but my mother did. This is where I spent my she said. ‘No, summers,’ see, the house belonged to my grandparents, and all this property around it. Big Mama kept bees, too, ‘You right out there in the same in today. Nobody around here had ever seen a lady beekeeper till spot they’re her. She liked to tell everybody that women made the they have a special ability best beekeepers, ‘cause built into them to love creatures that sting. from years of loving children and ‘It comes husbands,’ she’d say.’ August laughed, and so did I. Big Mama the one who taught you to ‘Was your keep bees?’ August took off her glasses and cleaned them on the scarf at her waist. taught me lots more about bees than just how to keep them. She used to tell me one tall bee tale after ‘She another.’ I me I said. August thumped her finger on her forehead like she was trying to tap one perked up. ‘Tell one,’ of them off some back shelf in her head. Then her eyes lit up, and she said, one time Big Mama told ‘Well, me she went out to the hives on Christmas Eve and heard the bees singing the words of the Christmas story right out of the gospel of Luke.’ August started to sing then in a humming sort of way, ’ brought forth her firstborn child and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the ‘Mary manger.’ giggled. ‘I you think that ‘Do really happened?’ yes and she said. ‘Well, no,’ things happen in a literal way, Lily. And then other things, like this one, happen in a not literal way, ‘Some but they still happen. Do you know what I mean?’ I have a clue. didn’t I said. ‘Not really,’
‘No, but my mother did. This is where I spent my summers,’ she said. ‘You see, the house belonged to my grandparents, and all this property around it. Big Mama kept bees, too, right out there in the same spot they’re in today. Nobody around here had ever seen a lady beekeeper till her. She liked to tell everybody that women made the best beekeepers, ‘cause they have a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting. ‘It comes from years of loving children and husbands,’ she’d say.’ August laughed, and so did I. ‘Was your Big Mama the one who taught you to keep bees?’ August took off her glasses and cleaned them on the scarf at her waist. ‘She taught me lots more about bees than just how to keep them. She used to tell me one tall bee tale after another.’ I perked up. ‘Tell me one,’ I said. August thumped her finger on her forehead like she was trying to tap one of them off some back shelf in her head. Then her eyes lit up, and she said, ‘Well, one time Big Mama told me she went out to the hives on Christmas Eve and heard the bees singing the words of the Christmas story right out of the gospel of Luke.’ August started to sing then in a humming sort of way, ’ ‘Mary brought forth her firstborn child and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger.’ ‘I giggled. ‘Do you think that really happened?’ ‘Well, yes and no,’ she said. ‘Some things happen in a literal way, Lily. And then other things, like this one, happen in a not literal way, but they still happen. Do you know what I mean?’ I didn’t have a clue. ‘Not really,’ I said.
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