Escape

The fire burned with such passion on her Apple Blossom candle that it frightened her a little and she blew it out. She put thoughts of an all consuming fire elsewhere in her mind refusing to allow the terrors to consume her. She decided her mind needed emancipated from negativity to allow constructive energy in.

She opened the doors and let the sunshine pour through. It was so exquisite. It sounded like a thousand white robed angels singing wordless praise to God Himself. She took a deep breath inhaling the melodic perfume of the day.

As she stepped onto the grass, the morning dew tickled her bare toes. The grass appeared to be almost emerald this day and needed to be mowed. She looked up ahead and saw the mighty oak for the first real time, his rich, thick branches sprouting from that never ending trunk. As she floated towards the majesty she noticed how striking each leaf was. Each had its own purpose, its own magical color from the rainbow, and its own intoxication of beauty. When she reached the tree, she gingerly plucked a lone sunshine tulip who lived near the tree from its home. She brought the flower to her nose and took in nature’s fragrance. As she stood lost in her own senses, she heard a familiar voice.

“Hello, angel,” a profound voice said. It was the familiar voice with the familiar nickname- the one he always used for her and she looked up.

“Hi, Daddy.” She smiled and reached to hug him.

“Do you have time to take a walk with your old dad? You and I don’t get the chance to talk very often, you know. At least without any interruptions.” His mahogany eyes twinkled in the sunshine.

“Dad, you’re not old,” she said as she always did when he spoke of his age, “And of course I would love to take a walk and talk to you. It‘s such a flawless day."

They walked alongside one another for a moment before he cleared his throat and spoke.

“You know, Amie, the other day it occurred to me that I never apologized to you for not being around much when you and Brooke were kids. I was so busy with work and trying to keep up with everything that I think I may have neglected what mattered most to me." His eyes looked towards the Heavens.

“No, Dad- you were great. We always knew we could count on you and that if anything happened, you’d be there.”

“Well, I still wish I could’ve protected you more, heard you more.” His sigh was deep and heavy.

“Dad, I always felt protected by you. Even when I didn’t feel protected in other parts of my life, I always felt protected by you."

“No matter how old you get, I will always do my best to protect you. I only want you to be happy, to do what truly makes you happy. And you know, little girl, I haven’t told you but I want you to know that I’m real proud of how you turned out." Though she wasn’t any more, at that moment she did feel like a little girl still.

“I make you proud?” she asked almost in disbelief swallowing the basketball lump in her throat.

“Every day."

They stopped walking and she hugged him. She breathed in his scent. It was a mixture of Old Spice, the dirt from years of farming, and Fresh Rain laundry detergent. She always loved that he wore flannel shirts because they were so soft against her cheek. They broke their embrace and for the first time, she really looked at him. She saw past the rugged exterior made more worn by sixty years of a hard life. She saw the man who taught her to ride a bike and drive a car. She saw the war hero he was to many as a Marine and the real hero he was to her as a father. The impact that he made on her was boundless and in it was the power that moved mountains. He taught her never to settle and to rise above.

“Thank you for your strength and your acceptance, Daddy. I love you,” she said with her own mahogany eyes shining.

“I love you too, Ames." It was words that she didn’t hear much growing up but every time they were spoken, the magnitude of such was overwhelming.
As she reached to hug him once more while the tears began to flow, she was stopped by a light hand on her shoulder.

“Miss Davis? Amie? It’s time for your meds, dear,” the voice behind her said.

Amie blinked as if she were blinded by an overbearing sun and looked up confused and silent.

“Meds,” the woman in white responded quietly answering an unasked question. She then looked down, “Oh! This is beautiful. You’ve done a marvelous job with your painting today. It looks so peaceful and serene. Much nicer than the dreary, cloudy day outside.”

Amie herself looked at the paper in front of her as though she was seeing it for the first time.

“I love that tree. Is that an oak?”

Amie nodded slightly and responded, “That’s where my dad lives.”

“Your dad lives there?” the nurse asked somewhat confused, “I thought your dad-” before she let the sentence breeze out of her mouth, she stopped.

“Yes, my dad lives there and I am going to see him today.” Amie stated a fact as nonchalantly as you would state the condition of the weather.

“Mmm hmm. Well then you need to be ready, don’t you? Let’s go get your meds." She stopped at the door and picked up the candle bringing it to her nose. “Apple Blossom, eh? I bet this would smell nice if we could light it. But at least you can still sniff it, right?”

Amie let the nurse lead her out of the stark white room, up the sterile hallway, past the screaming and head banging. Amie made eye contact with those whose eyes were empty, whose spirit had gone long ago. She allowed the nurse lead her without any conflict today, without any fight, for this was only transitory.

Today was the day she would rise above.