Priscilla's Escape

by Diane Craver

  Olivia gave her a hug. “Thanks, Priscilla.”

  “That’s a great idea to paint Olivia. I should’ve thought of that.” Madison grasped Olivia’s hand. “Come on. We better get our suits on. The day is wasting.”

  Priscilla stopped in the sunroom before going outside. Sometimes she left her easel in this room because it was easier to carry it outside instead of hauling it to her bedroom.

  While setting up her easel in the spot behind the sand dunes and the ocean, she took a deep breath of the wonderful smell of the salt water. As she stared at the dune she had started to paint the other day, a young man with blond hair and only wearing red swimming trunks came up to her. Who was he and why was he standing so close to her? It made her feel uncomfortable. She could see he had lathered his body in sunblock. I shouldn’t even be looking at his body, she thought, but it’s hard not to. Although he seemed interested in her partially done picture of the sand dunes, Priscilla thought he was being rude.

  “Hi, Priscilla. I’m Heidi’s brother, Grayson. I’m sorry to bother you.”

  “Hi. Is Heidi nearby?” Since she was a bit of a distance from Madison’s beach house, she wondered how Grayson knew she was Priscilla. “I’m surprised you know my name.”

  Grayson raked his hands through his hair. “Heidi told me your name. She’s playing volleyball with Mitch and their friends. Heidi saw you out here. She wanted me to tell you that she might be able to get Sabrina to come here to see your paintings, so you don’t have to take them to the gallery.”

  She waved her dry paintbrush and said, “That’s fine, but I’m not sure I want to have them in the art show. I might not be here. I forgot to ask Heidi when it is.”

  “It’s sometime in July. Heidi’s been talking about you a lot.”

  Priscilla recalled what Madison had said about Heidi’s feelings toward Mitch. She hoped it wasn’t any worry about Mitch being interested in her. “I surprised Heidi with my clothing. I suppose she mentioned to you that I’m Amish, but I don’t always wear my Plain clothing since I’ve been here.”

  He gave a quick nod. “She did say you were Amish.”

  She was itching to paint and hated to appear rude, but her window of time was short. In the evening, she wanted to spend time visiting with Hannah. Dipping her brush into a pretty blue paint oil, she said, “Grayson, it was nice meeting you, and please tell Heidi I said hello. I’ve changed my mind about the art show. I don’t have enough paintings for Sabrina to bother with, and I think the art show should be about Heidi’s work.”

  A gleam of relief entered Grayson’s eyes. “I agree. Heidi has worked hard, and to tell the truth, Mitch has said how talented you are. I think it hurt my sister’s feelings.”

  “Mitch thinks Heidi is a wonderful artist too. She must be very good to have her work in an art show.”

  He nodded. “I’m proud of Heidi. Her work is terrific.”

  What a sweet brother to believe in his sister’s art so much that he shared what he thought with a stranger. “I’m sorry, but I need to get to my painting. My boyfriend, Stephen, is going to visit me soon. I won’t spend time painting while he’s here.” Priscilla thought she’d worked Stephen into the conversation nicely. If Heidi hadn’t known she had a boyfriend, she would soon. Priscilla was sure Grayson would relate this bit of news to his sister.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Fields Corner, Ohio

  Amos woke up at two a.m. on Friday and tried to go back to sleep. He prayed for his children and grandchildren, and recited the Lord’s Prayer and a few of his favorite Bible verses. Usually prayers helped him to go back to sleep, but not this time. After glancing at the clock, he was surprised to see that only thirty minutes had passed. It seemed like he’d been awake for hours.

  He knew the problem.

  His heart was troubled because of Priscilla. He hadn’t written or called her since she left their home. Well, he had told Lillian to include that he loved Priscilla in her letter. Lillian had written their daughter a couple of times, as well as the others. No one had told Priscilla that he used to paint and had quit because of his father’s orders. They wanted him to tell her. He knew why they felt this way. His family thought it’d be healing for him to unburden his secret to the one person who needed to hear it. Lillian told him to get over himself and either write or call their daughter about his painting. When he’d seen Luke yesterday, he heard again how he needed to reach out to Priscilla. His intuition was that Lillian had told their son to reinforce what she’d just told him to do.

  I’ll write Priscilla now and I’ll pray to God to give me the right words. I won’t nag her in the letter. A Bible verse from the book of Colossians came to his mind as he thought how he’d instructed Priscilla to stop painting: Fathers, provoke not your children, lest they be discouraged. Telling her to quit painting had caused her to lose heart. He hadn’t been fair to Priscilla.

  If he hadn’t said anything about not painting, Priscilla might have stayed home. Although she hadn’t written in her letter anything about losing her job at the fabric store, it had been a mistake too. Lillian and he never should’ve told Sarah that Priscilla couldn’t work there any longer. His insistence she join their church this summer had taken precedence. As a father, he wanted all his kinner to join their Old Order Amish faith. After she left home to take the nanny job, he was shocked. He never thought Priscilla would disobey him.

  Maybe she’d also left to get out of hearing about taking his baptism classes in the summer. He shouldn’t have expected Priscilla to be ready to commit to their faith. Molly and Beth had joined their faith when they were younger than Priscilla, so he thought his third daughter would follow and not wait too long. If she needed more time, it was his role as father and bishop to give her guidance, not orders. Luke had certainly taken his time in joining, but it turned out fine. He and Violet were happy living the Plain life together.

  Amos’s heart stilled at another realization. When Priscilla was born, deep down he’d been a little disappointed at having another daughter. He’d expected another son. During her pregnancy with Priscilla, Lillian had said how she felt exactly the way she had with Luke. She never had morning sickness with Luke and Priscilla, but with Molly and Beth she did for months. But Amos had gotten over the disappointment quickly. It had been easy to love Priscilla; she was a happy and beautiful baby. When she was a child, Priscilla already had a talent for art. He hadn’t wanted to be critical of her developing ability as an artist. Deciding he would not treat her like his father had him, he encouraged Priscilla. He never mentioned to her about her grandmother’s talent as an artist. He’d even gone as far as to tell Lillian not to mention his mother’s or his painting ability. Some things were better not said.

  Or so he’d thought, but now it seemed he’d been wrong. Sharing what they had in common might have given them a special bond as father and daughter.

  Not ready to write a letter, Amos quietly walked downstairs. Maybe going outside and breathing in the cooler air would be relaxing. After he sat on a chair on the back porch, he sighed and stared at the sky filled with stars.

  I thought that it was better to keep my art a secret. I guess I didn’t want our children to know how my father made me feel ashamed of my talent. Then I started to think I wasn’t that good. If I had been talented, would my father have told me I was wasting my time?

  The sale of Priscilla’s paintings contributes greatly to our medical fund. I should have Lillian ask her if we can sell the finished ones in her room. Mary and John’s baby is in Children’s Hospital and needs surgery. When Sadie was born early, it was an exorbitant amount to pay, but at least she was only there until she weighed five pounds.

  I need to pray again about this situation with Priscilla. A conversation on the phone might be better than writing a letter. I know she has a cell phone. Anna let it slip that Priscilla bought one. I wish I could call her now, but I doubt she’d appreciate me waking her up.

  In the peaceful night air, Amos prayed:


  “Dear Lord,

  “Bless our daughter, Priscilla. Keep her safe in Florida. Help me to pick a gut time to call her. I miss her and realize what a wonderful daughter she’s been. I’m afraid I’ve been a neglectful father and overlooked what a blessing she’s been to our family. Instead I nagged her about joining our church. Of course, I still want her to take her baptism vow soon, but it needs to be when she is ready. I realize she might decide on a different path, but I hope she decides to become Amish. Even though she disobeyed my wishes and her mother’s, I can see why she did. Telling her to stop painting wasn’t right. Help me to explain to her why I kept my artwork a secret from her and others.

  “Thank you for Priscilla, our other children, and our grandchildren. Help them with their problems and keep them healthy. Draw each one closer to You in everything they do.

  “And guide me as the bishop in our community to do your will. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”

  * * *

  In the late morning, Molly brought Isaac and Grace for a visit. They went to the living room, and Isaac sat on an area rug. Lillian gave him a basket filled with toys. Amos smiled when he saw Isaac removing the blocks from the basket. That child loves to build with blocks, Amos thought. Watching his grandchildren play gave him such pleasure. He could relate to the verse in Psalm 127, Children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. He felt richly blessed by the Lord because of his gift of children and grandchildren. As he held Grace, Isaac played at Amos’s feet with blocks.

  From the kitchen, Lillian brought a sippy cup of milk for Grace. After she handed it to the little girl, Lillian gave a glass of lemonade to Molly.

  Amos thought briefly how it was sad that Caleb never knew Grace; he’d only known a baby was on the way. He was glad Jonathan had stepped into the father role without any hesitation. Amos hoped his other daughters would marry good Amish men. He wasn’t sure about Stephen Hertzler because he’d heard about his car. Although Stephen was still in his rumspringa, Amos hoped the bishop in Stephen’s church district would soon talk to him about selling his car. He’d thought about talking to Stephen but decided to let it go. Molly had told him how Stephen looked forward to driving to Sarasota to see Priscilla for her birthday. Maybe the young man planned on selling it after this long road trip.

  Molly and Lillian sat on the sofa and he was in his chair. He was glad Molly had decided to visit them. She might have some news about Priscilla.

  After she sipped her lemonade, Molly smiled. “I have good news. Jonathan is going to quit soon as a firefighter. He decided with our growing family to take time off from it. He might do it again in the future, but not for a long time.”

  Lillian patted Molly’s arm. “That is great news.”

  “I’m froh to hear he is,” Amos said. “From what I’ve heard, a few of our men are thinking of volunteering. Jonathan is great at recruiting people, so I won’t be surprised if some of them decide to join. His spot will be filled.”

  “I came for another reason.” Raising her chin, Molly sighed. “It’s about Priscilla. She asked me to get her paintings out of her bedroom. Then she called today to tell me to forget about them.”

  “Why did she want them?” Amos asked, glancing at Grace’s cup with little milk in it, and waited for what he knew would come next.

  He wasn’t disappointed when he heard his precious granddaughter say, “More milk.”

  Lillian stood and reached for Grace’s cup. “You drank that fast.” Before leaving the living room, his fraa said in a worried voice, “I can’t imagine why Priscilla would want those paintings. Please don’t tell me she isn’t coming back home.”

  Molly shook her head. “Nee, I’m sure she will be back home this summer.”

  “I wish she would be home for her birthday. It won’t seem right not to have her here.”

  Amos nodded. “I wish she would be home too.”

  “It would be nice if someone would go with Stephen when he visits her on her birthday. You must keep this quiet.” Molly hesitated for a moment. “Hannah has planned a surprise birthday party for Priscilla. I told Stephen it’d be nice for someone from our family to go with him to Florida. Of course, she knows he’s coming, but suspects nothing about the party.”

  Lillian frowned. “Anna would be the best one to go, but she’s busy helping Violet with the home births. How long is Stephen staying?”

  “Not long. Only six days.” Molly’s eyebrows shot up. “What about you, Daed?”

  “I’d make Stephen nervous, I’m sure. I haven’t said anything about his car. I decided his bishop should speak to him.” Amos knew why Molly wanted him to go—so he’d tell Priscilla his secret. He might as well commit himself to calling her by telling Molly and Lillian his plan. “I’m going to call Priscilla this evening to tell her that I used to paint.”

  Bending down, Lillian planted a kiss on Grace’s head. “I’m getting your milk. You’re such a patient girl.”

  “I’m glad you’re going to call Priscilla. I’ll say a prayer that it will go well,” Molly said.

  “I thought about writing her a letter but decided a phone call will be better.” Amos glanced at Isaac and saw he’d put a row of blocks around his assortment of horse figurines. “Isaac, I like the fence you made to keep your horses in.”

  Isaac smiled, looking up at him. “I don’t want to lose the horses you gave me. The fence will stop them from running away.”

  He was a clever little boy, Amos thought, and Isaac reminded him a little of Luke when he was that age.

  As Lillian walked back into the room, she told Molly, “Priscilla never mentioned anything to me about her paintings, but it was a couple of days ago when I talked to her on the phone.”

  “Someone at an art gallery might include her paintings in an art show,” Molly said. “Priscilla already has beach pictures finished, but they might be interested in her Amish scenes too. Priscilla decided it would be too prideful for her to have her paintings in an art gallery.”

  “Here you go, Grace.” Lillian gave the sippy cup to the child. Then she looked at Amos. “This might be an answer to our prayers if Priscilla can sell her paintings at the art show. Our medical fund is low. Now with Mary and John’s baby having heart surgery, they need a lot of money to pay their bills.”

  “I don’t want to mention that we need money, because she’ll think that is the main reason I’m calling her.” Amos wanted to focus on telling her about his secret, not talk about money for medical expenses. It was hard sometimes not having insurance, but it wasn’t the Amish way to depend on outside sources. They didn’t take social security benefits or believe in having insurance.

  “I can ask Priscilla if she thinks the art gallery owner will give her enough money for her paintings when they sell.” Molly tucked a strand of her auburn hair under her prayer covering. “I imagine there is a commission involved. But Priscilla isn’t going to do it now. She doesn’t think you’ll like her selling her paintings in an English store.”

  Lillian shrugged. “We sell our Amish items all the time in English stores. It will be fine. You sell your quilts mostly to Englishers.”

  “I’ll call Priscilla this evening.” He glanced at both women as they sat on the sofa. “I did think about asking Priscilla if we could sell her Amish pictures, but let’s not right now. God will provide the money we need to help Mary and John with their hospital expenses. He always does.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Siesta Key, Florida

  Mitch sat on a patio chair by the pool, waiting to see if Priscilla and Olivia would come outside to go swimming. He’d finished swimming his laps and wondered if they’d gone to the beach instead. Now that he thought about it, Priscilla never swam in the pool with Olivia when he was in the pool. In the past, he’d seldom swum in the afternoons in the pool, because he went to the beach with his friends. After noticing Priscilla and Olivia in the pool in the afternoons, he decided to change his schedule to the beach in th
e mornings. Since Kevin and Ryan had left to go home, he’d felt free to change his schedule. He could miss playing volleyball in the afternoons.

  Was she avoiding him? They’d taken evening walks together, so it didn’t see likely that she hadn’t wanted to swim in the pool with him. Or was it because she didn’t want him to see her with only a swimsuit on? He’d seen her before in her one-piece swimsuit, but it was when he’d walked by to go to his house. When they’d gone on their walks, Priscilla never had on her suit. Or if she did, it was covered up with a dress or something. Sometimes when she went to the beach to paint, she wore capris and a top, but other days, she wore her Amish dresses and her prayer covering. It was a bit confusing. Was she more comfortable in her Plain clothing? Was she trying to see what it was like to wear non-Amish clothing?

  From what she’d said, she wanted to be free to experience things while away from her home. Being a bishop’s daughter meant more was expected of her in the Plain community. If she strayed too far from the Amish teachings to try English things, criticism from her father and the ministers would come swiftly.

  If she could fit into the modern world and leave her Amish community behind, Mitch might have a chance with Priscilla.

  Priscilla’s birthday was only a week away. What should he get her? He couldn’t come out and ask her, because she hadn’t mentioned her birthday. Priscilla would wonder how he knew her birthday was coming up soon. He’d been surprised when yesterday Priscilla’s friend Hannah had invited him to the birthday party. He’d only met her once when he’d taken Priscilla to go to Yoder’s Restaurant for pie. Hannah had recommended to get the coconut cream pie at Yoder’s, and they’d loved the delicious dessert. A couple of days ago, Hannah had stopped in to go swimming with Priscilla. When she’d left the pool area to go inside, Hannah had caught him leaving the house next door.

  Breathlessly, Hannah said, “I have to hurry. Priscilla is getting us iced tea, and I made up an excuse that I forgot my sunblock. I’m having a surprise birthday party for Priscilla. You are invited. Her birthday is next Friday. It will be at Pinecraft Park. I’ll have food and soft drinks, so that will be taken care of. We’ll play volleyball. Priscilla loves to play.”