The Naive Bumblebee

by Holly Smith

  “Vince. Nice to meet you,” he said, ignoring her hand.

  He looked back at Nelise and Petal. “I couldn’t take the atmosphere around there once you all left. There was no more laughter and too much work. I like to be moving about, not stuck at a desk for hours at a time until the next tightly regulated break time. I’m much happier doing this. The pay is not as good but then, I’m happier and happiness leads to more happiness. Right, Nelise?”

  “What? Uh . . . , oh yeah,” she said mindlessly. “Take care; I’ve got to get back to work,” she said, rushing off to the elevator.

  “Byron and I got married, Vince,” Petal said, ignoring Nelise’s quick departure and showing off her ring.

  “Congratulations! Are you living up this way too then?”

  “Yes, not so far from here. Are you still back at the old place?”

  “Nope, moved here too. This must be a good place to live,” he said with a laugh. “It takes me more time to get to work but I don’t mind.”

  “By the way, Vince, Nelise is moving into her own apartment this weekend. Do you still happen to have the truck?”

  “Sure do; need some help?”

  “We’d love it! Here, call me and we’ll make arrangements,” Petal said, scribbling her number on some scratch paper and handing it to him.

  “Will do. Take care now.”

  “I guess you don’t need my brother’s help after all. Who was that handsome dude?” Jaelynn asked.

  “Sorry to take business away from your brother, Jaelynn, but Vince is a friend who helped us before,” Petal said genuinely.

  “I’ll help if you need a couple more hands,” said Jaelynn with her eyes glued to Vince as he locked up his vehicle and drove away.

  “I’m sure you would,” Petal said under her breath, then aloud she added, “We’ll call you if we do, thanks.”

  When Petal returned to her office, Nelise was sitting in front of her desk.

  “So? Tell me what you found out because it took you long enough to get back here.”

  Petal laughed. “Oh, I found out a lot! First of all, he’s going to help us move you again this weekend.”

  Nelise looked at the ceiling and groaned.

  “Oh c’mon, Nelise; it’ll save you money. Anyway, I told him I was married to Byron and that we moved up here and he said he did too! Imagine that? He’s going to call me to get the particulars of your move. I think it’s fate,” Petal said, blowing an exaggerated kiss at Nelise and giggling.

  “Oh, please,” Nelise said, volleying the pretend kiss back at her. “I’ve got to admit, it’s the cheaper way out but now he’ll know where I live. Ugh.”

  “So what? He knows where your aunt lives and has not bothered you since you moved in with her. He’s a good guy, Nelise. You’d better snag him too because Jaelynn is ready to pounce.”

  “Really? Ha. Let her have him.”

  “Nelise, I’ve never seen a woman who wants a boat ride to bliss reject a free ticket. What have you got against this poor guy? He’s good looking, self-supporting; he’s got a great personality and a cool bike to go along with it, and he’s crazy about you. What more could you want?”

  “Talking with you is almost like talking with Es . . . ,” Nelise replied and caught herself just in time.

  “Who?”

  “An acquaintance, never mind. I’ll call you later about the moving plans. I suppose I should say thank you for saving me money.”

  Petal smiled broadly. “Before it’s over, you’ll be thanking me for a whole lot more, dear friend of mine.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Nelise said with a smirk and left.

  The doorbell rang at eight o’clock Saturday morning. Nelise was just getting out of the shower. She threw on her clothes and answered the door with a towel around her wet hair.

  “Good morning, Sunshine,” Vince said. “Ready to start?”

  “C’mon in. I thought you guys weren’t going to be here until nine,” she said, going back to the bathroom to put her hair up.

  “Traffic was good so I got here sooner than I expected. I’ll start with what I can handle and Byron and Petal can help when they get here. Do you have any coffee?”

  “There’s instant on the counter if you want to make yourself a cup,” Nelise called out.

  She came up the hall with her wet hair in a ponytail. Where are Petal and Byron? Is Vince supposed to do it all himself? She made herself a cup of coffee as Vince went by with one of her small bureaus. He’s pretty strong, she thought, noticing his bulging muscles and feeling the butterflies awaken once again.

  Nelise took the last sip of coffee and placed the cup in the sink. As she turned around, Vince scooped her up in his arms and headed for the door.

  “Hey! What are you doing? Put me down!” she yelled adamantly.

  “Oh! Sorry. I got so carried away I was going to throw you in the truck too,” he said, laughing as he put her down.

  She was getting ready to scold him when Petal and Byron walked in.

  “Looks like you got a lot of it done, Vince; is there anything left?” Byron asked with a questioning smile after seeing him put Nelise down.

  “Yes, there’s a bed and an easy chair, and that’s it.”

  “If I had known, I would have given you more time,” Byron joked.

  Vince laughed as they went down the hall to Nelise’s room.

  Once they finished packing everything into the truck, they came back into the kitchen where Nelise and Petal were chatting.

  “OK, ladies, where to? Why don’t you lead the way and Byron and I will follow in the truck?” Vince suggested.

  Nelise wrote her address on a piece of scratch paper and handed it to Vince. She and Petal went out to the car and waited for the guys to secure her furniture on the truck.

  “Well, don’t they get along like two peas in a pod,” Nelise stated tersely.

  “Somebody didn’t get up on the right side of the bed this morning,” Petal commented.

  “Vince was here at eight! I had just gotten out of the shower!”

  “Ooooh, that’s titillating news,” Petal said with a seductive tone. “Did you answer the door like that?”

  “If you don’t watch it, Petal, I’m going to throw you outta your own car!”

  “Oh lighten up, Nelise. This could be a lot of fun if you would stop being a sour grape. Have you eaten breakfast?”

  “No, but Vince probably has.”

  “I don’t care. If we invite him to lunch and you’re going, he’ll eat again I’m sure.”

  Once all her things were in the apartment, they did decide to go to lunch but Vince wanted to stop at his house and get the motorcycle so they went there first. They followed him as he drove down a block, took a left, drove a block, took a right, and pulled into his driveway. Petal looked at Nelise and burst into hysteria.

  “Nelise! What are the chances?” she exclaimed. “I’m getting goosebumps!”

  “What a joy,” Nelise said flatly.

  “Face it, Nelise, it’s in the stars. I love it!” Petal declared.

  Nelise could hardly speak. Sure. The one I wanted lived on the other side of town and the one I don’t care about is practically up my nose! Have I shifted worlds and Esleen didn’t tell me?

  Petal got out of the car. “Hey, Vince! For real?”

  Byron walked to the passenger side where Nelise sat speechless and opened the door. Petal joined him.

  “Nelise, Vince wants to know if you want a ride on his motorcycle,” he said.

  “Not really, no.”

  Byron then took hold of Nelise’s arm.

  “Yes, you do. I think it’s the least you can do after he moved you for free for the second time. Allow yourself to have a good time for a change, would you please? We’re only going to the diner which is not far away. I think you can handle it,” Byron said authoritatively while Petal took Nelise’s other arm and they pulled her out of their car. They had just shut the door when Vince came out of his house.
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  “Isn’t this great, Bumblebee? I’m right here if you ever need anything. Who knew you’d move so close to me?” Vince said happily, getting on his bike and revving the engine.

  Startled, Nelise looked at him in wonderment.

  “This is your first time on a bike I see. Don’t worry, I gotcha covered. Here, put on this helmet and let’s fly,” he said, placing it on her head.

  “Why did you call me that?” Nelise asked as she adjusted the strap.

  “I don’t know, really; I like bumblebees and I like you. Hop on.”

  At first, Nelise put her arms around him gingerly but when they turned the first corner and the bike leaned, she grabbed him tightly to keep from falling. She couldn’t see Vince’s broad smile as she clung to him. The wind was chilly but she didn’t notice when she felt the power of the bike beneath her. The sense of free floating gave her the same feeling she had experienced in Garden. For a little while, she even forgot about Loyle. When they pulled up in the parking lot of the diner, she saw some girls look her way jealously. She enjoyed the attention yet was angry at herself for doing so.

  As they were taking their helmets off, Petal and Byron walked up to them.

  “How was it, Nelise?” Petal asked.

  “It was great. I was a little scared at first but it got better; it felt very freeing.”

  “Yeah, she’s a natural; flies like a bumblebee leaning and swaying with the wind,” Vince said and patted her on the shoulder.

  As soon as he did, she thought of Loyle. “Thank you for the ride,” she said cordially and headed into the diner with Petal behind her

  Vince shook his head at Byron who shrugged and said, “Women.”

  Chapter 32

  Nelise was in her office working when her desk phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “There’s a package delivery here for you,” Jaelynn announced.

  “I’ll be right there.” What the heck is this? It has to be a mistake; I haven’t ordered anything.

  Nelise got off the elevator and saw Vince standing at the reception desk in front of Jaelynn, who was staring at him mesmerized.

  “Is this a joke?” she asked Vince suspiciously.

  He motioned for her to come outside while rolling his eyes towards Jaelynn. Nelise followed.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I wanted you to have my telephone number in case you ever needed anything,” he said, handing her an envelope.

  “I could call Petal for your number if I needed to. You didn’t have to make a special trip just for that,” Nelise said.

  “I delivered a package next door so it wasn’t out of the way, and I didn’t want you to have to ask Petal for my number in case you might want to grab a drink sometime and not want it known.”

  Nelise couldn’t help but smile knowing Petal was like that. Of course, that was why she was so lovable and yet, she could be quite nosy at times.

  “Thank you, Vince. I don’t imagine I’ll have any need to call you but I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

  “That’s all right, Bumblebee; I’ll catch you later. I would like your number too when you’re ready to give it to me,” he said, getting into his truck and driving away.

  As Nelise walked by Jaelynn, she said thanks. When she got to her desk, she opened the envelope and looked at the greeting card. A smiling bumblebee was sitting on a daisy. Inside was Vince’s telephone number, just as he’d said. She put the card back in the envelope and then into her purse without much thought. I like cute cards and that’s all there is to it, she told herself.

  That evening, Nelise went out for supper with Gertie and Stanley.

  “So Stanley, what do you do when paddle boat season is over?” she asked.

  Gertie gave her a questioning glance.

  “Inquiring minds want to know,” Nelise said, smiling innocently.

  “It’s OK, Gert. I own and manage a bowling alley full-time and I work at the paddle boats part-time for fun.”

  “Oh, I see. Do you own your own home or have an apartment?” Nelise continued.

  “Hey! Aren’t you getting a little personal? Who’s dating him here, me or you?” Gertie interrupted.

  “I was just curious, that’s all. Never mind. I’ll get Auntie drunk sometime and find out what I need to know,” Nelise said humorously.

  “Thanks for the warning,” Gertie responded.

  “Yeah, thank you. I might want to know a thing or two about you and the rest of the family,” Stanley said with a chuckle.

  “That’s it! I just went on the wagon forever so nobody’s findin’ out nuthin’ from me anymore!” Gertie exclaimed.

  They had a good laugh and chatted about other things. Stanley dropped Gertie and Nelise off at the house and promptly left.

  “What? No late night snuggles?” Nelise teased.

  “He’s got a meeting first thing in the morning. Before you leave, I wanted to ask you something. What’s going on with this guy Vince?”

  “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  “Why nothing? He’s very nice, and good looking as well. Are you really not interested?”

  “No, I’m not, Auntie; and I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m tired and want to get home.”

  “All right, dear. We enjoyed your company tonight. Hope we can do it again soon,” Gertie said while giving Nelise a warm hug.

  As Nelise drove home, she thought about Vince which, of course, led her to think about Loyle.

  She went to Garden as soon as she could.

  “Hi, Nelise. You seem quite lit up on this visit. Why is that?” Esleen asked with a big smile.

  “I haven’t had anything to drink, Esleen; I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I’m speaking of light. There is a lot of light around you, like you’re excited about something.”

  “I’m feeling good, but I wouldn’t say excited.”

  “Very well; I won’t say anymore. What shall we do on this visit? Anything in particular?”

  “I want to aimlessly float on a raft in the water and look at the sky,” Nelise said.

  Moments later, they were standing on a raft floating in a lake in the warm sunlight. They took off their sandals, sat on the raft’s edge and let their feet dangle in the cool water.

  “Esleen?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve decided to talk to Loyle and see what he has to say. I think I’m ready for the truth and I want to hear it from him directly.”

  “What do you want to hear from him?”

  “I guess whatever he has to tell me.”

  “I see. It can’t hurt to talk with someone as long as you don’t make assumptions or judge them,” Esleen advised again.

  “Yes, I know. I only want to understand what happened, that’s all. I miss him very much and I don’t like having these unsettled feelings in my heart.”

  “When are you going to speak with him?”

  “As soon as I catch up with him.”

  “Of course you realize the shift has been going on and it may not be that simple.”

  “Whatever went on with him, I will accept no matter what as long as I know the truth,” Nelise said, assuming she knew what Esleen meant.

  “Good night,” Nelise said, leaving before Esleen had anything else to say.

  Chapter 33

  Saturday morning after breakfast, Nelise decided to go to the old house and find Loyle. No matter how uncomfortable I feel about this whole thing, I must know the truth.

  She turned onto the street intending to park across from her old house again. She drove until she saw the dirt road and realized she had gone too far. Good grief, where is my mind? Shaking her head, Nelise turned around and drove back. Noticing the house across the street was still vacant, she smoothly backed her car into its driveway. She turned off the engine and looked up.

  What? What the heck is going on? Am I at the right place? Nelise’s mind went blank for a moment before reality set in. Her old house was gone;
the walkway, lawn, everything was gone. There was just an empty lot full of dirt.

  No! This can’t be! No! No! No! Nelise yelled, hitting the steering wheel with her fists, her eyes filling with angry tears.

  She drove straight to Gertie’s in a panic.

  Gertie was in her bedroom ironing and listening to old records when Nelise came running in.

  “Nelise? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! What’s going on?” Gertie asked, pulling Nelise onto the side of the bed.

  “The old house is gone! Completely gone!”

  “What? Don’t be silly; I just went by there a few days ago.”

  “Why did you go by there?” Nelise asked in surprise.

  “I don’t know; just keeping an eye on it, I guess. Every time I do, I say a prayer for my sister, the man, and the baby. Did you just come from there?”

  “Yes, Auntie, just now. Dirt! Nothing but dirt!”

  “That’s weird. I haven’t heard anything about it. Of course, why would I? But the house didn’t look like it was condemned. Maybe some company bought the land.”

  “But that’s not the point! What am I going to do now?” Nelise cried out. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator. Gertie followed.

  “What are you going to do about what?”

  “I went over there to talk to Loyle! Now I have no way of finding him. I feel like the world is against me,” she whined and chugged down half the bottle.

  “I’m sure you could find him some way. Have you tried . . . ?”

  “I’ve tried everything, Auntie. I never even knew where he lived to begin with and his phone has been disconnected. It’s almost like he never existed!” she wailed and drank more.

  As soon as she said that, she recalled Esleen saying “I hope you’re not disappointed because of the shift.” Could that be it? Is she now in one world and Loyle in another? Horrors! She drank the rest of the beer and headed down the hallway with Gertie following.

  “Where are you going, hon?”

  “Oh yeah . . . I don’t know what I was thinking, Auntie. I forgot I have my own place. I’m going home; I’ll call you later.”

  “Are you sure, dear? You seem too upset to be driving.”