Free Bee Happy by Marcia C Brandt Page B

the dressing room with her.  Calli looked around the tiny cubical quickly and didn’t see anything there, at least nothing in the physical.  This sometimes happened to her, especially after being with Sally and talking about all her spiritual stuff.  Calli didn’t want to discount what her friend believed in but she wasn’t buying everything she said, at least not yet.  She almost felt a little dizzy and crowded by something; sitting down on the chair she closed her eyes and tried to figure out what was happening to her.  She knew that sometimes when she’d been in the sun too long picking peas she would feel this way, but never inside a store.  After a few deep breaths, she felt ‘normal’ again.  Back to decision time.  She had brought only $20 cash with her and there were actually three dresses that she wanted to take home, for future dates.  Ha!  That’s a fun thought, more dates.  I might even start to like this!  Asking the clerk to hold the third dress until next week, Calli hurried back to the van with her great looking bargains.  She felt a certain satisfaction in finding these dresses.  She’d return next week and there might even be more choices. 
      Roger was sitting on the front porch, sipping some ice tea when she walked up the steps.  “How was your lunch with Sally?  Looks like you did a little shopping too.  Are you going to be seeing Jim again?”  There, he’d finally broken his silence about her date, and he hoped that she’d give him at least a little information to satisfy his curiosity.  He was well aware of her distaste for Jim at the farmers market, so there had to be something good that had happened for her to be in such a good mood and buying more dresses.  “Sally was fine.  She’s always trying to convince me there’s things happening that I can’t see or touch.  But that’s Sally, gotta love her no matter what.  I found a couple dresses that will be fun to wear.  Plus I needed something to wear to the wedding next weekend.”  Roger almost choked on his ice tea, she said wedding next weekend.  That was absolutely the most powerful first date on record, especially if they were getting married next weekend.  Calli laughed at the look on his face suddenly understanding what he was thinking.  “Oh, no.  Not me and Jim.  He invited me to join him at his cousins wedding next weekend at the Presbyterian Church here in Evergreen.  It was a good first date, but we’re not the ones getting married.  You almost looked like you were going to have a heart attack or something.  Believe me you’ll be the first to know when I decide to get married.  And just remember that I’m not in a hurry and I still am keeping my score card going where Jim is concerned.”  Roger again looked puzzled, “You have a score card about Jim?”  Calli patted him on the shoulder, “This is for me to know about and for you to never find out about.  I’ve got to get these hung up in the closet and start loading the cooler for market tomorrow.  How are we doing with our harvesting?”  They discussed what else needed to be picked and then both set about getting the vegetables in the coolers for tomorrow.  The afternoon turned into evening and they both relaxed on the front porch watching the stars come out.  Calli was the first one to turn in for the night, knowing that the morning would come early.  Roger watched the stars twinkle and wondered if they were sending Morse code messages.  He also wondered if his beloved wife was out there somewhere in heaven.  Surely heaven had stars; he missed her company the most in the evenings.  They used to sit here on this porch and try to count the stars.  They never did finish—he wished she was here right beside him, laughing as they got lost in the constellatio ns, had they counted this one or not?

Chapter 11 What Happened
      Calli was up before the rooster started crowing.  She hurried through her morning shower and