The Naive Bumblebee

by Holly Smith

  Nelise laughed too. “That’s interesting. I can’t imagine what I was thinking,” she said, knowing exactly what she was thinking and hoped she hadn’t said much else.

  “I half wished there was a beautiful garden to take me to. Oh, and another wonderful thing happened because of you. I ought to take you out to get drunk more often!”

  “Good grief, there’s more?” Nelise asked, holding her breath in anxious anticipation.

  “Yes! Remember the guy who helped you get into my car? Oh, you probably don’t; that’s when you were calling me Peddal Flower,” Petal said with a chuckle.

  “Oh no, someone had to help me get into the car? I’m appalled!”

  “Yes indeedie. Anyway, his name is Byron and he told me to come back and he would buy me lunch. Well, I did go back when Mom was doing better. I wanted a drink by myself to take a break from it all and he was there. He bought me a drink and said he wanted to take me to lunch at a nice restaurant when he has some time off. We have a date next weekend. You see? Your getting drunk did so much good for me in so many ways!”

  “I guess that’s good, Petal. I don’t think I’d better get drunk again any time soon though,” Nelise said humorously, yet thoughtfully.

  “When you want to, be sure and call me, OK? It was a blast!” Petal said, laughing even louder.

  “Yeah, I will,” Nelise said and smiled. “Call me if you need anything; otherwise, I’ll see you when you return to work.”

  “Thanks, Nelise; I appreciate you.”

  Chapter 21

  On a Saturday morning several weeks later, Nelise woke up at seven which was unusual for her. She liked to sleep in on weekend mornings. After showering, she spritzed herself with some spicy body scent and threw on jeans and a shirt. She felt fidgety, as if she should be doing something but couldn’t think what. She made a cup of tea and decided to go to Garden.

  “Hi, Nelise; how are you?” Esleen asked.

  “I’m not sure, Esleen. My life is fine except for the fact that Loyle and I have been dating but he keeps me at arm’s length and hasn’t even kissed me yet. On top of that, I feel restless and I don’t know why. Do you?”

  “I can tell you something about it but not details. Many people are dramatically changing their life’s desires lately; it always happens around the holidays. As a result, a big shift is in motion right now. That is what you and many others are feeling the effects of.”

  “Does that concern me?”

  “Every shift concerns everyone, Nelise. When one being’s mental construct changes, it causes everything in the universe to shift. It is only a matter of degrees, you might say,” Esleen explained.

  “Then is my shift going to be to a higher or lower degree?”

  “It is always to a higher degree for everyone but even that is relative, so I cannot say specifically.”

  “Why not?” Nelise asked, disappointed.

  “You would not understand right now. Just know that everyone moves forward.”

  “So then, how much better will it be for me?”

  “If I were to tell you now about one thing that would change for the better for you, at the moment I tell you, you would imagine that change happening according to all the information you have acquired up to now, and your receptivity of new information could change that outcome. By the time you actually move into the sphere completely, you will have advanced beyond anything I could tell you now. It’s best to let the natural progression happen as it will.”

  “Well, what am I supposed to do then?”

  “Stop speculating and know that all is better where you are moving to. And it would be helpful for you to continue coming to Garden every day like you have been doing.”

  Nelise’s feeling of unrest was immediately transformed into excitement. Her thought jumped to an improved relationship with Loyle. She imagined a meaningful embrace and tender kiss, causing the feeling of butterflies in her stomach to intensify. At the moment, she couldn’t imagine anything better than that.

  “Nelise, I’d like to ask you something,” Esleen said.

  “What?”

  “Do you remember when it was that you stopped asking to go to the body shop?”

  Nelise looked at Esleen in amazement. “No, I don’t! I had forgotten all about it until now. Should I go to the mirrors?”

  “Only if you choose to.”

  Nelise thought about it. “No, I don’t want to. I know I am always beautiful in Garden no matter what and that is good enough for me.”

  “I’m so glad you’ve come to know that,” said Esleen, smiling and glowing like a firefly.

  Nelise had a feeling that it was time to go to the drugstore and see Loyle. “I will see you next time, Esleen; thank you for all your help.”

  “Remember to come here every day, Nelise.”

  Nelise went to the closet for something to wear. On the way, she looked at the floor-length mirror that stood by the door. Although she was still a woman of some weight, she had come down a few sizes and was pleased to be able to look at herself without cringing. She found a navy blue dress with yellow daisies and wore a yellow headband around her hair. She put on gold earrings and glossed her lips.

  Good enough, she thought.

  She arrived at the card shop and found that the cards no longer measured up to Garden so she did without. She waited at the counter for Loyle as usual.

  After a few minutes, a young man came through the door. “I’m sorry, ma’am; I didn’t hear the bell. Can I help you?”

  “Uh . . . , I didn’t ring any bell. Is Loyle here?” she asked as the butterflies in her stomach took a nosedive.

  “Oh, he had some business to tend to so I’m filling in for him; Jack’s the name. He’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Can I get you something?”

  “Oh, no thank you,” she said, deciding against ice cream which was a first for her on a Saturday. But then, Loyle not being there on a Saturday was also a first. Why didn’t he call and tell me? She thought about the shift that Esleen talked about. This is no big thing; he’ll be back tomorrow, she assured herself.

  When she was outside, she called Loyle. He didn’t answer. She texted him. There was no reply.

  While she did the rest of her chores, she kept thinking about the so-called “shift,” which kept her unsettled for the rest of the day. By five o’clock, she was anxious beyond reason and decided to talk with MG that evening. She made herself a baked potato, ate a bite and abruptly left the rest.

  “I need help.”

  “Nelise, good to see you. What’s up?” MG asked lightheartedly.

  “I’m a case of nerves, MG. I went to see Loyle, as I usually do on Saturdays, and he wasn’t there. He hadn’t told me he wasn’t going to be there. I couldn’t reach him on the phone either. I don’t know what to think. I feel as if my world is falling apart. What can I do?” she pleaded.

  “What is the answer I always give you?”

  “Ugh! Forgive?” she asked. “What am I forgiving?”

  “That’s not the only answer I have ever given you. Think.”

  “The Great Hall of Light?”

  “Yes, of course. As you said, what is there to forgive?”

  “Why am I sending him there, MG?”

  “Because of your anxiety, your feelings of fear and frustration, you name it.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that although I don’t think anything bad has happened to him.”

  “Then why all the concern?”

  “What?”

  “Isn’t that fear about something bad possibly happening to him and therefore to your relationship?”

  “Oh! OK, I will do it. Good night, MG.”

  “Good night, Nelise. Whatever is going on will turn out fine. Worry not.”

  It’s so easy for him . . . , or her . . . , to say. Loyle, I send you to the Great Hall of Light. Well, that’s just weird! I guess I’m jumping to conclusions.

  Ussshhhh! What time is it?

  She looked at the clock. It was
after midnight. How could so much time have passed so quickly? She went back to the kitchen, heated up the leftover baked potato and ate it with cottage cheese.

  Chapter 22

  Sunday morning Nelise made herself a cup of coffee while contemplating Loyle’s lack of response. That, and the idea of shifting to new spheres, seemed all too much to think about on a bright sunny day. Her whole weekend had been disrupted by Loyle’s absence the day before. Imagine, after a year of Saturdays, he wasn’t there!

  I refuse to call him. I will let him call me when he’s ready, she told herself over and over. But what if something terrible has happened to him? No, I sent him to the Hall of Light. He is fine. I need to do something fun. I’m getting too serious about stuff and I’m about ready to eat a gallon of ice cream. I must go to Garden!

  “Hi, Nelise. I’m glad you are coming here more often; it will help you through the shift. What do you want to do on this visit? I’m all ears,” asked Esleen humorously as her ears changed momentarily into elephant ears flapping in the wind.

  “I see that you are learning stuff too, Esleen,” Nelise said, smiling.

  “Yes, I do see the value of humor more these days,” she said with a laugh.

  “To tell you the truth, I haven’t a clue what I want to do. As a matter of fact, all I’ve been thinking about is wanting to spend my life with someone, a husband . . . . Yeah, I want to be married again. And I want us to live in a home with a yard and a garden, all that. And I want more fun in my life. I’m tired of being so serious and having to work through emotional stuff. Sometimes I feel as if I’m slogging through a mental swamp. Isn’t life supposed to be fun out there, too?”

  “Absolutely, Nelise. That is why you work through your issues; so you can enjoy more of your life both in here and out there.”

  “Well, I’m happier with myself than I have ever been before, thanks to you and MG. It’s just that the guy I’m dating is not approaching me in any way but friendship. I don’t want to seem impatient, but I’m wondering why.”

  “Have you asked him?”

  “Heavens no! Knowing how much I like him might send him running for the hills!”

  “That doesn’t make sense. If you want to be with him, wouldn’t you want to know the truth about how he feels about you? You could be wasting time waiting for him when he doesn’t want what you want, thereby missing other opportunities to find someone who does.”

  “Ha! I don’t see any other ‘opportunities’ knocking at my door, dear Esleen. Besides, I’m willing to give our relationship time to grow; let’s forget I said anything. What can I do to have more fun out there? I don’t want to go drinking with Petal again. I talked too much.”

  “Yes, you certainly did. You would have caused trouble for yourself if you hadn’t been drunk.”

  “Yeah, I realized that. Anyway, I want to do something different. I feel bored with my life out there lately, especially at the job. I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t coming to Garden. As a matter of fact, I think everyone at work is as bored as I am.”

  “Hmm, a sign of the shift in motion.”

  “A sign? You know, I remember when I first got there some years ago, the staff was lively and active. Something was always going on; we had potlucks and outings. For some reason, that stopped and a large turnover occurred. Eventually, all positions were filled again but that was it. The only event that draws attention now is when someone dies or retires, sad to say.”

  “Why don’t you throw an informal party for your workmates? That might liven things up a bit and build rapport as well.”

  “You might have something there! Instead of going out for breakfast on a Monday morning, we could party after work Friday night! That’s a great idea, Esleen; thank you!”

  “So now, where to?” Esleen asked again.

  “Where to? I’m going to call Petal and plan our party!” Nelise said dialing her phone.

  “Hi, Petal; how’s your mom?”

  “Much better; thank you, Nelise. Everyone is more at ease now. How are you doing?”

  “Listen, I was thinking perhaps we could liven things up at work a little by planning a party for after work on Friday. What do you think?”

  “That sounds great. I’m not sure what’s going on with those people upstairs. They are closed up like turtles in their shells and it’s a bore. What did you have in mind?” Petal asked.

  “I was thinking of renting a room at a restaurant and having music, snacks and finger foods; essentially a reason to drink and let our hair down. How does that sound?”

  “I’m all for it. Sounds like just what we need. Maybe we could hold a raffle to help cover the cost,” Petal said excitedly and giggled.

  “What’s funny, Petal?”

  “I just happen to know the perfect place for it. The Picklepilk Restaurant has event rooms for rent, enough for thirty people or so. They’re open till one in the morning and they serve free coffee after the bar closes; great for a Friday night party.”

  “Ha! My friend, Petal, sure knows all the hot spots!”

  “Oh yeah. I have some interesting relatives,” she said. “Do you want to meet for coffee and discuss the details?”

  “Sure, let’s do the donut place,” Nelise suggested.

  “OK, see you there in a half?”

  “Sure.”

  Chapter 23

  Friday night came and people began arriving at the party early. Nelise and Petal were putting up decorations when Pam came in.

  “Hi, Pam; are you here to help us decorate?” Petal asked brightly.

  “Who cares about decorations? Everybody is coming to drink and party. Because you and Nelise left early, you missed the moving company’s arrival. I wanted to warn you ahead of time that everyone is suspicious of you two.”

  “What? Nelise! Come here!” Petal called after hanging the last balloon.

  “Hey, Pam; you’re here early,” Nelise said, noticing Chad coming up behind her.

  “Nelise and Petal, what do you know that we don’t?” he asked, grabbing a cracker and scooping up some dip.

  “Hey Chad, could you please wait for everyone to get here before eating the snacks?” Nelise requested. “And what do you mean by that?”

  “You’ll find out; they’re all right behind me now.”

  The rest of the group poured in and directly surrounded the women.

  “What is everyone doing here so early? We purposely made it for seven-thirty so you had time to go home and freshen up,” Nelise said.

  “Let the drinkin’ begin!” announced one of the guys from mail processing as he headed for the bar.

  “Nelise, listen up,” Petal said nervously. “Pam’s got something to say.”

  “What?”

  “We heard it was you who planned this party, and just before we left work, we saw a couple of moving company representatives coming in to meet with the CEO. You must know something since you planned this unexpected party,” Pam declared accusingly with folded arms as everyone stared expectantly at Nelise.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Pam. I thought the work place needed some pepping up so I asked Petal if she wanted to get a party going with me. Why are they meeting with a moving company?”

  “Nobody knows. They just showed up and the receptionist sent them up to the fourth floor conference room,” Pam said. “You know that means business of some sort.”

  “Yeah, then we saw Mr. Nelson and Mr. Manion storm out of the building talking loudly together. They were so angry that they walked right by us without a word,” Mary said. “Whatever is going on can’t be good.”

  Petal and Nelise looked at each other in surprise.

  “I swear to you, I don’t have any idea what’s going on. I don’t know what else to say,” Nelise said, plopping downheartedly into a chair.

  “I say forget about it and let’s have this party. I’m hungry, thirsty, and I want to have some fun! Anyone with me?” Chad asked, heading for the bar.

  So
me of the guys cheered and followed him while the rest helped the women push the tables together as waitresses continued bringing in the food.

  By the time ten o’clock came around, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the movers to Nelise’s profound relief. The party broke up around eleven-thirty and everyone left feeling less concerned than when they had arrived. That is, all but Nelise. She kept thinking of what Esleen had said about the shift.

  When she arrived home, she was too concerned about work to try to get into Garden. She hadn’t received any calls from Loyle either.

  What is going on here? Is this what Esleen was calling a shift? Whatever it’s called, I’m not liking it one bit! She grabbed a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and kept drinking. I might as well drink; I’ve already had too much beer and snacks anyway, she rationalized. She took the beer and sat in her chair to speak with MG.

  “Oh, who wants to talk with that know-it-all anyway?” she said out loud and passed out.

  She woke up the next morning with her head laying sideways against the back of the chair. She had dropped the beer bottle and beer had poured out on the carpet. She looked at her phone. No call from Loyle. She mindlessly cleaned up the carpet and took a hot shower to work the kinks out of her neck. She dressed hurriedly, put her hair in a ponytail and splashed on cologne. She glanced at herself in the mirror.

  Good grief, do I want Loyle to see me like this? She put on makeup and sat in her chair to talk with Esleen but noticed it was two-thirty. Sorry, Esleen; Loyle first. She grabbed her purse and ran out the door.

  When she walked into the drugstore, there was nobody at the counter so she perused the card aisle but nothing appealed to her. This card habit doesn’t do it for me anymore. She sat at the counter. Should I confront Loyle like Esleen suggested? Should I ask why he hasn’t returned my call? No, he probably has a very good reason. Should I tell him how I feel? No, wait and see what he has to say. Maybe it’s best to leave things as they are for a little longer. Whatever is going on, anything I say would probably turn him off, she speculated.

  The office door opened and a young man came through. “Hi, can I help you?”