a bishop.”
“Ya. We couldn’t be any more different, could we? I’m a Christian and you’re Jewish. I live in a small town and you have done and seen things in New York that I know little about. But it’s nice we could share and talk.” She stood and brushed the sand off her cover-up. “I should get back to the house. My boyfriend was supposed to call me this evening. I’m afraid I might have missed Stephen’s call. I want to call him back before it gets any later.”
It was then Mitch realized his only problem was not telling his parents he wanted to become a rabbi, but how he was falling in love with an Amish woman. How could this have happened? He’d just met Priscilla. His grandpa loved telling the story about when he met his grandmother. Grandpa knew right away that she was the woman he wanted to marry.
Mitch felt sad, knowing there was no point in asking Priscilla out for a date. It was impossible for them to have a life together. Like Priscilla said, they were different, and she wanted to get back to talk to her Amish boyfriend. He doubted she would ever consider him as a boyfriend. It seemed she wanted him to be aware of their differences when she stood to leave the beach. Was it a disguised warning? He’d read online how when a young Amish couple started dating, they chose someone who could become their life partner.
It was curious to him that she hadn’t mentioned anything about a boyfriend when he’d asked her to go for a walk. Also, she hadn’t seemed in a hurry to get back for his phone call. Had she sensed his romantic interest in her? Obviously, she wouldn’t make up a boyfriend, but two months apart seemed like a long time not to see each other. Madison had mentioned how long she expected to need a nanny for Olivia.
These feelings for Priscilla needed to be bottled and kept from ruining a friendship. Although he respected her simple life and religion, he could never become Amish. He wanted to become a rabbi more than anything else in the world.
And he couldn’t see Priscilla in his world. That depressed him greatly.
* * *
After she left Mitch, Priscilla quickly went to her bedroom to check her phone. Stephen had called her, but he hadn’t left a message. He had called later than the time they had agreed on. She wondered if he had to work later, or maybe he’d been busy helping his daed. Priscilla hated she’d missed his call. She’d never expected Mitch to take so long to tell her what bothered him.
Hearing he was Jewish had surprised her, but a bigger shock was that he had confided in her about his dream to become a rabbi. Why had he shared with her? What perspective could she give him with her belief in Jesus? She loved the Lord with her whole heart, and she hated disobeying her parents. She loved them. When her parents had told Sarah she’d no longer work at the store, it’d been a shock. She never would have expected them to go behind her back about her job. The no painting for a couple of months had hurt her deeply too. Although she’d been hopeful they would allow her to take the job as a nanny, it became apparent that every aspect of her life was being dictated to her by them. She had to leave and didn’t regret disobeying them, but still she hated hurting them.
She felt guilty that she’d expressed negative emotions about her father. And she didn’t care that Sadie was his favorite. When she had been born early and only weighed four pounds, she had to stay in Children’s Hospital until she was a little bigger. All of them had fallen in love with Sadie and had gone to the hospital to see her. Priscilla’s little sister was sweet, caring, and funny. However, she sometimes felt a bit of jealousy when she saw how her father looked at Sadie. He never looked at her in that special way.
Now Mitch faced defying his parents. Really, his father wanted Mitch to be a divorce
lawyer. That seemed crazy to her. It was easy to understand why Mitch wouldn’t want to be a divorce lawyer, especially since he had a desire to do something spiritual with his life. Maybe he needed to vent, and it was easier to talk to her because he wouldn’t see her again after he left Siesta Key. It seemed like she was the wrong person for him to talk to about becoming a rabbi. She hoped he took her advice and talked to his rabbi.
Maybe she should have witnessed and told him how she felt as a Christian. Jesus dying for our sins is a powerful message to hear, but I never mentioned it to Mitch. But it is just as well. It didn’t seem like the right time. If he’d asked her direct questions about her faith instead of talking about general things, she could have given her feelings. It didn’t seem likely that a man who wanted to be a rabbi would become Christian, though. If they should go for a walk again, she’d speak about her Christian faith, and state what was in John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
She might have doubts about taking the kneeling vow in her Old Order Amish church, but she never doubted her belief in Jesus. No matter what church she continued to worship in, her love for Christ would never end. He was more than her Savior, but her friend.
Tears filled her eyes as she realized the Lord was with her right at this moment. Here in Siesta Key, she had no doubt how His love was boundless wherever she found herself. And that was what was important . . . to love her heavenly Father and to follow Him.
She prayed, “Dear Lord, please be with my loved ones in Fields Corner. Keep them well and safe. While I am here at your beautiful beach, help me to paint my pictures for your glory. Thank you for my circle of friends being broadened while here for the summer. I appreciate the time to get to know Madison, Olivia, and the others I’ve met at Pinecraft church. Bless the Wittenberg family and help Mitch to make the right decision for his life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”
