Bee Happy

by Marcia C Brandt

  “---and then he asked me if it was okay to kiss me. That was a first, no other guy had ever asked permission before, and most of them just assume that’s what a girl wants. His asking me broke the tension of the moment and allowed me to relax into the kiss. And what a kiss it was.” She grabbed Sally’s hand, “—I actually felt some sort of electricity moving through me. And then this wave of happiness followed it.” Calli was glowing and Sally squeezed her hand, “I’m so happy for you. It’s been a long time, and you deserve to feel special again.” “I know, thanks to whatever you did ahead of time before my date last night. You must have chanted some spell to shift my apprehension about being with Jim. You know how much he used to irritate me, just being around him. I never did figure out what was causing it, but somehow I enjoyed myself despite my preconceived notion that I wouldn’t have any fun. He made me laugh and I even got a little emotional when I talked about Cal.” Sally was surprised to hear that they had talked about Cal; this was amazing for a first date. “You know that Cal would want you to be happy don’t you?” Sally checked to see her reaction to the statement, tuning into her emotional body a bit. “Yes, and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to have lunch with you, besides telling you about my date last night. My dream this morning was about Cal. I saw him and heard him talk to me. I was wondering what you thought. Was it a dream or was it a spirit visitation? I’m not very up on all this spiritual stuff like you are.” Sally sat back a bit, and listened to her guides. This was the way she connected to the universal consciousness and received the messages that she shared with her healing clients. “I’m hearing that indeed it was a dream, Cal isn’t ready to make an appearance just yet. He has some training to complete on the other side before he can actually come to you here on the earth plane.” Now this information seemed like an episode from a television series about angels or spirit guides. Nothing about this was familiar to Calli, but she had learned over the years to believe what Sally shared with her, never had her predictions been wrong and sometimes they were too accurate making Calli uncomfortable.

  “So, I really was hearing from Cal’s spirit? I wasn’t just making it up to be okay with having a date with Jim. You know me; I’m still in love with Cal. There’s a part of me that will always love him. But he’s not here now and I’m almost ready to find someone to be happy with. Scratch that, I want someone to be absolutely, positively, madly in love with. Someone who makes my toes tingle every time I see him, someone who will laugh and cry with me. Make babies with me and live together in my happily ever after fairy tale dream world. I don’t know if my knight in shining armor drives a red convertible or not, but I do know that I enjoyed our date and am looking forward to next weekend and the wedding. I’m a sucker for white dresses and smiling families and especially wedding cake. I don’t know how wedding cake frosting is made, but it has to be the best frosting on the planet.” Calli took a deep breath and realized what she’d said. She hadn’t consciously believed that she was ready to move on, but having heard herself say it out loud to Sally made her stop and pause, those words did ring true. Somewhere inside she knew she was ready for her husband to appear. “Wow, I really hadn’t figured out how ready I am to find Mr. Right. I know that you’ve been telling me for a very long time that there’s someone perfect for me, but I hadn’t connected the dots before this moment. That’s amazing. I can feel some sort of energy coursing through my entire body. What is that? Hormones or what?” Calli felt strange, not a bad strange, but a good feeling strange.

  “You are just letting your kundalini fire rise up your spine and activate all your chakras.” Sally said it as a firm convincing statement. Calli crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, “Does it make me do this without knowing it?” They both laughed, Sally knew that her best friend didn’t want to understand the majority of her spiritual information and Calli knew that there were spiritual truths that she didn’t have a clue about and wasn’t even slightly interesting in learning either. “There you go spewing your voodoo stuff -- you know that I’m only interested in the physical, I can touch it stuff. If I put the seed in the ground, and water it and nurture it I will have a plant that I can harvest and eat to keep myself alive and sell at the market. All this energy stuff makes my brain go haywire. Not that I don’t believe it works, but I’m not ready to put on the purple gowns and chant walking around the town square during a full moon.” Sally knew better than to begin a discussion with Calli about the merits of her spiritual training. This conversation happened about once a month, amazingly close to every full moon. One of these days or moonlight nights Calli would be ready to delve into the spiritual side of life, Sally knew that her friend couldn’t help but be connected to the nature spirits of her gardens. She probably couldn’t touch them or see them but she was positive that Calli could feel their presence and didn’t have the vocabulary necessary to express what happened to her each and every day she as she worked with the elementals in her garden.

  The rest of Sally’s lunch hour flew by, two friends agreeing to not agree about everything spiritual. Sally’s patience with her friend could win her an award, but she knew that eventually there would be common ground for them regarding unseen forces of the world. Calli gave her friend a quick hug and headed to the New to You clothing store. There just had to be another fabulous dress for her to wear to the wedding next weekend. After her realization that her closet didn’t contain much in the way of dresses, she was on a mission to add to her wardrobe easily and quickly. The easy part had to do with the fact that she could get some fabulous dresses for a fraction of the cost, and most were in excellent condition and some even still had the price tags attached. Must have been an impulse purchase and then recycled here, their loss and my good fortune. As she tried on the dresses she had chosen, there seemed to be a ‘presence’ in the dressing room with her. Calli looked around the tiny cubical quickly and didn’t see anything there, at least nothing in the physical. This sometimes happened to her, especially after being with Sally and talking about all her spiritual stuff. Calli didn’t want to discount what her friend believed in but she wasn’t buying everything she said, at least not yet. She almost felt a little dizzy and crowded by something; sitting down on the chair she closed her eyes and tried to figure out what was happening to her. She knew that sometimes when she’d been in the sun too long picking peas she would feel this way, but never inside a store. After a few deep breaths, she felt ‘normal’ again. Back to decision time. She had brought only $20 cash with her and there were actually three dresses that she wanted to take home, for future dates. Ha! That’s a fun thought, more dates. I might even start to like this! Asking the clerk to hold the third dress until next week, Calli hurried back to the van with her great looking bargains. She felt a certain satisfaction in finding these dresses. She’d return next week and there might even be more choices.

  Roger was sitting on the front porch, sipping some ice tea when she walked up the steps. “How was your lunch with Sally? Looks like you did a little shopping too. Are you going to be seeing Jim again?” There, he’d finally broken his silence about her date, and he hoped that she’d give him at least a little information to satisfy his curiosity. He was well aware of her distaste for Jim at the farmers market, so there had to be something good that had happened for her to be in such a good mood and buying more dresses. “Sally was fine. She’s always trying to convince me there’s things happening that I can’t see or touch. But that’s Sally, gotta love her no matter what. I found a couple dresses that will be fun to wear. Plus I needed something to wear to the wedding next weekend.” Roger almost choked on his ice tea, she said wedding next weekend. That was absolutely the most powerful first date on record, especially if they were getting married next weekend. Calli laughed at the look on his face suddenly understanding what he was thinking. “Oh, no. Not me and Jim. He invited me to join him at his cousins wedding next weekend at the Presbyterian Church here in Evergreen. It was a good first date, but we’re not the ones gettin
g married. You almost looked like you were going to have a heart attack or something. Believe me you’ll be the first to know when I decide to get married. And just remember that I’m not in a hurry and I still am keeping my score card going where Jim is concerned.” Roger again looked puzzled, “You have a score card about Jim?” Calli patted him on the shoulder, “This is for me to know about and for you to never find out about. I’ve got to get these hung up in the closet and start loading the cooler for market tomorrow. How are we doing with our harvesting?” They discussed what else needed to be picked and then both set about getting the vegetables in the coolers for tomorrow. The afternoon turned into evening and they both relaxed on the front porch watching the stars come out. Calli was the first one to turn in for the night, knowing that the morning would come early. Roger watched the stars twinkle and wondered if they were sending Morse code messages. He also wondered if his beloved wife was out there somewhere in heaven. Surely heaven had stars; he missed her company the most in the evenings. They used to sit here on this porch and try to count the stars. They never did finish—he wished she was here right beside him, laughing as they got lost in the constellations, had they counted this one or not?

  Chapter 11 What Happened Calli was up before the rooster started crowing. She hurried through her morning shower and headed down the stairs to finish loading the van. Roger wasn’t up yet, which surprised her, usually he has breakfast ready and a sack lunch for her to take. He must have stayed up late last night watching the stars, she knew that he and her grandmother loved the stars and knew most of the constellations by name and also the myths behind them. After she got the last bucket loaded, she found Roger in the kitchen mumbling to himself about sleeping in and not being ready for the day. He apologized to Calli and handed her a sack, “Sorry I overslept, here’s your lunch, guess you’ll have to drive through somewhere for breakfast, don’t know why I stayed in bed so long today. I’ll be along this afternoon to help you haul all the money bags home.” At least he still had his sense of humor although Calli didn’t think he looked right. Something was bothering him and there wasn’t time to find out what it was. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. There are always some homemade kolaches there at the market. My favorite is poppy seed; hopefully they won’t be gone before I get a couple. See you this afternoon and rest a bit you still look a little tired this morning.” Roger nodded and shooed her out the door and they both knew that he wouldn’t take a nap if his life depended upon it.

  Jim’s multicolored hippie van was already there at the market. The cars were fast filling up the parking lot, and all the vendors were laughing and joking. It felt like a party although everyone knew it was serious business. They all worked many hours in their gardens, many hours of what normal people would call overtime. And the fruits and vegetables of their labors were what put the cash into their bank accounts. These were hard working people who loved the land and loved growing food for their neighbors. Not a single one of them would ever consider a different career, it was like a genetic pattern that couldn’t be broken or altered no matter how many hail storms, blights, bugs or vermin attacked their gardens. This was their mission in life. Growing food and feeding the community, and it was a community that Calli felt very comfortable being a part of, even though she’d only been raising vegetables for a few years, it was part of her genetics and in her blood.

  As she began to unload her van, Jim appeared almost out of thin air. Grabbing a couple of the plastic buckets her produce was in, he led her to the booth right beside his. “Thought I’d save you the trouble of getting your booth reserved. As you know these are the primo spots in the entire place. We’ll be able to sell out quickly and maybe you’ll agree to have supper with me again.” His smile melted the protective shield Calli had placed around her heart. Her first instinct was to say ‘no’ and as his smile grew larger she changed the answer to ‘yes’. “That sounds like a perfect plan. Although you know that my grandfather always comes here in the afternoon to help me tear down and we usually go together to the Burger Barn to celebrate. So if you’re okay with a third person, the answer is yes I’ll go to supper with you, provided we go Dutch treat.” There she’d drawn the line, now it wasn’t a date but a couple of people going out to eat after a long day at the market. “Fine by me. I love to hear your grandfather talk about growing up here and all the stories he has that most people don’t want him to remember. Let’s get everything organized and find some breakfast rolls. I didn’t have time to fix mine this morning.” Calli found it interesting that neither of them had eaten yet, she was always looking for confirmations or signs about how her life was flowing. Sometimes everything fell into place without any effort at all and sometimes it felt like going up a mountain without a path. “I’m in the mood for some poppy seed kolaches. Hope that Mildred is here and that she hasn’t sold out yet. I know that the vendors are her best customers, sometimes there aren’t any left for the public.” Jim grabbed the last bucket from Calli’s van and set it into place. “There. All done.” As he grabbed her hand, she felt a blush of excitement wash over her, another sign to pay attention to. “My grandmother used to make kolaches but I’m partial to apricot. That was her specialty. I wish I’d learned how to make them before she passed on. There’s no one in our family to carry on the tradition.” Jim seemed a little sad, but shifted the mood by pulling her faster down the aisle. “Hurry, I see Frank ahead of us, he’ll probably buy every last one if we don’t get there and stop him.”

  They each bought a half dozen kolaches in a variety of flavors. As they walked back to their booths, they sampled each others. And hands down the lemon was both of their favorites. “I’d never have believed that lemon would be the winning kolache. I’ve always thought poppy seed was the best. Of course then you have to spend the rest of the day picking the tiny seeds out of your teeth.” Calli was totally loving their bantering back and forth, it felt easy and fun. She’d not been this relaxed in a very long time with a guy, not since Cal. “Looks like we’d better get ready, I see they are opening up the gate. If you need any help today just whistle, I’ll be right there in a flash.” Jim was pleased with himself for having gotten their booths side by side. As the first customers of the day poured past them, the selling began at a rapid pace. Weighing and bagging and helping people choose took all of Calli’s attention, most of the time. She managed to sneak a few looks at Jim and whenever she did he was looking right back at her and grinning. The morning seemed to fly by, and Calli had to replenish her buckets of produce more than once. Jim jumped at the chance to help her carry them back to the booth. She was enjoying the attention and grateful for the help in carrying the buckets. After a few of them, they started to get a little heavy, especially those filled with water for the flowers. Lunch time came and went with a flurry of customers, about 1:30 pm it slowed down enough for them to rest a bit and eat the lunch that Roger had fixed. Calli shared her sandwich and chips with Jim. He offered part of his PB & J sandwich and some of the apple slices. They were from his apple orchard, last year’s crop of course. She hadn’t realized that he had an orchard. That would keep him very busy in the fall with the harvest. That explained why he wasn’t there very often during the fall farmers market.

  About 4 pm Roger arrived with his money bag. He cruised the aisles talking to his friends and picking up a few baked goods that were left. All the kolaches were gone. Calli had saved one for him. She knew that would make him happy. Jim was sold out of everything and had his van loaded and ready to go. As he started helping Calli, Roger returned and carried the last of the buckets to her van. The two of them had everything loaded in nothing flat. Calli stood back and watched; she most definitely could get used to all this attention and help. “Looks like we’re ready to roll. Jim is going to join us at the Burger Barn for supper. I’ll stop by the bank and make the deposit. Meet both of you there.” Calli was pleased with her earnings for the day. Again she’d brought in more cash than she expected. This year was going to se
t records for her produce and flowers. What a great life I have, she mused. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

  The Burger Barn was almost empty, except for the waitresses and bus boys. They had even gotten there before the senior crowd arrived. Roger and Jim were sitting at a table near the front window, talking and laughing as Calli entered. Jim got up and pulled out the chair for her. She smiled and internally added another check to his list. Sandy, their favorite waitress, brought the glasses of water with lemon. She knew exactly what they’d order, because they had been coming here after the farmers market for a long time and they hadn’t changed it yet. “What can I get for you Jim? I already know what these two want.” Jim paused and looked at Calli, “I’ll have whatever she’s having. I know it will be exactly what I want!” Calli felt a surge of energy pass between them, she wasn’t sure exactly what it meant but it felt good. This connection was getting stronger each time they were together; she couldn’t put her finger on what was happening but decided to just let it be.