Josie, Book 9

After the party, the table was littered with paper plates, blown-out birthday candles, paper hats and crumpled napkins. Josie had opened her presents: a silver heart pendant from her parents, a bride doll from her grandparents: “Your last doll,” explained Gramma, “one to save and show your own daughter”. Sally and her family had given Josie a pretty pink lunchbox and thermos. The boys had already gone outside to the street to play; Esther was sitting on the ovrstuffed chair, stroking the bridal veil of the new doll which had blonde curls and individual, ivory-white teeth. Nancy and Mary were at the piano playing “Blue Moon” while the adults were taking coffee in the kitchen.

Sally and Josie sat on the carpet in the living room, figuring out the new game board that Nancy and Mary had brought — chess, checkers, Parcheesi and backgammon were all included in the one kit when Teddy and Freddy slammed in the side door, dragging a weeping Archie between them.

“What happened?” Mum asked as she started inspecting Archie’s skinny little frame.

“Here”. He sobbed, pointing at his neck.

There was a neat line of red welts forming a necklace around the left side of his neck.

“What on earth?” exclaimed Mum.

Teddy looked decidedly abashed and crestfallen. “We found a dead bumblebee…at least we thought it was dead.”

“Yes?”

“Well, we started playing catch with it.” Mum looked at Dad. Josie realized she could see what was coming. She could feel her mouth start to twitch.

“Well, it wasn’t dead and it went down Archie’s shirt and it stung him.” all in one breath.

Mum was already searching for the baking soda that would be made into a paste to draw the venom from the wounds.

“I guess this will teach you not to play with bees?” Mum reprimanded Archie while administering the paste.

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“And you, Teddy?” as she searched for a stinger in the puncture wounds.

“Yes Mum”. as subdued as Josie had ever heard her little brother.

“Now, then, Archie, you’d better go home and have a lay down. Bee stings can leave you feeling shocky and woozy.” said Mum as she used tweezers to remove the sliver-sized singer.

“I’ll take him home,” volunteered Sally, “it’s time I was getting back anyway. Thanks for the nice party.”

“Thanks for the lunch pail Sally, it’s really nice,” said Josie.

“See you later.” They spoke in unison and smiled. Dad and Mum exchanged looks and grinned. Dad shook his head and started for the door. “I’m going across the way to talk to Ed for a minute.” Ed Emrich was Sharon’s Dad, grandfather in a way to the baby bunnies. “I saw him sitting on the front stoop when I came in,” and Dad was out the door.