The Naive Bumblebee

by Holly Smith

  “Seriously? You’re asking a lot, Esleen.”

  “Yes, but we both know you are capable. If you felt that strongly in a negative way, you would have been thrown out of Garden so I know your reaction is a matter of speaking habit and not how you really feel. You are progressing nicely,” Esleen said, applauding her.

  “Don’t clap your hands yet, Esleen; I still have to go through with it. I guess I’m not feeling as threatened as I used to over such things because I know you will always be there for me. Let’s go for a boat ride. I wish there were someone who would row us around this time.”

  “There will be,” Esleen said with a twinkle in her eye that made Nelise suspicious.

  When they reached the boat, a man wearing a hat and sunglasses was sitting in the middle seat. Esleen got into the front of the boat and Nelise sat in the back. As the man rowed quite evenly, the boat glided gently over the water like it was a sheet of ice. Every now and then, he would turn his head and glance back at her. When he did, she felt his gaze as if he were her lover sneaking a glance while on the job. The butterflies in her stomach began to flutter, her thoughts drifted to Loyle, and she fell asleep.

  Chapter 25

  Nelise woke up Tuesday morning feeling hopeful after her weekend visits with Esleen. It sure would be great if I had a nice girl to train. Then I might not feel so badly. I think I’ll bring in bagels for everyone to get things off to a good start.

  Arriving at work, she went straight to the breakroom with the bagels. She was fixing a coffee for herself when Petal came in.

  “Yay, I’m glad you brought food. I’m a little bit hungover and I don’t want my trainee to have a bad opinion of me. I must look like hell with this hair,” Petal said, pouring a coffee and popping a bagel into the toaster.

  “You look fine, Petal; maybe a little rough around the edges is all,” Nelise said, smiling. “You and Byron have a good evening?”

  “You could say that,” Petal said with a giggle. “Have you met your trainee yet?”

  “No, I came here first to take some deep breaths and get coffee. How is it going with yours?” Nelise asked while spreading cream cheese on half a bagel.

  “It’s going well. He’s polite and quite knowledgeable. For him it’s only a matter of learning our processes. He’s single and quite attractive by the way; perhaps you might want to meet him,” Petal said with a suggestive smile.

  “Don’t even go there, Petal; this whole work thing is challenging enough,” Nelise declared and playfully pushed her away. She left the other half of the bagel in the box and took another gulp of coffee. “No time like the present; see you at lunch.”

  “Agreed. I don’t want Vince to have to come find me if he has a question,” Petal said as they quietly slipped out the door of the breakroom.

  As Nelise entered her cubicle, she saw a woman about her age and height. She was slender and attractive, which would have annoyed Nelise in the past.

  “Hi, I’m Nelise; how are you?”

  “Hi . . . I’m Celia. Are you ready for this?” Celia asked cautiously. “I can’t imagine how you might be feeling. I will do my best to make it as painless as possible.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m moving on to something better,” Nelise said and found herself feeling more assured as she spoke the words.

  “Really? You already have another job?” Celia asked incredulously.

  “Yes, there is one for me and I’m looking forward to it,” Nelise said. If Esleen is right—and I believe she is—then I’m telling the truth, she told herself.

  “That’s wonderful! I’m so relieved to hear that. This place works so much better for me. It is near my daughter’s school so I don’t have to travel twelve miles out of my way anymore.”

  “That’s good, Celia. Why don’t you tell me how much you understand and we’ll begin training from there,” Nelise suggested. Perhaps Esleen is right. I’m feeling more comfortable than I thought I would.

  While they were working, her desk phone rang. Nelise answered.

  “Hi, this is the receptionist. The firm is giving a catered lunch in the large conference room on the fourth floor today in gratitude for those of you who stayed on to train.”

  “OK, thanks,” Nelise said. Hmm, a business showing appreciation. That’s nice.

  The phone rang again.

  “Nelise, I’ll see you outside the conference room for lunch, OK?”

  “Sure, Petal, see you then.”

  “Celia, you’re welcome to join Petal and me for lunch if you don’t have other plans.”

  “I would like that, Nelise, thanks.”

  Nelise and Celia were waiting for Petal outside the conference room when she got off the elevator with a man beside her. Nelise suddenly felt the butterflies in her stomach come alive.

  “Nelise, this is my trainee, Vince Miller. This is my friend, Nelise, and her trainee,” Petal said and paused.

  “Oh, this is Celia. Celia, this is my friend, Petal.”

  “Hi, Nelise; now I know your name. I wanted to ask you but it seemed awkward at the time.”

  Petal gave Nelise a surprised look.

  “You two know each other?”

  “Well, he changed my tire for me on the morning of the big meeting.”

  “Yes, it’s a good thing I was there, although we both missed a meeting. I didn’t mind. Just give me the information without all the fluff,” he said and laughed. He suddenly looked through the conference room door.

  “Hey, Manny! See you later; I can’t believe my friend is working here too!” he said as he rushed away.

  “Shall we eat?” Petal asked. “Then we can sit down and Nelise can tell me more about this flat tire meetup.”

  They found a table directly across the room from Vince and his friend.

  “So, Nelise, you told me about the tire but you didn’t tell me about Vince. Hmmm, why not?” Petal asked, staring at her while opening a bag of chips.

  Celia smiled and kept eating.

  “Why would I mention it? So a guy changed my tire, so what?” Nelise said defensively and then wondered herself why she didn’t.

  “You would mention it because he’s nice looking, around your age, and he said he wanted to ask your name which shows that he was obviously interested; right, Celia?”

  Celia laughed. “Don’t bring me into it; I’m the new kid on the block. I have to stay on good terms with this lady.”

  “Ha, smart girl,” Nelise said. “Don’t try to fix me up with the first guy that comes along, Petal. It hasn’t been that long since I heard from my guy. I’m still holding out for his return, which could be just a matter of time.”

  “Oh, Nelise! You’re hopelessly waiting around for a catfish when you could be getting ready to enjoy a swordfish!”

  “Petal, you are too funny! The whole thing sounds fishy to me,” Nelise said, causing them all to laugh. At that she glanced over at Vince and found him smiling at her. She smiled back politely and turned to her lunch, never to look over again.

  “See? What did I tell you? Stop acting like a shrimp, Nelise; you’re a lobster!” Petal said and Celia laughed.

  “Enough with the fish jokes, OK? I’ve got to get back to my desk to check on some things. Come back when you’re done, Celia, no rush,” she said, picking up her purse and tray. When she got to the tray bin, Vince was there and took her tray from her to place on the stack.

  “Thank you, Vince.”

  “Anything for you, Miss Nelise,” he said emphatically.

  They got off the elevator and Nelise walked off towards her office and Vince walked next to her.

  “Say, are you attached to anyone? You probably are, but there’s no harm in asking,” Vince said. He inadvertently bumped her shoulder as a man bumped him passing by.

  Nelise felt as if an electric current had run through her and she stepped back from him.

  “Sorry, lost my balance for a second because I can’t take my eyes off you,” he said with a smile. “So, do
you have a boyfriend?”

  Nelise stopped and looked straight at him.

  “It’s really none of your business. And even if I didn’t, what makes you think that I would look your way? I have done nothing to encourage you, Vince, so don’t put me in a position to hurt your feelings, OK?” she said, disappearing into her cubicle.

  “OK, I’ll find out some other way then. See you later,” Vince said unabashedly.

  The guy has guts, I’ll give him that, Nelise thought. She took a deep breath to settle the butterflies and was glad to have to train Celia so she could think of nothing else. She was angry that her body was so responsive to Vince’s accidental touch, and angry at Loyle for not contacting her. She texted Petal and told her to tell Vince that she was, in fact, seeing someone. Petal agreed but didn’t do so.

  On the way home, Nelise stopped for a burger and fries. As she was driving, she reached into the bag of fries and retrieved a few to munch on. All of a sudden a fry stuck in her throat and she coughed. What the heck am I doing? I don’t eat these things anymore! What is wrong with me? She immediately stopped at the local grocery and bought some tomato juice and drank one on the way home. When she got through the door, she threw the bag of food into the garbage bag, tied it up and placed it into the outside garbage receptacle. Never again am I going back to the days of eating fast food.

  Good glory, what is my problem? I must calm myself and get into Garden! She sat down and said the words to take her.

  “Nelise, how good to see you. You seem excited; what’s going on?”

  “Why do you say that, Esleen?”

  “Your aura is so bright! You must have had a great day; tell me about it, I can’t wait to hear!”

  Esleen’s colors were vivid and sparkling. Nelise wondered why.

  “Esleen, I don’t understand why my aura, or whatever you called it, is so bright. It wasn’t such a great day. Nothing happened except that the girl I am training has made the situation more comfortable than I had expected.”

  “It’s all right if you don’t want to tell me. So then, what would you like do on this visit?”

  “Let’s go for a walk in the woods; I want to chat with you. If there happen to be any horses running around, that would be cool too.”

  “Sounds good,” Esleen said, taking Nelise’s hand.

  Moments later they stepped off the cobblestone street onto a dirt path with trees and a meadow where horses were playing. Every now and then, they would pass a blueberry bush and Nelise would grab a handful while she talked. She had the feeling that somebody else was walking beside her though she could not see anyone.

  “Esleen, is anyone else here with us? I have that feeling again.”

  “You mean you can feel your lover that strongly now?”

  “Lover? No! Loyle is my lover! Tell whoever else is floating around here to go away!” Nelise yelled and found herself back in her chair.

  Ugh! What is going on here? Somebody help me please!

  “Hi, Nelise; haven’t seen you in a while. What’s up?” MG asked pleasantly.

  Nelise was so startled at hearing MG’s voice that her feelings dissipated immediately.

  “Yeah, I guess I did ask for help. Esleen keeps telling me I have an invisible lover and now she has me believing it so much so that I often feel him near me when I’m in Garden but he’s invisible! How can that be? Am I losing my mind?”

  “Ha-ha, no, you’re not losing your mind. Your mind is working wonderfully well; you’re just not used to being conscious of it. You have been attracting a lover, among other things, and since your desire has become stronger, you are feeling his vibrations over everything else in Garden. What’s wrong with that?” MG asked, sounding pleased.

  “My desire is for Loyle, nobody else. Is it Loyle? Is he coming back to me?”

  “Nelise, you know he isn’t; at least not that any of us can tell right now, or you wouldn’t need to ask. Why can’t you accept the love you want so badly from someone else? Why does it have to be from Loyle?” MG asked.

  “Because he knew me when I was f-f-f . . . , much heavier, and he liked me anyway. Now, when I’m looking better than I ever have, he’s gone. Why?” she whined sadly.

  “You know why in your heart of hearts, Nelise. Apparently, you’re not ready to face up to it yet. Everything is well and will turn out better than you can imagine so for now, why not accept your invisible lover as a friend? Since he is still not clearly evident to you, you don’t have to respond in any particular way. He just likes to be near you, which is the way you want someone to feel about you.”

  Nelise recalled how it felt to bask in Loyle’s presence and how warm and comfortable she felt talking with him. Everything seemed to have meaning with him. He could have talked about the garbage and she would have been happy to listen just as long as she could be with him. He was relaxed, friendly, and nice to look at; and he didn’t comment on her weight unless he noticed an improvement. I never did like that so much but then, nobody is perfect.

  Nelise felt a moment of compassion for this energy being or whatever he was. What else can I call him since he isn’t even visible? Perhaps if I’m nice to him, he will feel better and go his way. Or if I ignore him, he’ll be drawn to someone else and leave me alone.

  “Ha! That won’t happen Nelise, because you are drawing him,” MG explained. “Just let it be. Can you do that? Why must you speculate, judge and control? You miss a lot in life when you do that.”

  “I’m trying to draw Loyle, so how is that possible?” she asked in wide-eyed amazement.

  “You have drawn this being of love and now you have determined that you don’t want him because he could not be as good as Loyle. You are hanging on to an ‘idea’ of Loyle since you never really got to know him. You called for love and it is arriving but you are rejecting it. Furthermore, venting your anger because you haven’t heard from Loyle is keeping you out of Garden and away from Esleen as well. Is that what you want?” MG asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Ugh.”

  “Ugh? Is that all you can say?” MG asked humorously.

  “There you go again, laughing at my predicament.”

  “I’m only laughing because it could be so much easier for you to change. You have come a long way, Nelise. Don’t slow the train down now after it has finally picked up speed.”

  “Your analogies drive me bonkers, MG, but fine. I will let everything be what it is for now and don’t think I’m going to thank you.”

  “You are always welcome regardless, Nelise,” MG said with a smile and disappeared.

  “I’m looking for the Garden.”

  “Hi, Nelise; good to see you’re back,” Esleen said.

  Chapter 26

  Since the training at work was nearly finished, Nelise called her aunt.

  “Nelise, how are you? How’s Loyle?” Gertie asked.

  “Please don’t mention that name for a while, Auntie. I have a favor to ask.”

  “OK then, what’s the favor?”

  “I told you that my job was ending, right?”

  “Yes, has it?”

  “Almost, and I haven’t found anything else. Could I come stay with you and look for a position up there? I’ll pay rent and find an apartment as soon as I can.”

  “Are you kidding? I would love it! I’ll even help you pack and clean your old apartment if you like. When can I expect you?”

  “Thank you, Auntie, I would appreciate the help. My landlord is returning half the deposit so I can give that to you. I was hoping to move over the weekend; is that OK for you?”

  “Of course, dear; and don’t worry about money. I look forward to coffee and catching up on each other’s news. I also have some news of my own,” Gertie said brightly.

  “Really? What is it?”

  “I’ll tell you later, dear, I’m on my way out the door for dinner. Love you,” she said and promptly hung up.

  That’s interesting. Since when does Auntie not chat on the phone? I was all set to
hear her news. The phone rang.

  “Hi, Petal; what’s up?”

  “Byron is away on a business trip and I’m bored. Do you want to go out for a drink?”

  “Oh no, I’m not doing that again; I am staying sober! How about coffee?”

  “OK, see you in a few,” Petal said with a laugh.

  “So how long will Byron be away?” Nelise asked after fixing her coffee.

  “A few days; can you believe it? We’ve hardly been apart since we got together and I miss him. So, is Celia ready to fly on her own yet?”

  “Yes, she’s good to go. What about Vince?”

  “He told me he was up to speed a few days ago and I could end the training if I wanted to. I told him I needed the money so he keeps telling the boss he needs help with something or other. He’s pretty nice, you know. He has asked me many questions about you. Are you seeing anyone, is it serious, where are you from, things like that. I’m embarrassed for him since you keep giving him the cold shoulder. That doesn’t stop him though; he is smitten beyond hope with you. Are you sure you don’t want to give him one little chance? How about we go out to dinner one night, the three of us?”

  “What? No, Petal, I really don’t want to get anything going with anyone else. What if I run into Loyle and then I’m not free to go with him?”

  “So his name is Loyle!” Petal exclaimed as if she had discovered buried treasure.

  “Ugh. It doesn’t matter; he’s nowhere to be found lately and his cell number doesn’t work now,” Nelise said glumly.

  “Why waste your time then? Give this guy a shot. If you don’t like him, tell him you just want to be friends. That usually makes a guy disappear,” Petal suggested.

  “Let me think about it. Right now, I have packing to do.”

  “When are you moving to your aunt’s?”

  “I’ll be up there this weekend. Do you want to help me move? My aunt is. I’ll take you both out for pizza.”