Bee Happy

by Marcia C Brandt

  Next stop was the shoe store; Calli was excited to try on the latest styles. As the clerk brought out higher and higher heels, Calli felt lower and lower. She knew that her balance was good but being on a stiletto probably wasn’t going to be her best choice. There was no way she wanted to fall flat on her face trying to dance in those, besides Jim wasn’t that tall and she didn’t want to tower over him like an Amazon. Finally a cute pair of shoes, with sparkles, fit and seemed to be the perfect dancing shoes. She moved around the floor, making sure they weren’t too slick, again not wanting to fall on her face. The clerk promised to scuff the bottoms so she wouldn’t fall during the first dance. Even Roger thought they were good looking shoes.

  They headed down the street towards the herbal shop, Calli loved to go inside and enjoy all the smells. She was learning how to make her own herbal infusions and always found a new book there to add to her collection. Someday she hoped to be a certified herbalist, raising the herbs, and making the tinctures and formulas that would keep people healthy naturally. This really was a passion for her, although she knew she was still in the learning stage. What truly amazed her was that stinging nettles, the plant people avoided at all costs was one of the best herbs available. They grew everywhere and instead of killing them she started harvesting and drying them for herself. One of these days, she’d even write up a booklet and sell the dried herbs at the market. All these dreams kept her excited during the winter months, that’s when she had time to read and study. So today she would hopefully find a couple new books to add to her book shelves. When the snow was piling up on top of her garden, she’d be sitting at the window with her cup of herbal tea reading and planning for the next season.

  “Hey, come back here. You must have gone traveling somewhere.” Roger poked her in the arm to get her attention. “You’re right. I was thinking about finding some books to study this winter when the snow is blowing all around and I’m safe and warm by the wood stove drinking my herbal tea.” “Understand. Your grandmother was a fine herbalist; you must have some of that in your genetic makeup. You were so young when she passed on, she would have loved to have taught you everything she knew. I wonder if I can locate her journals for you. I’d forgotten all about them. I bet they are somewhere in the attic. I’ll check that out when we get home. You might not need any more books from the store. But don’t let me stop you. Hopefully I didn’t toss them when we cleaned it out a couple of years ago.” Lost in his memories, Roger went outside and sat on the bench in front of the store while Calli talked to the shop owner.

  “I’m looking for some good herbal guides for making your own herbal remedies. My grandfather just told me that my grandmother was an herbalist. I had no idea. I do believe it’s up to me to continue the legacy. What new books do you have?” They talked and laughed as they looked over the newest herbal books on the shelves. “You say your grandmother was an herbalist? That’s such a lost art. I do hope that you will find what excites you the most. There are so many different ways to use herbs. I personally love to mix the powdered herbs and put them in capsules, making my own herbal formulas. There are other herbalists who believe that you should only use one herb at a time. You’ll know what speaks to you.” Gwen was the shop owner and a wealth of information; Calli felt like she’d found a mentor and new friend. “I’ll put you on our mailing list. We have classes here and you’re welcome to come join us, most of the time we get together and laugh and experiment with new formulas. There is a group of us -- we call ourselves the Green Witches. That keeps the ‘sight seers’ away. Only people really interested in natural remedies and herbs are willing to join with a name like that. We are meeting next weekend on Saturday afternoon if you’d like to visit and see if you like our crazy group.” Calli was excited at the offer and promised to come back on Saturday. With her sack of books in hand, she joined Roger on the bench outside. “Did you find what you were looking for?” “Absolutely! And more! Gwen told me all about her herbal group. They meet once a month and next Saturday is their meeting. She invited me to join them. I’m so excited! And now that I know that grandmother was an herbalist, I can feel it in my blood. This is going to lead me down a new path. I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

  During the drive home, Calli kept talking about how she had always wanted to know more about herbs and how you could keep yourself healthy naturally instead of taking supplements and vitamins that usually you just peed away. Both of them felt the joy of their new adventures, Roger was returning to the love of keeping bees and Calli was ready to embark on her grandmother’s path. Little did they know where all of this would lead them; this trip to the city hadn’t been just about dancing shoes.

  Chapter 19 The Wedding

  The sparkling dancing shoes received a prominent place in Calli’s closet. She was getting more and more excited about tonight. Jim had called and told her what time to be ready; he needed to be there early for pictures before he began his ushering. Her mind wasn’t focused on what she was doing in the garden, without paying attention she almost hoed out a row of spinach. The shoots were still small and at first glance she thought they were weeds. Lucky for her, there was a stake reminding her there were baby plants here. Next time she should make a very big sign that says, ‘do not hoe’. Roger was busy in the barn building something for the bees. She wasn’t sure what it was for, but knew that he was happier than she’d seen him in a very long time. This was turning out to be a special summer, maybe even one that will be the start of a new adventure. She wasn’t quite ready to consider the possibility of marriage, but dating was feeling right for the first time since Cal’s death. The thought of him brought a warm feeling to her heart, almost like he was sending his love and approval to her. The ‘skeptic’ reminded her not to put too much emphasis on things she couldn’t see or touch. After cleaning her tools and putting them in the tool shed, she walked over to the barn to see what her grandfather was building. She’d heard the noise of power tools and hammering. Stepping into the room with the old milking stalls it took a little while for her eyes to adjust to the light. At first she thought she saw a cow in one of the stalls, but after blinking she realized it was some tools leaning against the stanchion. Her imagination must be playing tricks, or she’s thinking too much about ghost and spirits.

  “Are you building something for the bees?” She saw what looked like a storage box with shelves and wheels. “You are right. Are you tapping into your psychic abilities?” Roger asked with a teasing tone to his voice knowing it might get her riled up a bit. “No, I’m looking at the box and using my scientific logical mind to determine what you’re building.” She knew exactly what he was doing, trying to get her agitated, but for what reason? “Aw, I was just teasing you. I know that you aren’t very interested in the psychic realm, but you have to admit that you do hang out with Sally and from what I can gather Jim also has a tendency to go there. And since you’re going out with him tonight, I wanted to see if you’d opened your mind just a wee bit more to the possibility of communicating with people on the other side.” This was exactly where she didn’t want to go, especially before the wedding. Her plan was to have fun, laugh, and dance the night away, not check for any wandering spirits at the party. “I’m building a storage box to keep all our bee supplies in. I don’t want to buy anything when I have plenty of scrap wood lying around and the tools and skills to build my own. Besides I can make it exactly like I want it. Here’s a place to put the smoker and the extra frames. I’m also going to build something to keep the honey extractor in. Then I’m going to figure out how to make a pollen trap. My grandfather and I didn’t gather the pollen, but when he talked to me he told me to collect the pollen and the propolis. So I have some more to build and learn about.” Calli was actually impressed with his ingenuity and his abilities. For a retired teacher, he was really into being self-sufficient here on the farm.

  “You’ll have to tell me more later. But right now I’ve got to go get ready for the wedding. Jim should be here with
in the hour and I’ve still got dirt under my fingernails. He won’t want to dance with me if I don’t clean up a bit. I hope he likes my dress and my new dancing shoes.”

  Glancing at herself in the mirror one last time, Calli decided that she looked as good as she could. She watched as Jim drove in the driveway in his red mustang. Lucky for her the top was up, she didn’t want to deal with fixing her hair again. Jim came up on the porch with a bounce in his step and a grin on his face. He was carrying a small box which Calli hoped had flowers in it. As she opened the door she felt a rush of excitement, “Hi, you look absolutely beautiful.” Jim handed her the box and as she opened it he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “Oh, these are beautiful; help me pin it on my dress.” Roger appeared from the kitchen, “My, you two look like you’re going somewhere pretty special. Jim you take good care of my granddaughter. Don’t let her wear her new shoes out dancing!” Roger gave Calli a quick squeeze making sure he didn’t smash her corsage. “Have fun you two.” Jim grabbed her hand as they walked down the stairs, this felt like a night to be remembered and it was just beginning.

  Calli relaxed in the back of the church while Jim posed for the pictures. There was plenty of laughing and joking going on, mainly to get everyone to smile; the photographer was bouncing around like a colorful bouncy ball. First one shot from this angle and then another. Calli was amused at all his antics. The bride and her bridesmaids disappeared and the groomsmen and ushers continued the joking and kidding. The groom started teasing Jim about his date, “You know my requirement for you to be head usher. I expect you to have the best looking girl in the county as your date.” Calli blushed at this. Jim winked at her and motioned for her to come to the front of the church. Reluctantly she slid out of the pew and headed down the aisle, wondering if she’d pass for at least looking ‘okay’. “Here she is -- my friend Calli, the best looking girl in the whole county!” Jim grabbed her and kept his arm around her waist. The guys all whistled and the groom agreed, “I’ll have to say Calli I do agree with Jim, except that my future wife is still number one in my book. Sorry but you’ll have to be the second best looking girl tonight. Then tomorrow when we go on our honeymoon, you can return to being number one.” Calli felt a little awkward but pleased all at the same time. She wasn’t used to having so many guys paying that much attention to her and noticing how she looked. The vegetables in her garden had never made a comment about how she looked, and her customers at the market were mainly checking to see how good her produce looked, no one paid much attention to how she looked.

  Guests started arriving and the groom and his groomsmen also disappeared but to another room in the church, holding to the tradition of keeping the bride and groom apart on the wedding day. Which didn’t make any sense because they had seen each other during all the picture taking. Traditions sometimes were followed without regard to reality and common sense. Jim ushered Calli to a row reserved for the wedding party’s family. He looked beyond handsome in his tux and shiny black shoes. She’d never seen him this dressed up before and it almost took her breath away to watch him usher people to their seats. Having him sit beside her during the ceremony would be the next highlight of the evening. Her mind was making notes of all the special feelings she was having. Being with Jim reminded her what it felt like to be a woman and to be admired and cherished, she wasn’t ready to use the ‘love’ word just yet. But it felt like that was a possibility sometime very soon.

  The ceremony was touching; she felt like the soloist was singing to her, the words moved her to tears. Being reminded about love and how it can last for eternity brought memories flooding back –all the promises she and Cal had made to each other and now….. Calli pulled herself back to the present moment, longing for something that was never going to happen isn’t a good place to be. Especially because she planned to enjoy the rest of the evening with Jim, dancing and eating wedding cake, more dancing so there’d be room for more cake. The kid in her liked to play and have fun and that was her plan. Jim returned to his duties as head usher, giving people the nod when it was their turn to exit and congratulate the bride and groom. Since Calli didn’t know them, she just waited until Jim was done and then she joined him in going through the reception line. Smiling and nodding and shaking hands with everyone, she felt like she was more than a date for the evening, she felt like she belonged at Jim’s side, now this was a new feeling. One that she was going to record on her check list.

  Relieved that Jim was correct and they didn’t have to sit at the head table, Calli found a table for them that was close to the dance floor and the wedding cake as well. She knew several of the other guests sitting with them from the farmers market. During dinner everyone was talking about how beautiful the wedding was and weren’t they a cute couple together. Calli wasn’t always certain if they were talking about the bride and groom or she and Jim. But tonight it didn’t matter, she felt like they were a couple and that they were cute together as well. After all the ‘required’ first dances, the rest of the guests were invited to the dance floor. Jim escorted her to the middle of the floor and bowed deeply like a gentleman, asking her for the pleasure of this dance. “Of course, it will be my pleasure to dance with you! I do believe that you are the most handsome man here this evening.” Calli was playing it up for all it was worth, since the guys had made such a big deal about Jim needing to have the most beautiful girl at the wedding. “…and I am with the most beautiful girl in the entire state!” Jim held her close to him as they moved together around the dance floor. After each song, they continued to hold each other, waiting for the next song to begin and not wanting to let go of the other. Romance is usually in the air at a wedding, and tonight was no exception, Jim and Calli looked like the next couple to get engaged and hold their own ceremony.

  With clinking of glasses everyone’s attention was drawn to the five tier wedding cake. This was the other part of the event that Calli had been waiting for. She was positive that she’d danced off all the food from dinner and was ready for cake. They got in line right away, knowing that no one would notice if they went through it twice. The cake was delicious, better than Calli remembered. “Why does wedding cake always taste better than any other cake in the world?” “Because you are at a wedding and everyone is happy and putting out happy energy!” Jim knew not to push this idea any further, he didn’t want her to back away from him because he was talking about something you couldn’t touch or see. He hoped that eventually she would start to believe that it was true, that he had communicated with his wife and daughter and that Roger had talked to his grandfather. “Let’s go get another piece before anyone catches us with crumbs on our faces.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her in line again, Calli leaned back into his chest, feeling his strength and his caring. This wedding was turning out to be the perfect evening. She was totally happy and even wondering if there was such a thing as ‘happy energy’.

  Chapter 20 The Reporter Sunday was her day of rest, rest from the garden and all the bookwork that goes along with running your own business. Calli had closed the window shade and turned on a fan to block out the crowing of the rooster. She was determined to sleep as late as she could after the fabulous evening she and Jim had shared. Dreams came easy to her during the night, ones that seemed like fairy tales during the daytime. There were horses and coaches and glass slippers and lots of beautiful brides maids in multicolored dresses. That part made Calli laugh when she woke up, remembering everything. The dresses would match Jim’s colorful van perfectly. She was in such a good mood she decided to pack a picnic lunch and spend the day at the pond watching the bees go in and out of their hives. She had claimed them too; they weren’t just her grandfathers now. They belonged to the both of them. Roger was busy building his storage boxes in the barn and said he’d join her around noon at the pond. For some strange reason Calli decided to take her cell phone with her, not that she expected any phone calls, but maybe just for safety reasons. She remembered quite vividly Roger’s encounter wit
h the bees and his trip to the hospital. She wasn’t going to take any chances; this day was for dreaming and imagining her future. It had been a very long time since she allowed herself to dream anything bigger than raising vegetables for the farmers market. Now she was able to include a husband and children in her newest version of her reality. There was a slight breeze in the air, which kept the bugs away. Sitting in the shade Calli remembered each moment of the wedding ceremony, dinner and their dancing. The evening ended with some very passionate kisses on the front porch, that memory made her feel warm and tingly inside. There was a possibility lurking hopefully around the corner. As Sally would say, her heart chakra was finally opening and she was allowing someone to care about her again. Whatever, all she knew was that it felt good to be in his arms.

  The bees were busy flying in and out of the hives. There was a field of clover nearby and she knew that this honey would taste divine. Roger hadn’t put the pollen catcher on the hives yet, he was still working on his own design. Watching the bees work, gave her a sense of adventure, pretending to be a small honey bee she imagined what it would be like to be that small and then to fly over to the clover, collect the pollen and then return. Did they have a natural GPS system that kept them on the correct flight path? How did they know where their hive was? What if they got lost, were there rescue bees whose job was to make sure every bee was present and accounted for at the end of the day? Her imagination entertained her for a long time, as she sat on the grass, dreaming of her life with Jim and their children. They could be the premier honey producers in the county and then the state. Their honey products would be best sellers on the internet. They could add fruit to the creamed honey and have the most amazing specialty products.