Bees and their honey were his business. He contracted with farmers all across Central Florida for places to keep his hives. He logged a lot of miles traveling from farm to farm placing them and later going back to check on them and collect the honey.
"Hi, folks. Sure hope you are the Sullivans. We got turned around a couple of times. I'm Jim Hailey," he said, shaking hands with Doris and Ted Sullivan.
Ted introduced his wife and their thirteen-year-old son, Jesse, a tall, dark-haired boy with a slim athletic build from working on the farm.
"If you have a load of beehives, you have the right place." Ted grinned eagerly. "I'll show you where you can place them. The grove is just out back." He pointed to a couple of acres of orange trees ready to burst into bloom.
"It's been a long trip. Mind if my daughter and I wash up first? It's been a while since we stopped. These hives have come from a blueberry farm in Lakeland,” said Hailey.
"Sure. No problem. Didn't realize you had anyone with you. Come on in and have a cold drink. Then you can tell me all about these bees of yours," Ted said.
"I'll get Katy." Jim returned to the truck. He walked to the passenger side and coaxed his reluctant daughter out of the truck. She was incredibly shy with strangers, and it took all her courage to meet new people. She might have stayed in the car, but she was desperate to use the bathroom.
Jesse marched up and jumped on the running board of the truck next to her. "Hi. My name is Jesse. Come on, I'll show you where to go."
Katy turned to look at him. It was something about his eyes that comforted her, and when he turned toward the house, she fell in step behind him, not unlike a little puppy with a new friend. She was twelve and small for her age; most took her for much younger. Her long hair was the color of summer bleached wheat and plaited in two neat braids. Her pale blue eyes seemed grayer when the light diminished. She wore bib overalls over a pink plaid shirt.
“Well, aren’t you the cutest thing?” Doris gushed, following the newcomers into the house. Unused to compliments, Katy blushed crimson and felt the heat in her cheeks.
“Don’t mind me, Sweetheart. I hoped at one time to give Jesse a little sister, but it wasn’t in the cards.” Doris confided. “If you stick around long enough I promise I’ll spoil you rotten.”
Jim and Katy freshened up. Then Jesse took Katy under his wing while the men unload the bees besides the barn along the perimeter of the orchid. The sun was hot and after several hours of hard work and a few bee stings later, Jim and Ted were ready for a break. The grownups sat in the shade on the porch cooling off with sweet iced tea so cold that the glasses sweat even more than the men. Doris brought out sandwiches and cookies for everyone. The adults chatted about the bee business while Jesse and Katy rested on the steps.
After lunch, Jim and Ted went back to work again setting out the remaining hives beside the orange grove. They finished as the shadows grew long.
Jesse and Katy were in the yard playing with the dogs. They were throwing a ball for the dogs to fetch and return. Katy laughed as the dogs tumbled and ran, pushing one another to get the ball. It seemed like the children had been friends forever.
"Daddy! Daddy, watch Barker. He's the black and white one. He's the fastest. Watch." Katy threw the ball again, laughing as Barker raced the other dogs. "Midge is old and slow, so we throw it closer for her. She’s the brown one. Toby likes it high in the air; he can jump really high."
Jim spoke softly. "I am amazed. She has never taken to anyone like she has to your Jesse. She's usually shy, especially with other kids. I’m on the road a lot, so I home school her. She doesn’t get to play with other kids her age. She is actually playing like a twelve-year-old should.”
They watched a few more minutes while everyone finished their drinks.
"I wish we didn't have to rush, but we have to be on our way. I'll come to see you again in a few weeks." He called to the children. "Come on, Katy, it's time to hit the road. Thanks, folks."
Katy ran to the truck.
"Say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, Katy," her father reminded her.
Her head dropped, and they barely heard a soft "Thank you for the nice lunch and letting me play with your dogs,"
They watched the truck laboriously make the turn around the yard and grind its way up the drive. Katy turned in her seat and waved to Jesse. He runs behind them as far as the entrance to the farm, where he waved until the truck disappeared down the road.
It was three weeks before Jim came back to the Sullivan farm to check on the hives. Katy was with him, and in no time she and Jesse were off into the orchard to play while Jim worked with the colonies.
"You simply have to stay for supper. It will refresh you for the drive." Jim knew Doris was right, but the aroma of the stew simmering on the stove is what really persuaded him."
Katy was a different person with Jesse, and Jim saw it clearly, but what Ted and Doris noticed was the change in Jesse. He played with his other friends but always check the calendar on the kitchen wall for when Katy would return.
A few weeks later, the old truck came rumbling up the drive and into the farmyard again. The orange blossoms had finished blooming, and the bees had done their pollinating job.
“Ted," Jim began. "I’m thinking of leaving a few hives here to finish your orange trees. I need to take some over to Plant City. There is a farmer with some sweet clover. I’d like to set the bees on.”
The men walked down the path toward the grove. “I need to check the hives and the queens. I can make up some splits with the new queens and add some supers to keep your bees from swarming.”
“Fine with me,” Ted replied. “I’ve been reading a few books on beekeeping. I was hoping you could leave a couple of hives. I'd like to try my hand, you know, learn to work with them. Jesse seems quite keen to work with them as well.”
“Don’t great minds think alike?” Jim asked, and the two men laughed together.
Chapter 7
Rousing herself from her reverie, Mrs. Sullivan asked, “Would you two like a bite to eat? I have some ham left and could make up a couple of sandwiches. You must be getting hungry, and I haven’t had any supper either.”
“I’m sure the tow truck will be along soon," Maggie said.
“Well, it will still take him time when he does get here."
"Maybe we'd have just a sandwich, and some more of your delicious iced tea, if you don’t mind?” Josh added.
Mrs. Sullivan took her bowl of green beans and the empty pitcher into the kitchen. The dogs followed close at her heels. She put the beans in the refrigerator and took a cold jug of tea out, poured it into the pitcher and added some fresh ice. She turned to the refrigerator and took out the plate of ham. A loaf of bread sat on top, and she took that down as well. In a matter of minutes, ham sandwiches and pickle spears were piled on two plates. She grabbed the pitcher and carried them out to her guests.
"We didn't mean to make such work for you, Mrs. Sullivan," Josh said as he took the plates from her.
“I'm just sorry you have to wait like this,” she said as she filled and passed the glasses of tea.
Inside the phone rang and Katy hurried to answer it. When she returned, she was smiling.
“That was Barry,” she said. “He is on the other call, but he’ll get to yours as soon as he can.
“We really can’t thank you enough,” said Josh.
“It is no problem. I love having visitors. One of the reasons I enjoy selling the honey is that we meet some really interesting people, and I like it when it’s a family with kids. Our own are grown and busy, although they check in from time to time. Now my grandson, Travis, he comes by a lot. He likes bees and takes care of them for us.
They shared the ham sandwiches and were savoring another glass of tea.
"May I use your bathroom?" Maggie asked.
"Of course, dear. It's just off the kitchen, to the left. Maggie set her glass down and left.
"Your Maggie has an eye for antique
s, I suspect." She said to Josh.
"Oh yes. She was thrilled when she read that Arcadia had so many shops. It's something like 20, I believe."
"Back at the turn of the century - the 20th, not the last one - there was an awful fire. Jesse's parents remembered it. They said it destroyed just about the whole town. How tragic."
"I can't imagine."
"It happened on Thanksgiving day, too. I heard the accident had to do with the phosphate that was mined and shipped from there at the time."
"Any fire is awful, but they didn't have the equipment to put fires out back then like they do now," Josh added.
"A town the size of Arcadia at that time would still be using horse-drawn wagons."
Josh chuckled. "Maybe horse-drawn wagons weren't so bad. If Maggie and I had been driving one today, we wouldn't have had the accident, and we'd be home by now."
"I'm not so sure about that. Remember, the pace of life was much slower then. How fast could they go and how far?"
Josh chuckled again. "You're probably right, Mrs. Sullivan."
The sound of the phone ringing interrupted him.
“I’ll just see who that is,” Mrs. Sullivan said, getting up from the rocker. Carefully dodging the dogs, she left to answer the phone. She passed Maggie at the door.
“You know, I don’t mind waiting for the tow truck to get our car out of the ditch,” Josh said. “I’m really enjoying her.”
“Me too,” Maggie replied.
“I do wish we had our cell phones, though. How did people ever get along without them?" "You can say that again." She grinned, and added, her tone just above a whisper. "This is a little like it must have been back in the old days, maybe the 50s and 60s. She has all these mid-century modern pieces, and this house, and that shell drive. It's right out of American history!"
“Could be,” Josh said and laughed too.
The screen door squeaked, and Mrs. Sullivan came out the door.
“It’s for you Josh,” she said. “It’s your folks. They got your message and would like to talk with you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Sullivan,” said Josh as he rose from his chair.
"We’re so sorry to impose on you like this.” Maggie was most sincere. “You must have things to do.”
“Nonsense, this is a treat for me. I'm just waiting for Jesse to come home. I wish you could meet our grandson Travis. He's a little older than you, I imagine." Mrs. Sullivan took her chair and began rocking again. “Travis loves the bees. He went to college and learned how to take care of them like his grandpa. He’s such a good boy. We’re going to leave the farm to him one day. We know he’ll take good care of it.”
The screen door squeaking announced Josh's return. "Dad offered to come to get us, but I thought we’d better wait and see what Barry says after he looks at the car. If it isn't too bad, we might be able to drive back to Sarasota. I told him I’d call later and let him know what’s happening.”
“Don’t you worry,” Mrs. Sullivan assured them. “Things have a way of working out for the best, even if they don’t seem like it at the time. There's no rush, and besides, I like your company."
“Tell us some more of your story, please?” Maggie asked.
Mrs. Sullivan continued rocking as her mind trailed off to a chicken dinner a long time ago.
Chapter 8
Every year at orange blossom time, Jesse waited for the old truck to come rumbling into the farmyard, kicking up dust. The truck would be piled with hives ready to be unloaded in the grove behind the house.
When he heard the familiar grinding of gears Jesse ran out to meet them. Katy jumped down almost before the truck stopped and ran to give Doris and Ted a hug.
"Hi, Jim," Ted said stepping forward to shake his hand.
"We've got a couple of nice chickens in the oven for later," she said as they walked to the house. "Sure hope you brought your appetite with you," Doris said. She handed Jim a glass of lemonade and hugged Katy, smoothing her golden hair. "I swear you get more grown up every time I see you. You're almost as tall as me."
No bib overalls for Katy this year. Her jeans were gently hugging her teenage curves, and her loose shirt could no longer conceal how she had developed.
Jesse took Katy's hand, pulling her in the direction of the barn.
“I don’t know about those two,” Jim said. “Whenever they see each other, it’s like they have never been apart."
"Should I be worried?” Doris turned to Jim. “Have you had that little talk with Katy?” Doris asked. “You know, the birds and the bees talk.”
Jim sputtered and dribbled tea onto his plaid shirt.
Doris giggled at his reaction and offered him a napkin to wipe his shirt.
Jim blushed. “I... I asked the nurse in the doctor’s office to talk to her about that. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it."
"Well, I can understand that," Ted said, not meeting Jim's glance.
"The nurse, Mrs. Cotrelle, came to me and asked if I’d given it any thought. Shoot, I never thought much about things like that. It's - you know - girl stuff. I don’t know much about that. I have tried to be both mother and father to Katy, but I just couldn't...” His voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat.
“I do have some news though,” he continued. "It's kind of on that subject. Well, not really. I uh, I’ve been seeing a lady from Myakka, out near where we live. She runs a little shop and a gas station there. We had talked several times, and I finally got up the nerve to ask her out last summer. I didn’t want to jinx it by mentioning it to anyone. Malinda - that's her name - she gets along with Katy real well. I’m thinking of asking her to marry me.” Jim took a deep breath, waiting to see what Ted and Doris' reaction would be.
Ted jumped up, bumping the table and splashing the tea.
“Why, you ol' dark horse! You sure can keep a secret,” Ted bellowed, reaching out to shake Jim’s hand, and then he slapped him on the back.
“Oh, Jim, this is wonderful news,” exclaimed Doris. “You’ve been a widower for so long, and it will be great for Katy, too. She will love having another woman around. Have you told Katy your plans?”
“No, but I might soon. I'm just waiting for the right time,” he said. “I think I need to work up to it. I think she might be ok with it. She likes Malinda. They go shopping and to movies. They're more like friends really, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
“So, tell us more about Malinda,” Doris said, "I'm bubbling over with curiosity."
Jim was more than happy to talk about Malinda now that his secret was out, “She’s about my age and Spanish. Her folks came here to work up in Ybor City at the cigar factory years ago. She’s a widow with two grown children that live nearby. She's pretty soft-spoken most of the time, but her temper can get her going. We joke about that a lot." He grins. "Sometimes I rile her up just to have a bit of fun,”
The adults sat and talked, while the aroma of baking chickens wafted from the kitchen.
Jesse and Katy stood inside the huge double doors. The barn smelled of fresh hay. Jesse had worked all day cleaning out the calves' pen. He had cleaned it for Katy. He didn't want her stepping in cow manure if he could help it.
"What do you think of the new calves?"
“Oh, Jesse, they are adorable,” she exclaimed, looking over the wooden railing into the pen where two sets of dark eyes stared back.
"You can feed them a bottle of milk if you want?" Jesse opened the gate and showed Katy the spot where a clean bale of hay had been put down for them to sit on. He handed her a large bottle of milk and showed her how to hold it up for the calf.
Katy giggled as the small calf nudged her hand and found the bottle. It curled its tongue around the oversized rubber nipple and started to drink. The little cow tugged hard, and she had to hold on tight. This made her laugh.
“What are their names?” Katy asked.
“No, we don’t usually give them names. They get a tag in their ear with a number on it, but maybe you can
give them names,” Jesse said. He didn’t want to tell her that the calves would be going to the market when they got bigger. The profit from raising beef cattle helped to keep the farm running.
Jesse and Katy settled down in the hay. One calf in Katy’s lap, the other one in Jesse's while they fed.
“Katy, can I ask you something?” Jesse's tone had turned serious.
"Sure," she said.
“You know I have my driver’s license, right? Dad lets me use the truck to go into town. I wanted to ask if you would go to a movie with me tonight. Some friends are going, and I’d like them to meet you. I’ll understand if you don’t want to. We can stay here if you'd rather. We can play a board game or cards, whatever you want.” Jesse kept his eyes on the calf he was feeding, too afraid to look at Katy. "I'd like to go, but I want to be with you. Shoot, you're pretty and smart... and I like you a lot. You're not like those other girls. The ones at school can only talk about clothes and stuff.
“Why, Jesse Sullivan, are you asking me out on a date?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the calf in her lap.
“Well, I guess I am. Would you like to go with me, Katy?” Jesse was blushing and shaking, and his hands were sweating. He’d never asked a girl out before. Plenty had wanted him to, but he had never met one he liked enough until Katy.
“I’d like to, Jesse. You have to ask my dad if it’s ok. If he says yes, then I’d be pleased to be your date,” Katy giggled at the word, and she could feel herself blush. No one had ever asked before, but she didn't want to tell that to Jesse. She suspected that this was new territory for both of them.
The two families sat around the enamel and chrome table with wonderfully smelling food, steam rising from bowls and trays and baskets.
"Lovely supper, Doris." Tom took a chunk of chicken breast and passed the plate on to Jim before reaching for the dumplings.
"Yes, sir. Mighty find supper." Jim helped himself to a chunk of chicken, although he wasn't exactly sure of the cut.
Honey Tree Farm Page 3