Chapter Six
Chapter Six
M onday morning greeted her in the same sunny fashion as the past several days. Her big boy kitty was engaged in his birdie entertainment.
“Hello, cutie pie,” she called out to Mr. Meowzer, who turned to look at her and then immediately went back to bird-watching.
Natalie climbed out of bed, picked up her cat, gave him a hug, and set out some breakfast for him. She noticed the flyer for the beekeeping demonstration next to her laptop. At first, she tried to ignore it, but it was as if it had a life of its own. That darn winking bee was following her around the room. She made a mental note to continue her online search for the beekeeper, but that would have to come later. She pulled on a robe and padded down to the kitchen, where her mother was enjoying a cup of coffee.
They chatted a bit about what was on the day’s agenda. Sally was going to work from nine to three, and Natalie was taking her father to his physical therapy. She hadn’t formulated a plan for what she was going to do between projects. But then, totally against her inclinations, Natalie succumbed to her parents nudging her to go to the beekeeping demonstration. She’d managed to avoid the guy since their first encounter, but she decided it was better to face her demons, whether real or imagined. At least she would be in a beekeeper safety suit. Hopefully, he wouldn’t recognize her. Besides, Natalie liked Georgia’s vibe. Mellow, but without being dull. Sweet, but without being sickening.
Natalie went to the website and signed up.
* * *
After Natalie dropped off her father, she drove to the apiary. There were over a dozen bee-curious attendees, all clad in white and mesh. She thought they looked like a bunch of astronauts ready to take off. In reality, she was ready to take off in the opposite direction. She couldn’t fathom why the man irked her to the extent he did. True, he was rude. But it was only one encounter. Don’t people deserve a second chance to redeem themselves? Sometimes. Joyce and Alec did not. Garrett? She’d find out soon enough. That is, if she didn’t bolt.
Georgia spotted her immediately and waved her over.
“Oh, I’m so glad you came. Here, take one of these suits and catch up with the tour. It just started, so you didn’t miss much.”
Natalie followed the group, purposely positioning herself so Garrett couldn’t see her face clearly. What was she afraid of? Would he mock her? And if so, for what? Who knows if he’d even remember her. She couldn’t call their first encounter an altercation. He wasn’t mean. He even smiled and winked. And what was that all about? A bit cheeky, as far as she was concerned. She resigned herself to formulate a better assessment at the end of the day. She hoped she had learned something about jumping to conclusions and being judgmental. It was only fair.
The group followed Garrett to the apiary area, several yards from the building where they sold their honey. Garrett explained the distance was for obvious reasons. Traffic noise could disrupt the bees’ process, and people who know nothing about beekeeping should stay away. He added that the best location for an apiary is facing south in a sunny area.
There were over a dozen man-made hives that looked like large boxes, approximately thirty inches high by twenty inches deep. Some were made of cedar and some of nonporous plastic. Garrett explained he was studying whether the bees preferred one over the other. Each hive was on a platform to make it easier to work with.
He described the parts of the hive, starting with the telescoping top cover to protect against rain. The inner cover was used for feeding. From there was a honey box, the queen excluder, then a brood box that held beehive frames with wax in order to make it easier for the bees to build honeycombs. The brood boxes held ten frames, spaced eight millimeters apart.
Natalie was struck by the intricacies of a man-made hive, and the passion Garrett showed for the bees and honey-making process. When he opened the lid of one of the hives, he used a smoking device that looked like a watering can, and explained how it calms the bees, and they retreat into the box.
“Keeping the hives in a state of good hygiene is as important as patience. It’s a slow incremental process, and I inspect them at least once a week.” Someone noted the large number of ants, to which Garrett explained they “clean house.” He went on to say that one hive can produce up to two hundred pounds of honey a year. He also explained how important bees are to our agriculture and food production. Sounds of awe emanated from the screened-in spectators.
Natalie wasn’t sure what was making her brain buzz. Was it the amount of information she was trying to process, or was it the bees themselves? She realized it would take more than one session to completely understand and appreciate the method and technique. It wasn’t something you could glean from a YouTube video. She had to admit, she was impressed. Several people asked questions. She chuckled to herself, thinking she should ask him if he’s always rude in parking lots.
After the demonstration, the group went back to the building, where they were checked for any rogue bees before removing their protective clothing. Natalie hoped Garrett wouldn’t follow them inside. Instead, his sister Georgia ushered everyone into the storefront, where they were given a small wooden crate with several kinds of honey. “Natalie, right?” Georgia addressed her.
“Yep. That’s me.” Natalie blushed.
“I really am so happy you were able to come to one of our demonstrations. Most people have no idea how complex the process is.”
“For sure. I think I only remember one or two things.” She laughed. “It was quite interesting. I shall have much more respect for bees when I see them.”
“Good! That’s the whole point.” Georgia smiled.
Out of the corner of her eye, Natalie spotted Mr. Bumbles bounding toward them. He had something in his mouth, and it was alive! Natalie gasped. “Oh, my goodness! What is that?” She thought it might be a rat. As the dog got closer, she realized it was a kitten.
“Mr. Bumbles! Bring her here!” Georgia commanded. The dog obediently and gently offered the kitten to Georgia’s open hands.
“She’s adorable!” Natalie gurgled at the furry, black kitty. “But show me a kitten who isn’t.”
“We sorta rescued a pregnant feral cat. She had four babies. We kept the mommy, and she’s adjusting quite well to a more domesticated life. We were able to get all the kittens adopted except for this little darling. I suspect it’s because some people think black cats are bad luck.” Georgia grimaced.
“Aw, that’s nonsense. I have a big, hairy, solid black ragdoll. The sweetest thing.”
“Does he need a playmate?” Georgia pitched the idea at Natalie and handed her the fur baby.
Natalie froze. “Uh, well, I’m not sure how he’d take to a kitten, especially since he’s in a strange environment right now. He’s doing fine, but I don’t know if introducing him to something else might make him bonkers.” Natalie couldn’t resist rubbing her cheek against the cat. “She is cute.” The kitten began to purr, which melted Natalie’s heart. “I wish I could.” She handed the furball back to Georgia.
“Think about it.” Georgia smiled.
Natalie sighed, “Oh, I will. Thanks again for the invitation”—she held up the little crate—“and the honey.” She noticed Garrett walking toward the store and made a beeline for her car. No pun intended.
Once she got behind the wheel, she realized what a dolt she had been and decided it was time to give the bee dude a break. The next time she saw him, she would mention she had attended the demonstration and how impressed she was. Okay, perhaps she wouldn’t go that far, but she would say hello.
When she left the apiary, she drove to the clinic, where her father was finishing his physical therapy. She met him at the entrance and helped him into the car.
“What’s this?” He held up the small crate that was sitting on the console.
“Honey,” Natalie said blankly as she pulled out of the parking lot.
“Ah, so you decided to go?” Her father inspected the jars.
“Yes, Daddy dearest. I took your and mom’s advice. It was pretty interesting, actually.”
“I bet it was.” He grinned. “I’ve heard only good things about that fella.”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Natalie responded, and changed the subject. “How many more sessions do you have?”
“Two weeks.”
“And then?”
“And then it’s twice a week for six weeks.”
“You mean I am going to have to be your chauffeur for another month and a half?” Natalie was teasing.
“Only if you want to. I can always take an Uber or Lyft.”
“Or do you not want me to stay longer?”
“We would love for you to stay longer. Stay as long as you want. You have your best buddy kitty, your mother, and me. What else do you need? Besides your laptop.”
“I’ve been thinking about it. The farmers market is open until Labor Day, and the food pantry needs help every Sunday. I’d hate to let them down, especially during their busy months. I have nothing going on in Jacksonville right now. I just don’t want to get in the way of you and Mom.”
“Never! And if you keep cooking, we’ll never let you go back,” he said, laughing.
That sealed it for Natalie. Her summer was now booked. The only thing left was to pay the rent for a place she wasn’t living in. She had returned twice to check her mail and get more clothes. It struck her that when she was there, she realized she didn’t miss it. Any of it.
“Listen, your mother and I were talking about converting the garage into a studio apartment. We thought about renting it out. Get a little more income to put in my retirement account.”
“Retire? You?” Natalie couldn’t recall hearing her father talk about retirement.
“Not right away. But the building is just sitting there housing a bunch of stuff we don’t use. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know what’s in there besides gardening tools, and I built a separate shed near your mother’s garden so she wouldn’t have to drag everything back and forth.”
“Well, we know my old bicycle is still in there.”
Robert reached around to the back seat and gave his horn a toot. “The other idea was to turn it into an artist studio and rent it out that way. It just makes no sense to have a building that could generate some income, rather than a storage unit.”
Natalie’s wheels were turning. If they emptied the garage, it could be a very cool space with a loft bedroom. “I think it’s a great idea, Dad.” She failed to mention she thought it was a great idea for herself. She didn’t want to make any hasty decisions. She had only been back for a little over two weeks. Two genuinely nice, comfortable weeks. Still, no reason to rush into anything.
“I do have a lot of free time, Dad. I’d be happy to go through some of the stuff. You can sit on that old milk can and boss me around.”
“I just might take you up on that offer.” Robert’s wheels were also turning. It would be nice to have his daughter close by.
Sally and Robert never pressured either of their children to “settle down” or stay nearby. They raised them to be adults, adults with their own path.
The subject of a traditional “married with children” lifestyle was never a topic of discussion. Procreating was a good thing, but it wasn’t for everyone. There were a lot of children with parents that were ill-equipped. Robert once remarked that you had to take a driving test in order to get a license, so shouldn’t you have to take one to have a baby? There were no qualifications for parenthood. No training required.
Natalie and her brother were relieved their parents accepted them for who they were and respected their personal decisions. If it were up to Natalie, she would have more cats and a dog. Another checkmark in the “plus” column of the garage conversion. She had enough work and money to pay the rent for her unoccupied apartment for a few months, so it wasn’t a pressing situation. She decided this was one of those “go with the flow” situations.